Alright I know it isn't what it was, but these days I get the feeling our fans are quite keen on it. Taking 6k to Charlton in the other (lesser) cup and now having sold our Stoke allocation pretty much illustrates the point. But is it that we like the cup, or is it just that we have a genuine chance of winning it? I mean, if we were fighting relegation or in the division below would we be that arsed? I'm quite interested on what people's take is on this.
People are quick to moan that the cup isn't what it was, but in the end I think it has a lot going for it. Controversial I know, but I quite like the one-off nature these games have evolved into. I also like the fact that tickets are cheap and whilst gates aren't as good as league attendances, they're still acceptable when you compare them to the gates of the 1980s. That said, Stoke will expect about 15,000 tomorrow when a 5th round game between these two in the 1980s at the Victoria Ground would probably have been around 18,000. Of the 8 games being played, I reckon half of them will be 90% full.
People are quick to moan that the cup isn't what it was, but in the end I think it has a lot going for it. Controversial I know, but I quite like the one-off nature these games have evolved into. I also like the fact that tickets are cheap and whilst gates aren't as good as league attendances, they're still acceptable when you compare them to the gates of the 1980s. That said, Stoke will expect about 15,000 tomorrow when a 5th round game between these two in the 1980s at the Victoria Ground would probably have been around 18,000. Of the 8 games being played, I reckon half of them will be 90% full.
