Is it not quite a damming indictment on the financial state of football that 'clubs might need them to stay afloat' is an argument for keeping replays? What a mess.
Personally I'm really sad that the FA Cup replays are being scrapped, I am from that generation where the Cup still means everything. So many of my best memories supporting Wycombe have been in the FA Cup and specifically replays. The Wimbledon match will never be topped, simply the most dramatic game of football I've ever witnessed. But even replays against Peterborough and Boston are right up there for me.
I guess the game moves on and it's clear that the younger generation of fans don't have the same feeling about the Cup. I find it baffling that people would get more enjoyment watching the Champions League, which I find utterly boring, but they do! The thought that we'll never again get as invested in a fixture as we used to with replays is quite gutting as far as I'm concerned.
It was only for one season, 2020-21 and was to do with the impact of Covid and lockdowns.
I was against it, but could see why they did it. There are some chairmen of Premiership clubs who would like to see the top tier ring-fenced, but I don't think it will ever happen.
Sorry @bargepole you are wrong. There hasn't been a promotion or relegation since 2020. Yes, COVID played a part & the clubs going bust but there shouldn't have been a reason why clubs haven't been promoted. Yes, the league will have its first promotion next season - only if the club has the facilities allowed for the Premiership. So there is a chance that Promotion won't happen then either!
Yes, it's always been the case that the club who wins the Championship has to have a ground which meets Premiership minimum standards, which very few of them do.
Famously in 2012, London Welsh won the Championship, but the RFU decreed that because they didn't own their proposed playing venue at the Kassam Stadium, they shouldn't be allowed into the Premiership. London Welsh launched a legal case, and the RFU caved in, much to the annoyance of many Oxford United fans.
I might be getting mixed up, as I only saw the headlines for this story, but I thought expanded formats for the UEFA competitions was given as a reason for scrapping replays?
Quality of football on display in the CL is amazing at times, just for me it's generally the same teams competing in the latter stages year after year. It gets difficult to distinguish one season from another in the end.
I think I'm swimming towards a liferaft with two gasroomers aboard. Will they pick me up? I'm a lover of tradition in sports and would usually howl at any proposed changes to the status quo which invariably benefit the elite. I can see all the arguments for keeping the replays and some great memories of watching the blues are indeed from FA Cup replays. But, for every famous replay, I'm sure there are multiple more iconic games that didn't need a second attempt. Maidstone recently, Woking at WBA and York v Arsenal are just a few that instantly spring to mind. When a "minnow" is drawn against a glamour club the overriding argument I'm hearing is the wish for a money spinning return match, rather than the possibility of actually knocking them out, albeit on the dreaded penalties. Surely, the joy is in actually being drawn against big boys. I'd say that the jeopardy of the shootout in the first leg would provide an added level of commitment from the bigger teams as they wouldn't have the comfort of a replay to save them, and probably again fielding their reserves. I think replays are now a redundant form of deciding ties and that non league sides could actually progress even further in the competition without them. Cray Valley may well have still been in the competition if they had defeated Charlton on penalties. I know I'm going against the grain on this one but the liferaft is now in danger of capsizing.
With hindsight I wish the "big" clubs had all fucked off and formed their own European super league, then they could spend all their lobbying power and money screwing up that instead of real football. English football would be so much better without them.
but the trouble is those clubs have got proper fans as well, families who have been supporting them generation after generation, and are absolutely focal points for entire communities
Unfair on them just to bin them off because of how the owners of those clubs behave
Was actually great to see the fans of those clubs rally together so quickly and effectively against the proposal
Yes, welcome aboard @RuyLopez , and while there's a lull in the storm, you can entertain us with your intimate knowledge of Chess openings, although personally I prefer the Sicilian Najdorf variation.
Playing black I always adopt the Owen Defence and add a little twist. Nice and solid. White it'll be e4 ( although i still say P-K4!) and then see how it goes. I try and tell my brothers that I play like Tal, offering sacrifices and entertain the crowds.
There really isn't much difference but as white plays the first move it can "dictate " the early play. There are literally billions and billions of potential games to be played as each position has umpteen different options as its next move and then umpteen different options of THAT move so it's almost endless. Thus, each game becomes a new story and the ending is one of joy or despair.
Comments
While we're at it, having the FA cup final before the end of the premier league season is also a total fucking disgrace
These people know the price of everything and the value of nothing
@bargepole Can I ask an honest question?
When RFU stopped the promotions and relegations between the Premiership & Championship Leagues, were you for or against it?
And Exeter City, who know all about the benefits of a replay.
Is it not quite a damming indictment on the financial state of football that 'clubs might need them to stay afloat' is an argument for keeping replays? What a mess.
