FA Cup lost appeal?

fmttmadmin said:
If it is all about the opposition does that make you a Boro fan?
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To get me out the house on a cold january afternoon for a game i have to pay extra for and have little interest in .. yes

Same as pre season friendlies have no interest what so ever in paying £10-15 for a meaningless training game. I'd go as far to say i wouldnt attend one if it was free to season card holders too. Testimonial for someone who deserved the support then yes or benefit game for the likes of Parky

Gold card holder actually so i guess that makes me a boro fan?
 
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I think it’s very credible opposition as we need a yard stick for how good we are compared to mid range prem sides.

Brighton fit this bill perfectly and I expect them to send a credible side as well.

Should be a good game.
 
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Davey_C said:
To get me out the house on a cold january afternoon for a game i have to pay extra for and have little interest in .. yes

Same as pre season friendlies have no interest what so ever in paying £10-15 for a meaningless training game

Gold card holder actually so i guess that makes me a boro fan?
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Why are you not excited at the prospect of an extra game to watch your team - an extra game against Premier opposition?
 
fmttmadmin said:
Why are you not excited at the prospect of an extra game to watch your team - an extra game against Premier opposition?
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Because cup football has lost its appeal certainly until the later stages. As stated previously all about the opposition didnt think twice about attending the Sunderland games in the same competition ... Brighton its a no from me
 
Davey_C said:
Because cup football has lost its appeal certainly until the later stages. As stated previously all about the opposition didnt think twice about attending the Sunderland games in the same competition ... Brighton its a no from me
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All about the opposition
 
Just looked back and ive been to a handful of Cup games since 2010 at the Riverside with the exception of Peterborough and Newport (which i think a mate badgered me to go to with him) the oppositon was either Sunderland, Man City, Tottenham or Chelsea

I remember going to the Man City cup game when we had the really bad snow and was seeing a Man City fan at the time and actually went in the away end at the Riverside with her!

The emptiest ive ever seen the Riverside for a 1st team fixture and the coldest game ive been to (to date)

The official attendance is given as 12,474 theres no way there was that many people inside the Riverside that day
 
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fmttmadmin said:
If it is all about the opposition does that make you a Boro fan?
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I think that's a bit harsh.

There are many Boro fans in the world but they don't all prioritise in the same way.

There are die-hards that go through rain or shine, good or bad, home or away. They make the effort to be at all games including friendlies.

Then there are casual fans who always look out for the scores, watch when they are on TV or go to the games when there is a big crowd expected (big club opposition, derbies, important game, boxing day).

And there is a whole bunch in between.

You don't have to be in the die hard category to be considered a "fan".
 
31 years ago i was 16 wow ... at 16 maybe the FA Cup/football meant more to me than it does at 47

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Was the raised arm Kernaghan's signature celebration?

1991/92 probably my favourite season as a Boro fan ... Bernie's 17 second goal against the Mackems, Wilko's boxing day winner at SJP, the 2 cup runs including a 2 leg semi-final against Man Utd and ultimately promotion to the Premier League under very dramatic circumstances
 
Third Round - Brighton
Fourth Round - Sunderland
Fifth Round - Leeds
Quarter-Final - Man Utd
Semi-Final - Spurs
Final Saturday - Newcastle

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Davey_C said:
Because cup football has lost its appeal certainly until the later stages. As stated previously all about the opposition didnt think twice about attending the Sunderland games in the same competition ... Brighton its a no from me
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Why has it lost its appeal, is it because Sky say so?

It's the same competition it's always been, apart from the ridiculous decision to make the games decided on the day.
 
the_holgate_roof said:
For me, it is devalued again, when TV companies pick 2 premiership teams to show, games that you see every week instead of entering into the giant killing spirit of the FA Cup.
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This is a great point. Three all Prem ties. I can almost understand the City v Chelsea one as it's two big teams. but no reason for Man Utd's of Liverpool's games to be on.

