The Magic of the Cup
Only seven teams from a higher league won games in the FA Cup third round out of twenty-one that played. What does this mean for the once great competition?
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What do the following teams have in common? Barnet, Bristol Rovers, Bury, Coventry, Havant, Hereford, Huddersfield, Luton, Mansfield, Oldham, Peterborough, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Stoke.
The answer is that all of those teams beat or drew with higher league opponents in this weekends FA cup third round. In fact of the twenty-one ties where teams from different divisions played each other only seven were won by the higher ranked side.
This could mean one of two things. It could mean that the FA cup still retains it’s old “magic” and the dream of a major triumph for one of the smaller teams is still alive. Or it could mean that the FA cup has totally lost its “magic” and means very little to any of the bigger clubs.
Sadly, I think the latter of the two possibilities is more likely. This is distressing for someone of my generation who grew up believing that the FA cup was the greatest knock out competition in the world.
There are two reasons for the fall from grace of this once great competition. The first is that the top four teams in England are so far ahead of the rest that everyone knows if one of those clubs choose to win the competition they will do so.
The other reason is that all clubs in the premier league have more important things to aim for in the premier league. That is where the money is, and that is what the Chairmen and Managers must concentrate on. A look at the current premier league table will show the top four teams fighting it out for the title, and jockeying for the Champions League places. None of them want to have to play in the early qualifying rounds next season. The teams from fifth to twelfth are battling for Eufa cup places, and the teams from thirteenth downwards are struggling against the financial disaster of relegation.
The fact is that none of the twenty premier league clubs can afford to risk their top players in any other competition. Eight premier league sides failed to beat lower league opposition, yet teams promoted to the premier league invariably struggle due to the gulf in class. This shows all too clearly that the FA cup is beginning to go down the same path previously trodden by the League cup. It will soon become a reserve team competition for premier league clubs.
Fans pay a lot of money to watch these games, and the chance for supporters of lower league clubs to see the big stars is a wonderful thing, and what the FA cup is all about. However, Luton fans didn’t get to see Gerrard or Torres playing for Liverpool. I don’t think that is fair on the Luton fans or players. It is a rare chance to test yourself against the best, and it is disrespectful of the bigger club to deny them that chance.
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I find myself daring to hope this is not the start of a road to oblivion for a proud and historic football competition. It seems that even the top foreign players that play in the premiership know of the FA Cup and its prestigious place in the hearts and minds of the English football fan. I’m sure they would wish to be part of this competition throughout its stages given the chance. You don’t get to be a great player without passion and a drive to win as well as exception skill, however the real drivers behind our football in this country are the money men and it is them that have the most to loose. I’m not saying that since 1991 our beautiful game has not flourished and attracted some of the best players in the world for us to watch. It has raised our premier league to a level once enjoyed exclusively by the Italians, but all this has come at a price. Exclusivity was there for those that had the fore thought to see where this was going. The top four at present Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool seem to be the only ones that can survive and flourish in the premier league climate. They are controlled by people who know business and know how to play the market in the right way. There is little profit in a knockout completion that on a good day sees a smaller and lower positioned opponent beat you, not good for stockholders, not good for business. So send out a token effort to please the organisers and history, but it never does. It’s not what the players want and it’s certainly not what the fans want, but it’s not for them or us to dictate. We welcomed the money beast with open arms with promise and hope. This whole thing goes right to the heart of our game, money, power and control. We the fans want to see a great game played in a sportsmanship way and be entertained. I fear those days are gone and what we are left with is a shell of what it once was. We’ll still watch and pay our money, but everyone has a price. I for one pay my licence fee to watch games on the BBC my Sky subscription for the sports package but that is my limit. I will not purchase any pay-per view games or enter into another package with Setanta Sports for more football coverage. My thrust for the game is not that strong but my passion and hopes for the future are. I hope we do not descend to the depths that the Italian league did, corrupt and sold out to the highest bidder. We all must to vigilant to that out come and pray that with an Italian England coach at the helm we can move forward and reap the rewards of a great league and cup competitions that will bring forward talented young English footballers who share our passion for our English game, maybe then thing will change.
The magic still lives on – Histon Town are the team this season that surprised us all!
Long live the FA Cup and the giant killers that roam it.
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