What Happened to the FA Cup?

[@thefacup]

👀

[@TomaTTC23]

oof

[@bobbill6680]

Epic

[@chineybwoy1516]

The Emirates FA Cup F

[@Mad_Intalect]

LOL smh.

[@Wolf-hd1hr]

😂😂

[@blockscycfc]

For clubs like mine (york), non league teams and lower non league teams. The FA Cup is huge. It’s just bigger teams who don’t consider it a big competition anymore

[@Zach-mw5so]

GEORGE YCFC Yea there’s always a chance a big upset can happen, because maybe the larger clubs want to rest players or to give bench players a start

[@andyb8349]

Man City could win the FA Cup without playing agains a single team from the top 10 of the Premier league has that ever happened before ?

[@fremmer007]

Which is sad, because they still win the cups. Even when they play their subs..

[@notdaveschannel9843]

@George YCFC Definitely true. It's big for the fans 'cos of the whole romance of the thing but it's also a lottery where that club can transform their finances. Draw a Prem team away and they're getting 45% of a big pot of money. Even if they're playing a non-Prem team they might be on TV.
Warrington town made it to the 2nd round in 14/15 and both games were televised (Exeter on the BBC and Gateshead on BT). That earned them the equivalent of 70% of their total revenue for the previous season. That can mean survival for club.

[@mohammedelmi7321]

For the past 30 years, 30-32 winners of the FA Cup has been premier league teams, where 30 of them were the elite. Don't get that argument that top teams don't care.

[@Sam-gf6ue]

The 50/50 ticket revenue split is huge for smaller clubs.

[@Sam-gf6ue]

@Wilfred "I Tapped Dat Ass" Kensington oh really? That's amazing

[@PlayupskybIues]

It's still big for small clubs, but the TV revenue rights for big teams just isnt as important anymore hence you see weaker teams fielded by premier league sides which then makes the wins for smaller sides less special

[@holdthisoak5767]

Wilfred "I Tapped Dat Ass" Kensington stfu. Pussi ass virgin

[@Jayzuh]

Wilfred "I Tapped Dat Ass" Kensington ‘a disgrace’ mate you’re the disgrace

[@bdrummond7102]

Arsenal fan here - we still feel the magic.
Granted, it's been our only magic for over a decade.

[@kaissersreich]

And we still feel the magic yesterday

[@Travisbig7]

Number 14!! Coyg 🔴⚪

[@arnavlama1158]

@@Travisbig7 Anthony Taylor motm

[@Travisbig7]

@@arnavlama1158 lol too much salt isn't good for you bro

[@arnavlama1158]

@@Travisbig7 that was never a red and they didn't even looked once at martinez's handball

[@randomshotz13]

"Blaming it on the Premier league would be over simplistic"
...
"[it was] due to one man's decision to invest in football over pornography"

[@Slackboy72]

I'd like to hear more about this "pornography" business.

[@Evemeister12]

Imagine how amazing the world of porn would've been if football didn't get in the way.

[@joshuathomas2012]

@FlamePhoenix 😂😂😂

[@Rasmus_77]

Westbourne Park fuck pornography who cares it’s pointless you can get brainwashed

[@gspvideo5543]

Martin Tyler "next up it's Debbie Does Dallas.... ANNNDD IT'S LIIIVVEE"

[@romiarkan450]

They should hold the semifinals outside of Wembley again. Each team's journey to be able to play for the FA Cup at Wembley is part of the magic.

[@tins5650]

Exactly

[@paapo.]

Brilliant ideas

[@arun840]

It’s a good idea but then teams like Wigan and Portsmouth would be in the UCL

[@alistairwall5470]

Arun You replied to the wrong comment mate

[@Nuttybott]

They knocked Wembley down about 15 years ago...that thing they put in its place hasn't the same magic feel or atmosphere, and never will have it...

[@jhawk889]

The magic of the cup still lives on, just in smaller teams. AFC Wimbledon flirted with relegation all year but the fans were in love with their run to the Fifth Round Proper. It's those moments that make the FA Cup beautiful

[@majindevon]

Wenger is right. Any domestic cup is an indication of roster strength and player endurance. Easily an important cup.

[@lofcmatt]

You didn’t mention Manchester United not entering in 2000 - that was a huge blow.

[@dennisbaxter5447]

To me that was the nail in the coffin.

[@jcronin3155]

They are a scummy club.

[@kieranpugh5342]

Didn't they play in club world cup

[@jackistan2560]

John Cronin We were forced to play in the CWC...

[@ahmedrahim2500]

Yeah we were playing in the CWC.

[@johnpannebaker5757]

One thing you missed: Too many Cup competitions. If it was just the league and the FA Cup, I believe that would make a major difference

[@mahiru20ten]

Yeah, there are also the EFL Cup for the top 4 divisions, EFL Trophy for the League One and League Two, FA Trophy for all 4 divisions under League Two and FA Vase for divisons 9-11, other than the FA Cup.

