[spireitematt]

The FA are looking at scrapping FA Cup replays and turning the competition into a mid-week cup competition to trim down the amount of fixtures because 'certain' Premier League teams are moaning about fixture congestion which damages there chances in Europe. Also the FA are concerned that teams are playing too many games and then it leaves the National team tired for Summer tournaments such as Euro and the World Cup. 

They also want to make alterations to the Football League Cup as well by scrapping the 2nd leg at the Semi-final stage. Now I don't think Premier League clubs have to be in the Football League Cup there just included in it by the FA.

Now my opinion on this is I think its wrong because FA Cup replays are vital to certain clubs in the lower leagues and even non-league as its a financial boost also If you are drawn away to a Premier League club and get a draw you can then play them in the replay at your own ground and probably have more of a chance of progressing to the next round in the competition.

If you played the FA Cup mid-week at night then attendances at the matches wouldn't be as high as they would on a Saturday-Sunday and also young supporters would miss out also. How long then before the FA Cup ceases to exist?

One thing I think they should do is go back to playing the semi-finals on a neutral ground such as Old Trafford, Hillsborough etc as it would give teams the incentive of playing at Wembley because I think the semi-finals at Wembley spoil it.

If they went back to the old way of the European cup of having the two legged rounds instead of the group stages etc it could be better but then teams would miss out on the revenue from tickets and TV etc and then they would complain if they got knocked out early but on the plus side you could have more European teams in the competition.

I don't think you can blame the failure of the English National team on fixture congestion though because that's to do with lack of funding at grassroots level and possibly standard of coaching and home grown players aren't being developed like they are in Germany and Spain and English teams end up buying from abroad as they want a quick fix to win trophies which has a negative effect on the National teams in the long term. 

The Premier League is good for the teams and the people who are in it but I don't think its good for English football in the long term as they are always wanting things changed to suit them which would have a knock on effect for the rest of the 72 Football League teams and even non-league. The Premier League has created a divide and arguments over parachute payments for teams below the division but nearly every club in the Championship wants to be there because of the revenue they will get from ticket sales, merchandise, TV and parachute payments. A team would receive a good pay day even if they only lasted a season but clubs in the Championship complain that the parachute payments are unfair to the other 21 teams as the teams who receive the parachute payments can use the money to try and bounce straight back in the league the season after and they do have a point because Hull and Burnley are right near the top this season and without parachute payments they would probably be nowhere near there.

[Lord Snooty]

If certain Premier League clubs are complaining about fixture congestion...... tough! If players are too tired..... tough!
Grow a pair, you snivelling, over paid ponces. It's your bloody job.

Replays are part of our game.

[themaclad]

Maybe they should revamp the Champions League and have it for Champions only play it as a two legged knockout competition after all it worked before but we know Prem clubs are only interested in lining their pockets

[spireitematt]

Maybe they should revamp the Champions League and have it for Champions only play it as a two legged knockout competition after all it worked before but we know Prem clubs are only interested in lining their pockets

Funny you say that because there trying to change the Champions League so teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, AC Milan etc are included in the Champions League even if they are not champions, which makes no sense as it can't be called the Champions League.

[themaclad]

They are after a European league mainly for broadcasters as per usual

[St Charles Owl]

I don't think this is about the FA Cup or even fixture congestion on its own. This is all about the FA being worried that due to the lack of success in Europe over the past few years by English clubs our coefficient has dropped and Italy are now snapping at our heels. If Italy over take us in the coefficient rankings then we will lose the 4th Champions League spot to them, and that is what the FA and PL are trying to avoid. Making the FA Cup midweek and doing away with replays was only one option that was muted. As you said removing the two legged LC semis is another idea, as was encouraging clubs to take the Europa cup seriously by offering prize money on top of the UEFA money they get. The winners of the Europa Cup earn as many coefficient points as the CL winners, so from an English football perspective getting teams to do well in the competition will greatly help.

As for the proposals I would be vehemently against doing away with replays, these potential ties are of such monetary value to the smaller teams and this is one way that the money in the top league can actually trickle down into the lower leagues!! Cambridge United drew Man Utd last season at home, they managed a draw in that game and were rewarded with a 1.3m pound windfall, money they used wisely to upgrade their academy and club facilities. The midweek option should also not be used, teams that are successful will inevitably play more games, but a couple of free Saturdays for other clubs who get knocked out at least helps with some of the congestion. Semi finals should stay at Wembley, it elevates the importance of the competition and provides more opportunities for fans to see the games.

