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Wildcard Wednesday: FA Cup Special
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As it's FA Cup weekend, Gavin shares his own feelings on the competition and memories from years gone by. He discusses the changes that have been made and questions if it's lost its appeal in recent seasons.
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Transcript
Introduction: The Magic of the FA Cup
00:00:05
Speaker
sports podcast network Welcome back to the Daily Fulham Podcast, your home of all things Fulham. It's World Card Wednesday and as the Premier League gives way to the FA Cup this weekend, what better way is there to get you in the spirit than by offering up an FA Cup themed episode? My name is Gavin Ruffell and today I'm talking about the magic of the FA Cup, or is it still the magic of the cup?
Has the FA Cup Lost Its Glamour?
00:00:29
Speaker
That's the question isn't it? Is the FA Cup still a big deal? Is it still sexy to win the FA Cup? Some would say it doesn't have the glamour, it doesn't have the grandeur, it doesn't have the appeal that it once did. Why is that? We'll get into that and why that might be the case. What changes have been made in recent seasons where maybe the FA Cup has lost that attractiveness.
00:00:52
Speaker
But it still is a competition that is dear to my heart. And I always look forward to the third round draw of the epic cup. That's one of the highlights for me of the football calendar. Less so when it was on the one show. I'm happy that they seem to be back.
Nostalgia and Significance of the FA Cup
00:01:07
Speaker
doing the third round draws on the typical Sunday afternoon in which I was more accustomed to seeing as a kid but it was always exciting after a game when maybe one of the lower league teams had gone through and you'd see the reaction of players as the drawing shown live on TV maybe in the dressing room or the reaction of some of the supporters of the club and we've seen that this season haven't we there are some great ties aren't there for some of the lower league teams or teams in non-league for instance Tamworth a home tie against Spurs and Bromley going to St. James's Park to take on Newcastle and Salford playing away at the Etihad which of course has its own storyline with who's involved at that football club but it certainly seemed like it was a bigger deal when i was a kid growing up for many older viewers the fa cup was the big game this was the biggest club competition in the world it was one of the rare games that was televised on tv so it had that special feel to it and you had all day coverage and viewer habits have changed nowadays haven't they maybe doing an all day coverage build up to a game
00:02:04
Speaker
is not to
Memorable FA Cup Finals
00:02:05
Speaker
everyone's fancy. You had special songs released dedicated to the FA Cup Final. You're talking about Hoddle and Waddle. It was a really big deal, a really big occasion, a really big sport and occasion. And even when I was a kid, it was such a massive game. The first FA Cup final I can remember was Arsenal against Liverpool, and this was at the old Millennium Stadium, now called the Principality Stadium. It was the Michael Owen final where Arsenal were leading that game for a long time, and then Michael Owen single-handedly turned the game on its head, and that was in a season where Liverpool won the treble in terms of Cup competitions, along with the League Cup and the old UEFA Cup.
Changing Priorities and Media Influence
00:02:41
Speaker
but it seems that it has lost some of that grander now isn't it as the focus has changed and it disappoints me when it gets brought up for certain clubs what's more important whether it's qualifying for the Champions League or whether it's winning an FA Cup because an FA Cup win should not be at the same level as a team finishing fourth in the league but it seems the FA have done everything in their power to make the competition seem not so important these days and I think the media interpretation of the competition as well hasn't helped as well because it's often been brought up what can be done to make the FA Cup seem more fancy and there's been talk ridiculous talk at times of maybe getting the FA Cup winners into the Champions League but
00:03:25
Speaker
The FA Cup should hold its own uniqueness as a competition. It's that competition that gives you that David versus Goliath. It gives the underdog their chance against some of the big teams to put them in the spotlight. And the storylines we see each season come from that.
Underdog Stories and Opportunities
00:03:39
Speaker
And it still gets played today. We we see old footage of Clips.
00:03:43
Speaker
of Mickey Thomas scoring that free kick for Wrexham against Arsenal or Ronnie Radford's goal, that wonder strike against Newcastle in that bobbly, muddy, terrible pitch. That was a leveller back in the days, wasn't it, to see these top-division, top-flight stars having to go to grounds like that and it's not something we see now. Even if even some of the non-league teams, their pitches are in immaculate condition. But yeah, when I was a kid, it still had that that feel of something really big and I just wonder now has that been lost on people in the last last few seasons. I spoke there about the David and Goliath feel and that's what it is. It's an opportunity for some of the lesser known clubs, that the teams that don't get the spotlight for them to be in that limelight for that one weekend in the season to give them that exposure.
