Where Has The Magic of The FA Cup Gone?

Many years ago a schoolfriend of mine asked me to be the best man at his wedding, which was a huge privilege. While keen to accept the offer I wanted to know what date they had planned the ceremony, as I lived on the other side of the world and would need to ensure that I could be there. Then he gave me the date. It was FA Cup Final weekend. Who gets married on FA Cup Final weekend?

So I went back to him and I said that I would be happy to stand beside him, but there was one condition. If Swindon Town made the FA Cup Final I would have to pull out. I will never forget the laugh that followed that statement and the words, “I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Today it would not be a problem, but back then it could have been; at least I like many other fans believed that it was feasible as that was the ‘Magic of the FA Cup.’

Sadly gone are the days when everyone would huddle around the radio to listen to the FA Cup draw live. Fans across the country on tenterhooks to hear if they had a home game and then who they had drawn. The small clubs hoping, praying and wishing they could draw a top club at home. Such a fixture may well bring the television cameras to their ground, it would guarantee a full house and if…if they could pull off an upset, well who knew.

Then on FA Cup final day everyone would be rushing around in the morning making sure that all their shopping had been done and all their chores so come 3pm they could sit in front of the television and watch the game. Teams committed to cricket in the summer months would hope more than ever that day that they won the toss and could bat, as that meant that they would not miss the game; unless there was a sudden collapse or the opening bat happened to support one of the teams in the final, and surrendered his wicket!

The FA Cup would be full of ‘upsets,’ ‘shocks’ and ‘giant-killing’ exploits as teams from the lower divisions rose to the occasion and defeated richer, bigger, higher profile clubs. This was often described as the “romance of the FA Cup” or the “magic of the FA Cup.” Teams and player’s names would be etched in the history books forever. Ronnie Radford will always be remembered for scoring an outstanding goal in the 1971–72 FA Cup for Hereford United during their shock 2–1 giant-killing of Newcastle United.

In 1968 Mansfield Town knocked over West Ham United in the FA Cup. West Ham were sixth in the old Division One and boasted three world cup winners from 1966, in Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Martin Peters. Yet it was three unknown players who wrote their names into the history books in that Nottinghamshire town, Dudley Roberts, Ray Keeley and Nick Sharkey. Mansfield went on to the quarter finals and this was their first ever victory over a Division One side.

In 1984 Harry Redknapp’s Bournemouth defeated Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United, 1992 Arsenal were held to a draw by Wrexham, these were moments etched in history. What is more they did not just happen in the early rounds they also happened in the final. In 1973 Sunderland stunned the best team in the country at the time Leeds United to lift the trophy. Leeds had won the Cup the year before and Sunderland at the time were a second Division side. In 1988 it was Liverpool who were the best team in the country, they had cantered to the League Championship and had a squad the envy of most. Only two players in their starting eleven that day had not played international football, Gary Ablett and Nigel Spackman. Of their two substitutes Craig Johnston had not played internationally, but Jan Molby had. Yet the “Crazy Gang” of Wimbledon won the honours that day. That was the beauty of the Cup!

Today the FA Cup is dominated by the big name teams; in truth it always was. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham having won 44 of the 139 Cup Finals since 1871between them. In the last 20 years Arsenal has won seven of their 14 FA Cups, Chelsea has won five of their eight. While Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have all won two more Cup Finals. The only two teams to break their dominance have been Wigan Athletic who beat Manchester City in 2012/13. Ben Watson by scoring the winner overnight became a Wigan legend. The other was Portsmouth in 2007/08 when they defeated Cardiff City, the Welsh side making only their second Cup Final appearance.

For decades the FA Cup was a great leveller, but not any more, and maybe that is why the romance and magic has gone. The Premier League clubs are paid millions for their television rights, are owned by billionaires and have squads and resources that the clubs in the lower divisions can only dream of. The dice are now loaded heavily in their favour.

Is that true? Or has in fact the trend been leaning towards the top clubs domination for longer than we realised and is the ‘Magic’ a myth?

Twenty years ago the Independent newspaper sat down the Football Association’s chief statistician David Barber and they found that in the 1920’s FA Cup shocks – when a team from the top division was beaten by a team two divisions lower or a non-league team – occurred at an average of two a year, and in 1937 the first third division team, Millwall made the semi finals. There were also 16 different winners in 20 years!

