Well so far I think 2008 is rubbish, writes Albion blogger Jarrod Hill.
We were deservedly beaten at Ipswich, having matched the best home team in the division for the first 45 minutes, we were totally out played in the second half.
Many of the players looked a little jaded from a hectic festive programme of football, and it is not that surprising when you realise that it was the first time many of them have experienced the English Christmas fixtures.
Our unbelievable goal difference has ensured us remaining at the summit, and now look forward to an FA Cup game away at Charlton, which brings me to my subject of interest today, the FA Cup.
Once regarded as the best knock out competition in the world, I read with interest each year from many of our national sports journalists how the glory or romance of the cup has dwindled.
The emergence and dominance of The Champions League, and the intense media coverage of The Premiership and the financial rewards on offer in both competitions have served to help push The FA Cup backwards in terms of priority. It can also be argued even as lowly as The Championship; clubs are devaluing the Cup competition when considering promotion as more important.
Even Premiership teams are viewing the competition as out of their reach and will place a greater emphasis on avoiding relegation or achieving a European place, and in some respect the recent statistics re-enforce that view. You have to go back 13 years to find a winner outside of the big four (Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea).
But what I feel all of these national journalists fail to comprehend is that what makes the FA Cup special is that it is open to everyone, yes everyone.
It allows lower league clubs access to play the big boys, and in the process gain access to the kind of funds that can make a real difference.
How teams view their chances of winning the competition is almost irrelevant, personally I view my chances of winning the lottery as slim but I still buy a ticket.
Chasetown FC feel they have already won, because everything is relative, they have achieved far and beyond what was expected of them and the financial reward, and the memories gained along the way will live long after their exit from the competition.
I believe the competition is still great and look forward to it every year, and if offered the option of winning the FA Cup or promotion I would choose the FA Cup every time, but both would be nice.
I know many fans will argue that promotion is more important, and I agree that promotion is more important than going out in the fifth round, but winning it, that remains forever.
Unfortunately I am not old enough to remember 1968, but I am sure many of our fans still smile from the memory.
Albion fans, what do you think? Have your say below
Loading ...
11 Comments
going to be honest im not bothered either way if we win or lose at charlton tomorrow.
i feel last season our form dipped during the fa cup costing us a few league points.
i dont want it to happen again this season.
priority has to be promotion at the end of the day and because of the money situation the fa cup for me has taken a back seat for clubs who need the premier league millions rather than winning the cup.
If we don’t win by 3 or 4 tomorrow against Cambridge then the fans will go mental.
Hi Jarrod.
The magic of the FA cup is there in the early rounds but I heard Gary Megson talking about it yesterday.
He said that IF one of the big 4 WANT to win the FA cup, they will…. what a terrible (but accurate) review of football in this country.
For all other clubs, whether prem or championship its a case of “what will it cost us to compete” ?
If you are a Newcastle in the Prem or Coventry in the championship (ie - nothing else to play for) then a cup run is good for fan morale and brings in a few quid.
If you are a Liverpool / Everton in the prem, or a WBA / Charlton in this league, then there is a bigger prize to play for.
Arsen Wenger was probably the first manager to publicly state this - but now he has 2 teams to pick from everyone thinks its great when he picks his kids.
Sad, but true.
No we can’t win the FA Cup this season. Yes we should try to win on Saturday, remaining competitive is important, complacency is dangerous. Not at the expense of the league, we can now afford to rest players as we have a squad now, not just a team as we did last year. I saw the Albion win the LCup in 66, lose in the final in 67 and win the FA Cup in 68. As a starry eyed 15 year old I thought this was the beginning of an era of winning things not the end. I kept this vague hope until the vultures at the “big clubs” (Dein, Parry and Edwards) concocted the Premier league to cherry pick all the money for themselves. Until Abramovich came along with his millions the plan worked. Repeating my first sentence,no we can’t win the FA Cup this season. But we must never stop trying.
