..Unbelivable that the FA have once again, shown absolutlely no regard or respect for the FA cup final the biggest domestic cup competition in world football. Playing it on the 5th of May is ignorant enough, whilst the league is still being played. But now to grab a few more pounds in TV monies they've moved it to 5.15p.m. Total disregard for the 1,000's of fans travelling to the stadium. Combine this with the fact that the rail network on the west coast mainline is undergoing repairs on this date, which means that fans travelling by train will not be able to get home that night!! It shows the FA once again don't give a fU%k about the fans, and only think about lining there pockets.
It's being play at 17.15 this year because last year at 3pm there were too many complaints that it clashed with normal Saturday kick offs. But yeah, the fact that if this game goes to extra time then Liverpool fans will miss the last trains home is ridiculously thoughtless.
IMO the fa are failing in thier duty of care to the competition..... what i mean by that is NO CLUB is owed any consideration by the FA, not us, not manc land not chelsea.... but the ancient and iconic FA cup competition deserves BETTER. IMO they sold slots to espn and sky and are in the poistion that if there's football on a saturday they have to let espn show it obviously. The simplest possible solution here is all the games should be on sunday. The FA cup should at least have a day on its own. the build up to cup finals used to be special. used to have wembley way and 3 hours coverage on bbc before hand and it all climaxed with the teams walking out on the pitch, manager at their head. Ask redknapp whats his proudest day in football... it could be when he took a bribe but i'd say it was leading his side out on cup final day. the FA are moneywhores for sure. They should have all the matches on sunday and monday if they need to because of the euros... but something has to be sacred and thats not just cos lfc are in it for the first time in years.
One point that I would like to make (which isn't really relevant to the FA cup) is that Stan Collymore raised a good point last night about Man Utd's Chief Exec David Gill, who is on the Board for MUFC, the FA and another European Football board. Should this be allowed as it would appear to be a conflict of interests? The reason I have mentioned it here is because it highlights the FA's willingness to bend the rules to suit their needs. Another example is when Rooney had his ban reduced for the Euro's. Or how the FA/PL ensured that Terry and Anton didn't have to shake hands but they let Suarez and Evra do it? I would like to apologise in advance for using MUFC examples - they were the first one's that came to my head!).
Last year the FA cup final was played on the same day as league matches because the Champions League final was at Wembley, on a Saturday. What is there reason this year? I am failing to see one. The FA cup final is meant to be the finally of the English football season. Putting it early, on the same day as league matches, will just take the romance away from the cup final even further in future.
There's already a trend towards relegating the cup to a minor trophy. The game is now more money orientated than ever, and it seems 4th place is more important than winning the oldest and one of the most prestigious prizes in world football.
Very valid point, the FA cup final was always the last game of the domestic season..why change that now? When the top teams put out 2nd string sides in the competition or simply use youth/reserve players will they sit up and take notice? All the time they bang on and on about "its the fans that matter" yet time and time again demonstrate they couldn't give a f78k about us.
The WCML upgrade has been planned for a year. It's not as if the FA didn't know about it - they did. Maybe they were just praying a NW team wouldn't make it. There IS a sort of long-winded alternative, at least to get to Manchester. i think (I haven't checked) that trains are running normally on the East Coast Main Line from London to Leeds, and on the Midland Main Line to Sheffield. Trains run throughout the night between Leeds and Manchester, and surely, given the circumstances, TPE can run through to Liverpool, as can locals from Manchester. Long shot but... On the otherhand, JUST PLAY THE FINAL AT 3PM! Move the league games to 17.30 or Sunday!
i'm not actually worried about the suffering of fans going down seeing as it's going to be bad no matter what. I take the line that the FA cup is special and no matter who is in it it should be made special by its custodians. The ONLY reason games are on this time round is apparently euro 2012 and making a rest period for a few english players. the ridiculousness of this is that the FA cup has gerrard, maybe downing, not carroll for LFC and lampard (bench) cole and terry for chelsea. Had some other club reached the final it might be one english player. I can see why, but it won't make any difference at all to england this summer. The FA should at minimum, bare minimum clear one lousy day for the fa cup to be special. It should by by all thats holy by the last day of the season but if you put it on it's own weekend that would be something. as it stands they are barely giving it any status at all by sticking it on later on a saturday.
OK I'm old and I'm becoming even more resistant to change, but I cannot see why the FA Cup should not hold it's historical position as the last domestic match of the season. IT doesn't matter that Liverpool are playing. IT doesn't matter that travel arrangements are compromised. It DOES matter that we have an English FA who are prepared to whore their finest asset and cheapen its true value.
I do agree Dave. if the FA actually cared they would jam a few wednesady league matches in to make it happen. drop a meaningless international early i nthe season and run the league earlier or whatever to enasure the CUP is still THE CUP, not a cup.
Can anyone think of anything significant the FA has done recently that warrants applause? That berk getting smashed and walking into the swimming pool at a FIFA conference was awe-inspiring. I did that as a teenager in Ibiza many years ago. And these are the cretins that actually said Liverpool had brought the name of English football into disrepute around the world because of the Suarez lynching....
Yeh........not sure if you have been on a rock in outer space for a while but theres 2 massive sporting events this summer............and the much bigger PL games that weekend will always get 3pm kick offs. You would lose out on millions of viewers which in a business like football, is important.
UIR the quest to argue with every Liverpool supporter There is a lure that is being lost though with some of these dates and times though. Did they move the FA cup up in 08 when Euros came around?
Nah its purely down to the Euros and olympics. It was mentioned last summer the FA Cup Final would be held earlier to allow more time for players going to the Euros to prepare. Im surprised you all didnt click on though. I dont think they did in 08 but I think they ended the season early in 2010. Not 100% sure though. This time though its all due to the Euros and the fact england are **** and need all the help we can get. Oh and Molby is a douche as you americans would say lol.
Fair enough, I know it is a busy summer, but I can see the sides of it. I'm really not too worried as, well, we don't have much to play for in the league! We beat Chelsea in the cup, good enough for me, doesn't matter the day. Douche I will say this though. The travel and the railway thing, that does ****ing suck and they could have done a better job with that!
No i just made you look a little bit dim. Not for the first time either. and the PL games always get priority on a saturday, its the natural kick off point for league games. Nothing against the FA Cup, i love it, wish United would buck up and win the bloody thing again soon. Oh and tw4t....its spelt twat where I come from...
