Is the FA Cup Final a bad omen for Aston Villa?
Aston Villa will be hoping their appearance in the FA Cup Final isn’t going to be a portent of what’s to come, especially given the struggles of this season.
Villa face Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday May 30 when they will be featuring in the final for only the second time since their last win way back in 1957. Victory would also secure a place in next season’s Europa League.
But Tim Sherwood and his players will be mindful of the fate which has befallen several other clubs, from outside the current batch of Premier League heavyweights, to have appeared in the cup final over the past decade.
You only have to look at the last two FA Cup Finals for concerns to be aired about what happens to the lesser lights. Last season, Hull City raced into a two-goal lead against Arsenal before losing 3-2 following Aaron Ramsey’s goal in extra-time. But their trip to Wembley hasn’t proved to be a springboard for more success, with Hull now likely to be relegated to the Championship as they need to beat Manchester United on the final day to have any chance of staying up.
The year before, Wigan became the first club to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season. Ben Watson’s goal secured a shock 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Wembley. But just three days later, Wigan were thrashed 4-1 by Arsenal to be condemned to the Championship. Next season, Wigan will be playing in League One after enduring a miserable campaign.
In 2010, Portsmouth, who had won the cup two years earlier, were already relegated from the Premier League by the time they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley. The club’s financial problems had already incurred a nine-point deduction and Portsmouth subsequently tumbled down the divisions to now sit in League Two.
And back in 2006, West Ham were involved in one of the cup’s most memorable finals after a 3-3 draw with Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium before losing on penalties. The following season was a constant battle against relegation and only a stunning run of form in the closing weeks kept West Ham up. Carlos Tevez’s goal at Manchester United on the last day was enough to see West Ham safe, but even that came against a backdrop of complaints that they should have been docked points over the row about signing the Argentine striker and his compatriot Javier Mascherano.
So, given that Villa have spent the large majority of this season fighting to stay in the Premier League, they will hope their visit to Wembley will not be a bad omen.
Sherwood has certainly raised morale at Villa Park since being appointed in February. He has overseen some impressive results, most notably the 2-1 success over Liverpool in the semi-finals. But he has also presided over some shockers as well, with the 6-1 mauling at Southampton the stand-out.
Against Arsenal, there is the potential for another hammering given Villa have lost 3-0 and 5-0 to Arsene Wenger’s side this season. At 5/2 with bet fair to win the FA Cup when this article was produced, Villa are clearly the underdogs.
It will be only their second meeting in the FA Cup since 1983. Their last contest in the competition came in the fourth round in January 2012 when Villa did what Hull achieved last year by taking a 2-0 lead. However, two second-half penalties from Robin van Persie sandwiched a goal from Theo Walcott as Arsenal won 3-2.
Whether the cup final meeting will be as similarly entertaining and high-scoring, though, will be secondary to Villa if they are accursed in the same manner as other recent FA Cup finalists.