Also got to wonder how seriously Wigan will take this game, as they have a "more important" fixture on Tuesday away at Arsenal. I suspect that the league will be more important to them...........
Arguably the main reason the FA Cup became such a unique and special occasion was it was once the ONLY live game shown on TV apart from Internationals. From the 60's we had a Saturday night/Sunday lunchtime fix of highlights on Match of the Day and the Big Match - but the FA Cup Final was a live one-off special shown by both channels. One live domestic game a year - sounds ridiculous now doesn't it? Programming used to start around 11am and as a kid you would sit glued all the way through the build up programmes until kick-off when it reached fever pitch anticipation. Then you would watch two top teams with players you only read about in the newspapers. After you would dissect every nuance of the game for weeks at school or with your mates. There was a time when I could memorise every final from about '63 to 1990 down to the last detail. Now of course we can watch the best players in the world in a live game most every day of the week. The Cup Final simply lost it's uniqueness
Still love the FA Cup, would love us to be there today. Funny how so many here say it's not important yet drag out our glorious success when cormparing us with Smallwall and Palarse.
Arguably the main reason the FA Cup became such a unique and special occasion was it was once the ONLY live game shown on TV apart from Internationals. From the 60's we had a Saturday night/Sunday lunchtime fix of highlights on Match of the Day and the Big Match - but the FA Cup Final was a live one-off special shown by both channels. One live domestic game a year - sounds ridiculous now doesn't it? Programming used to start around 11am and as a kid you would sit glued all the way through the build up programmes until kick-off when it reached fever pitch anticipation. Then you would watch two top teams with players you only read about in the newspapers. After you would dissect every nuance of the game for weeks at school or with your mates. There was a time when I could memorise every final from about '63 to 1990 down to the last detail. Now of course we can watch the best players in the world in a live game most every day of the week. The Cup Final simply lost it's uniqueness
Yep, bang on the money.
Hard for those under 20 to believe but back until about 1985 the FACF was the only live game on TV all year, that only changed in late 80s with one live game per week on Sunday afternoons.
The floodgates really opened in 1992 wen Sky got the new EPL and soon there were 3 or 4 live games per week.
Forgot it was on until yesterday. I get that they agree not to use Wembley for two weeks before the Champions League final, so move the game somewhere and/or have it on a different day, don't have it on a league weekend.
I'm too young for the 'It's one of the only televised games/all day event' days but it was still something special growing up.
I liked the idea of giving the FA Cup winners the 4th Champion's League spot, teams would soon start taking it seriously again. Wouldn't even mind the final on a weekday night if it meant it was the only game on and more of an event.
Agree with both those points. Do UEFA allow the individual associations to determine who fills their allocated Champions League slots or dies it have to be in league finish basis ?
The FA need an x-point-plan on how to bring some importance back to the FA Cup final.
1. It needs to be the culmination of the English season. With eight fewer games per season in the PL, why can't it end on the same weekend as the Football League? The two left-over sets of fixtures can be fitted into the schedule on a midweek surely.
2. Give the winners an automatic place in Champions League. Then the two automatic places will go to the league champions and the FA Cup champions (the clue is in the name). Second and third in the league would have qualify in July/August. If the winners of the cup one season are also the league champions, then go to the format we have currently. I wouldn't give a Champions League place to Wigan even if they lost this afternoon for example.
3. Semi finals have to be taken away from Wembley for it to be taken seriously. There must be another way for the FA to recoup their money on Wembley without taking away from the cup..?
4. Lastly, for now, all I can think of is that the FA need to seriously invest in the cup. It needs to become a worldwide event, similar in size to a Champions League final or a Superbowl.
I'm sure someone posted it before, but the year they played the QF's all in one week made it a lot more interesting. Was one each night of the week from Monday-Thursday, got a lot more coverage. Shame we lost the replay up at the Riverside mind!
Doesn't help that the ITV voice over people don't have a clue about what it means " could mean premier league survival for Wigan Athletic tune in at 3.15 for the FA Cup final..."
It should be held after the end of the football season. Absolutely ridiculous that it is held when teams have important matches left to play. The kick off time is also wrong. It should be at 3.00pm.
Absolutely, this. The FA have only themselves to blame. I had to be told by a non football fan this morning that the the FA Cup final was today. Me and me mates would all get together with beers and have a party. Can't recall the last one I watched. If they can't arsed, neither can I.
It should be held after the end of the football season. Absolutely ridiculous that it is held when teams have important matches left to play. The kick off time is also wrong. It should be at 3.00pm.
Absolutely, this. The FA have only themselves to blame. I had to be told by a non football fan this morning that the the FA Cup final was today. Me and me mates would all get together with beers and have a party. Can't recall the last one I watched. If they can't arsed, neither can I.
The fact is if it ain't the Premiership is just don't matter.
