No FA Cup replays and midweek rounds?

[pwb]

If they did seriously look at it (which they won't) they need to look at the French cup which is now in the 11th? round.

And what round is the English FA cup at? by my calculations that would be 11th round also! just as football didn't start in 1992, the FA cup doesn't start at the "first round proper"

[TBM]

I would get rid of the replays - considering gate receipts are shared anyway, the away club doesn't miss out

I would, however, keep the games on a weekend - the competition has a family feel about it, which would be lost if it went midweek

[floyd__streete]

I would get rid of the replays - considering gate receipts are shared anyway, the away club doesn't miss out

I would, however, keep the games on a weekend - the competition has a family feel about it, which would be lost if it went midweek

RE: your first point; fine.....but that is still only one set of gate receipts! Lower division team holding on for a heroic draw and earning a second bite is part of FA Cup folkore. Let us not throw that away!

RE: your second point; very good point well made.

[MoorgateRoyal]

Having an FA Cup weekend is one of the things that I love about the English game.

I also think replays are one of the things which make the Cup special - playing away on a Tuesday night in an unfamiliar ground, big teams going to little teams, the unpredictability of the games and the gung-ho playing style you get when it's heading for extra time.

It's one of the things which gave our game the identity that made it so attractive when the Premier League came into being, and helped forge the reputation of the game here when all of the best players in the world wanted to come here to play in the Premier League.

If we lose that to pander to a league that plays fewer games than all of the other league teams already (not to mention having a £5bn TV deal) it will be a sad day.

[TBM]

I would get rid of the replays - considering gate receipts are shared anyway, the away club doesn't miss out

I would, however, keep the games on a weekend - the competition has a family feel about it, which would be lost if it went midweek

RE: your first point; fine.....but that is still only one set of gate receipts! Lower division team holding on for a heroic draw and earning a second bite is part of FA Cup folkore. Let us not throw that away!

RE: your second point; very good point well made.

I understand what you mean but take the Exeter v Liverpool game....if there were no replays, then Exeter could well have beaten Liverpool if the game ended on the night (be it via ET or pens) - this would then give them more money for going through and the chance of another big club. So although they got a trip to Anfield for the replay, the momentum is lost and 9 times out of 10 the bigger team wins easily.

[Nameless]

Bit confused by the differ nice between the French and English formats.
France have around 7000 teams entering and play 14 rounds
We have about 700 teams entering and have 14 rounds. Now I know the size of our draw ebbs and flows with different level clubs entering at different rounds whereas the French version seems to have all the amateur teams in at round 1 and all the pro teams coming in at 7.
But I can't quite get my head around how 2 tournaments with such different size entri s take the same number of rounds.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Bit confused by the differ nice between the French and English formats.
France have around 7000 teams entering and play 14 rounds
We have about 700 teams entering and have 14 rounds. Now I know the size of our draw ebbs and flows with different level clubs entering at different rounds whereas the French version seems to have all the amateur teams in at round 1 and all the pro teams coming in at 7.
But I can't quite get my head around how 2 tournaments with such different size entri s take the same number of rounds.

I don't know the exact reason, but I think its because so few amateur teams make it to round 7. its like 2 competitions back to back, with the latter stages having a few extra teams qualifying.

[stealthpapes]

Rounds 1 to 6 are highly regional and only a small number of teams go from that to Round 7. Some regions only have two teams go through but its adds up to a few hundred. The Ligue 1 teams join to make a round with 64 teams left, same as in UK, but we add 40 odd clubs there, they add 20. Maybe there's more stages where they don't add teams?

[stealthpapes]

the French version seems to have all the amateur teams in at round 1 and all the pro teams coming in at 7.

Not quite. Ligue 2 at Round 7, for a round of 176 teams this year (yes, I checked that number), and then 2 rounds later Ligue 1.

[Top Flight]

If Exeter v Liverpool had to be settled on the night, Exeter's chances of winning would have been better than they were by going to a replay.

Not necessarily. If Liverpool had less fixtures to play over the season then perhaps they would have played a stronger line-up against Exeter. If there are less matches then less need to rest star players. So maybe it would have been more difficult for Exeter.

The current format is good. One replay is enough. Maybe replay after replay after replay was a bit tedious in the old system. But the current system is good with just one replay. The FA just seem to want to keep ruining football and make it less and less enjoyable and more and more expensive.

