Is There Any Magic Left?

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