Why the FA Cup Semi Finals should be played anywhere but Wembley

Another enthralling FA Cup Semi final round passes us by. The FA Cup saw two shock results. On Sunday, Bolton were comprehensively beaten by Stoke. While on Saturday, Manchester City knocked out their bitter rivals Manchester United. But there is one fact, which frustrates every football fan.

Why the hell are the FA Cup semi finals being held at Wembley!?

Personally, I have written articles emphasising how the FA Cup has not lost its significance in the modern game. But the decision’s to play the Semi Final at Wembley are good arguments for the FA Cup losing its significance.

For me, one of the appealing and most gratifying factors of being in the FA Cup final is the right to play at Wembley. Playing at Wembley was a sign of significance and a sign of success. Perhaps it still is. But now the idea of having a right to play at Wembley just because your in the semi final alienating.

It’s alienating simply because the FA Cup is world renowned for its traditions. Most of us grew up hearing of the classic cup semi finals at Villa Park or at Old Trafford. It was fair these games were held elsewhere. As these games are of great significance. But they are not as significant as the final.

The FA Cup final should be a massive occasion. It should be the biggest date on the English calendar. Perhaps having the semis elsewhere would add more significance and incentive to the final. As both teams would have fully earned their right to play Wembley.

Looking at this from a global appeal perspective, having just one FA Cup game at Wembley would make the final and the competition more appealing. As the stage would be a unique and historical. It would be a stage which is renowned for where the finest teams in England come head to head. And it would be stage where the most glorifying moments of English football occur. But at the moment, it makes the road to Wembley a bit repetitive. As the two finalists would have to play at Wembley twice within a few weeks. This means the same stage is used again and again and the stigma of playing at Wembley is lost.

There are probably economical and commercial reasons for the Semis being played at Wembley. Maybe, the FA need Wembley as a method to gain money to keep up with the high payments of the new stadium. It wouldn’t surprise me. Football these days is money orientated.

But it’s frustrating to see that one of the key traditions of the final is being exploited. The right to play at Wembley is one of the biggest incentives for getting to the FA Cup final. But now it seems being a semi finalist is enough of a right earned to play at Wembley.

There have been periods in the 90’s and early 2000’s were the semis were held at the old Wembley. But after a year or two, the people at the FA came to their senses and held the semi finals elsewhere.

But it’s been four years since the semi final has been held away from the new Wembley.

The FA Cup is a culture and a tradition.

It’s a shame, the culture and traditions of the oldest cup competition in football are being slowly removed.

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Has the FA Cup lost its significance in the modern game?

The FA Cup is like poetry. Every fan, has a handful of brilliant FA Cup moments. And in recent years there have been so many special and unforgettable moments.

But it seems the FA want to change the structure of the FA Cup in order to make it more appealing and entertaining. However, has the cup really lost all its magic and appeal? Hell no.

Take last year’s FA Cup. Portsmouth had a dream run in the cup. Amongst all the uncertainty off the field, the team managed to go all the way to the final. The most refreshing moment of Portsmouth’s run was beating Tottenham in the semi-final. The FA Cup set the platform for whole nation to root for a Portsmouth win. It was almost as if the character and unity of that Portsmouth team triumphed over ability of the Tottenham side. That semi final proved the the unique characteristics of the FA Cup were still alive and kicking. The Portsmouth players showed how much they desired to be successful in the FA Cup even amongst all the adversity off the field.

Giant killings are a huge characteristic of the FA Cup. Some argue that the modern FA Cup has lost its giant killing feature. Does anyone recall Barnsley in the 2008 FA Cup? That Barnsley team beat two Champions League standard sides. In the fifth round Barnsley went to Anfield and grabbed a late a winner to knock out Liverpool. And in that Liverpool team, the reds had seven players who had won the Champions League. So it’s not the case Liverpool fielded a completely weakened side. Furthermore, Barnsley were candidates for relegation during their heroics at Anfield. And the fact they came to Anfield and won emphasises the magnitude of the giant killing.

In the next round Barnsley faced the mammoth task of overcoming Chelsea. Chelsea fielded 11 regular international players but were still defeated by Barnsley. Barnsley’s two giant killings demonstrates the magic of the FA Cup. As it’s typical of the FA Cup, that form and reputation goes out of the window. The player who scored the winner for Barnsley, Kayode Odejayi, hadn’t scored since September. Six months later, he breaks his goal scoring drought to knock Chelsea out. Now that’s beauty. It’s as if Barnsley’s cup story came out of a fictional book.