[@Hartwik]

Thats just an excuse. Other countries have 2 league cups plus the national cup. The real reason for the FA Cup losing its magic is it gives less money than champions league and the premier league. Another reason is the premier league and champions league have just grown so much financially and culturally that the FA Cup has become second fiddle. In countries where the national cup have larger cash prizes and is advertised well , the national cup is seen as equal to the league title in prestige

[@JakePetrolhead]

I'd counter this by saying that the Magic of the FA Cup is still there - if not at the elite level.
The prize money from the FA cup is massive for clubs in Non-League, and a good cup run has a certain allure to fans of clubs lower down the pyramid.
For example, my club, Winchester City, went on a cup run to the Fourth Qualifying Round, our best since the 1950's. On top of that, we had a huge away day to Torquay United, which is perhaps the finest day I've ever had at a sporting event.
So whilst the big boys in the Premier League discount the competition, the magic of the FA Cup can still be found in Non-League.
It's easy to forget just how much football takes place below the Premier League.

[@aotc7327]

Jakepetrolhead well said

[@SonicSP]

In other words, nobody cares.

[@seventeenseconds1698]

SonicSP
You’re a nail.

[@tombaker6753]

Agreee. My local team (Stourbridge fc) in the 7th tier of England made it to the 2nd round twice and the 3rd round, beating league 1 and 2 teams on the way. The hype of the town and the money generated was immense! The fa cup is EVERYTHING for lower non league clubs.

[@fremmer007]

I love this comment.

[@AshPaddyM]

It felt bloody amazing when Arsenal won it after that 10 year trophy drought. I can't remember the last time I felt such joy being an Arsenal fan lol.

[@sodaking6858]

Lol same with united in 2016 after a 12 year drought I'll never forget that semi final where David De Gea saved a penalty from Lukaku and then Martial ran the field and scored in the 88th minute to send us into the final and the final was an example of a game that should have been easy for us to win but we made it a lot harder on ourselves after conceding the first goal eventually Mata got the equaliser I can't remember what minute but it was a too close for comfort then watching Jesse Lingard score the winner in extra time to finally see my team lift the fa cup I was 5 the last time they had won it previous now alls left is champions league yes I know I was 9 in 08 but I was not allowed to stay up to watch the extra time of course knowing my luck I was allowed to watch the entire of 2009,2011 champions league finals but yea and dont even get me starred on the QPR disaster

[@rohithraman6488]

@@sodaking6858 Wasn't that the last pen De Gea has saved to date? Cause I was thinking about it during the UEL final shootout

[@ivaneurope]

Also another key factor killed the interest in not only the FA cup, but the domestic cups in general - the Champions League. Since 1992, when the genesis of UCL began, the competition expanded to include non-champions from the top leagues in Europe. This in fact killed the second most important competition - the domestic cup winners qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, the competition for the domestic cup winners, but the ever growing expansion of the Champions League meant that domestic cup winners entered UCL instead by finishing 2nd or 3rd in their domestic league. By 1999 the CWC was just a shadow of its former glory and although it was still considered the second most important European club competition, UEFA decided to kill it, merging it with the UEFA Cup.
The thing is not many teams see the domestic cup win for anything important even if the winner had torrid season in the league and/or in Europe. For a team like Barcelona the Copa del Rey is just another trophy won by them as La Liga and Champions League are more important for them. Now the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Watford is a final in which both teams will want to win. City, who failed to reach further than 1/4 Final in the UCL, can win the domestic treble having wraped up the Premier League and EFL Cup. Watford failed to finish 7th in the PL and will want to win the FA Cup as it guarantees Europa League matches.

[@rolandtheheadlesstho]

Yes, the UCL killed the other European tournaments. We were better off with the classic European Cup, UEFA-Cup for place 2 to 4 and CWC. It's just about the money at the end of the day

[@sodaking6858]

You think that's why Watford want to win the fa cup nah man they really want to win it because they have never won a top fight trophy before the fa cup is close to 150 years old and Watford have never won it

[@Kanfachan]

My suggestions of returning the FA Cup to prominence:
1. Single out the cup final to have it's own special day (Already being done). And treat it in a similar fashion to the way the yanks do with the Super Bowl. By that I mean, sell the rights to commercial slots. This would immediately eliminate the BBC as a sponsors.
2. Only host the final at Wembley. The semi's should be held at neutral grounds across the country...the way it used to be done. This will go someway to restoring the allure and mystic of "the road to Wembley" that IS part of the competition.
3. The winner of the cup should attain the 4th spot of the UCL, unless that club already has finished 3rd or higher. Then, the 4th spot should be decided by a playoff match between the club that get's 4th and the FA cup runner up. If both the winner and runner up of the FA cup finished 3rd or higher, then the club that finished 4th in the league would qualify for UCL
4. Sell the rights to televise the competition to the highest bidder (multiple networks if possible).