In the 1950’s while shocks were less frequent there were three third division sides that made the semi finals. That trend continued into the 1960’s when European competition commenced and the maximum wage was abolished. Yet interestingly in this decade there were the most ever different finalists, with 16 different teams heading to Wembley.

In the 1970’s and 80’s the shocks returned with an average of over two per season. Three times the FA Cup was won by a second division club in this period, the same number that had lifted the cup in the previous 50 years!

By the 1990’s shocks were halved to one per season and since the arrival of the Premier League they have become even more rare.

Another interesting statistic that they uncovered was that in the 1920s, the average position of the Cup winners was 11th on the League table. By the 1950s, nine of the 10 winners came from outside the top three. Since the dawn of the Premier League the average league position of the winners has been cut to sixth.

The League and FA Cup double used to be a rare achievement and one that was much heralded. Prior to the commencement of the English Premier League only five teams had ever achieved the League Championship and FA Cup double between 1888 and 1992, (104 years) Preston North End (1888/89), Aston Villa (1896/97), Tottenham Hotspur (1960/61), Arsenal (1970/71) and Liverpool (1985/86). Since the creation of the Premier League the double has been achieved seven times in 28 years! Manchester United have achieved it three times and Arsenal twice in that time, making them the only side to have done the double before and after the creation of the Premier League.

So the much talked about ‘magic’ appears to have become a myth, not just recently but over the past three decades. It appears that to the big English Premier League clubs the FA Cup no longer matters. That is why they rest players when they have games, and play understrength teams. Yet the underlying fact is that those playing for these teams grew up as the meaning and magic was starting to die. So they do not have the ambition that many of their predecessors had of playing in a Cup Final at Wembley, and climbing those famous steps to lift the trophy. In their childhood the mystic of the FA Cup and its status as a not-to-be-missed game had already gone.

The same is true of a whole generation of fans. The FA Cup now holds little relevance when compared to the importance of the Premier League title, The European Champions League and their club winning promotion or avoiding relegation. These latter two events now have far-reaching consequences.

Then there is the fact that there is so much football available to those who want to watch it. No longer is the FA Cup a stand alone moment, no longer is it a must-see event, and often no longer is it the last game of the season.

When one looks at the effort made to reinvigorate the FA Cup the administrators have tried. They have increased the prize money, they have brought in sponsors, they have taken the semi-finals to Wembley; something many feel has actually taken the edge off the thrill of the final. They have also taken away the FA Cup replay after the Fourth round of the competition. No longer can a team playing away achieve a draw and take their opponents back to their ground. In Fifth round matches in the event of a draw after regular time, half-an-hour of extra-time follows, with a penalty shootout subsequently required if the scores stay level. Yet in the 2020/21 season there will be no replays whatsoever.

Is there anyway that the ‘magic’ and ‘romance’ can be restored to the FA Cup?

Some argue that the winners should, as they used to, receive a place in the European Champions League. That is unlikely to happen as it would mean the fourth placed team in the league would miss out. There is also a risk, albeit based on statistics a very slim one, that a team outside the Premier League may win that spot. Certainly the big six clubs would like to limit the opportunities of all the clubs below them including those in the Premier League. If the FA Cup gave such a reward these teams who have little chance of winning the Premier League may suddenly start focussing on the FA Cup!

If that sounds harsh take into account this fact, that for the last 29 years only three FA Cup winners have not been a top six side in the Premier League: Everton in 1995, Portsmouth in 2008 and Wigan in 2013.

One suggestion to try and bring back the magic of the FA Cup which is liked by many, but will never ever happen is to resort to having all fixtures played at the same time in every round, the traditional 3pm on a Saturday time slot. There was nothing better than tuning in on television or radio to hear the scores from other grounds when a lower divsion side had taken the lead. Sadly with TV Stations paying so much for the rights to the games and having so much air time to fill, this idea will never fly.

Which raises the question as to the importance of an FA Cup victory in the modern era. It would appear that the thrill and sense of history attached to lifting this most famous of trophies is simply no longer there. That is why there is so little excitement surrounding ‘the Cup’ these days.

Yet one cannot help feeling that the main reason it has lost its lustre is the fact that a whole generation have grown up without the FA Cup being one of the great sporting events in a calendar year, and event not to be missed, even for a wedding!

For me, despite Swindon Town not getting past the second round in the past 8 seasons I still dream…