Impact of Scrapping Replays
00:04:30
Speaker
For instance, my my home club Newport County, they've had a brilliant time in the FA Cup, not so much this season, but they've played the likes of Spurs and Manchester City, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester United in recent seasons, and this time last year I can remember trying to get a ticket for the game against Manchester United, not a chance in hell that that was going to happen, but it should still remain that special occasion for these clubs to take on those giants.
00:04:54
Speaker
But there has been a change and I'll come on to those changes that have been made and why it doesn't have that special feel to it in just a moment. But let me tell you all about our sponsors here. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform. Zencaster came out the clear winner with 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs.
00:05:20
Speaker
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Factors in the FA Cup's Decline
00:05:29
Speaker
So when was the decline of the FA Cup?
00:05:33
Speaker
People will have different opinions, some will say it was with Sky, the introduction of more live games, the introduction of the Premier League, so we're seeing more games on a regular basis. The other one that people will look to is Manchester United pulling out of the competition in ninety in the 99-2000 season when they were defending it to compete in the Club World Cup.
00:05:55
Speaker
And certainly over the years, you look at the so-called bigger clubs, their perspective on it, it might it might have changed and that might have led to people feeling that it doesn't have the same status as it once did because you would get these bigger clubs putting out weakened sides in the early rounds of the competition. Maybe some people would see that as a lack of respect.
00:06:18
Speaker
and that their focus was on other things, maybe the Premier League, maybe European competition. If you actually look at it in the last few seasons, it has been dominated by those big clubs, even though they have maybe made multiple changes throughout the course of the competitions, just because they have the biggest squads
Opportunities for Glory Despite Challenges
00:06:37
Speaker
available to them. So if you actually look at the statistics, Since 2008, every FA Cup Final has featured at least one member of your traditional Big Six, and only Wigan Athletic and Leicester City have stopped one of those sides from lifting silverware. The last final that didn't feature one of those Big Six clubs was Portsmouth against Cardiff City, which I remember very well, and that still to this day holds the record attendance for the new Wembley.
00:07:04
Speaker
But it's not just the big size now you see and rotate and make multiple changes to their side. You'll see it from all teams across the Premier League. You'll even see it from teams in the Championship and even some of the teams in the lower leagues because their focus and their priority is more on the league itself. And it's disappointing when I hear, ah here, let's focus on the league or, you know, the is the FA Cup a distraction? It shouldn't be deemed a distraction.
00:07:28
Speaker
It should represent an opportunity to go far in a competition, generate that great feeling for football fans, give them that hope. Fans of most football clubs will realise they're not going to win the league, but the FA Cup gives them that opportunity. If they can get a good draw, then maybe they can go all the way and that certainly applies to a club like Fulham, where it would be interesting to see their approach in a competition this season and some of the other teams that are comfortable in the mid
Disappointment Over Changes
00:07:52
Speaker
-table. However,
00:07:53
Speaker
I feel the changes that have been made have not helped for the competition and certainly the lower sides scrapping the replays from the FA it just seems like it's a move motivated brought about by the big clubs to avoid fixture congestion which is a shame because those clubs they'll play 38 games in the Premier League which is less than all the other clubs in the Championship and beneath that I just don't understand why it's catering to those big clubs when that's not what the FA Cup is about. It's about the underdog having their day out and it's curious their choices of games that are being put on TV now as well. No one wants to watch Aston Villa versus West Ham on a Friday night. I'm sure a lot of Aston Villa and West Ham fans would probably say the same about that. Nobody wants to see two mid-table Premier League clubs in the third round of the FA Cup on TV. That's not what you fantasize. That's not what you romanticize about, is it?
00:08:48
Speaker
and yes this scrapping of replays has caused a bit of debate hasn't it and i'm not a fan of it because it denies the opportunity for some of those clubs if they can get a draw against the odds against one of these so-called joint teams to have their day out that they've earned And the money it brings, is of course, as well, for one of those teams to go to an Old Trafford or or an Anfield to have their day out, which a lot of the footballers of those teams will never have the opportunity to do.
Impact of Modern Changes on Perception
00:09:17
Speaker
So it probably has lost its appeal in the last 10, 15 years. But I don't think it's been promoted in the right way and losing in replays is certainly something that hasn't helped matters, has it?
