Monday, February 15, 2010

The FAc up

As I watched the Bolton/Spurs Cup game this weekend I couldn’t help but notice all the empty seats, crowds for the FA cup matches have been sorrowful this weekend by all accounts. As much as I hate to say it, and I know that if you had asked all the managers involved they probably would all have said “yeah of course we respect this competition, best football trophy contest in the world” - or words to that effect - but sadly this weekend’s vacant seats are just another indication that the world’s oldest & most favourite competition is dying a slow death.
Someone at the FA needs to open theirs eyes as to what’s going on and do something about this otherwise – if there is no shake-up – cup football in this country will become as dead as the Dodo.
Is it Champions League football that is doing it? Is there too much money in the game now? Can the cup competitions (or at least the FA cup, because there is a school of thought that the Carling cup should be dropped) in England be revived or is it already too late?
Stan Collymore says in today’s Mirror
“I would get rid of the Carling Cup, introduce Premier League teams at round two in the FA Cup when they would also have to play away until the fifth round.
The prize money should also be greater and away allocations should be 25% of the capacity of any ground, with no FA Cup ticket costing more than £15 up to the quarter-finals.
Then we would see bigger crowds, great away followings, more upsets and affordable football for families - so let’s take the Cup back to the fans”

In my humble opinion he has got some very good points/ideas but is he right?
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2 comments:

  1. DaveApril 4, 2010 at 10:16 AM

    No, I think he is totally wrong. Top clubs already disregard the FA Cup and just about every team in the Premier disregard the Carling Cup (at least until the semi finals.) Yes there IS too much money in the game, and to get that money you need to challenge for European Football and challenge in the Premier League. Trouble is over three quarters of the Premier teams are too fearful of relegation such is the balance of power now that as many as half the division can be threat of relegation up to the last day. Bring back two up, two down, give a Champions League spot to Champions (and Defending Champions) only, a Cup place to the cup winners and a UEFA spot to the runners up only. It won't happen and we all know it. It'll certainly stop Mickey Mouse European games such as Fulham versus FC Amkar Perm and maybe Fulham could concentrate more on putting out full strength teams in the League.
    In the meantime, we just watch the greedy buggers run the Premiership to implosion as the milk dries up from the fat cow.

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  2. DaveApril 4, 2010 at 10:19 AM

    Oh, and if you want bigger crowds, try dropping prices. 45 quid to watch Bolton??? And thats just to get in!!

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