TOPIC: A Midweek FA Cup with no replays?

Seems it's being discussed...

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/compe...with-no-replays.html

Regular thing on mainland Europe, but their Cups don't have the prestige of ours?

The FA Cup Saturday games in January are great, when we're involved in the 3rd round it's my favourite football weekend of the year. Its a vital part of the sporting calendar, so in a word; no.

Totally agree with wetheriggscufc, if it no longer had priority over the League, then it would no longer be special. I would much rather see it be a ticket to Europe so the big boys take it seriously and it remains special.

Wonder when the replays will be if Spurs or Man U draw this weekend, planning at its finest.

"with the aim of reducing fixture congestion", to make money more like

To win the fa cup a premier league team would play between 6 and 10 games (if they hit every replay going.)
To win the champions league straight from the group stage would need 13 games
To win the europa league from the 1st qualifying round like West Ham were asked to do would involve playing 21 games.



Also to pick a random so-so premier team, Southampton, at the end of the season they will have played
38 league games
4 europe league games
3 league cup games
1 FA cup game
That's 46 games

We'll have played
46 league games
3 league cup games
5 FA Cup games
1 JPT games
That's 55 games


Cut the premiership down to 16 teams and that would chop 8 games a year out the calendar

Time to get rid of the League Cup unless they are going to have a format that really helps League one and two Clubs financially every season.

I feel really sorry for these Prima Donna's who find it exceptionally hard to play 2 games in a week. Wonder if James Vardy had this in mind when he forked out 130 grand for a new set of wheels.....

Any team playing in Europe is excluded from the League cup would be a better alternative for the big boys fixture congestion.Leave our FACup alone.

Maybe have no relays after the third round, is asking for trouble really. League Cup should always see league two sides given a home draw v a premier league side in round and league two sides keep getting home ties till third round when it becomes all in the pot (can't play each other till then either).

Like I said before - God knows when the replays will be if needed for cup ties from this weekend, absolutely crazy. Fans get about three days to plan for the sixth round by looks of things.

orfc wrote:
It's interesting that they haven't looked to reduce the number of teams in the Prem recently - all the other top European leagues only have 18 teams in it, would make it a bit tighter and interesting for those mid-table teams!

MerseysideBlue wrote:
Spain and Italy and France have same as Premier League - 20.

MerseysideBlue wrote:
Spain, Italy and France have 20 teams. Germany 18...

Was sure they had 18? Italy changed recently?

Italy had 18 until 2004/05 - shows how much attention I pay!

Maybe have a pop at the Polish Format:

uk.soccerway.com/national/poland/ekstrak...gular-season/r31713/

The Ekstraklasa in Poland is about a similar standard to the National League North. Piast Gliwice are doing well though for a small club.

carwash wrote:
I don't watch it like, just follow the results - seen they were quite a way ahead at one point. Small Club ain't they.

Wouldn't surprise me if down the line UEFA tried to set up a fixed schedule for all nations, certain dates for their own Tournaments, National Cups, League games only on certain dates only etc.

That much money involved now from TV & Sponsors that they'll ask for a uniformity...

if you ever doubted that the hierarchy that runs our game or the big clubs give a toss about clubs and supporters like ours this is proof that they don't..

the greedy selfish gits have the greatest cup competition in the world and they are willing to devalue it for the moneymen and for the wants of the big boys

disgusting if this happens

Domestic Cups aren't the cause of congestion. It's the ever expanding greedy [censored] euro comps.

m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35602974

They should sack off so many international breaks for qualifiers and frendlies and play more of them in the summer.

iiiarshaa wrote:
Injuries and fatigue galore the result of that and Country v Club arguments as well.

This is to do with the Coaficient in Europe, Italy may soon take one of our four champion leagues places, not that i in any way give a shit about this, Points for the coaficient are scored in the Europa league; the FA wish for our teams to go further this is apparently one of their answers to this problem. Apparently they want to increase our [English Premier league] clubs focus on this shitty excuse for a tournement.

They could start by saying that if you are playing in Europe the following week the latest you can kick off in the league or cup is 3pm on the Saturday. Once again though until every Premier League match can be shown live in England, regardless of kick off time, this stupidity will continue.

Friday night games coming in next season is it? Far better than a Monday. Should try and put the CL teams on as early as possible...

It does seem bad form that the Chelsea v Man City game is Sunday tea time.
I think more could be done to support the teams in The Champions League.
As for The Europa League , that's just getting a bit silly. I think it was Bolton or Fulham, who got through to the later stages then decided to pick their reserves, a few years ago.

Decent read...

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/artic...e-lost-long-ago.html

How many teams enter the FA Cup?
How many English teams play in Europe?

Why should the rules be altered for the sake of the few?

Even if they did alter the rules in their favour they would still not take the competition seriously.

736 teams in this season's competition...

Not just make it that if you are still in Europe at the time of the draw your tie cannot have a replay.

I preferred it in the old days when some ties went to multiple replays, those ties earned small clubs much needed revenue. If you are not good enough to win at the first attempt tough. The FA Cup is the best cup competition in the world and should be treated as such or should we just pamper the big clubs and give the two biggest clubs the final each year and be done with it.