The new 'climax to the season' apart from the Premier Finalés are the play-offs, especially the Championship decider. The FA cup no longer means so much to the elite clubs as European qualification means so much more potential cash and glory; foreign players and managers don't seem to 'get' the FA Cup and recently English clubs have played prominent roles in the final Euro stages. It is simply 'the way things are going'. Internal Cup competitions have never meant much in Europe, we have followed suit. It'll still mean a lot to Wigan though should the unlikely happen and they win today
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.
Not at the end of the season. Not at 3pm. Not on BBC.
They have cocked things up good and proper, no wonder no-one's bothered.
Agreed, but given the Final is 'protected' and not taken away from the fans to Sky, it doesn't give ITV an excuse for a piss poor effort. They are far too loyal to the same boring commentators and pundits. Childs, Southgate, Keane, Tyldesley and Townsend are bloody dreadful.
When the season ended, you used to be able to look forward to the FA Cup the following week with the whole weekend practically dedicated to it, now it's been relegated to a bit part place in the season with a later kick off and after a Prem game the same day before it.
FA Cup final day as a kid used to be very exciting. My Grandad used to cry at 'Abide with me'. We played it at his funeral and they'll play it at mine.
Meant nothing for me for a few years but 515 on a Saturday after 2 other live games on TV is a pisstake.
Surely the issue isn't really Ferguson, kick off times, which channel it's on, who sponsors it, how much players care etc etc. they're all byproducts of the fact that over the past 20 years football has developed rapidly and the FA Cup just didn't keep up.
When there was only one European Cup place (or none at all for some years) the Cup was by far the second most important prize in the land. Now, at best, it's the fifth. Having a Saturday 3pm kick off on BBC wont actually change anything other than allow you to feel warm and fuzzy as you get nostalgic about your rose tinted childhood. Give the winner (and only the winner) a Champions League place - we have four for Gods sake - and this fine competition will once again be the second most prestigious prize in our country.
Personally i thought it was a brilliant game of football
The right team won based on performance effort and tactics
The 2 managers are of a real contrast
We had seats near the dug out about 9 From the front and to go with the day the view Was unreal , but you could really hear and see What was going on , in both camps
In wigans every player on that pitch listened and agreed with their gaffer
For city that was nit the case many a player copping a def un to mancini abd his tactics esoecially at the 3 at the back
Kompany virtually gave away his disgust at the decision with his face and hand gestures
And the tide had turned
You could sense in the ground that wigan were going to win it
Great goal great noise from wigan
But hats off to city fans superb throughout and humble towards the out come not sure i wouldve been so accepting to the result
The fa cup has always been special to me but now means a little bit more some how as today i saw what it meant first hand
To the left of me a boy about 8 crying that his team had lost abd a poor dad trying to console him
To my right an elderly couple life long wigan fans who were given the 2 seats for the game by someone at the club as a thank you Who were crying with joy
Just got back from the match and those are my sentiments exactly. It was a terrific game of football which the right team won.
If Wigan do get relegated (and they're not dead yet) then this game will have been a great send off and they'll be back if Martinez stays.
I was really impressed by Aruna Kone and Callum McManaman in the SF against Millwall and McManaman was even better today. He has to be on the plane to Brazil next summer.
Not surprisingly, Kone was less influential today than in the Semi, but if he stays at Wigan we'll need to watch out for him next season. He could be unplayable in the Championship.
Just got back from the match and those are my sentiments exactly. It was a terrific game of football which the right team won.
If Wigan do get relegated (and they're not dead yet) then this game will have been a great send off and they'll be back if Martinez stays.
I was really impressed by Aruna Kone and Callum McManaman in the SF against Millwall and McManaman was even better today. He has to be on the plane to Brazil next summer.
Not surprisingly, Kone was less influential today than in the Semi, but if he stays at Wigan we'll need to watch out for him next season. He could be unplayable in the Championship.
I'm just hoping that a top 4 club DOESN'T come in for him in the summer. If Wigan get relegated then I'd imagine he will be first for clubs to sniff around.
The kid looks a real handful and agree that an England call up will be on the cards if yesterday's performance is anything to go by, but I just don't want him to do a jack rodwell or Scott Sinclair. These youngsters need to play every week otherwise it'll be England as well as them that suffer.
Just got back from the match and those are my sentiments exactly. It was a terrific game of football which the right team won.
If Wigan do get relegated (and they're not dead yet) then this game will have been a great send off and they'll be back if Martinez stays.
I was really impressed by Aruna Kone and Callum McManaman in the SF against Millwall and McManaman was even better today. He has to be on the plane to Brazil next summer.
Not surprisingly, Kone was less influential today than in the Semi, but if he stays at Wigan we'll need to watch out for him next season. He could be unplayable in the Championship.
I'm just hoping that a top 4 club DOESN'T come in for him in the summer. If Wigan get relegated then I'd imagine he will be first for clubs to sniff around.
The kid looks a real handful and agree that an England call up will be on the cards if yesterday's performance is anything to go by, but I just don't want him to do a jack rodwell or Scott Sinclair. These youngsters need to play every week otherwise it'll be England as well as them that suffer.
Couldn't agree more. I think McManaman is much better, at least potentially, than Scott Sinclair but you're dead right, the tendency for the big Clubs to hoard young players and then not play them is a real problem all round.
As an aside, I think the loan system is in need of radical reform - that's a major part of the problem. It was much healthier 20-years ago.
Just got back from the match and those are my sentiments exactly. It was a terrific game of football which the right team won.
If Wigan do get relegated (and they're not dead yet) then this game will have been a great send off and they'll be back if Martinez stays.