However, by the end of the 2007/08 season, Chelsea made into the Champions League final. There is an argument that the top teams nowadays give more prominence to their European competitions rather than the FA Cup. Arguably, this is true. European competitions give far more money to the clubs in terms of television revenue and more prize money. So the more successful you are in Europe, the more you earn in terms of finance. So its unsurprising that clubs would rather success in Europe than FA Cup success. But it doesn’t mean the FA Cup has lost its value or magic. At the end of the day, players want to be successful. And success in football is measured by the trophies you win. Winning the FA Cup is still a big deal for players. It’s still a hugely reputable trophy and any player will see that winning the FA Cup is a fantastic achievement.

The 1985 Heysel disaster lead to all the English teams being banned from European competitions for 5 years. This had a significant effect on the domestic English cups, especially the FA Cup. As it meant the FA Cup was given more distinction as it was the biggest cup competition for every English team and its fans. Hence why the 1988 FA Cup final was seen as a massive shock. As Wimbledon beat Liverpool to win their first ever major trophy. The result was seen as a massive surprise as Liverpool were firm favourites to win and had recently been crowned league champions. The fact English teams were unable to play in Europe, this helped maintained the strong interest in the FA Cup during the 80’s. As the press gave more priority to the domestic cups over Europe and the fans along with the players were far more passionate about the FA Cup.

Arguably, the format of the European Cup and the Uefa Cup have had an effect on the importance of the FA Cup. Before 1997, the Champions League was only eligible to the teams who won the Premier League. While the runners up in the league would enter the Uefa Cup Winners Cup (what we would today call the Europa League). This meant that England only had one club in Europe’s elite competition.

So in other words, there were around three English teams every season representing England in Europe before 1997. The small minority of English teams participating in Europe meant the FA Cup continued to hold its prominence. As to most clubs it was the biggest cup competition to win.

The simple fact the English teams were relatively poor in Europe before 1999 could suggest why the FA Cup was continually seen with great importance. During the period from 1991-1997 no English team made into the final group stages of the Champions League. Thus demonstrating their European assault would have ended prematurely. The fact it ended early suggests more importance was given to win the FA Cup. As it was the biggest cup competion for every English side.

Man United did finally break through the group stages in the Champions League. And even won the European cup in 1999. Man United’s success meant they had to represent Europe in the Intercontinental Cup (now known as Club World Cup). In order to participate, United had to withdraw from the FA Cup that season. They were the first team in FA Cup history to not defend their trophy.

A constant criticism is that Man United’s actions meant the ‘demise of the FA Cup.’ As it showed the bigger clubs were not interested in the FA Cup and other competitions were more important. But that simply isn’t the case. For a team to represent the WHOLE of Europe it must overshadow their FA Cup commitments. Of course, it would have been far better to see United competing in both cups. But Man United’s actions have been taken out of proportion. Man United is one club. Just one team. How can one team’s decision affect the whole of the FA Cup? And the teams participating in it? Man United’s rivals didn’t think ‘oh now Man United don’t want to play in the FA Cup, we don’t want to play in it anymore too.’ If anything, Man United’s decision made other teams take the FA Cup with far more seriousness. As it meant one strong contender was out of the FA Cup.

The FA Cup offers hope, pride and excitement to football. There is no better feeling than seeing the underdog triumph against all the odds. The FA Cup is like a beautiful chronicle. Every year, there is a result or a story which rejuvenates every football fans passion for the game. Every year there are memorable fixtures which the fans will never forget. Yes, the FA Cup has lost some of its significance in the past few decades. But its still is a magical competition.

The FA Cup has something iconic about it. Maybe it’s the idea of making history at Wembley, the most grand and historic stadium. The cup has a strong heritage which oozes pride and expectation into every single fan. No fan wants to see their side being embarrassed by a lower league team nor do they want to see their team lose to their bitter rivals. The FA Cup is all about pride and glory.

The cup sets the standard. The customs of the FA Cup are envied across the globe. The competition offers a mixture of the modern and the past traditions. Take this example. The last time Man United played Man City in a semi final of the FA Cup. Man City won. And were beaten by a certain Bolton. Can history reapeat itself? Only time will tell!

But the FA Cup is still alive and kicking. And long may it continue.

Why the League Cup still holds importance in the English game

Sunday the 27^th of February. A day that Birmingham City fans will never forget. Arguably it was the proudest day of the club’s history. It was the day that Birmingham City defied all the odds by winning the their first major trophy since 1963, by beating Arsenal. The League Cup now belongs to Birmingham City.

