Is the FA Cup
slowly dying? Is it the same spectacle as it's been in earlier years?
Does it really now mean less than staying in The Premier League or risk a
promotion derailment? Has the current generation of football supporter
even experienced 'the magic' of the cup? The mere fact that I'm asking
those questions may imply that deep down, I already know the answer, and
unfortunately each answer will be the same. Despite the offering of
cheaper tickets at The Stadium of Light and presumably many other
grounds on 3rd round day, Sunderland mustered a gate of 17,632 for the visit
of Burnley on Saturday. There you can certainly see which basket
football fans are currently putting their eggs in. But why?
Sunderland have
always had great support going back decades. That has never been in
question. Cup games, as are with most top flight clubs now, seem more of
a hindrance, an inconvenience and distraction to the cup's much bigger
brother, The Premier League. Sky's investment in our game has morphed it
into a massive money-making juggernaut. The cash on offer has
transformed the game, and not always for the better. Transfer fees are
mind boggling as are the wages that top players can earn. Who can blame
them for taking it if it's on offer? I certainly can't, but that's
another story entirely. The fact is that The FA Cup cannot compete with
the glamour and 'product' that is The Premier League. It has reached
global domination levels. So what can be done? Can we increase the
investment in the cup? Offer a Champions League place to the winner as
an added incentive? I'm not sure that there is a definitive answer, but
what the FA need to do is address the problem, and quickly.
League points are
precious, we all know that. Whether it's gunning for a title, Europe,
battling at the bottom of the league or trying to chase promotion. But I
always see the cups as a welcome distraction from league games. It
presents every club with an opportunity, different opportunities
depending on any current situation. It's a chance to rotate a squad,
especially for the big boys who have two internationals for each
position on the pitch. If you've built up a bit of momentum it's a
chance to carry that on with the same group of players. Winning is a
habit you certainly can't tire of. Blooding some younger players isn't a
bad shout at all either. I admired David Moyes on Saturday for playing a
strong XI. Granted, I'd liked to have seen some of the younger guys
come off the bench for the experience but you can't have everything. If
Moyes had started a few academy players and Sunderland had crashed out,
different questions would have been asked at full time. You're damned if
you do, damned if you don't.
The fact remains
that fans continue to stay away. 17,000 at Sunderland, 7,000 at QPR,
4,000 at Blackpool, 12,000 at Norwich and incredibly only 6,000 at Hull.
If supporters can't get up for these games and go along to grounds,
it's no wonder some of the players can't get up for them either,
resulting in poor, drab and plainly uninspiring games played in soulless
stadiums with thousands of empty seats. The odd more scarce
giant-killing is all we can hope to see these days. I love the FA Cup,
and I will always go to see games, that much will remain. But I know
people who don't. I don't know why, because I haven't done the simple
thing and asked. They'd be straight on the blower to the ticket office
if a trip to Wembley came around though I can assure you of that.
I don't think the
FA Cup's magic has vanished entirely, I think it's merely gone into
hibernation and the powers that be need to come up with something; bait
of some sort to entice it out of a long, sleepy slumber. It'd be great
to hear what people think and more importantly whether or not they agree
on any points I've raised, and what could possibly be done to give the
world's oldest football tournament the shot in the arm it needs to
restore it to former glories.
Michael
