I'm an old git (52) and I like many of you on here, remember when the cup really meant something. And to me, it still does. I hate the fact we've won it once while the Mancs, Arse, Spurs, Chelsea etc are all in double figures (or near enough). Even Oxford University have won it as often as us FFS. But to the point about does it mean anything now ? Not to the clubs, or the club owners perhaps. But my son is 15, he was 6 when he saw his first Leeds game and he is proper excited at the cup draw every season and he can't wait to be at the Emirates tonight. Do we want a win and dream of a cup run ? **** YEAH !!!!
The FA Cup should be for amateur or semi-pro teams. The League cup simply should not exist. Nobody really cares about the FA cup anymore unless it's April and you've gotten to the quarter finals...then you can think out an away day to London. For an ambitious club there are only two competitions: the Prem and the Champions League. All the rest just serve to make money and judging by some half empty stadia this weekend, the FA cup maybe does not even do that.
Back in the 70's I lived for the FA cup final - I remember the scores in every final 1970-1992. It was about then that I started to lose interest in it. I actually was at the 1972 final and it was an occasion to remember, I was also at the 1973 final and I can't remember being so depressed. But that was then - a different age. I think winning the last First Div title was a watershed for me.
I wonder how many on here, saying the FA cup is a waste of time, would give up their ticket to a supporter who still enjoys it should Leeds get to the final?
I think clubs that never expect to be in the Prem and Champions League will value the cups more...teams like York City (Btw one of 7 teams that start and end with the same letter when you exclude FC or AFC) have nothing higher to realistically look forward to. Of course we loved it 10 years ago when we beat Manchester United at Old Trafford - the season we got out of League 1 but that was our real priority. For me, 1992 was the year I lost interest in the FA Cup, we won the last ever First Division and the Prem started. We learned quickly which side our bread was buttered. The result does make a difference - we might get another game or more. Our first team doesn't need this distraction and wasteful expenditure of effort. Best result tonight is an honorable 2-1 loss with our reserves.
Personally I’d still watch and wouldn’t miss Leeds in any final. However I won’t be in the least bothered if we lose tonight. When we lose a league game it takes me two or three days to recover from it
Hopefully, by the time the final comes around, we can already rest easy knowing we're in the Prem next season.
True but at least games were coming thick and fast. Glad we didn’t have an international break after Cardiff, there would have been mass murder on here
Yes because in the last few years when we've gone out early our season thereafter went from strength to strength All I can say is, when you're hoping for a Leeds defeat be careful what you wish for.
Extra games can't help our promotion push. We have 20 games left in the regular season. We need to focus on them
Rather than wishing the end for the venerable old FA Cup it might serve a better purpose to discuss ways to re-energise both the competition itself and the vast majority of clubs who are forced to enter it (against their will or desire it would seem). Now these are just a few knock-about ideas, please pull them to shreds as you wish but we need a starting point; 1) Winners qualify for champions league...unless already qualified through finishing top 3 in PL. Already within the remit of the FA should they so choose. All european competition entrants have to be submitted by the FA, at the moment they alllow the PL to have the 4 places allocated but the FA but could change this, if they so wished. Incidentally the Uefa co-efficient is now defunct and England, Germany, Spain, Italy will all have 4 permanent CL spots in future (therefore no loss of a place if a weak team were to qualify). 2) The underdog reward scheme...if a team from a lower division wins the tie then they keep all gate receipts plus any television money generated by that match. If it's PL team defeated they have to double the gate receipts (minimum amount to be fixed) at their own cost as a penalty for losing. 3) Same division ties...the FA will provide a win bonus of xxxmillion pounds, this will be on a sliding scale depending on division, team selection and attendance (an insentive is required due to same same nature of the tie) 4) Semi final to be played at neutral grounds other than Wembley...losing semi finalists all get a medal of a toilet with a chain, as their dreams of playing at Wembley have been flushed away. 5) Matches for all rounds to be over 90 mins + extra time (if required) + penalties (if required). Sounds better already to me and that was after just 10mins thought...
If he has any sense, he won’t have read that thread at all. Anyway I think we can safely assume he meant “I agree with milky ...on this occasion but it’s unlikely to ever happen again”
