FA Cup Finals Ain't What They Used To Be

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

The FA Cup was a massive competition when I was growing up. The big climax to the season. When was the last time there was a genuinely enthralling final? Not in the last ten years, that's for sure.

 

The Premier League (or more significantly the Champions League) has ruined the FA Cup, the oldest and once greatest cup competition in the world.

 

In the late 80's and early 90's, there were five consecutive FA Cup Finals that were truly superb spectacles...

 

1987 - Spurs 2 Coventry 3

Unfancied Coventry beat Spurs team including Hoddle, Waddle, Ardiles and Clive Allen in all-time classic.

 

1988 - Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0

"the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club" - Motson's words, not mine.

 

1989 - Liverpool 3 Everton 2

All-Merseyside, post-Hillsborough, five goal thriller.

 

1990 - Palace 3 Man Utd 3

Underdogs Palace, having beaten Liverpool 4-3 in semi, share six goals in entertaining final.

 

1991 - Spurs 2 Forest 1

Spurs go a goal down, lose best player, miss penalty and have good goal disallowed, yet still bounce back to win/

 

And what do we get now? Last year's Cup Final by all accounts was one of the most one-sided affairs in living memory. Arsenal/So'ton in 2003 was boring. 2001's was a good final, but only because Liverpool, or Michael Owen, came from a goal behind to defeat Arsenal. In 2000 Chelsea won the cup on account of holders Man Utd not even entering. 1998 and 1999 Newcastle just rolled over. 1996 was a terrible final. 1994 was a joke - heaven knows what the score would have been had Luton got there instead of Chelsea. 1993 so dull it almost went to penalties after 210 minutes of dull....

 

1981. Great final.

1979. Great final (despite the winners).

1980, 1976, 1973 - big teams beaten in the final by Division Two sides.

 

Errr... fk knows what I'm trying to say here. I've forgotten why I started this thread now.

[YELLOW]

Agree. The last real decent final was Palace/Man United but even the replay was thoroughly awful. Last year's final was a complete non event!!

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

The 1991 final, regardless of me being a Spurs fan, was very entertaining, Yellow.

 

That was the last good final.

[YELLOW]

Yeah that was a good game, had just about everything. After that I'm struggling to think of a decent final. In fairness some of the recent League Cup finals have been better.

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

Agree with you boys, best games were Coventy 87 and Wimbledon 88. Victory to the under-dog, can't beat it. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[CANV EFM]

mind you arnt the semi's always the best games..?

the f.a. cup needs to recieve the last champions league slot to jazz it up a bit.. mind you having the final in fecking wales dont help much either

[JKiF]

or just have 1 champions league place

 

 

 

thats what's ruined our national game...

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Agreed.

 

How the fk could Man Utd win the Champions League in 1999, when they qualified without being English Champions the previous season? They shouldn't have even been in the competition.

 

It's a farce.

 

As is the rule that states teams who finish 3rd in the Champs Lge group drop into the UEFA Cup.

[JKiF]

this is true...

teams are now only interested in finishing 4th, above evrything else....

 

fourth!!!

 

 

the trouble with the FA Cup as well, is they should make IT the last gameof the season NOT the play-offs

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Simple the champions league should be for champions only

They should restart the cup winners cup for both cup winners

Then the teams that finish 2-5 should qualify for UEFA Cup and that should be a straight knock out.

 

There should be no seeding either in any cup compertition

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

So last season we would of had.

Champions Leauge - Arsenal

Cup Winners Cup - Man U, Middlesborough

UEFA Cup - Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Aston Villa

[gertcha EFM]

But which competition would be held in higher esteem ? The Cup Winners Cup or the UEFA Cup ?

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

I don't suppose it would matter.

 

Someone on another thread said the fourth Champions League place should go to the FA Cup winners.

 

Now, I don't know whether that is for the FA or UEFA to decide, but it's a bloody good idea and needs to be done.

 

If it's up to the FA to decide which four teams enter the Champions League, then there's no excuse for it not being done. The FA Cup is the biggest and oldest domestic cup competition in the world, and the amount of disrespect it's being given by clubs like United, Arsenal and Liverpool is disgusting.

 

The only way to restore its place as traditionally the finest occasion of the English domestic season is by giving the winners (and only the winners, not the runners-up) a Champions League slot.

[CANV EFM]

i heard that liverpool managers interview after the burnley game last night.. he really has no concept of what the f.a.cup means.. its just another annoying match in the quest to reach fourth place..

get rid of all the league cups..

have the f.a.cup

the f.a. shield (for league 1 down)

the f.a. trophy

and the f.a. vase..

 

the sponsers name should come after.. e.g. the f.a. shield, sponsered by ......

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Agree, but with one small amendment.

 

Your FA Shield (the LDV, right?) should have so-called Championship teams too, if we're ditching the League Cup.

[CANV EFM]

yup.. that'll do it.. so the prem get one cup comp only to stop the precious little tarts whinging..

the champ/league teams get 2..

conf down get the f.a. cup and the trophy .. and billericay get the vase