00:09:34
Speaker
Yeah, it's just not seen as a priority now as it as it used to be. maybe there's There is an emphasis now more on sports science and nutrition and the need to rest players. Obviously, back in the day, squads weren't so big. You didn't have substitutes. Players were used to playing game after game without having a break to the point where they may be running on empty. And whilst that has helped,
00:09:56
Speaker
in today's age, you want to see a competition taken seriously by everyone. It gives them that chance where they're all chasing that dream. And Fulham are one of those teams chasing that dream. They've never lifted the epic up. One final all the way back in 1975. We'll come on to Fulham in just a moment and what their desires are, what their ambitions are, as far as this competition is concerned. But before that, let me tell you about GSPN.
00:10:21
Speaker
The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasts. With dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football and a daily Premier League wrap-up broadcast, in five different languages it's your one-stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcast.
Fulham's Aspirations and Reflections
00:10:41
Speaker
So it is the daily Fulham podcast and we can't finish this podcast without talking about Fulham and they do have a home game against Watford. So what is Marco Silva's priority this season? They are one of those clubs that are in mid table along with the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton where they don't have European competition. They're out of the Carabao Cup. So is this an opportunity for them where if they have a good draw they could possibly get to the final even winner?
00:11:04
Speaker
I've got a prediction, I was supposed to put this in my New Year's episode when I was giving my predictions for 2025, but one of my predictions was that I do actually fancy one of the clubs outside the Big Six, the traditional Big Six, to go and win this competition this season. It does seem in his favour towards those Big Six clubs because they have the squads to rotate and once they get to the latter part of the competition then they do start playing their best players. But I think for a club like Fulham, this represents a real opportunity for them this season I feel. There's no fears about relegation,
00:11:32
Speaker
You would expect changes, wouldn't you? Naturally, you would expect changes. But we saw in the Carabao Cup, in which they went out on penalties to Preston, they changed their hole 11, or near enough their hole 11 for that game, and they came unstuck. And a lot of people would just accept that. That's the disappointment, I think, is that people accept that changes will be made, because there's the feeling that, well, that squad will be good enough to beat this team anyway. And I'm sure people will go into this game, full on fans, will be wanting this player to see some action, will be wanting this player to get minutes.
00:12:02
Speaker
and that's fine but what's more important progressing in the competition or giving a fringe player a start for me it's progressing in the competition and you don't want to underestimate your opposition. Looking at a Watford I spoke about this earlier Watford will have designs of their own and possibly getting in the playoffs not had the best of results lately but things can change so quickly so It wouldn't surprise you if Watford make half a dozen changes or so. But for a team like Fullerman, Marco Silva, I was disappointed in them last season when they went out of the Carabao Cup and they went on to make so many changes in the game after against Newcastle they subsequently lost and went out. Yeah, 1975. There may be some listeners out there that can remember the 1975 FA Cup Final where they lost to West Ham.
00:12:49
Speaker
And you always want to cling on to that hope as a football fan that you can win silverware, that you can have that ambition. And I think for Fulham, why not target the FA Cup this
Upcoming Fixtures and Excitement
00:12:59
Speaker
season? And if they progress in it, it could even be a situation towards the end of the season, depending on how far you get into it, where you're actually resting players to focus on the FA Cup. That's your priority.
00:13:11
Speaker
But I just want i want to look at some of the fixtures for for this weekend. You know, a lot of people will be drawn to the Arsenal Manchester United game because those are two big size, but that's not that's not for me what I look out for in the FA Cup. The games I look out for are the ones that I briefly spoke about earlier, and that's Tamworth. What a great opportunity there for a non-league team.
00:13:30
Speaker
to get that spotlight, to get that game on TV where they're playing a big team in Spurs, that's what it's all about, where the whole town gets behind that football club for that occasion and Bromley as well, what a great day out for them to go to St James's Park to take on Newcastle.
00:13:45
Speaker
These are the stories that the FA Cup is built on. That dream that it gives everyone, that it gives fans, that it gives players, that it gives owners just to see their clubs competing on such days in such big games. I love the FA Cup. As I said, I still look forward to that third round draw when you've got a mix of the Premier League big hitters are in and you've still got that mix of low league teams, some non-league teams. I just think it's exciting for everyone and I just hope we we never get to a point where the FA Cup is just seen as an afterthought and not something to be taken seriously.
Closing Thoughts on the FA Cup's Future
00:14:19
Speaker
So I hope that's got you all in the mood for what we're likely to see. Not just for this weekend, but for the future rounds and for the rest of the season.
00:14:29
Speaker
David versus Goliath, Magic of the Cup, Ronnie Radford, Mickey Thomas, that's what it's all about. Thank you all for listening today to this special FA Cup themed Wild Card Wednesday episode and we'll hope to catch you all next time on the Daily Fulham Podcast.
00:14:52
Speaker
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