FRIDAY 6 JANUARY 2023
• Manchester United v Everton at 8pm on ITV1, ITVX, UTV, STV and STV Player

SATURDAY 7 JANUARY 2023
• Sheffield Wednesday v Newcastle United at 6pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
• Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers at 8pm on ITV 4 and ITVX

SUNDAY 8 JANUARY 2023
• Cardiff City v Leeds United at 2pm on ITV,1 ITVX, UTV, STV and STV Player
• Manchester City v Chelsea at 4.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

MONDAY 9 JANUARY 2023
• Oxford United v Arsenal at 8pm on ITV1, ITVX, UTV, STV and STV Player

From a quick scan of the fixtures these are plenty more that should be in there for giant killing potential. The top three games even have Prem teams in to keep the Sky Sports fans happy.

Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth
Aston Villa v Stevenage
Gillingham v Leicester City
Chesterfield v West Bromwich Albion
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
Why has it lost its appeal, is it because Sky say so?

It's the same competition it's always been, apart from the ridiculous decision to make the games decided on the day.
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Teams putting out weakened teams was probably the start and not taking the competition seriously and seeing it as more of a hindrance. Not just the teams in Europe but also the teams prioritising finishing higher up the league/staying in the league rather than having a cup run

One of the best matches ive probably attended was the 3-3 draw with Chesterfield a game which had everything and a game which was expected to be an easy route to the final with Chesterfield pretty much written off

One of the most disappointing games was Cardiff in the QF, again in this match it was a given boro were going to march into the semi finals where i think Portsmouth, Barnsley and WBA awaited after Chelsea and Man Utd were sent crashing out. Apart from Norwich in the playoff final this is up there as one of the games where i have never come away so disappointed

I'll try and pin point where the passion died for me i know that season i went to Derby in the QF and the 1st semi but they are the only 2 games i can recall attending in that seasons cup run certainly didnt attend the Chester, Hednesford or Man City games
 
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To me the cup has been devalued by various quarters.

Premier League teams in general not caring too much.

TV that feels it needs to be covered over 4 days.

Messing about with various days for the draw.

Football been driven by the quest for big money prize money - especially by Premier clubs. Leaving the cup a very poor relation.

This to me has dripped down to a load of clubs - Championship clubs putting out weakened sides.

So if clubs can’t be bothered why should fans be?

Not a view I subscribe to but one that sadly exists.
 
The FA Cup was THE game of the season. When we were kids nobody wanted to win the league, we all wanted to be FA cup winners. I remember crying my eyes out when we lost to Mansfield way back in 1967. I remember the excitement of a decent cup run and it was always "this year is going to be our year". We could recite the names of all the FA Cup winners since the competition started. (Roy Race always scored the winners in FA Cup games.) We would look at the results of all the cup games , especially when it involved a non league team, willing them to win. Replays would take place on the Tuesday or Wednesday night, extra time if needed- NO penalties, the game would be replayed for as many times as it took to get a winner. Saturday nights conversation in the pub was all about the cup results of the day, even First and Second rounds when First and Second division teams did not join in till the third round. Even if Boro played a league game that day or Man U played Man C-it was all about the Cup.
So what changed?
For me it was Sky and all its money. The prize money for winning the league became more lucrative, Even finishing in the top six was more profitable than winning the cup. The formation of the Premier league became so rich that clubs were now afraid of losing as relegation could cripple them. Clubs would not risk players in a cup game when league points were at stake. It has come to the point where cup games are training games or an opportunity to blood a young player. Fancy a non league club drawing Liverpool at home and Liverpool send a load of reserves. It is cheating the fans.
Then there was the change of format in the European Cup, which became the Champions league. A place in the top four could bring untold riches to a club, Suddenly, not even winning a trophy became more valuable than winning one. Again, clubs will not risk players for cup games.
TV chooses to broadcast the big teams and ignores the small teams unless they get drawn against a premiership club. In my eyes, it should be the other way round. The Magic of the FA cup IS the small teams- or at least it used to be before SKY got its hands on it.
And let's not forget Man Utds total lack of respect in not even entering the FA cup one year to chase the dosh.
Maybe because I am older and more cynical but the FA Cup does not mean what it used to.
 
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