But, some people believe the magic and beauty which made the English domestic cups so popular has gone. I see where there coming from. As some teams field weakened sides in the Cup’s in order to focus on their league campaigns. There is no denying this fact. But that doesn’t mean teams are not interested or bothered in winning the FA Cup or even the League Cup. Just ask the Birmingham City fans. There is still a little bit of magic left in our domestic cups.

The 2011 League Cup final proved two things to me. Firstly, it showed how much winning the competition meant to Birmingham city. Critics of the competition argue the League Cup doesn’t hold any significance in the modern game anymore. But they are clearly were wrong. Birmingham’s triumph proved this, the scenes at the end of the game were euphoric. The celebrations and beaming smiles of the Birmingham fans, players and staff was quite inspiring. Most footballing fans felt a collective joy and happiness for Birmingham. Now, are you telling me League Cup doesn’t hold any significance anymore? If that critique is still believed it’s a hell of a damning view on Birmingham’s fantastic achievements.

Something else I picked up from the 2011 League Cup final was how much the defeat meant to the Arsenal players. Of course, the critics argue the League Cup is a competition that the big clubs don’t even care about. But the reactions of the Arsenal players at the end of the game tell a totally different story. The Arsenal players were shocked, hurt and even tearful after the game. The Gunners were craving to end their trophy drought. And the League Cup final gave them a fantastic opportunity to reopen their trophy cabinet. The reactions of the Arsenal players suggest one thing. They seriously cared about the League Cup. They wouldn’t have responded in such an emotive way if they didn’t have any aspirations to win the trophy.

The magic hasn’t just suddenly appeared in the final of the 2011 League Cup. It’s been apparent throughout the previous rounds. Take the third round tie between the League Two side Northampton and Liverpool at Anfield. Northampton gave it their all and matched Liverpool right to the wire. The league two side ended up embarrassing the Premier League side by winning on penalties. The fact the might of Liverpool were beaten demonstrates the beauty of our cup competitions. This is simply because Liverpool had no right to lose that game. The odds were heavily stacked against Northampton. The most beautiful aspect for Northampton was winning at Anfield. I don’t think the Northampton fans and players will ever forget that night at Anfield. But the critics argue Liverpool fielded a ‘weakened side.’ They did, no one can reject that claim. But Liverpool fielded 5 internationals. In fact three even played in the last World Cup. So there was enough quality out there to beat a struggling League Two side. And if you ask any Liverpool fan or players, they would seriously be content with a good League Cup run. Furthermore, history will tell you, Liverpool have a brilliant relationship with the League Cup. As they are the record holders with 7 League Cups to their name. So arguing the point the club doesn’t care about the League Cup is invalid.

There is the argument that a problem with the League Cup is that all the big teams are continuously wining it. It’s a valid point one has to say. But it has been like that for decades. During the 80’s, Liverpool won the League Cup four times in a row (81 -84.) Doesn’t this prove that even in the 80’s when the League Cup was taken with great seriousness, it was still being continuously won by the best teams? So the point of the League Cup being dominated by the bigger sides doesn’t mean that the cup has lost its magic or appeal. The fact it’s happened for decades suggests it’s the mere nature of the cup to be won by the elite English teams. Take Manchester United. Before being knocked out in this season’s League Cup, they won the cup twice in a row. See the similarities between the 80’s and today’s League Cup?

There is the common assertion that the teams participating in the European competitions couldn’t careless about the League Cup. This is completely wrong. Obviously, they would put their European success over the League Cup. But the English sides playing in Europe do care about the League Cup. As I’ve mentioned before, Manchester United were demolished by relegation candidates West Ham United in the fourth round this season. Again, people will say ‘United played a second team.’ But I’m sure the United fans, players and staff were deeply embarrassed to be smashed by four goals. Especially as Manchester United are a massive club, who are aspiring to win a record 19^th Premier League title. Some may feel Man United ‘have no real interest’ in the League Cup, but that would be a huge dis-service to the values of the club and the fans. The club is about winning. Every trophy is a winnable trophy and is a trophy which is cherished.

Birmingham’s League Cup triumph symbolises the importance of the League Cup in the English game. Both teams showed a passion and desire to earn their club a valuable piece of silverware. The League Cup is constantly ambushed with criticisms. But the competition still provides some of the best footballing stories and folklore.

There is something that all football fans love. The underdog triumphing. And time after time, the League Cup offers this spectacle to the football world.