Some interesting stats here. Read from "Traditionalists may recoil..." https://theathletic.com/5426542/2024/04/19/fa-cup-replays-scrapped/
I have an answer to the question posed at the end of that article:
"no, that would be an absolutely terrible idea"
Personally I'm really sad that the FA Cup replays are being scrapped, I am from that generation where the Cup still means everything. So many of my best memories supporting Wycombe have been in the FA Cup and specifically replays. The Wimbledon match will never be topped, simply the most dramatic game of football I've ever witnessed. But even replays against Peterborough and Boston are right up there for me.
I guess the game moves on and it's clear that the younger generation of fans don't have the same feeling about the Cup. I find it baffling that people would get more enjoyment watching the Champions League, which I find utterly boring, but they do! The thought that we'll never again get as invested in a fixture as we used to with replays is quite gutting as far as I'm concerned.
It was only for one season, 2020-21 and was to do with the impact of Covid and lockdowns.
I was against it, but could see why they did it. There are some chairmen of Premiership clubs who would like to see the top tier ring-fenced, but I don't think it will ever happen.
The FA Cup and CL are distinct enough to be enjoyed on their own merits, I think. Different kinds of entertainment.
I love the Champions League personally.
Sorry @bargepole you are wrong. There hasn't been a promotion or relegation since 2020. Yes, COVID played a part & the clubs going bust but there shouldn't have been a reason why clubs haven't been promoted. Yes, the league will have its first promotion next season - only if the club has the facilities allowed for the Premiership. So there is a chance that Promotion won't happen then either!
Yes, it's always been the case that the club who wins the Championship has to have a ground which meets Premiership minimum standards, which very few of them do.
Famously in 2012, London Welsh won the Championship, but the RFU decreed that because they didn't own their proposed playing venue at the Kassam Stadium, they shouldn't be allowed into the Premiership. London Welsh launched a legal case, and the RFU caved in, much to the annoyance of many Oxford United fans.
I might be getting mixed up, as I only saw the headlines for this story, but I thought expanded formats for the UEFA competitions was given as a reason for scrapping replays?
Quality of football on display in the CL is amazing at times, just for me it's generally the same teams competing in the latter stages year after year. It gets difficult to distinguish one season from another in the end.
They gave that as the main reason, which, as much as I'm in favour of ditching replays, is ridiculous logic imo.
I think I'm swimming towards a liferaft with two gasroomers aboard. Will they pick me up? I'm a lover of tradition in sports and would usually howl at any proposed changes to the status quo which invariably benefit the elite. I can see all the arguments for keeping the replays and some great memories of watching the blues are indeed from FA Cup replays. But, for every famous replay, I'm sure there are multiple more iconic games that didn't need a second attempt. Maidstone recently, Woking at WBA and York v Arsenal are just a few that instantly spring to mind. When a "minnow" is drawn against a glamour club the overriding argument I'm hearing is the wish for a money spinning return match, rather than the possibility of actually knocking them out, albeit on the dreaded penalties. Surely, the joy is in actually being drawn against big boys. I'd say that the jeopardy of the shootout in the first leg would provide an added level of commitment from the bigger teams as they wouldn't have the comfort of a replay to save them, and probably again fielding their reserves. I think replays are now a redundant form of deciding ties and that non league sides could actually progress even further in the competition without them. Cray Valley may well have still been in the competition if they had defeated Charlton on penalties. I know I'm going against the grain on this one but the liferaft is now in danger of capsizing.
Brilliant. I had genuine goosebumps and tears watching that this morning.
We were already clinging on like Jack and Rose, but what the hell - welcome aboard!
With hindsight I wish the "big" clubs had all fucked off and formed their own European super league, then they could spend all their lobbying power and money screwing up that instead of real football. English football would be so much better without them.
but the trouble is those clubs have got proper fans as well, families who have been supporting them generation after generation, and are absolutely focal points for entire communities
Unfair on them just to bin them off because of how the owners of those clubs behave
Was actually great to see the fans of those clubs rally together so quickly and effectively against the proposal
Yes, welcome aboard @RuyLopez , and while there's a lull in the storm, you can entertain us with your intimate knowledge of Chess openings, although personally I prefer the Sicilian Najdorf variation.
Playing black I always adopt the Owen Defence and add a little twist. Nice and solid. White it'll be e4 ( although i still say P-K4!) and then see how it goes. I try and tell my brothers that I play like Tal, offering sacrifices and entertain the crowds.
As someone with only the most basic knowledge of chess, can I ask what's the difference between playing as black or white?
The colour of the pieces
Well yes, but it sounded like there might be some sort of rule difference
(White always goes first, so they are the more proactive during the opening, and favoured to win overall)
Ahh, I never knew. Interesting.
Think of it in football terms - White is the home team, Black is the away team, and as such more likely to settle for a draw.
I'm so furious I can't bring myself to write about why this is so wrong.
There really isn't much difference but as white plays the first move it can "dictate " the early play. There are literally billions and billions of potential games to be played as each position has umpteen different options as its next move and then umpteen different options of THAT move so it's almost endless. Thus, each game becomes a new story and the ending is one of joy or despair.