[Coppelled_Streets]

You do have to feel for the Premier League clubs, playing their 38 league games, as well entering the League Cup and FA Cup later than the rest of us... who juggle a meager 46 league games and enter the cups earlier.

[stealthpapes]

If Exeter v Liverpool had to be settled on the night, Exeter's chances of winning would have been better than they were by going to a replay.

Not necessarily. If Liverpool had less fixtures to play over the season then perhaps they would have played a stronger line-up against Exeter. If there are less matches then less need to rest star players. So maybe it would have been more difficult for Exeter.

The current format is good. One replay is enough. Maybe replay after replay after replay was a bit tedious in the old system. But the current system is good with just one replay. The FA just seem to want to keep ruining football and make it less and less enjoyable and more and more expensive.

It wasn't tedious, it was that the police changed the rules. In the past, replays were played 4 days after the original game, in the late 80s/early 90s, this was shifted to at least 10 days.

[Silver Fox]

You do have to feel for the Premier League clubs, playing their 38 league games, as well entering the League Cup and FA Cup later than the rest of us... who juggle a meager 46 league games and enter the cups earlier.

All premier league teams enter the FA cup at the same stage as we do

[Coppelled_Streets]

You do have to feel for the Premier League clubs, playing their 38 league games, as well entering the League Cup and FA Cup later than the rest of us... who juggle a meager 46 league games and enter the cups earlier.

All premier league teams enter the FA cup at the same stage as we do

Even those in European competition? Or is that just the League Cup?

[tidus_mi2]

You do have to feel for the Premier League clubs, playing their 38 league games, as well entering the League Cup and FA Cup later than the rest of us... who juggle a meager 46 league games and enter the cups earlier.

All premier league teams enter the FA cup at the same stage as we do

Even those in European competition? Or is that just the League Cup?

Just the League Cup, all Championship and Premier League sides enter the FA Cup in round 3.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

You do have to feel for the Premier League clubs, playing their 38 league games, as well entering the League Cup and FA Cup later than the rest of us... who juggle a meager 46 league games and enter the cups earlier.

All premier league teams enter the FA cup at the same stage as we do

Even those in European competition? Or is that just the League Cup?

Did you really just ask that?

Ill say it again - the principal complainers are those stuck in the labyrinths of the European cups.
(Plus serial complainers like Allardyce, of course). We all know where the problems lie.

[The Royal Forester]

No worries, we're not lower league for gawd's sake, we're high rollers now, I say pull the ladder up, we're all right Jack!

We may be "alright Jack", but have you given a thought for the non-league clubs. Their players are more often than not part timers, who have other jobs. Why should they have to play cup games in midweek, having to take time off (more than likely unpaid) to play in every round? We would be affected anyway, more fans will go an away trip to say Newcastle on a Saturday, than on a Wednesday in the middle of winter. The "gate" money is split three ways between the clubs and the FA, so both clubs (and the FA) loose out. If this hairbrained scheme does come about the FA should forego their share and all the gate money split between the clubs, as compensation for losing income from not having replays. Somehow, I don't think I will hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

[If you still hate Futcher]

If Exeter v Liverpool had to be settled on the night, Exeter's chances of winning would have been better than they were by going to a replay.

However they may have been drawn against one of their peers and hence missed out on the substantial gate receipts from playing at Anfield which, according to their chairman (I think), covered their costs for a season

[Ascotexgunner]

One more step towards a European Super League innit. The disrespect by the bigger clubs and their glory hunting fans shown to the smaller clubs is pretty rife when you listen to the sh£t some of them come out with. Would make Leicesters PL victory rather sweet if it happened. The League Cup will be next on the list. Then when that's done the FA Cup then scaled down and the PL will possibly also cut its number of teams as well.

[Coppelled_Streets]

All premier league teams enter the FA cup at the same stage as we do

Even those in European competition? Or is that just the League Cup?

Did you really just ask that?

Ill say it again - the principal complainers are those stuck in the labyrinths of the European cups.
(Plus serial complainers like Allardyce, of course). We all know where the problems lie.

It's been over three years since I took any interest in the Premier League. Even longer since I cared for the Champions League or Micky Mouse Europa Cup.