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Is the FA Cup in terminal decline? It's hard not to think so, when not only the Big Four but other Premier League sides, conscious that just three points separate eight clubs at the bottom, make it clear that League survival is far more important to them than lifting what the Football Association used to love to call the FAmous Cup.
Everywhere you look the evidence is there, from Sunderland's tie with Blackburn attracting just half the punters who attended the League fixture, to the howls of anguish from several managers about replays.
When I was a kid, a Tuesday or Wednesday replay straight after a Saturday draw was something everybody relished. Now a replay 10 days on, thanks to the police, is just an embarrassment.
Stir in second-rate coverage from ITV and Setanta and it's a depressing picture.
All the sadder because there's still a role for the FA Cup in helping bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
The 50 per cent of the gate the minnows get in Cup ties against the mighty is enough to keep quite a lot of them in business, not to mention the six-figure broadcast fees when selected for live TV matches.
Incidentally, I don't hear many chairmen agreeing with those managers bleating about extra Cup games given the unbudgeted cash they generate.
I am often in Italy when the Italian Cup is played as a little regarded curtain raiser to the new season, treated as a way of getting players match fit for the real struggles to come in the League.Is the FA Cup going the same way? Yes. Is that trend unstoppable? Probably, given the influence and priorities of the top-flight clubs.
There's one thing left, and I don't apologise for having mentioned this before, because the case for it grows stronger every season.
The FA Cup's last, best hope of salvation as a great competition is if the winners get a Champions League place. Such a move would inject a much-needed dose of intensity and mean only Manchester United could afford to overlook the tournament.
Some will argue the Champions League should reward League success. Really? Why should a team who finish a distant fourth be in a competition for champions? At least the FA Cup winners have won something.
* According to Premier League chief Richard Scudamore, "refereeing this season has been very good," and officials are doing a "great job". Is he being serious? If so, he really should get out more because I've rarely known a season more riddled with blatant errors and obvious inconsistencies than this one. One can only hope that behind this nonsense the normally shrewd Scudamore really does understand the damage bad officials are doing to our game. And one day, hopefully quite soon, he'll get something done about it. But I'm not holding my breath.
Murray shouldn't be written off in a hurry after Aussie flop
It's tempting to write off Andy Murray the same way David Niven did with his roistering chum Errol Flynn: “You know where you are with Errol, he'll always let you down.”
Tempting but a bit unfair. Murray wasn't well and caught Fernando Verdasco, who he had beaten all five times before, in unusually hot form.
Besides, with Murray it's always been two steps forward, one step back. But the key thing is, the overall trend is always upwards, recently with a quite staggering trajectory.
He'll regret this one, though, because the Australian Open is not so dominated by one or two top players as Wimbledon and the US Open are. As for the French, clay will never be his bag with Rafael Nadal around.
However, at least Murray's demise has cheered up the Australians, whose well-balanced attitude to Brits — they've a chip on both shoulders when it comes to us — has been apparent in gloating headlines.
Which reminds me of the joke about a lion escaping from Sydney Zoo. The big cat grabbed a little girl and shot off to a corner of the park to have her for lunch. Panic. Consternation.
Then a bronzed young man rushed forward, killed the lion with his bare hands and returned the child unharmed to her parents.
A reporter arrived from the Sydney Morning Herald. “I can make you a star, son,” he chortled. “I can see the headline now – Aussie hero saves little girl from certain death'.”
“That's great,” said the young man, “But actually I'm British.” “Well that's OK,” retorted the hack. “We'll just have to play around with the headline a bit – Pommie b*****d strangles kid's pet'.”
Rafa going right way to ruin Rob
Despite all the efforts some are making to build him up into a managerial superstar, there's always something of the stumblebum about Rafa Benitez, isn't there?
Spending £20million on Robbie Keane was a silly thing for Benitez to do.
But that pales into insignificance compared with the crass way he's treated him since. Although Benitez has started Keane in 23 matches, he has then substituted him in 18 of them. And last weekend in the FA Cup fourth round against Everton, Keane didn't even make the bench.
As an object lesson in how to destroy a player's confidence, and your employer's finances, this takes some beating.
* I wish it wasn't Spurs but I'm glad Carlo Cudicini is moving on.
He's far too good to warm the bench forever. At 35, he deserves a glorious end to his career, playing first-team football, and being once again recognised as one of the finest custodians around. In more than 200 appearances for Chelsea, Cudicini always gave of his best and never let the club or the fans down. I wish him all the luck in the world.
Marland is spinning himself into a trap
Lord Marland's doubtless costly PR campaign to be ECB chairman continues to provide much innocent pleasure to the initiated.
He speaks glibly of “my service in public life”, for all the world as if he was a former Prime Minister, or at least an ex-Cabinet minister, instead of an unknown Tory party apparatchik.
When it was suggested to him that he's an opportunist job-seeker, who was previously just as keen to be chairman of the FA, Marland airily replied: “My name was put forward for the FA job, as it has been for countless others.”
Maybe so but in order to make the FA headhunter's long list, as he did, he himself would have had to have told them he was a serious candidate for the position.
Reader views (4)
More drivel from Mistake Mellor who has never been shy of manipulating statistics to make a point. So in the interests of fairness, with reference to the half empty Stadium of Light, it should be pointed out that this was the only stadium less than half full. Of the 16 ties, eight were played in front of sell out crowds which is way better than the crowds that used to watch in the late sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. I am delighted that Mistake Mellor was lucky enough to see some Coppa d'Italia matches. Maybe he had an early holiday and actually saw the final which is held in May after a knockout competition which, like all the other major cup competitions in Europe, is held, surprise surprise, throughout the season!! Finally, the idea of allowing the FA Cup winners to gain a Champions League slot is nonsense which a) wouldn't work and b) would not be allowed by UEFA. What makes the FA Cup more interesting is the opportunity for a club like Kettering to beat a top side like Fulham. Not having one of the so called Big Four winning is a wonderful boost for the competition and is a major plus for the Cup because, as last year's final proved, anyone could win. Which is why it is imperative that sides like Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City break the stranglehold of the so called Big Four which will increase everyone else's chances of winning occasionally. This can only be to the benefit of not only the FA Cup, but the Premier League as well.
- Andrew Shaw, Brentford, 30/01/2009 11:59
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I agree with David Mellor, the winners of the FA Cup should be allowed to participate in the Champions League.
- Andrew, Orpington UK, 30/01/2009 10:59
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is your prejudice against Marland linked to him running against your partner, Penny Cobham, for the chair of the English Heritage...
- Michael Mitchell, London, 28/01/2009 16:32
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Robbie Keane seems like a decent man, an honest player. It is unfortunate that he has become entangled with Benitez who wants total control. It would serve Liverpool well if the owners of the club decide they have had enough of their manager and sack him. After all, Benitez is an employee, despite his misguided notion that he is more than that. A change of direction now might propel Liverpool to more greatness. As it is, Benitez is a distraction and a hindrance to further success. Sacking him would also allow him time to get treatment for his emotional instability.
- Jac Mills, loudon, usa, 28/01/2009 14:09
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