Has the FA Cup lost its magic?

by Dan Cope

THE FA Cup is regarded as English football’s biggest cup competition. It has produced magic moments such as Ryan Giggs’ stunning solo goal against Arsenal in 1999 and Bradford’s 4-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2015.

However, in recent years, it seems like the glory days of the FA Cup are behind us and gone are the shocks and magical moments that make the FA Cup so special to football fans.

A reason for the decline in popularity of the FA Cup comes from the dominance of the top Premier League teams. Look no further than Arsenal’s recent FA Cup success where they have won three out of the four last FA Cup finals.

If that doesn’t prove anything, how about the fact that only four out of the last 32 finals have included a team outside of the top flight of English football.

Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that lowly clubs such as Portsmouth or even Brentford in the EFL Championship cannot compete with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City when they are throwing around money like it’s garbage.

In an age where spending £60 million on players is as common as stones on the streets, the FA Cup has an ever-increasing sense of predictability.

The idea that league 2 side Forest Green Rovers can beat Premier League side Tottenham is a mouth-watering prospect. However, it’s just a prospect as with each passing year, the gap between the top and bottom sides grows as the top sides get wealthier by the millions and the overall quality of their squad grows.

Another reason for the decline in magic that the FA Cup is supposed to produce is the fact that the top teams no longer play their strongest squads. For example, in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, Arsenal lost 4-2 to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground and were criticised by both fans and pundits alike for the weakness of their line-up.

Approximately four senior first team players were included and when it can be argued that the strongest player in your team is Danny Welbeck, that team wouldn’t even fill the most die-hard Arsenal supporter with confidence. It was clear from this that the Cup meant nothing to Arsenal and that probably represented the attitude of other top English football teams

The FA Cup used to mean to mean so much to every team, winning it could save a team’s season, give young players a stage to perform, provide fans with magical moments. Winning it has even been credited for saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s career as Manchester United manager.

However, the magic has disappeared and shows no signs of returning. When relegated Wigan defeated big-spending Manchester City 1-0 in 2013 to lift the trophy, few could predict that that game would be the last true magic the FA Cup would ever produce.