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

@murray1234567891011
It is nice to dream and have opinions, but sorry not gonna happen. Manu killed FA Cup (and League Cup) when they called Liverpool as Mickey Mouse for winning domestic cups. Crying over spilled milk is pointless

[@richard35791]

Sorry disagree with semifinal part, many smaller club make through semifinal but rarely makes final

[@RodrigoroRex]

@@richard35791 Bro only 4 teams reach the semis...

[@richard35791]

@@RodrigoroRex you missed my point

[@steveluckhurst2350]

oh go on then, make it all about the money.

[@briansergeant]

United not participating in the 1999-2000 FA Cup because the FA wanted them in the convoluted FIFA Club World Cup because they thought it would "boost" their 2006 World Cup hosting bid ruined the "magic" too.

[@rohithraman6488]

Maybe if people since then cared more about it and watched more FA Cup games?

[@SinnohGreen]

This is the best Cup for a couple of years, it’s not two top six teams this season and most of us want Watford to grind out a victory, or smash some goals past them.

[@tombaker6753]

Wolves, Watford and Brighton all made it to the semi finals. But it’s because the top 6 play their reserves which kills the magic of the cup

[@StoutProper]

Tom Baker city haven't played their reserves once. They even played a full strength side to Burton Albion

[@RB-NZ2]

Guinness they have no reserves to play they’re a money club notice how their only youth player is foden who ain’t even that deep

[@uptospeed5401]

Lew NotAJew as a wolves fan who went to Wembley watched us both grind up against Shrewsbury and topple united I can say the fa cup is magical

[@ghostfacevillah]

@@RB-NZ2 city have a tonne of reserves, even as other clubs like leicester, real madrid and dortmund keep buying them

[@samsamsamsam7]

the 2014 Final between Hull and Arsenal was and probably will always be the best football match ive ever seen. Even as an Arsenal fan, seeing the Tigers batter us early and somehow we claw our way back; is something you never see in the league matches. I love the FA cup games, regardless of the money there is involved, those matches are always a must watch for me.

[@kaissersreich]

As an Arsenal fan, I love the FA Cup. The thing that I like the most about the FA Cup is when the Semi-Finals and the Finals were played at Wembley. For example 2017 Arsenal vs Chelsea was a big match with over 85 000 attendances at Wembley split between Arsenal and Chelsea supporters. It's still a big competition for me, it's just when some clubs (Chelsea, Man Utd) don't win it, they say that they never wanted to win the cup anyway, and that annoys me

[@rohithraman6488]

I'm a Chelsea fan and that is not true, we always take the FA Cup seriously. We were gutted after the Arsenal final last year cause we could have ended a fine first season under Lampard with a trophy, and also when we lost to Leicester, especially with the last minute disallowed goal. We always care about the cup.

[@cookiequacky8615]

Ah man, this title still saddens me. So sad to see a competition like this fall so far.
It hit the ground after Aubameyang dropped it. A sad death.

[@joji1235]

😂😂😂😂

[@cookiequacky8615]

Caleb Gosa yes

[@uncreative5766]

I hope you can feel better knowing that Leicester won the FA Cup. I know the cynics will say, "Oh, another Premier League club won, and the days of a 3rd Division side lifting the trophy are over," but I hope today gives you a bit more hope in its future.

[@snipedotgenius]

This is the cup that made me fall in love with the whole game as a child growing up the cup final days were the best from morning until the final itself ..
Pack of custard creams and a tea 😂😂

[@jackhakken]

Problem is... The fucking magic is still there.... Big time, remember Wigan athletic in 2013? It was incredible.

[@sodaking6858]

A freak result as good as it was that's it really

[@EAMCFC]

I'm a man city fan I was really annoyed at the time but now I'm just saying well done to them

[@justsomeone6966]

And portsmouth in 2008?

[@raptors887]

I watched a lot of FA Cup matches this year and teams were playing their best lineups more often than not. It’s still an important trophy.

[@rorsabest]

I feel like this question is very very contextual.
Speaking from experience; seeing Newport County beat Leeds, Leicester, Middlesborough and having friggen Tottenham and Man City come to Rodney Parade is incredible on an unparalleled level... Plus, the money County earned from those cup runs the last 2 years have arguably allowed them to build a decent league 2 squad.
Of course it's not what it used to be for the FA as a whole - but it's still an incredible opportunity for small sides

[@milohargreaves9282]

True football fans still adore the FA cup.