I was really impressed by Aruna Kone and Callum McManaman in the SF against Millwall and McManaman was even better today. He has to be on the plane to Brazil next summer.
Not surprisingly, Kone was less influential today than in the Semi, but if he stays at Wigan we'll need to watch out for him next season. He could be unplayable in the Championship.
I'm just hoping that a top 4 club DOESN'T come in for him in the summer. If Wigan get relegated then I'd imagine he will be first for clubs to sniff around.
The kid looks a real handful and agree that an England call up will be on the cards if yesterday's performance is anything to go by, but I just don't want him to do a jack rodwell or Scott Sinclair. These youngsters need to play every week otherwise it'll be England as well as them that suffer.
let's hope that this really good game and the resultant publicity will regenerate interest in the old trophy
What it should do is prove even teams fighting relegation should give the cup a good go.
Afterall what will Swansea and Wigan fans remember for the rest of their lives?
Coming 10th and maybe 17th in the top flight or doing something Arsenal haven't done for 8 years and Newcastle/Sunderland since the 70s.
Sure money talks but Wigan would have gone down at some point whereas you don't get a chance of winning a major trophy too often.
Agree, bar ~ eight teams, relegation from the EPL is a question of when not if (you can be brilliantly well run as a club but one bad season in 15 will see you down), so you may as well enjoy winning something.
But the temptation for an owner must be to look at it from a business perspective and say another season in the EPL will be more lucrative than a cup win, and prioritise that instead. Most managers will be well aware of this and realise that by prioritising the league they have a better chance of retaining their job.
Unfortunately what sheffieldRed has said is spot on and all the romancing in the world can't change the fact that money has become a big part of todays game
The new 'climax to the season' apart from the Premier Finalés are the play-offs, especially the Championship decider. The FA cup no longer means so much to the elite clubs as European qualification means so much more potential cash and glory; foreign players and managers don't seem to 'get' the FA Cup and recently English clubs have played prominent roles in the final Euro stages. It is simply 'the way things are going'. Internal Cup competitions have never meant much in Europe, we have followed suit. It'll still mean a lot to Wigan though should the unlikely happen and they win today
Completely agree with this post. As a youngster the FA Cup Final was great, a whole day's TV devoted to football, now there is wall to wall football and the FA Cup has been treated badly by the FA itself and lots of clubs. The Magic is tarnished. The Play Offs definitely have taken over in the end of season excitement stakes for me.
Comments
It'll still mean a lot to Wigan though should the unlikely happen and they win today
the end.
Sky killed it stone dead.
FA Cup final day as a kid used to be very exciting. My Grandad used to cry at 'Abide with me'. We played it at his funeral and they'll play it at mine.
Meant nothing for me for a few years but 515 on a Saturday after 2 other live games on TV is a pisstake.
When there was only one European Cup place (or none at all for some years) the Cup was by far the second most important prize in the land. Now, at best, it's the fifth. Having a Saturday 3pm kick off on BBC wont actually change anything other than allow you to feel warm and fuzzy as you get nostalgic about your rose tinted childhood. Give the winner (and only the winner) a Champions League place - we have four for Gods sake - and this fine competition will once again be the second most prestigious prize in our country.
Personally i thought it was a brilliant game of football
The right team won based on performance effort and tactics
The 2 managers are of a real contrast
We had seats near the dug out about 9
From the front and to go with the day the view
Was unreal , but you could really hear and see
What was going on , in both camps
In wigans every player on that pitch listened and agreed with their gaffer
For city that was nit the case many a player copping a def un to mancini abd his tactics esoecially at the 3 at the back
Kompany virtually gave away his disgust at the decision with his face and hand gestures
And the tide had turned
You could sense in the ground that wigan were going to win it
Great goal great noise from wigan
But hats off to city fans superb throughout and humble towards the out come not sure i wouldve been so accepting to the result
The fa cup has always been special to me but now means a little bit more some how as today i saw what it meant first hand
To the left of me a boy about 8 crying that his team had lost abd a poor dad trying to console him
To my right an elderly couple life long wigan fans who were given the 2 seats for the game by someone at the club as a thank you
Who were crying with joy
If Wigan do get relegated (and they're not dead yet) then this game will have been a great send off and they'll be back if Martinez stays.
I was really impressed by Aruna Kone and Callum McManaman in the SF against Millwall and McManaman was even better today. He has to be on the plane to Brazil next summer.
Not surprisingly, Kone was less influential today than in the Semi, but if he stays at Wigan we'll need to watch out for him next season. He could be unplayable in the Championship.
Afterall what will Swansea and Wigan fans remember for the rest of their lives?
Coming 10th and maybe 17th in the top flight or doing something Arsenal haven't done for 8 years and Newcastle/Sunderland since the 70s.
Sure money talks but Wigan would have gone down at some point whereas you don't get a chance of winning a major trophy too often.
The kid looks a real handful and agree that an England call up will be on the cards if yesterday's performance is anything to go by, but I just don't want him to do a jack rodwell or Scott Sinclair. These youngsters need to play every week otherwise it'll be England as well as them that suffer.
As an aside, I think the loan system is in need of radical reform - that's a major part of the problem. It was much healthier 20-years ago.
But the temptation for an owner must be to look at it from a business perspective and say another season in the EPL will be more lucrative than a cup win, and prioritise that instead. Most managers will be well aware of this and realise that by prioritising the league they have a better chance of retaining their job.
Completely agree with this post. As a youngster the FA Cup Final was great, a whole day's TV devoted to football, now there is wall to wall football and the FA Cup has been treated badly by the FA itself and lots of clubs. The Magic is tarnished. The Play Offs definitely have taken over in the end of season excitement stakes for me.
Thanks for telling me