With the LC though, I would be all in favor of going to a one off game at the SF stage. There is no need for it to be two-legged and if the FL have any sense they will use this as a chance to promote these one-off games by staging them at neutral grounds and taking big games like this around the country. There are 6-10 grounds around the country that could hold these semi finals. Btw, Hillsborough is not one of the grounds that would be used, first it needs renovation both of the Leppings Lane end and in terms of the facilities in the ground, 20 years of neglect has taken its toll and we need a few seasons of upgrades to get the Old Lady back to being a top stadium and secondly there is still the stigma of the Hillsborough Disaster and until the enquiry is complete nothing will change on this front either.

As for a European League, its still one of my biggest fears but I still think that the English teams would not push for that currently. I also don't think the German league would go for it either. Without those two leagues it is a non-starter. The teams pushing for this are likely to be from Leagues that struggle for revenue (compared to the PL) such as France where PSG would get a huge boost from a European league or leagues where shared revenue negatively impacts one or two teams such as Spain, Portugal and even Scotland with Celtic. For now I hope the current season in the PL with Leicester, Spurs, Soton and West Ham, all teams that would not be "invited" into a European League and all chasing European places would show that there is healthy competition in England and while ever the revenue is the highest in the game there really is no need for the Prem teams to look at this.

Congestion should not even be a discussion except for the fixture schedulers to do a better job!! TV companies also need to be reigned in with regards to picking games when it does not help English teams such as this weekend when they moved the Chelsea v Man City game to Sunday with MC having an away CL game in Ukraine on Wednesday!! That alone could effect the coefficient!!! With the England team, there is an argument that the PL season is harder simply because it is more competitive, every game is a game that can be lost, something that teams like Real Madrid, Barca, Bayern Munich and PSG do not have to face week in, week out due to the relative weakness of the bottom half of their leagues. And for sure this effects the fitness of the English based players but the PL now is full of internationals from most countries so the effect must be felt by them as well.

[Lord Snooty]

Steve Bruce says they should scrap replays. His argument being that in the past it only took 7'games to win the European Cup, whereas now it takes 17.
I think there's your answer then, Fathead. Cut down the European rubbish.

---

And how does that justify you making ten changes to your team yesterday? Playing at Arsenal in the Cup and treating it with such disrespect, not just for the competition but for your own fans, is quite frankly, disgusting.

[St Charles Owl]

I have no problem with managers rotating their squad for any game, its what the squad is for, but you can't moan about them then earning a replay when they put in a performance!!! It take a maximum of 10 games for a top two division team to win the cup, and more likely will only take 7 or so. For the prem, two rounds are on weekends where there are no premier league fixtures scheduled either so its not adding that much to the schedule!!

[spireitematt]

Sad thing is the FA Cup is being devalued by the Premier League teams as survival in the Premier League and European is more important to them and they see the League Cup and the FA Cup as a nuisance but if there in the final its a different story. I think it started to become devalued when Manchester United pulled out back in the early 2000s to play in the FIFA club World Cup.

Manchester City put out that team this afternoon because there focusing on trying to win the Champions League which I doubt they will and the other excuse was they've only got 13 fit senior players and they can't play 3 games in 7 days because the players would be tired. There professional footballers for goodness sake they get paid hundreds of thousands a week more than some people would earn in a lifetime and there worried about getting tired.

Until the FA Cup winner is given a Champions League place it won't be taken seriously. There's been a lot of talk about how it should be scrapped or be a U21 competition or it should be played mid-week without replays. Manchester City though are a rich club with big finances and they will have good resources as well so moaning about fixture congestion and wanting things changed because it doesn't suit you.

[St Charles Owl]

I actually have no problem with what Man City did today, this situation was caused by the tv companies insisting that their game be played on Sunday when they have to travel to Kiev for their CL game 3 days later!! Had this game been played on Saturday then I think they would have played a few other first team players. I also don't think this is just a PL thing, we did it against Shrewsbury with 10 changes, and lost I might add, Hull made the same number yesterday as well. The rewards for Championship clubs chasing promotion means the FA cup is possibly even more of a distraction for them than it is prem teams!!

I have just heard on a BBC podcast a couple of ideas that may work. First was to have replays up to the 4th round only, that way the smaller clubs like Shrewsbury or Exeter this year would have their chance of lucrative replays but in all likelihood by the time you get to the 5th round then the smaller clubs will have been knocked out.

The other idea was to play extra time if level after 90 mins in the first game. This would increase the chances of a winner and allow teams to go for it. If its still tied after 120 mins then it goes to a replay, but I am sure this would reduce the number of replays overall.