[@Wolf-hd1hr]

Well fa cup is a nice cup to win,
But winning the league is much more important.(and much more financially rewarding too)

[@milohargreaves9282]

Wolf that’s the issue with modern football, it’s wrong that some clubs think they are too big for the fa cup. This video capitalise the issue which is money as you don’t see the kids getting played when the champions league comes around 👀.

[@tadieabeki5447]

Damn right they do.

[@jackjerram3550]

This was probably Liverpool's priority for this season:
1. Premier League
2. Champions League
3. Club World Cup
4. Super Cup
5. FA Cup
Big teams only care if they've had a shocker of a season and need to win the Cup to get Europa League football

[@qayyuma9622]

Wtf is a true football fan

[@lucathemovieguy431]

Can you do something about UEFA's poor decision making in locating the Europa League final in Baku

[@ImranKhan-je2qz]

*Welcome to Baku, this place sounds like a planet from the Star Wars franchise, and by the looks of it the fans are in a galaxy far far away!*

[@miguelpereira9859]

Money.

[@dangerhawk8799]

@@ImranKhan-je2qz I see ur a man of culture as well

[@Rocco-dp3pp]

Imran Khan ah yes...... 442oons

[@samuelgatere7806]

An Olympic shaped stadium, fans are far away from the pitch

[@dazzla84_ssfc]

I have to disagree, the FA Cup still has its magic, you just have to go into the qualifying rounds to find it.
Prize money for the FA Cup in these early rounds can be lifesavers for non-league clubs

[@NexusHydra]

I love the FA Cup as a man united fan. Seems like there's tons of articles telling us no one cares about the FA Cup but the fans certainly do.

[@sodaking6858]

Fa cup is the 3rd most important trophy in england now

[@shashankjayaram]

@@sodaking6858 how? It's the 2nd most by a mile

[@ZainabProductions]

Soda King what’s the 2nd then?

[@sodaking6858]

@@shashankjayaram I should have clarified I dont mean English trophy's I mean trophy's in general

[@sodaking6858]

@@ZainabProductions meant to say trophy's in general

[@KaboKeboletse]

I am of the opinion that the final CL spot should go to the FA Cup winners

[@Mustieeee]

So a club not from England cant make it to the final

[@anamrajbhandari6593]

Lenny Kabo Keboletse shut the FA cup

[@umarabdaziz]

I think he meant fa cup winner should go to cl instead of forth place. Unless the winner is also in top 3.

[@anamrajbhandari6593]

Umar Abd Aziz what about the winners of copa ittalia,cops del Rey ??

[@PrathamBatra]

They already get a Europa League spot, that's more than enough

[@Urlocallordandsavior]

Perhaps a way to revitalize the FA Cup is to give them automatic qualification to the Champions League round of 16/group stage, as a consolation for the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup tournament, of which currently the FA Cup winner's spot is given qualification to the Europa League group stage, which in my opinion is a downgrade from the specialty that was once the Cup Winners' Cup. As a bonus, perhaps you can also give the League Cup winners a place in the Champions League group stage or in the earlier qualifying rounds, as another path for the various nations' cup winners to advance in the Champions League, maybe slightly below clubs who finish higher in the league spots. Although I doubt that UEFA would give a hoot about these cup tournaments from its UEFA member countries but it's still worth putting this idea out there.

[@infrasleep]

The cup started to die when they limited games to one replay and then penalty kicks, and when the final was decided on penalty kicks 130 years of history was trashed It killed the romance and work place debates Well done to Lincoln reaching the QF as a non league side but was anyone "shocked" or even romanced by it ? If that'd happened 40 years earlier we'd still be talking about it now the way we do about Sunderland's magical win in 1973. There's nothing anyone can do that will ever restore the Cup to it's former status , and when you have the "Champions" League contested by 2 clubs who haven't won the league title for 30 years and 59 years respectively and everyone thinks its great-what hope ? Maybe if the "Big" clubs all did bugger off and form a closed shop European "Super" (tedious) league, the old game might start reviving.

[@blackfalcon1324]

The FA cup will always be special to me. Yes, the premier league is better, obviously, but the FA cup is what brings all the leagues, from amateur to premier together in the ultimate battle of skill. I think it is more important for lower leagues as it can allow them to get some attention if they do very well. Non league matters to.

[@zvonomirzuboronovic8662]

The prospect of Chris Kamara
reporting from a Brazzers set would've tempted me to subscribe to Sky for the first time ever.

[@gigadonis8684]

"WHAT A SHOT THERE LET'S HEAD DOWN TO MARTIN TYLER!!!"
"GET IN THEREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! A MESMERIZING SHOT FROM 30 YARDS OUT!!! TAKE A BOW SERGIO AGUERO FOR SHOWING US THE IS THE MAGIC OF THE 69 CUP!!! Alan Smith what did you make of it?"
"THAT WAS SUPERB! IT CAME AT RILEY REID LIKE A MISSILE SHE HAD NO CHANCE OF STOPPING THAT SHOT STUNNING WORK THERE!!!"
"THAT COULD BE THE SHOT THAT TAKES THEM TO THE JAV WORLD CUP!!! SUPERB!!!"

