A CUP OF COCKLE WARMER

07-01-2008

For at least one weekend a year, the predictability of big time football is knocked sideways as the game’s minnows swim with the big fish – and occasionally swallow them whole. Oldham supporter Damien Doran – whose side beat Everton – relishes the moment.


Occasionally the FA Cup 3rd Round throws up some great days like Hereford beating Newcasle United, Arsenal getting dumped out by York and Wrexham, and Man U's 0-0 draws with Burton Albion and Exeter.

With the growing boring predictability of football, this years 3rd Round has warmed the cockles of my heart with superb results against the so called Big Boys of the Premier League by Huddersfied, Coventry, Luton,Bristol Rovers and especially my own Oldham Athletic, not forgetting the three non-league sides. No Man U or Liverpool fan can ever appreciate the kind of day Chasetown had or the thrill I have enjoyed picking up the Sunday papers to see photos of players from my team running about with their shirts over their heads.

Fans of the smaller clubs have turned out to roar on their teams and see their players 'get stuck in' to the Premier League millionaire prima donnas. In the process the players of Blackburn, Fulham, Everton and the Blues have discovered what we already knew, they aren't as good as they think they are. Fortunately they can get back to the league next week where they are not expected to win.

Fans of the Premier League clubs don't turn out in quite the same way for Cup ties. Only 33,000 watched Villa play Man U in the glamour tie of the round and who can blame them, kicking off at 5.15 and being live on tv.But I believe the main reason is the complete disregard for the competition by most Premier League sides and a fair few Championship teams too.

Rather than build up one of the most exciting days in the football calendar, the week was spent finding out who wasn't going to be playing for whom and which teams were 'concentrating on the league' even before they were knocked out of the Cup.

Pride of place was taken by Reading's Dave Kitson when he declared he 'didn't give a s**t' about the FA Cup. I don't blame Kitson, at least he was saying something we have all suspected of many of the overpaid underperforming super stars of the most exciting league in the world.

But what other professional sport would allow its players and clubs to cheapen its competition in this way? Surely their job is to promote the game? If they couldn't care less, why should the supporters?

Kitson's arguament is that Reading are not going to win the Cup, so why bother. Well, you know what Dave, you're not going to win the Premier League either.

The clubs rationale is that they get more money from the league than the Cup. This is true and the Premier League is hyped up in the media every week. No one is ever going to say Arsenal v Blues next Saturday isn't a big game even though the result is more certain than any cup tie.

So how do you change this and return the FA Cup to its important position within the English game with competitive excitement for the fans and the money the players and clubs so badly crave?

There is a way and it has already been proposed by UEFA president Michel Platini. Award the FA Cup winners England's fourth spot in the UEFA Champions League.

Would Reading or Bolton put out weak teams in a competition that provided a fast-track to the big money elite? Would any of the big four risk finishing fourth and being knocked out of the Cup? Imagine the pressure on fourth placed Liverpool playing Wigan in the Final.

Of course its not going to happen. The FA long ago gave up the running of the game to the Premier League and in particular the elite big four clubs. There are just too many vested interests at stake. Sky and ITV have not invested all this money to risk having to put on freak Cup winners on prime time TV. The TV audience is used to the pedictablity of the Big Clubs. Thats what you get with the self perpetuating Premier and Champions League, with the same teams appearing year on year and thats the difference with the Cup where Oldham can knock out Everton.