They have the whole commercial deal wrapped up and every other version of the sport can go to hell in a handcart because they are making squillions and could not give a rats arse about anyone else in the game (FA Cup. Lower Leagues. League Cup, International friendlies, women's football, U21, U18- all marginalised by the armchair experts and Sky devotees sucking the lifeblood out of the game)
If the FA et al are so interested in rebranding everything, why not rebrand the FA Cup final back to what it used to be? The grand finale of the English football season! Put it back on the BBC + ITV, have one channel building up one team and the other channel building up the other. 3pm kickoff, who gives a crap about the "international market". Either they put up with our timezone or they can f off. Just one match without all this "FA Cup with Budweiser" modern commercialist rubbish is all I ask for. The "international market" will love it because it would just be a pure celebration of the English football culture. Why copy the Yanks?
Still love the FA Cup, would love us to be there today. Funny how so many here say it's not important yet drag out our glorious success when cormparing us with Smallwall and Palarse.
It meant something more in the past when we won it than it does now but of course we'd all love to be there ....one day , one day ..
The FA cup in the 80s was immense. But then again there was no Europe so it was that much more important to clubs. Fixture congestion, priorities, some rubbish branding have all combined to devalue it. A 3-2 win for Wigan with some major drama would really help today. Can't remember the last time a final was that exciting.
Vincent Kompany "If we win the cup this year it will be an incredible acheivement given all we have been through this season"
"all we have been through" nice to see he is keeping it real, poor old city, thay deserve some luck, imagine having to finish second in the premier league and having such a small budget!
It all started going pear shaped because of Ferguson and his attitude to it. A steady devaluation of it has taken place ever since, exemplified by today's stupid kick off time when the league programme remains uncompleted.
Comments
From the 60's we had a Saturday night/Sunday lunchtime fix of highlights on Match of the Day and the Big Match - but the FA Cup Final was a live one-off special shown by both channels.
One live domestic game a year - sounds ridiculous now doesn't it?
Programming used to start around 11am and as a kid you would sit glued all the way through the build up programmes until kick-off when it reached fever pitch anticipation.
Then you would watch two top teams with players you only read about in the newspapers.
After you would dissect every nuance of the game for weeks at school or with your mates.
There was a time when I could memorise every final from about '63 to 1990 down to the last detail.
Now of course we can watch the best players in the world in a live game most every day of the week.
The Cup Final simply lost it's uniqueness
Funny how so many here say it's not important yet drag out our glorious success when cormparing us with Smallwall and Palarse.
Make it domestic footballs last game (bar the playoffs) and make a bigger deal about it.
Hard for those under 20 to believe but back until about 1985 the FACF was the only live game on TV all year, that only changed in late 80s with one live game per week on Sunday afternoons.
The floodgates really opened in 1992 wen Sky got the new EPL and soon there were 3 or 4 live games per week.
1. It needs to be the culmination of the English season. With eight fewer games per season in the PL, why can't it end on the same weekend as the Football League? The two left-over sets of fixtures can be fitted into the schedule on a midweek surely.
2. Give the winners an automatic place in Champions League. Then the two automatic places will go to the league champions and the FA Cup champions (the clue is in the name). Second and third in the league would have qualify in July/August. If the winners of the cup one season are also the league champions, then go to the format we have currently. I wouldn't give a Champions League place to Wigan even if they lost this afternoon for example.
3. Semi finals have to be taken away from Wembley for it to be taken seriously. There must be another way for the FA to recoup their money on Wembley without taking away from the cup..?
4. Lastly, for now, all I can think of is that the FA need to seriously invest in the cup. It needs to become a worldwide event, similar in size to a Champions League final or a Superbowl.
Then Dave Mehmet texts and says 'fancy pub for the football' and I'm all over it like a cheap suit !
They have the whole commercial deal wrapped up and every other version of the sport can go to hell in a handcart because they are making squillions and could not give a rats arse about anyone else in the game (FA Cup. Lower Leagues. League Cup, International friendlies, women's football, U21, U18- all marginalised by the armchair experts and Sky devotees sucking the lifeblood out of the game)
Come the revolution etc etc
3pm kickoff, who gives a crap about the "international market". Either they put up with our timezone or they can f off.
Just one match without all this "FA Cup with Budweiser" modern commercialist rubbish is all I ask for.
The "international market" will love it because it would just be a pure celebration of the English football culture. Why copy the Yanks?
That could be the reason nowadays!
With no aligence to either team It is a real good and pleasant way to enjoy the fa cup final
As a football fan the fa cup is very important and special to me as it is the greatest domestic cup comp in the world
Let's be honest I doubt I will ever see Charlton in one so it ticks one of the games to do before you die off the list
Hope your supporting Wigan.
Not at 3pm.
Not on BBC.
They have cocked things up good and proper, no wonder no-one's bothered.
"all we have been through" nice to see he is keeping it real, poor old city, thay deserve some luck, imagine having to finish second in the premier league and having such a small budget!