I can't argue with anything you sayaugie wrote:beck wrote:The fa started the devaluing the fa cup businessarmchair wrote:Wenger really is a genius. He started all this de-valueing the FA Cup business. Playing second string sides, saying fourth place was more important.
Then when all the other clubs took notice and started doing the same, Wenger outflanked them and won the fukin thing more than anybody! The crafty French fucker!
Arsene really does know
Allowing man utd not to defend it so they could chase World Cup votes in some meaningless club tournament
The fa cup is still a big thing to me
That is just an easy excuse that people keep trotting out when it suits them - maybe the fa did devalue the cup THAT SEASON, but that is no justification or defence for the way that the clubs have devalued it since. Clubs haven't downgraded the cup cos of that debacle........clubs have pushed the cup down because the financial rewards do not justify prioritising it. Tomorrow we will be playing a hull team that are top of the championship.........do you think that the hull fans would prefer to win the fa cup over regaining their place in the premier league ? No fucking way would they, and that is why they will play a weakened line up - what we will basically be left with is some hull players who will be conscious of not getting injured, some hull players who are not good enough for this level, some AFC players who will be trying to show what they can do, and several AFC players who will think that they are too good to be playing in a game that no-one seems to give a shit about
That my friends is modern day football
Btw we will thrash these c.unts at our ease
But I still feel that the fa made a huge mistake with that 99/00 fa cup
I think wenger is one of the few who you could say who has in the main treated the fa cup with respect
There are of coarse exceptions not playing an on form arshavin in the semi with chelsea to save him for liverpool in the league being one of them
We get a lot of criticism that doesn't always stand up like 1 st all foreign 11
Well that was chelsea and the devaluing of the league cup man utd played a weakened side before anybody else
I am no wenger apologist he is 8 years past his sell buy date and to my mind should have been sacked in oct 2011
But I don't think a weaker fa cup can be laid at his door
Many factors like itv wanting to keep there britains got talent audience thus moving the fa cup final plus the saturation of football on tv now where once you were starving to watch a live game have helped to take away it's attraction
I really believe the 3rd round should be seeded with the top 32 teams in league order placed in the away hat and the rest all given home draws
This would largely insure the 3rd round would be full of interesting ties rather than all premier league or 2 lower league sides meeting neither being good for clubs or fans
If the smaller team want to switch to the away ground for revenue that could be there call
I am old school and loved the old days of 5 replays etc but it could be time for one off ties
They have allowed the European tournaments to become bloated and many of the group games are sterile
