28-01-2015, 18:01
The Champions League place wouldn't be a great solution because how many places a country has depends on previous performance ....... so if we had a couple of crap seasons we could lose the reward for the cup winners. And if our cup winners got a Champions League place everyone else would want that too. IMO that the Champions League should be for Champions anyway.
The cup has lost its glamour because everyone gets to see the top teams all the time. Equally Wembley has lost its glamour because the semi finals take place there and play off finals and the Johnsons baby lotion ........
Some teams do quite senselessly field weakened teams. If you were in the lower reaches of the Premiership and you'd gone out of the cup with a weakened team you'd look pretty stupid this year as many of the likely winners have bitten the dust. Mourinho must be wondering if just an hour from Costa and Matic against Bradford would have had Chelsea on course for two final appearances .......
Anyway on the theory that the two horse races that stop their countries are the Melborne Cup in Oz and our National, but they are not even the best races involving the best horses, just the most exciting ........... I'd change the FA Cup and make it even harder for the Premier clubs and more exciting:-
Qualifying would bring 72 lower tier non-league clubs through to Round 1.
Round 1 would feature those 72 plus Division 2 and the Conference Prem (48 teams).
Round 2 would bring in Division 1, Championship and Premiership = 68 teams to go in the draw with 60 from Round 1.
The final would be Round 8.
Why? Because the Cup is too much of a slow-burner for these days of instant gratification. Bringing the top teams in earlier would make Round 1 pulsating for the potential winners. Round 2 would throw up lots of small teams against top names. Round 3 would still be magical because it would repeat the excitement of Round 2. By the time Premier managers had reached Round Four they'd be fully-committed to the Cup, whoever they were drawn against. Only the Cup Final and internationals at all levels (Women too of course) would be played at Wembley. England Under-19's wouldn't play matches at Chesterfield or Shrewsbury, they'd get the big reward for the big achievement.
The cup has lost its glamour because everyone gets to see the top teams all the time. Equally Wembley has lost its glamour because the semi finals take place there and play off finals and the Johnsons baby lotion ........
Some teams do quite senselessly field weakened teams. If you were in the lower reaches of the Premiership and you'd gone out of the cup with a weakened team you'd look pretty stupid this year as many of the likely winners have bitten the dust. Mourinho must be wondering if just an hour from Costa and Matic against Bradford would have had Chelsea on course for two final appearances .......
Anyway on the theory that the two horse races that stop their countries are the Melborne Cup in Oz and our National, but they are not even the best races involving the best horses, just the most exciting ........... I'd change the FA Cup and make it even harder for the Premier clubs and more exciting:-
Qualifying would bring 72 lower tier non-league clubs through to Round 1.
Round 1 would feature those 72 plus Division 2 and the Conference Prem (48 teams).
Round 2 would bring in Division 1, Championship and Premiership = 68 teams to go in the draw with 60 from Round 1.
The final would be Round 8.
Why? Because the Cup is too much of a slow-burner for these days of instant gratification. Bringing the top teams in earlier would make Round 1 pulsating for the potential winners. Round 2 would throw up lots of small teams against top names. Round 3 would still be magical because it would repeat the excitement of Round 2. By the time Premier managers had reached Round Four they'd be fully-committed to the Cup, whoever they were drawn against. Only the Cup Final and internationals at all levels (Women too of course) would be played at Wembley. England Under-19's wouldn't play matches at Chesterfield or Shrewsbury, they'd get the big reward for the big achievement.