[@davidsabillon5182]

I'm like addicted to this channel

[@Nitro0xide]

I'm addicted to u daddy

[@catch22andys51]

Maybe one of the Champions League spots should go to the winner of the FA Cup?

[@ELCNUmorFnaMehT]

Real talk

[@morgengabe1]

@Tom Paganhandle United still wouldn't get a shout tbh.

[@redarmy1886]

MeOhYesMe sorry mate but if you want spurs to win ucl you can't call yourself a gooner😂

[@abdi2241]

@TIR]SuperMilan888 chelsea won fa cup last year arsenal the year before

[@timoe360]

Catch22 Andys The winner qualifies for the Europa league but if already qualified it goes to 7th spot (wolves). But should be champions league but I don’t think England could have potentially 6 teams in the same tournament that would be insane

[@unnamedshadow1866]

I think the FA Cup needs to switch format to Copa del Rey. Having the weak teams always be the hosts will truly make the competition better and will allow for some unexpected surprises, just like the Copa del Rey has.

[@iangoldsworthy2056]

What killed the F.A Cup was the Premier league clubs fielding second, third string sides in favour of their best sides to focus more on the league.
Secondly the F.A Cup final being scheduled before the domestic season has ended.
But I think the real reason was that Man United refused to enter the F.A Cup in the 1999/2000 to defend it due to contractual reasons for the World Club cup.

[@rohithraman6488]

Ironically it was the FA that forced United to play in it

[@izzojunior]

The change became even more evident with Arsene Wenger and Ferguson rotating their squads in the late 90snot to mention Fegie skipping it in whole to play the club Cup in 2000, it’s still a wonderful tournament

[@JayJay-vz1hm]

Btw Man Utd Skipping the FA cup in 2000 was down to the FA and their bid for the 2006 World Cup....

[@espben360]

For me FA Cup magic is definitely there. Lincoln city showed that couple years ago, and swanswa would have been next had it not been for some questionable refferee decisions going againts them vs city

[@cooperrush6474]

Granted the FA Cup has fallen a long way but I think the magic is still there to some extent, and as an Atletico Madrid supporter I think English football fans should be grateful their their cup competition is still in a much better place than say, the Copa Del Rey or the Coppa Italia, which are both in absolute shambles. Germany's DFB Pokal is pretty much the only remaining example of a cup competition done right in European football.

[@conahlestrange9794]

For me Ben Watsons goal for Wigan against City in the Final was the last moment of magic I felt for the cup I’m a united fan and I actually ended up going to the community shield the year after against Wigan they’d been relegated the same year they won it always hoped they’d come back up

[@saiyerugara9038]

Hmmmmmmmm... for me it was when Arsenal beat Chelsea in that final in 2017.

[@LukeDHarrison2002]

Personally I still love the fa cup. It’s a great competition and it’s fantastic to see little teams knocking out big teams and going on cup-runs.

[@matthewvernon3774]

I'm a 32 year old Blackburn and have seen us win the Premier League, the League Cup and reach the Last 32 in the UEFA Cup. I'd love to see us win the FA Cup, or even reach a final. I've been to 2 semis and losing in Extra Time to Chelsea in 2007 is still one of my most painful foitballing memories. We have a proud tradition in the FA Cup, the first team to win it 3 times in a row and 6 wins in total, the last coming in 1928. Our only other final since then, in 1960, we lost to Wolves. The most famous thing to come out of that match is Dave Whelan broke his leg, ending his career so he set up JJB Sports instead! All these stories live on, and while I'd love to see us back in the Premier League, an FA Cup would mean much more.

[@ricardotella1864]

Its a lot better than that tinpot League Cup

[@danegel]

The Champions League expanding to include runners-up and such had a detrimental effect, making losing finalists increasingly compete in the Cup Winners' Cup as the winner had already qualified for the superior competition, which in turn caused the CWC to dissolve and pit cup winners with 6th-placed teams in UEFA's tertiary competition.

[@adrianiliesi3213]

not even mentioning uefa and the UCL seems like a major omission...

[@markpaulo269]

First game watched on tv, FA cup final 1970/71 Arsenal vs Liverpool, magic atmosphere while the first division was the bread and butter of football, times change 💰💰💰

[@kingeatking]

The Premier League started with 22 teams and didn't get reduced to 20 teams until the 95/96 season.

