The Wild Lower West: What’s Happened To The FA Cup?
In this week’s column, Dixey reflects on the diminishing magic of the FA Cup, which was apparent in Reading’s defeat to Burnley last weekend.
Walking up to the SCL on Saturday for the FA Cup tie with Burnley, I couldn’t help but notice that there was very little atmosphere around the stadium, and even less of a sense of occasion, with this being the third round of the FA Cup.
That’s maybe symptomatic of where we are as a club now, or it may be because everyone was disgruntled by “entrance into the stadium” issues (again). It could just have been the fact that it was baltic, and everyone wanted to be somewhere far warmer.
Whatever the reason, it got me thinking about how the FA Cup is now nothing more than a sideshow to the mega-rich Premier and European leagues, and how we as fans have lost that sense of romance the FA Cup used to bring.
I had several conversations prior to the game, in which the overriding feeling was that no one was really bothered whether we won the match or not, and I have to say I found it difficult to disagree. That may sound a bit weird coming from a diehard Reading fan who sulks when Reading lose, but let me try to explain.
For me the FA Cup has always been a magical competition. I grew up in the days when the FA Cup final took over terrestrial television, with the build-up starting from 9am and camera crews following each of the teams to Wembley.
This was accompanied by stand-up comedians boarding the coach with the players (normally Jimmy Tarbuck if Liverpool had made the final) and providing comical insight into the players’ pre-match routines. Players wore club suits rather than £10,000 Gucci fur coats, and all of them looked excited to get their first glimpse of the twin towers as their respective coaches pulled up at Wembley.
Even the earlier rounds of the FA Cup had special meaning, with attendances normally doubled rather than halved, the rush for tickets when they went on sale, and the inevitable cup shocks, that were always guaranteed in the early rounds. For more glamorous ties at Elm Park, I remember more than once joining a queue from Wantage Road (when I should have been at work) to secure a ticket via the world’s smallest ticket office situated at the front of the stadium in Norfolk Road some two or three hours later.
Attending FA Cup games used to be exciting: it was an opportunity to play teams you only ever dreamed of playing, and you could be confident that most of that team’s star players would make an appearance. For smaller clubs it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test themselves against some of the best in the country, and yes, even the best players in the country used to play in FA Cup games as well as league games. So where has it all gone wrong?
For me the current structure of football and financial incentives for league positions means the so-called “bigger” clubs will always prioritise league games over the FA Cup. To put this into context, a Premier League side could earn (on average) £300,000 in revenue from a home game in the FA Cup, yet they will earn £1.2 million extra by finishing 15th rather than 16th at the end of the season - so is it any wonder that clubs prioritise league positioning?
Squad quality and depth these days (unless you support Reading) means clubs can pick a starting XI for FA Cup games made up of fringe players, thereby not risking injury to those needed to improve league positions.
In round three of this season’s FA Cup, the 20 Premier League teams involved picked 220 players between them to start their respective third-round games, but only 76 of those who started would be deemed a regular starter in the league, so you start to see where priorities lie.
The new argument with this season’s FA Cup is whether the decision to scrap replays was the right one, and whether this has further devalued the competition, and I have to say I have mixed views on this.
Sound reasoning says Reading would not have welcomed a Tuesday night replay at Turf Moor after a 1-1 home draw, and I doubt Turf Moor would be packed to the rafters for the visit of the mighty ‘Ding anyway. However, cup romanticism says a replay gives you another chance to progress and secure a more glamorous tie in round four, with much-needed additional revenue.
I have seen lots of comment this week about how Tamworth have missed out on a bumper payday by being denied a replay against Tottenham Hotspur, but were they denied a bumper payday?
Tamworth understood that the game against Spurs was a one-off and priced the game accordingly to maximise revenue. Adult tickets in the main stand were £42, seniors were £37, and even under-10s had to pay £29.
When you compare that to Tamworth’s league tickets pricing of £20 for adults, £16 for seniors and £4 for under-10s, I find it difficult to jump on the poor Tamworth bandwagon, as they made the most of the opportunity presented to them. I feel sorrier for the supporters who follow the club every week and suddenly have a ticket increase of up to 500%!
So, what is the answer?
In all honesty I don’t know, but with FA Cup replays now scrapped, maybe the FA need to look at a weighted split of gate receipts in favour of clubs lower down the pyramid. The current 50/50 split (or 55/45 in favour of non-league sides playing away at league clubs) means lower-league clubs playing at home will always try to maximise revenue, which can detract people from attending.
If you coupled a more weighted split of gate receipts with a fixed price for FA Cup tickets in rounds one to three (say £20 adults and £1 for kids) then clubs could still maximise revenue by filling the stadium and gaining additional income through retail on the day. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but something that may be needed to stop the FA Cup from becoming a hindrance rather than one of the greatest cup competitions in the world, and I know Jimmy Tarbuck would agree.
This Saturday we’re back at the SCL for the visit of Stockport County, and with an opportunity to avenge a 4-1 defeat earlier in the season. I think our excellent home form will continue in this one, and I can see us winning by the odd goal.
Reading 3-2 Stockport County
(Smith, Smith, Wing; Collar, Nombe)
Attendance: 12,845
Finally, I was talking to a work colleague earlier this week (who isn’t into football) and was trying to explain to him how it felt when your team scored, and better still won a game. “It’s just a complete buzz that radiates through your whole body,” I said confidently, thinking he would soon get the image of football celebration in his head.
I was therefore quite shocked (pardon the pun) when he said: “What, like an electric chair?”
Now I know that supporting Reading can be painful at times, but that’s just ridiculous.
Until next week.
Much love and c’mon URZZZ.
Dixey