FA Cup….

[chaincey.ncfc]

BBC 2 7pm Monday…

Next Monday the FA Cup first round proper will be drawn live on bbc 2,will you be tuning in Frank or have you lost interest in the greatest cup competition that there’s ever been?

You must have seen some great cup games over the decades with the excitement of getting into the next round or maybe the agony of going out at home to some non league club?

[Psaw]

Not particularly, if i see it on the tv menu, i wont remember to watch it. The best was United v Bristol City 30 years ago, draw away, i went then, 5-1 at home, Beck was in charge. When Philpott volleyed a 20 yarder, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, a truly special night, the atmosphere was electric, crackling, alive, simmering, something special was in the air and it was.

Only Beck could produce the total destruction of a better team, the man was a genius, why his career flopped god only knows.

Even today you see Beck on tv, warm ups, thats John Beck, reams of stats, the first statistical breakdown was under Beck at a Cambridge game, he asked a mathematician to do it.

Villa v Juventus, about 1980 was special, a euro game, other games that stand out was United v Barnet in the southern league, 3-1 down at half time, last minute penalty to win it 4-3, a wondrous game.

Cambridge City strangely v Barnet southern league cup game City won 4-3. Big games at Bromsgrove were special, when they were top of the conference.

Night games at Bromsgrove were special. My first game at Hillsborough, Wednesday v Exeter in the old div 3, Jack Charlton was manager at Wednesday, any game there was special, the fans are amazing. Stepping into Hillsborough was like stepping into Highbury, the old Arsenal ground, demolishing that was like demolishing the Vatican.

Then theres United v Lincoln, the first ever league game, Meldrum scoring for a draw, losing would have been devastating.

The first away game at Northampton, Dennis Walker scored the first away goal, Walker came to my school in the afternoons, he asked me to go training with United, yup, i had talent.

I could go on all night, you m,ust be bored....and yours?

I remember lying down beside the goalposts at the corona end while a game was on, being shooed away occasionally when the ball came to close so we wont get hit. The prattlings of an old man....it all comes and goes. Its not special, critical, emotional....anymore.

Do you still care?

[chaincey.ncfc]

I was definitely not bored reading thst post Frank infact I enjoyed reading so much I read it twice,I love the excitement of the cup but once Notts get knocked out then the interest just disappears,even more so when the Premier League clubs come into it but the early stages are wonderful,you tell your football stories with passion so it’s a pity that you’ve got do much negativity about the game now

[Psaw]

Football is dead, its a business, whoevers got the moneey wins, mostly, the dream has gone.

Why would anyone care about that?

A way of turning back into a sport, where all can win, is for the football league to reverse the home gate thing. Football league clubs should refuse to play prem teams, have no promotion relegation unless home gates are shared 50-50. In the 60s 70s div 1 or the prem was open, half the league could win it.

We need competition back.

Without opposition the wealthy cant play football, the FL needs to flex its muscles. You dont have special games then?

[chaincey.ncfc]

The God that is known as Sky owns football now,the money that they put in and with their games being shown around the world the football clubs have found a new messiah,the reason that there’s now so many 12.30 kick offs on a Saturday is because Sky needs more games to view through their red button so the EFL complied

The biggest scandal in the FA Cup was when the FA forbid ground changes,if you was a small club and somehow managed to get through the rounds the only thing that you wanted to get in the draw was a decent club because you could ask to change venues and have a massive payday out of it,they wasn’t forced to change venues but a lot did,a good day out for the fans and enough money to see them through the next season and everyone was happy,why change it,it makes no sense to me changing that rule

[chaincey.ncfc]

Woking v Cambridge Frank,I see a giant killing coming on

[Psaw]

There cant be a game duller than that, County have got Alfreton, i went there a long time ago, they dont know when there beaten. What ive seen of div 2, the standard is poor, Carlisle being bottom is disturbing. Dont say owt to Griff.

Your right about the rule change, the gate change, the rich get richer. Money is the root of all evil, the gulf is immense, soon we will have leagues separated not by football, but by money.

The top should form their own euro league, and let the rest play by gates shared. Competition is the life blood, not money, reserve prem teams are as good as the best fl teams.

[chaincey.ncfc]

Notts v Alfreton won’t be a foregone conclusion because they will be up for,it’s practically a derby as ground to ground is maybe thirty minutes drive away and they haven’t lost the past eight games,hopefully the tickets will be priced accordingly and encourage plenty of fair weather fans to come to the game,if Woking v Cambridge is a TV game Frank will you tune in?

[Psaw]

I might do, depends on whos playing, i nearly went to Lakenheath v Mulbarton saturday, 110, gate, big atmosphere then, and a small packet of prigles at half time. Wisbech home tonight, am tempted, a game is a game, under lights is good.

Alfreton is a mining town isnt it, looks like one. Nice ground.

[chaincey.ncfc]

I noticed that two games in this weekends FA Cup are playing tonight,why is that,they are not even on mainstream tv but available via BBC red button and it?s making a mockery of the cup,all games should be on a Saturday at 3pm not here there and everywhere and especially not on the Thursday before FA Cup weekend

Sheffield Utd v Cardiff on BBC Wales and iplayer

Everton v Peterborough on BBC red button and iplayer

You watching Frank?