[@harrierjames7727]

The thing is that this video (and most media attention) focuses on stages of the FA Cup where there is little or no interest for the bigger clubs. But, start in August and right through until the first and even the second round, there are real fairytales and the clubs that make the competition the biggest cup competition in the world all battle it out for potential progression. It's wonderful, just not after a certain point.

[@AldershotDave]

The Bradford City fire had nothing to do with hooliganism.

[@johnpacino007]

The same could be said for the world cup vs the champions league & the rise of " super teams ".
All the best players from the world, pocketed in a handful of clubs across Europe. There's no chance national teams can compete with that. Imagine if this had happened in the late 1960s & you had Pelé, Best, Beckenbauer, in the same team?

[@marcusrakyat8891]

FA Cup is the most iconic Cup in the world. Full of surprises.

[@de132]

You guys seemed to lift this directly from the book, Soccernomics.

[@StoutProper]

de132 yeah I think they've read it too

[@ShaneJoshua1980]

Th FA did by having semi's at Wembley I'd love it to go back to Villa Park, Anfield, Old Trafford, Highb....😪 Emirates. I must those days.

[@leopold7562]

I don't think that was what started it, but it certainly had a big impact. The FA made this change so they could recoup some of the huge expense they went to to build the new stadium, but it's not the fans that are to blame and yet we're the ones made to suffer. In the all Manchester semi final in 2011, it would've made sense to use Anfield or maybe Ewood Park, rather than have everyone slog down the M6.

[@deekyevans5235]

Good analysis and perspective. The other aspect was the FA Cup final used to be jewel and the main live televised football game at the end of the season

[@ronmac9522]

Shifting it to a 17:00. kick off on a Saturday evening was a terrible move. I used to get excited on cup final day. You would get cup final swap shop and cup final saint and greaevsy. It was also the last match of the season.

[@uncreative5766]

It's true to mention the NFL and NBA growing like crazy. It was a magical time for both sports. The 49ers were the eminent power of the league, but there were also the Monsters of the Midway Bears, Lawrence Taylor and the Giants. The Showtime Lakers were one of the most entertaining and dominant groups the NBA had ever seen. Michael Jordan was starting out, Larry Bird although aging, still showed he could be a force to be reckoned with. That being said, I wonder how the overall gap in population played a role between England, the FA, Football League, and fans, because it's hard to imagine even in the 80s the UK having anywhere near a population size of the US.

[@narcolonarcolo]

I'm not even from the UK and I love the FA Cup. Definitely one of my top 3 coolest competitions in the world.

[@MrJimboCross]

Still love the FA Cup. As a Birmingham fan it's great to draw a small team away and watch your team in a small ground somewhere

[@jimmyart007]

Video killed the FA Cup's star

[@owl-arm7545]

From watching Coventry, Wimbledon and Wigan win the cup to Steven Gerrard's last minute equaliser against West Ham to watching Canvey Island beat Northampton Town, the FA Cup is pure magic! You just have to watch the kid crying in the crowd, when Havant & Waterlooville take the lead for a second time against Liverpool at Anfield, to realise the FA Cup is a thing of unrivalled beauty!

[@nkskro80]

I’ve always believed that if the league cup was scrapped then making just one domestic cup competition then that would make the FA Cup more valued. Countries in Spain, Germany & Italy etc only have the league & one domestic cup competition.

[@paulmanton7817]

I remember when the FA cup final started a week before it was played

[@aes1373]

Why not have a qualification match for the last ucl spot between 4th place and fa cup winners. Winners of that match go to ucl and the losers to uel.

[@STFCHarry]

“The magic of the fa cup has gone”
Me: *thinks about Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool*

[@coyotelong4349]

Same thing that killed everything in football- BIG MONEY

[@fadliomar5530]

Arsenal king of fa cup. But we want to be a king of champion league too 😪 that lost in 2006 still in my mind till now

[@matin8043]

2006 after we lost that game we fell off

[@mrkipling2201]

Money took over and all the clubs were worried about was finishing in the top 4 . The FA cup was the pinnacle of the season. I used to watch it from 9am until the end at about half 5. No matter who was playing.

[@muddabirulfahadchowdhury1247]

The last line had me 😂

[@KinnyRiddle]

I'm surprised you completely neglected to mention the impact of the ever growing money-making monster that is the UEFA Champions League which further killed the glamour of the FA Cup.

[@sodaking6858]

My opinion on what caused the slide of the fa cup was the year Manchester dropped out of it to focus on the champions league it was a huge embarrassment to the fa cup as united were the biggest team in england at that time and if they didn't enter the fa cup it was clearly not a good competition

[@henriktiger9073]

The Carabao (EFL) Cup is a major reason why big Premier League clubs care less about the FA Cup. Between 38 domestic league games, Champions/Europa League, 2 domestic cups, and national teams, it’s too many games. Since the big clubs care more about Champions/Europa League and winning the Premier League, the domestic cups get put on the back burner.

