You're right of course. I must have got confused with the current Football League divisions, which are all 24 teams.
I think it would be very easy to argue for the removal of extra time. If after the replay the game is still even, why not go straight to penalties, most of the time extra time does not produce a winner. Also, as most of the teams that do not want replays are bigger clubs (top of the Championship or Premier League) they could make later rounds, especially like the League Cup semi final, one leg, as they will usually be the teams complaining about the congestion.
Good point you make about the number of teams. I have to admit, I never remembered the First Division [the original top one] having 24 teams. I grew up with there being 22 teams and 42 league matches per season. So the minimum number of games a First Division side would play would be 44 including one game each of FAC and LC. Since that time we've lost 4 League games, Cup replays, the Home International Championship [which I really liked], and the downgrading of both cup competitions, upto 7 subs on a bench, all in the effort to keep top players fresh for winning things and playing for England. Hasn't helped much, has it? And the stadium attending supporter ends up seeing less of their team than they ever did and at a time dictated by TV.
Well at the risk of sounding like an old man poking his pipe at people we seem to be moving further and further away from traditional English football every season - players and clubs should bloomin' grow up, if you don't want to play crap loads of games every season sign on for Saints or similar, we do next to nothing in the cups! But in all seriousness if you don't want the extra games and loads of replays make sure you win your cup ties first time, should you end up with loads of cup replays and cup games - well you should be so lucky. We're getting more like American Football or ice-hockey every season [and I like ice-hockey but it's not football and football is not ice-hockey].
I don't see why our football has to be changed for the benefit of half a dozen "big" clubs. If they are unhappy at playing too many games, why don't they lobby EUFA to return the European trophies to straightforward knockout games, reduce the Champions League to just champions and instantly reduce the number of games they play? (Yeah, I know, money) And if they want to reduce games further, change the format to a one game format, like the FA Cup, with no home and away ties. Why should English clubs have to change, to accommodate a few clubs that sign up to playing long drawn out European competitions? And, as has already been said somewhere, if they want to avoid replays, why don't they put out their strongest eleven, and win the game at the first time of asking?
I would like to see every club having to name a squad of 24 players to be used for the FA Cup before they can enter the competition with absolutely no ability to change it. This would bring it into line with the World Cup and the PL. It would also stop this nonsense of the Sky Super Six and others insulting some clubs by fielding a team of backup players. It would also ensure that those who played in the early rounds would get a chance to play in the final. Like TSS I am pissed of with the FA Cup being constantly downgraded and devalued.
Perhaps the best thing would be for the FA to ask the fans what they would want rather than the small number of powerful clubs calling the tune.
Ha! Don't come out with sensible options like that Godders. I might split my sides. The FA ask the fans? Look, most fans are blinkered anyway. They say things like scrap this or remove that just because they're told it's supposed to be for the good of the game. But it's not. It's for the good of a select few. The game flourishes if you don't strangle the lower league clubs, because that's often where the gems of Home Countries players come from. But why should we care about lower league clubs? We're all right. It's because nobody does care which is reason enough why we should. But OK, let's knock another bit off a cup competition. Let's cheapen the FA Cup even more. Even better, let's scrap the League Cup while we're at it. Nobody is interested in winning that, it seems. Oh no? That competition has been a season saver for many clubs over the years. But let's make it even more difficult for lower league clubs, who could really do with the revenue from two games against a bigger club. They don't matter do they.
Having your strong opinion is fine TSS, but just because some fans (and I'm not saying I am one) think differently to you, you shouldn't be so belittling. They may have their view because it is what they believe and not because of what they've been told. That's a little cras if you ask me.
Well I'm sorry for that, FLT. I get a little bit peeved having people telling what I should like and what I don't. I know exactly what I like in football, and that's not how the present game is going. It's like 6 teams matter in the entire 92, and I don't hold with it.
Well one positive thing is that this season and probably next too, those 6 aren't strong it all their own way. I agree about lower league teams too but a lot of the blame there is the lack of sufficient funds filtering down from the premier league. I actually belief that the FA really want to have the FA Cup held in the esteem it should be. They just hardly have any power compared to the Premier League.
Aren't there discussions going on between the FA and UEFA with a view to the FA Cup winners getting a Champions League spot? That would do wonders for the esteem of the FA Cup, and would mean all clubs would take the competition seriously. Perhaps then we wouldn't see travesties like Man City put out this afternoon.
I'm not sure. Just a thought though: if teams like City do that then they stand a chance of getting knocked out (by lower teams too) and that gives teams outside the special 6 more chance of winning it and I'd like that. Fact is the special 6 usually end up providing the winner of the FA Cup and who enjoys that?
The reason City did it is because they have a CL game on Wednesday and the League Cup Final next weekend, poor dears. I have no sympathy with them whatsoever. You should always do your best to win every match you play, with no exceptions, otherwise you may as well not bother to play at all. I agree that the more games the top clubs play, the more chance there is of lesser clubs winning something, but it shouldn't be at the expense of maximum effort by the Cities of this world.
One of the better things our esteemed, if verbose [OK, Fran?] chairman has said... If you don't play to win at football, why are you playing? And he's right. Again!
