@Shev said:
I realized something about the FA Cup yesterday:
In the 15 years between 1965-1980, there were 13 different winners.
In the 40 years between 1980 and now, there have been 11 different winners.
Only Coventry, Wimbledon, Portsmouth and Wigan have prevented a clean sweep of the "Big Seven" over that latter time period.
That's a really scary stat. Let's also be honest the amount of cash Pompey threw at that season they spent like they were a Top 7 club, and the Wigan / Wimbledon results were completely unexpected / flukes.
So much for this notion of one of the smaller Prem clubs 'going for the cup'
Yes, I find it utterly depressing. There were also only 6 winners in the 20 years from Wimbledon to Portsmouth, and that period included Everton and Tottenham only winning it once each.
I am old enough to remember the likes of Forest, Villa, QPR, Ipswich and Derby winning, or competing for, the League Championship. Whilst the more recent cash-injection associated with Sky and the Champions League has obviously had an effect in consolidating the position of a few clubs, the other big change which worked in this direction was in the early '80s (I think) to allow clubs to keep their home gate receipts. It made a big difference, so that the incursions made by those above, or more recently Wimbledon and Leicester became less regular.
A great shame, I think, if the great driver in getting you to go to football is that nothing is guaranteed and the underdog might just have its day today ...
Even bigger shame when the big clubs treat it as an inconvenience until they inevitably end up in the semis with their cast offs and stockpiled youngsters who'd be better off out on loan.
Comments
Roy has surely got to be Top 20 at least?
I realized something about the FA Cup yesterday:
In the 15 years between 1965-1980, there were 13 different winners.
In the 40 years between 1980 and now, there have been 11 different winners.
Only Coventry, Wimbledon, Portsmouth and Wigan have prevented a clean sweep of the "Big Seven" over that latter time period.
That's a really scary stat. Let's also be honest the amount of cash Pompey threw at that season they spent like they were a Top 7 club, and the Wigan / Wimbledon results were completely unexpected / flukes.
So much for this notion of one of the smaller Prem clubs 'going for the cup'
Yes, I find it utterly depressing. There were also only 6 winners in the 20 years from Wimbledon to Portsmouth, and that period included Everton and Tottenham only winning it once each.
@Shev Yes, that is pretty depressing.
I am old enough to remember the likes of Forest, Villa, QPR, Ipswich and Derby winning, or competing for, the League Championship. Whilst the more recent cash-injection associated with Sky and the Champions League has obviously had an effect in consolidating the position of a few clubs, the other big change which worked in this direction was in the early '80s (I think) to allow clubs to keep their home gate receipts. It made a big difference, so that the incursions made by those above, or more recently Wimbledon and Leicester became less regular.
A great shame, I think, if the great driver in getting you to go to football is that nothing is guaranteed and the underdog might just have its day today ...
Yep, gate sharing went in 1983
Even bigger shame when the big clubs treat it as an inconvenience until they inevitably end up in the semis with their cast offs and stockpiled youngsters who'd be better off out on loan.