[@rinaldiwahab4750]

Fa cup is still as the most reputable domestic cup in the world, and for the lower league football, FA cup could give huge impact financially

[@tarkanbashllari1627]

South America clearly shows one way of returning the magic of the FA Cup.
In most South American countries, the cup winner qualifies for the Copa Libertadores (think of it as UCL). You could practically be mid-table, fighting for relegation, or a second/third/fourth/whatever tier club and you could still qualify for the Libertadores by winning your own country's cup.
It doesn't sound like a very good idea but at the very least it would suddenly make the FA Cup a big thing again because let's face it, I don't think you could be a big club and not care about a competition where a Champions League spot is at stake.

[@widerspacefanz4316]

I'm sorry but Libertadores is not like UCL. It's more like UEL nor uefa super cup since libertadores is just a competition between the best club in south america but no team from north and central america in the competition. Copa Interamericana was the closer thing that we can think of it as UCL because it was a competition between the best club from Concacaf and Conmebol in overall back then. However, they abolished this cup immidiately after the last one in 1998 which won by north american team. Guess what ? The football competition in a whole American continent would've be growing bigger if interamericana still exist.

[@TheGiantKillers]

As a cup historian, there's no doubt this is true, and I write extensively on the cup every year. However, in the last couple of years, there have been green shoots of hope for the cup. Firstly, there's definitely been an upturn in interest in Giant Killing, which I attribute directly to Bradford's victory over Chelsea a few years ago. It rekindled something that had been largely snuffed out. Also, the strength of Premier League squads has meant that fielding a second string team no longer means fielding a weakened one. The squad system and strength in the Premier League has now seen a sea change whereby 15 years ago the top flight fielded a team of players some o their own fans could be forgiven for having thought they sold two years earlier. Now, on cup day the teams are much changed but still very strong and have been given a rebrand as 'the cup side' suggesting to the public. This is still a strong side worthy of the shirt they wear. This is less so in the Championship where second string sides are still very much that. The magic of the cup is still there, it's just a little tatty. What would fix it? 1: A recognition that the cup in England is special by offering a playoff against EPL 4th for that final coveted Champions League spot. 2: Reduced admission prices and special offer ticketing to fill the stadium on cup day. [That said, despite the suggestion, the big clubs don't fancy the cup anymore, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Everton rarely have an empty seat on 3rd round day even if the opponents are 4th tier. Only Manchester's duo seem to struggle to get a full gate.

[@Taeerom]

The problem of reducing ticket prices is that it also devalues your product. I think it was an head of marketing at some American club that said something of the nature of "you can do anything to increase attendance, sell beer at a loss, have big lotteries, free T-shirts, whatever. But never ever reduce the price of attendance". His logic was that nobedy would by the ticket again next week if it was more expensive than when they bought it the first time. But if they had a good experience, that good experience is in the forefront of their mind and are likely to want to go again, even if the reason they went the first time was a free T-shirt.

[@TheGiantKillers]

@Christian Hernandez ill give you more time to put the words cup and historian together and think about it but as a clue. The cup has a history which I've written about to the extent of getting occasionally paid for it

[@Ese96Agoaye]

"In England, you cannot be a big club, and say we don't care about the FA Cup". Cc: Tottenham Hotspur Cc: Leicester City (both should've had a proper cup run, but more so, the former).
I feel the FA Cup has been a consolation trophy since 2013, but I glad that's not the case (for this season anyway), as the stakes are higher than ever! Manchester City has the pressure as everyone is talking them up as being the first side to win a domestic treble, but no one is talking up Watford, thus leaving them to play freely.

[@LeedsUnitedJohn]

I miss the excitement of the FA Cup as it used to be. The big Guys v the little Guys and the neutrals hoping for an FA Cup shock.

[@normanby100]

The trouble is that the Championship play off final at Wembley has overtaken the FA Cup final become the season's true climax match.

[@pakyip9267]

The magic was gone when the rivalry between SAF and Arsene in the FA Cup no longer exists. But AFC still the FA Cup club for the time being ... For top English clubs prioritising the EPL or UCL glory, it can be seen as a distraction. However, any teams cannot get far in Europa League, its a trophy that means a lot. So, Watford, it's the highlight of their season.
But true; these days money talk and the clubs desperate for EPL survival just for the money to pay their salaries and keep the clubs going. FA Cup is just for sporting reasons. A trophy if failing elsewhere all season.

[@steveluckhurst2350]

In the last 5 cup finals how many of the players were British and therefore understood it's importance to the domestic game? It's not just another cup, it was part of everyone's childhood, especially those of us old enough to remember all day coverage, from team bus right through to post match interviews.
,

[@dnstone1127]

What about the Crappybao, EFL, League cup ?

