The Magic Of The FA Cup / Tareq Quiroz / 23 January 2009 / Leave a comment

TQ has always loved the FA Cup as much as any other English football fan but in an age when money talks and football revolves around TV coverage, the Cup has lost its appeal. This is how he suggests the FA could bring back the magic...

I love the first half of a season for what it is but you cannot beat what comes after the New Year. It is starting to unfold before our very eyes and the end of the 08/09 season promises to be an absolute cracker. The trophies are handed out and the agony and ecstasy is there for all to see. But for me it is how the pressure gets to everyone that holds my interest.

Benitez has cracked and his Liverpool side are hitting the buffers. Scolari has gone from Mr. Amiable to a man who senses his world is crumbling around him. Harry Redknapp has adopted the novel approach of slating his players individually to the public. Somebody is going to well and truly explode soon and I just can't wait!

Normally the third and fourth round of the FA Cup are great places to hang around looking for a disaster but I have to say this is getting less and less frequent. The very top teams are not immune from a cup shock even now but they always hit back with the old League and Champions League salvo. It is boring but you cannot dispute the legitimacy of it. If Chelsea go out to Ipswich on Saturday it will be a shock but it won't make national heroes of the victors as seemingly very few people care. It would however make you a few bob as Chelsea are currently trading at [1.23] in the Match Odds market for that game.

We won't waste too much time on disputing whether or not the magic of the cup is dwindling as I am pretty sure we all agree it is. That settled, we need to get on to a way of getting that sparkle back. It is the FA's responsibility to sort it out and some of the changes are really quite simple to implement.

I will start with a highly controversial one to get the ball rolling and that is the idea of axing all replays. Part of the reason managers get worried about cup runs is the fear of another midweek fixture just when you least need it. Let's settle it on the night and you might get back to good old cup style football. Penalty shoot-outs definitely - but let's do away with the replays.

The top teams would love the idea but of course it doesn't suit the smaller teams who see a well earned draw at home as the path to riches of an away trip to a big venue. Kettering v Fulham has somehow not made it on TV this weekend but that is a classic example. I would urge Kettering to finish it on the day if they were level after 90 mins but I guess the money men would rather take the cash from the trip to Craven Cottage even if it meant almost certain elimination from the cup. Sad but true. If however you do think Kettering can pull of the upset then you can back them at [9.8] in the Match Odds market to prevail in 90 mins.

Money talks in our modern game and that is why we have the round spread over three days and five matches live on UK TV stations. Go back to every game kicking off on Saturday at 3pm and maybe one showpiece game on the Sunday and the magic of the Saturday would be restored. Simple solution but a reality in practice as we all know those TV contracts are so so precious.

To show I am not totally biased against the FA I would take this opportunity to say the increase in prize money for the winners this year is very welcome. The prize money for the winners has gone up from £1M to £2M. This issue is relevant because all clubs need money and let's be honest, the attraction of a place in the UEFA Cup next year is minimal. Sure, in May it sounds great but come the following February when you have already played more games than you care to imagine you are still only in the last 32 of the competition. What happens? The manager plays a weakened side as he wants to concentrate on the league. A very painful and obvious cycle.

Whether we like it or not, the cup is in trouble. The top four clubs of recent years have the resources to deal with the FA Cup and as a result generally win it, but in all honesty it is a distant third in terms of priority. The rest of the top flight don't have the resources but wish they could.

Aston Villa are [12.0] to win the cup but O'Neill has already hinted this week that it he will have to prioritise if his team are to maintain their move for a top four slot. Similar vibes are coming out of teams like Hull City for different priorities but essentially the same. Hull have Millwall at home on Saturday yet are set to field a second string team. A move that may see a lot of people wishing to lay them at [1.68] in the Match Odds market.

In case it has passed you by the fourth round of the FA Cup is this weekend. I would like to say it is my priority this weekend but sadly even I have lost the love for the cup. There is only so much fans can do. To regenerate that missing buzz of the cup we need the football authorities to incentivize all clubs and soon...before we lose the magic of the cup forever.