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Ways to increase FA Cup prestige

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Yep it should be rotated everytear. Have one played in Southern region minus london and the played up
North.

What grounds do you suggest are used? All the 30k+ stadiums are in London down south. There's only really Southampton's ground you could use.

Pretty much all of the best grounds are in the Midlands and the North.

Old Trafford
Anfield
Goodison
Villa Park
Elland Road
Hillsborough
Stadium of Light
St. James'
City Ground
Molineaux
Ewood Park
Pride Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_football_stadia_by_capacity

See for yourself, I'm not even trying to wind anyone up, of the top 30, 10 are down south and only 3 are outside London. Realistically you're only looking at the top 10 + Hillsborough there that have any chance of hosting a semi final.

Reply 21

thegaffer91

Original post by 419

Yep it should be rotated everytear. Have one played in Southern region minus london and the played up
North.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Shouldn't the location be based purely on the teams playing? It would be stupid to hold a Chelsea vs Arsenal semi-final anywhere apart from London (same way it would be stupid to hold a man city vs liverpool semi-final anywhere apart from the north-west)

Reply 22

Clip

I tell you what would be amazing:

PL Champions and Runners up = CL places

FA Cup Winners play off against PL 3rd Place for CL 3rd spot

League Cup Winners play off against PL 4th Place for CL 4th spot

No one coming 3rd or 4th in the league would be guaranteed a Champions League place, and there would be real incentive to do well in the Cups

The playoffs at the end of the season would be mad.

Reply 23

username917703

Original post by thegaffer91

It did used to be. Villa couldn't play at VP if they got to a semi (played at Wembley in 2000).

Re: the highlighted, I can recall something happening in 2008/9-ish, Everton & Man. United had to travel all the way to London just to play at the new Wembley but I'm sure there were some southern teams who had to play up north that weekend in another competition, my mind has gone totally blank. Anyway, pointless.

Reply 24

Zerforax

Just give the winner £20-40mil as prize money. I can guarantee every club will start taking it seriously and the magic will return.

Reply 25

Hugs31

Nothing, every year we get the whole 'FA Cup has lost it's prestige/magic etc.' sensationalised by the media mainly I imagine because most of the top teams play weaker sides therefore they don't take it seriously therefore they must not think highly of the FA Cup. Not true in my book!

Reply 26

jilebinator

Original post by Wilfred Little

Why can't they play at Stamford Bridge, Emirates...?

Reply 27

Vintage

Original post by jilebinator

Why can't they play at Stamford Bridge, Emirates...?

The final is already in London.

Reply 28

username917703

Original post by Vintage

The final is already in London.

Yep. And the post I replied to specified outside of London.

Reply 29

Midlander

Scrapping replays is a nonsense idea. What makes sense is giving clubs the option of mutually agreeing not to have them, but if one doesn't then a replay goes ahead. Why? A replay at Old Trafford for a lower league club is a huge earner and fans of such teams watch their club at a ground they wouldn't otherwise.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 30

Midlander

Original post by sr90

Lower league teams don't give a **** about it unless they're in the semi finals and have a chance of going to Wembley. The prize money is next to nothing, games are played in near empty stadiums and there's a stupid rule that you have to field 5/6 of the players who started the last league game.

Go post on any League One/Two clubs forum, and they'll all agree with me.

Could easily be solved by having one 'southern' and one 'northern' ground each year. I use those terms very loosely because obviously you've got the Midlands to fit in. Places like Birmingham aren't southern or northern but it's not much different travelling to Molineux, Villa Park etc from Manchester or Liverpool than London so you can lump them in with the southern grounds. So one year you'd have Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, the next you'd have Anfield and Villa Park.

The Midlands was always a good bet as it gives a fair compromise on travel time-unless both teams are from roughly the same area in which case it makes sense to go to a ground close by.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 31

bj27

Original post by Hugs31

Original post by Zerforax

Just give the winner £20-40mil as prize money. I can guarantee every club will start taking it seriously and the magic will return.

This. None of this whole change the format or CL places, you give a club 20m for winning it, people will take it seriously. I don't see the point of gifting a team a europa league place for winning it but since it's the format for most countries, give them the europa league place and loads of money.

What's the point of getting a europa league place to a team like Wigan with no money, they're going to struggle the next season.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 32

Midlander

Original post by bammy jastard 27

They genuinely don't care about the FA cup, see Paul lamberts comment on it. Staying in the league is always more important, you think United would take a win against swansea or the FA cup if they don't make top 4.

FA should just give the club loads of money if they win it.

This. None of this whole change the format or CL places, you give a club 20m for winning it, people will take it seriously. I don't see the point of gifting a team a europa league place for winning it but since it's the format for most countries, give them the europa league place and loads of money.

What's the point of getting a europa league place to a team like Wigan with no money, they're going to struggle the next season.

Not every club has an oil tycoon to buy their trophies for them.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 33

Theflyingbarney

Yeah, I think the easiest solution is to put the prize money up significantly. Do that and you get a positive spiral - clubs start taking it more seriously, so the quality of football improves (less chance of big clubs putting out a reserve side), therefore TV companies will be more interested in it and more fans want to go and watch it, therefore you get more money to support the bigger prizes. Semis away from Wembley would be a nice touch although not crucial, and I reckon if some fairer arrangement is organised with spreading TV money you could scrap replays, as there'd be less desire from smaller clubs to go for a draw to get a replay somewhere big.

I also wouldn't be too upset about the loss of the League Cup, although it might be cool to change it to recognise that it's effectively a reserves competition nowadays. Maybe you could have a rule that Premier League clubs aren't allowed to have in their matchday squad more than x players that started their last league match, or something. Gives the little teams more chance of going further, and also means you get to see some of the brighter lights of the U21 teams etc in action from time to time.

Reply 34

bj27

Original post by Midlander

Not every club has an oil tycoon to buy their trophies for them.

Posted from TSR Mobile

But what does that have to do with my point?

Reply 35

balotelli12

UEFA forbid giving champs league places to cup winners.

Reply 36

419

Original post by Wilfred Little

I'd have the midlands stadium as part of the Southern. I'd split it so that any place above Nottingham is north. And I wasn't thinking of stadium capacity. If we are, only an hanful of clubs would qualify (minimum 40k) and in which case you'd have to consider the London clubs.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 37

username917703

I can see how using the Midlands' stadia as Southern stadia would work but I'd consider Birmingham and the Midlands to be Northern if anything.

Reply 38

IanDangerously

Original post by Wilfred Little

Etihad? How come? OT, St. James' & Goodison before those imo.

Agree with a lot of the post though, just not getting rid of the League Cup.

I think the FA are more likely to use the Etihad, and City are probably more likely to want to host it because they let the ground out for all sorts anyway.

I love Goodison but it's not the kind of ground they'd ever want to use for a semi these days IMO. Too many restricted views, too easy to move between sections and cramped concourses that bottle everybody in. Not the most practical ... and Newcastle and Sunderland are a ballache to get to at the best of times. Always spares going for those games even for league aways so I'm not sure anybody would want to go up there for a semi!