[@matheusfiorelli8829]

here in Brazil, our Domestic Cup qualifiies to the Copa Libertadores, so if they give the Cup winner a spot in the Champions League, teams would look at it with other eyes

[@2in1soccer]

To be honest; it all died when oil money started to come into British Football. Suddenly, people stopped caring about FA Cup and only wanted champions league. Chelsea and Man City started to field B teams into the FA Cup, and now other teams followed suit. Back in the days, Utd and Arsenal would treat FA Cup like the champions league and hence why they won it so much.

[@najeeb6834]

Oh so when you people have nothing to blame you blame it on city

[@rohithraman6488]

Chelsea care about the FA Cup actually. They have won 8! 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Liverpool field C teams these days

[@edwardcanning1577]

Man u killed it !

[@josephroy7773]

Could you do a video on the rise and fall of Bolton Wanderers?

[@adamphillip5305]

There was a rise?

[@benphipps6498]

@@adamphillip5305 they finished 6th in the Premier League in the mid 2000s and had players like Okocha, Djorkaeff, Diouf and Speed. Feel free to show your ignorance though.

[@daratheprofessional1827]

What about when Alex Ferguson pulled Man Utd. out of the FA Cup to play three game's in the World club Championship!!

[@shx6ut229]

Why the league cup doesn't get scrapped? It should be premier league, fa cup and community shield, there is no need to league cup.

[@cooperlindsay8185]

fuck off, winning the league cup gets you into the europa and is valued as a good trophy to win by the top clubs

[@cooperlindsay8185]

literally would ruin the chance of any club doing the domestic treble

[@shx6ut229]

@@cooperlindsay8185 who wins the trophy other then the top 6? The fa cup gives you a Europa league place also, what is the point of two cups in one season? The domestic treble can be won by winning the fa cup, the premier league and the shield. It should be scrapped imo, instead, the fa cup should get the importance it deserves.

[@abbaszaidi8371]

shx 6ut agreed- or how about like the FA Vase, remove premier league teams only as it’s the LEAGUE cup. It’ll raise the profile of the second tier teams- although could it still be a gateway to Europe?

[@shx6ut229]

@@abbaszaidi8371 That won't bad also.

[@adamyesho8098]

The F. A cup has produced the most Iconic, magical and breathtaking moments. From Wigans underdog win, Liverpool vs West ham thriller to Arsenal ending their 9 year drought. Goals like Ryan Giggs solo goal vs Arsenal upto Matic thundergoal vs Spurs.
Today history could be made when Manchester City could potentially win a domestic treble being the first of its kind in England.
Watford could upset the odds by providing World football with yet another beautiful underdog tale.
Wembley..... Let the sparks fly 🎆🎇🎇🎇✨✨✨.

[@justsomeone6966]

Why do we forget about portsmouth fa cup in 2008

[@matteastwood87]

Lee Cattermole is the true magic of the FA Cup

[@carlbyronrodgers]

Very informative.thank you.

[@areebkhan4294]

I miss arsen wenger 🤧

[@steamcleana_6918]

Best video in a while apart from not mentioning smaller clubs

[@theirishman8579]

Arsenal DEFINITELY still adore the FA Cup

[@iwantgoals1566]

Brilliant video as usual. Thanks for also de-bunking the myth that United ruined the cup. Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard that utter crap over the years.

[@finalgeneration1462]

The premiere league got way too competitive is why

[@varolussalsanclar1163]

15 points between 2nd and 3rd doesnt look like fierce competition to me

[@finalgeneration1462]

The Golden Middle yeah coz the league is made of 3 teams huh

[@jamesbudden6]

bloody good content, this.

[@CaptainOvious123]

Interesting how you glossed over Utd pulling out of the FA Cup in 99-00 to focus on international club football

[@20timesmanunited20]

FA wanted us to play in it to help England's world cup bid.

[@CaptainOvious123]

@@20timesmanunited20 Right, but that's still a major reason why the FA Cup has lost is popularity

[@leopold7562]

It's too simplistic to blame the Premier League for the death of the FA Cup, but... well, it was the Premier League :/

[@cim888]

If your club has $100 million team why risk them for injury for a 5m prize for winning it?

[@alexmistlin6147]

Thanks for the vids amazing stuff x

[@eaglenate]

Manchester United disrespecting the FA cup in 1999/00 should have seen them expelled permanently but the FA being the soft touches they are did nothing after United deemed a club world cup of more importance.

[@JamesJamesW]

The FA cup asked man utd to not participate

[@20timesmanunited20]

The FA wanted us to pull out.

[@cliveboulton2408]

CpfcNate
You are clueless.

[@Executor009]

Im from México and i still think the FA Cup format is the best, the FA Cup is probably the best football competition in the world.