With the debacle of not being able to find a replay date for Chelsea and Man United at this stage of the season; How long will it be before they scrap replays in the FA Cup?
Tbh it would ruin the FA Cup (like it hasn't been ruined already with other things such as semis at Wembley, having the final before the end of the season and having the final kicking off at 5:15) but I think it's been on the cards for sometime IMHO.
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I agree with you, it would devalue the competition for me.
I think they play extra time and then penalties. Hopefully this will happen as well and they get snowed in on the way home.
Nothing a few cortisone jabs couldn't sort in those days.
I remember the Arsenal, Liverpool semi-final in 1980. They played out a draw in the league during the same time, so they met each other five times in less than three weeks. My Dad's best friend, at the time, was an Arsenal fan so he went to those games (not the league game) and to this day he describes the four games as Liverpool looking the better side in the first game or two but that Arsenal eventually took the impetus and won in the fifth game (including the league match). Those days will never return, and I think that has, to a large degree, devalued the FA Cup as it's now like every other cup competition in the world. It's an irrelevance. The top teams don't take it seriously as they know they are unlikely not to get to the latter stages, even if they play reserves. The smaller teams don't, really, try as they know they can't, realistically, expect to get anywhere near the final and even if they do they will not win it.
I think you have to go back to 1980 for the last time the Cup was won by a team out of the top flight, and that was West Ham who won the second division the following season at a canter. 2008 (Portsmouth) and 1995 (Everton) are the only two teams to have won the FA Cup outside of the top four since Spurs won it in 1991. It's no wonder few teams play their first eleven. We've also seen more examples of teams winning the double in recent years as the top sides have all the best players and the rest just don't even try to compete in the Cup.
Maybe they should do away with all the nonsense and just start the competition with the quarter finals and limit it to the top four and a couple of wild cards to make up the numbers?
Don't get the obsession with European football, obviously it's of no concern to us right now but barring the glamour teams ( Real Madrid, Barca etc) there seems to be an inordinate amount of run of the mill games against opposition that hardly gets the pulse racing, especially at UEFA Cup level.
I would rather see a leveler playing field in domestic football over European games amongst clubs I have no interest in. I suppose if you talked to your average armchair Man U follower they would find this opinion incredulous.
Always remember Welling having about 3-4 replays with Reading many moons ago.