I`m between a rock and a hard place
regarding the FA cup.
I well remember our frequent forays
into the latter stages of the competition with great fondness,
and disappointment in some cases.
However football in general and the
cup competitions in particular have been ruined by avarice.
The FA cup has been devalued so much
by the big boys,
too the extent that it is now merely
a irksome insect to be swatted,
at no time more evident than when
Man Utd were allowed to forsake
playing in it so they could appear
in some totally meaningless competition for …….err…..money.
It goes without saying that we should endeavour to progress as far as is possible in the cup,
but personally, not at the detriment
of promotion,
see i`m premier league brainwashed
too,
i`m afraid in the climate created
by money men,
everyones agenda has changed.
Can anyone else see the day when the FA cup becomes a competition for lower division teams - a bit like the Freight Rover ?
maybe 2 or 3 prem teams will opt to join in, and maybe 10 championship sides… but unless there is a champions league place for the winner then no prem club with any ambition will take it seriously.
The real problem in football (IMO) is that although the big 4 rarely take it seriously now, they always seem win it anyway - proving the gulf in class is so huge that even arsenal’s reserves are better most of the premier league teams and ALL the teams below !!
I’m depressing myself now.
Myself and a colleague yesterday were discussing the subject which the blog was born out of. We started crossing off teams who will not give the FA Cup any sort of priority. So here goes,
If we eliminate the rest of the prem other than the big four, that leaves
Arsenal,Manu, Chelsea, and Liverpool. All other prem sides are looking at survival or a European place.
Discount any team in the championship vying for the play offs or automatic promotion, and any team fighting for survival, so that leaves maybe three teams.
I beleive for the two lowest divisions the FA Cup is still a means of glory and money so we will leave all the rest in.
So that leaves the big four, three or four mid table championship sides, and everybody else, nonleague survivours and division 2+3.
No wonder the big four have won the competition for the last thirteen years!!!!!!!!!!!
To keep the depressing strain going Steve Coppell has said also that he will not take the competition seriously as only 4 teams can win it. This is such a sadness for the competition. I remember when the FA Cup final was one of the only fully live games of club football on TV.
Started at 9.30 am with a Question of Sport
Reporters where at the team hotels watching them leave for Wembley
Then you would meet the teams as they all said who they were to Camera…
Thats it Camera, thats where it all went wrong, we get what we deserve, our hunger for football on TV alerted the money men and now look. The pound signs have taken over and even I now like Wbaforever would rather we took the league as a priority for the premiership millions.
Bomber you have hit the nail on the head too in(7)
Oh for the good old days!
The FA Cup is a national institution which should be preserved, if the big 4 are so blase about it and it is devalued as a result, then they should not enter the competition, try asking Chasetown FC what they think of the FA Cup, I think you’ll get a totally different prospective.
That is the beauty of the FA Cup, that everyone gets the same chance, pulled out of the hat with the dream of Wembley, yes, admittedly, most never get there, but it is a dream for every player, if only the chance for non-league players to play premiership players who they might never get the chance of playing against and occasionally you do get that upset, a minnow beats a giant.
To add some spice, who not put the premiership teams in the hat first, and the non-league in last, that way the premiership will whittle itself down and the lower leagues get more chance of progressing, giving them much needed revenue.
Boing boing for a win tomorrow at Charlton, but we don’t need a replay!!!!
Despite all we have said it is still the best Cup competition in the world…isn’t it?
Happy New Year Jarrod.
Good blog as per usual.
In our current state, the cup holds no interest at all.
However, I would have thought a team in such rich vein as yourself would welcome such a challenge.
Your spot on about Chasetown. They would have already negotiated around 300 rounds to face Port Vale and the income that will have generated will probably keep them in business for the next 5 years.
My rant was bourne out of pure frustration. So dull watching the Wolves at the moment and I must admit a tinge of jealously when I see Albion’s progress!