The magic of the FA cup

[Fourteenth Eye]

Dean wilkins has stated that he still gets the same buzz from the FA cup.

It is the most famous competition in the world and i remember the excitement i used to feel, but with the same teams winning it every year now, has it lost the magic?

 

[The Large One]

It does between rounds three and six.

 

[ditchy]

For me it died when Man utd were allowed to pull out to play in world club champs ..

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Yes, I love it. It is a real shame that we are not getting more games on terrestrial for the first round.

It would be nice for a non-leaguer to put a run together, but probably unlikely. Come on the Rooooks!

Although I lose interest in the latter stages. Five different teams have won it in the last 18 years or so...

 

[Trigger]

There was a good five year spell where i couldn't care less for the cup but the last two seasons before this one the magic has returned and now this season, Lewes v Darlo, super stuff...

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Never been the same since they started playing semi finals and other cups at Wembley. The FA Cup final used to be the only chance the fans ever had to see their team at Wembley.

And for non- English international players - in other words all players except about 30 at any one time - the FA Cup Final was the ONLY chance they would ever have of playing at Wembley.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I think it's fantastic - it's a freezing cold day in January with snow on the pitch and an orange ball or some fat non-leaguer having the game of his life. It's just a crying shame that we're so crap in it. But there's always this year...

 

[withdeanwombat]

It was better before penalty shoot outs.Y'know,when there could be three or four replays.Pre dates "We are too busy making money in Europe to bother with replays in the cup and our players get too tired because they have to play twice a week and train and do signing sessions and interviews with the press and our manager has to practice not seeing anything or be in the gym for his sparring lessons and anyway we don't want our reputation ruined and our stars laughed at because they lost to Lewes in a game where the referees glaucoma clearly overtook him."

But yes,the FA Cup is THE Cup,and is a buzz from the preliminary round to the Final.

Which we reached once.


Up the Albion!

 

[Mark Ormerod's Gloves]

it still has the magic for me because we're crap in it, so there is an eternal longing for success like the 83 era. it's always a case of "is this our year to actually get somewhere"

 

[bhafc99]

Agree with most people, it has lost much of the magic it had. The early rounds still possess some of it, but the monopoly of the big clubs and the dilution of Wembley as a once-in-a-lifetime moment has dulled the later stages.

It would be nice to do well in for a change though, it's been FAR too long!

 

[smudge]

Can't f***ing wait. I hope we get a win tomorrow then another home draw before a London Prem' League away in the 3rd.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

I love the FA Cup...Despite what the media say, the Cup never lost it's magic.

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Amsterdam-Littlehampton BHA

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It was better before penalty shoot outs.

Agree totally.

Imagine a tie that took FIVE replays to settle ... like the Alvechurch -v- Oxford City contest in 1971.

This would be impossible to conceive of these days, because it would mean ticketing arrangements having to be sorted out, instead of just letting fans turn up on the night. The police would go apeshit, especially with neutral grounds being required after the first replay. Season ticket holders would moan more than ever about not being sure of getting in. Six games in three weeks (eight or nine, once you take regular league fixtures into account) would KILL the players too. Apparently.

But that was the magic of the FA Cup.

 

[Lammy]

For me it died when Man utd were allowed to pull out to play in world club champs ..

I will NEVER forgive them for that.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I still love the FA Cup, personally. There are always a couple of great stories along the way, even if you know Man Utd or Chelsea are ultimately going to win it.

The reason we as Brighton fans are not 100% up for it may be something to do with the fact that we haven't been past the 3rd round in 13 years, and haven't won a single match in it for 5 years! Consequently there is a whole generation of Albion fans who have never experienced any kind of cup run, and have no experience of the excitement that would build if we got to say the 5th round.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Yes, definitely in the later stages and last year, despite Liverpool winning again, was the best cup final I've seen since the 80's.

 

[Curious Orange]

It is the first FA Cup match that my little sister will have attended tomorrow, she is excited about it!!

 

[Man of Harveys]

...the fact that we haven't been past the 3rd round in 13 years, and haven't won a single match in it for 5 years!

Christ, I'd forgotten just how bad our record is...that is SHITE. Can't WAIT for tomorrow now!

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Will allways be one of the matches to look forward to every season! I think it has been devalued thow by teams in the prem putting weak squads out and probably the demises of the Cup winners Cup in Europe (even thow you go into the UEFA). The constant debate about the demise of the competition in the press does not help much either.

 

[Wardy]

Yes and no. For a team like Lewes getting in to the 1st round must be a buzz. 2 games away from a possible game at a Premership club.

However when we get down to the business end of the cup (i.e. 1/4 finals onwards) I could not give a flying f***. Unless of course we are still in it then.