What Happened To The FA Cup

[THX2208]

I still have very found memories of 1981, 1982, 1991 but the least said about 1987 the better. I loved the FA Cup but unfortunately now I find it more of a inconvenience these days. I think the competition would regain some of its prestige if you were given a Champions League spot for winning it but personally I'm 100% against that idea.
COYS

 

[Flynn]

They called it the Emirates cup and gave Arsenal easy home draws for the next 4 years thus devaluing it to the point it became one of those Arsenal cups they win preseason despite not winning a game on account they get the most throw ins or something.

 

[SteveH]

It died 20 years ago!

 

[WalkerboyUK]

I work in Watford and there's not even much of a fuss being made about it in the town centre.
There's a little bit of bunting up and a couple of traders selling scarves/flags etc. but that's it.
You wouldn't really know they were in the final.

 

[Mr.D]

Cup final day was the only fixture in the footballing calendar that let you watch all day.
From the teams having breakfast in the hotels in the morning, on the coach with the fans, the road to Wembley look back, on the coach with the teams enroute to Wembley. BBC and ITV both broadcasting the game live. It was wall to wall football all day.
We get that every day now with even the most insignificant fixture.

 

[SteveH]

I work in Watford and there's not even much of a fuss being made about it in the town centre.
There's a little bit of bunting up and a couple of traders selling scarves/flags etc. but that's it.
You wouldn't really know they were in ’the final’.

They are not, but we are!

 

[Dougal]

24 hour coverage all year round kinda makes it hard to cover the FA Cup Final as every slightly important game gets over the top coverage. Super Sunday, Derby Day, MNF, Champions League with 4 English teams, Thursday and Friday Football, Transfer Deadline Day x2? Hype up to 11.

Add to that the dominance of a handful of teams and bugger all appearances by our lot for nearly 3 fucking decades and I certainly struggle to be interested.

 

[TheChosenOne]

The Manchester United exemption year did no favours.

 

[LSUY]

The Manchester United exemption year did no favours.

When the governing body is fine with slighting its own competition it can't ever recover its prestige.

 

[mpickard2087]

A combination of the amount of football on TV these days, the expansion of European competitions, and mainly lack of money involved compared to other competitions. Smaller things have chipped away at it further but those are the main ones.

The old Wembley Stadium going didn't help either.

 

[RichieS]

24 hour coverage all year round kinda makes it hard to cover the FA Cup Final as every slightly important game gets over the top coverage. Super Sunday, Derby Day, MNF, Champions League with 4 English teams, Thursday and Friday Football, Transfer Deadline Day x2? Hype up to 11.

Add to that the dominance of a handful of teams and bugger all appearances by our lot for nearly 3 fucking decades and I certainly struggle to be interested.

 

[Flynn]

I watched that on netflix last week

 

[riggi]

Money

 

[whitesocks]

The FA cup should be for English players only.
It is crazy that we nearly got to a WC final and many of our players had no experience of any final at all.
There's no money in the FA Cup and it means little to the likes of Man City. So spread the silverware around a little.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

It's still a huge cup for the non prem teams, or teams that aren't obsessed with the Champs League.

I'd like to see some.changes to the approach to make it fresher though. Perhaps prem league teams can only field academy sides. Or 'home.grown' players only. Just something to freshen it up and get teams in the lower leagues competing more.

Its still the worlds largest cup competition?

 

[Amo]

The Manchester United exemption year did no favours.

I don't get the 'exemption' thing. What would be the difference between being exempt from a cup and withdrawing from it? They act like it's a service charge or something you can avoid by paying with Visa.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I don't get the 'exemption' thing. What would be the difference between being exempt from a cup and withdrawing from it? They act like it's a service charge or something you can avoid by paying with Visa.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/jun/30/newsstory.sport6

 

[Amo]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/jun/30/newsstory.sport6

I know that. I'm just not sure what the inventive is to accept an exemption vs just not competing. Were they legally obligated to compete?

 

[TheChosenOne]

I know that. I'm just not sure what the inventive is to accept an exemption vs just not competing. Were they legally obligated to compete?

I can only say I imagine so.

 

[Marty]

It's still a huge cup for the non prem teams, or teams that aren't obsessed with the Champs League.

Is it, though? Teams like Newcastle, Bournemouth and Leicester have all been under heavy fire recently for sacking off cup games even when they haven't been in precarious league positions. Plus pretty much all sides fighting PL relegation or going for promotion from the Championship regularly stick two fingers up at the cup, send out the second or third string and crash out early.

Money talks, and all the money is in the league.