There wasn't much magic left when I started following in mid noughties, but the scheduling simply forces teams to prioritize different competitions. If they want the magic back they know what to do. I like to see youngsters get a chance so I like that cups have become the proving grounds for kids instead, but didn't like seeing City farm cups just because they bought 2 strong elevens.greenmark wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 4:42 pmThe FA Cup lost it's kudos a long tme ago. I remember United beginning to field teams that could not possibly win. It was a distraction from their prime objectives of the Premier League and Champions League.
The FA Cup used to be the best alternative to winning the league. It's now a 3rd at best competition that the big teams might roll out the big names for the final. But otherwise it's to blood young players or give fading lights a shop window to help get them off the books.
I remember when FA Cup Final dominated my day. And when FA Cup shock results were headline news. C'est la vie!!
The fact that during this holiday period teams are actually fielding strong lineups shows how bad scheduling is. This time around it allows plenty of time for rest so teams are going all in, as you can see with Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and others. Players need rhythm too, not just rest.
But it's a systemic issue across football too, basically non-sports people in charge of major sporting decisions, whether it's scheduling or rule changes or VAR etc. Everything gets degraded over time because they don't understand it in the first place.
Agree, London his particularly bad for knife crime, it's almost daily.
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