Morning all.
So the FA has taken the fun out of the FA Cup as there’s to be no more replays from next season. Better for Premier League clubs? Some yes but not all and certainly for the rest of the leagues. Apparently they weren’t even consulted before this decision was made which I think is totally wrong and disrespectful. For the lower league clubs, grinding out a draw at home to earn a replay at one of the big clubs could make such a financial difference for them. Survival in some cases. On the flip side, grinding out a result at a Championship/Premier League Club’s ground knowing that a replay at home on a very different surface might work in their favour, has gone.
I think this decision sends a message to lower league clubs which is that the FA doesn’t really care about them. Yet without them, thousands of young footballers wouldn’t get their opportunity to break into the game, or indeed work their way to the top.
The winter break in England has been scrapped too, another ridiculous decision in my opinion. Maybe it was Arsenal’s new lease of life after time in Dubai behind this decision. Even though I’ve written that with tongue in cheek, a part of me wouldn’t be at all surprised if there’s an element of truth to it. Instead of a winter break, the season start date will be pushed back to mid-August, leaving a longer summer break which the FA said was in line with “expert advice from medical and technical departments which values a longer period of complete rest in the summer rather than a short break in the winter”.
Two crazy decisions in my opinion.
Both West Ham and Liverpool excited the Europa Cup last night. I thought Liverpool would somehow find it in them to get the result needed but all they managed was one goal and that came from the penalty spot. West Ham drew their game 1-1 but Bayer Leverkusen had already done enough at home to go through. Aston Villa managed to progress past Lille after extra time and penalties. Martinez is an arrogant p***k but he knows how to play a penalty shootout.
Anyway, it’s back to the Premier League for Arsenal tomorrow, the only hope of breaking our silverware drought. In a nutshell, we have to win every game and hope that City lose one of theirs. Wolves will make it tough though, very tough. Wolves have nothing to play for other than pride and their fans but in my opinion, the two most important parts of football. Only Liverpool out of the current top five have won at Molineux this season which tells us how hard a game we can expect tomorrow evening. Man Utd managed a victory though so there’s hope. Lol
There’s an article about Reiss Nelson on the Arsenal.com in which he talks about life coming through the ranks. He’s been at the club for 16 years now and yet he’s still not what I’d call a first team player. Squad yes but for a 24 year old, his career should be about playing regularly rather than sitting on the bench hoping for minutes.
The last bit is about how Nelson has his real family and his Arsenal family and how both have become intertwined over the years, having spent more than half his life as an Arsenal player. He says the spirit right now within the squad is as good as he’s known.
It’s amazing. I’ve been a part of loads of different groups here, coming through the age groups, and I feel like there’s no divide at all between any of the players here. I feel like any player or any of the staff can go and sit on any table here and speak to anyone. And the good thing is we know each other so well that we don’t have to just speak about football. It can be about anything, and that’s really nice. I think the boss has done really well to get that team camaraderie, where everybody gets together and understands each other on a personal level. It’s really good.
That’s all well and good because being happy in and with life is one of the most important things in life but what about his career? We often talk about which players the club should sell but what about the passion and desire inside a player to become successful. Sitting on the bench for 80% of the season must be so frustrating and I don’t think I could do it. I’d want to play as many minutes on a match day as possible and even though I might love where I was and being around colleagues, I’d have to move if it meant playing the game I loved. Maybe he is simply Arsenal through and through now and just being at the club, in and around what has been his life for so long, a move elsewhere doesn’t cross his mind. After all, he’s under contract until 2027 with an option of another year and a £100,000 a week isn’t bad for a few hours training a week.
You wait and see, now I’ve written all of that, he’ll move away in the summer….
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico.
It’s all about money! FIFA and UEFA are in a battle to soak up the monstrous sums of money generated by television broadcasting rights.
It’s not just the F A Cup that’s in the firing line, UEFA want to reduce all leagues to just eighteen teams and have only one cup competion per country. All this to free up playing days for an enlarged Champions League from next season, whilst FIFA also want to enlarge its own World Club Championship. Let’s face it who wouldn’t rather watch Real Madrid play River Plate in a middle eastern desert rather than Wrexham in a midweek replay against Accrington Stanley.
I would rather all leagues get together to put in force a salary cap, a restriction of say 0·5% of transfer fees as payment to agents and the banning of phased payments of transfer fees.
Only playing devils advicate, inreghads to the FA Cup replay, don’t we as fans complain about the amount of games our player have to play each season.
Why not play them on the major grounds and just split the profit between both clubs. this way they get to play on a premier league ground infront of a big crowd and the premier league players don’t risk getting hurt on lesser quality grounds.
Afternoon Rico and Co
Won’t be long before Premier League games are being staged around the world, the United States which is a cash cow and a growing market and the Middle East. It’s all about finance and you can’t be having tradition getting in the way.
Not sure why the FA have ditched replays in the 1st and 2nd Round Proper? I can kinda understand why they scrapped them in the 3rd Round with an increasing number of English clubs qualifying for europe.
It’s a shame because you can see a scenario where a non-league club gets a draw at a Championship or lower Premier League club and instead of a replay they go out on penalties.
Anyway, we are facing our most important game of the season this weekend at Wolves, our season is on the edge and somehow our players need to find the resolve and energy to get the 3 points at a very difficult ground to get them.
Morning Cicero, Geoff, Kev.
I’d have thought if it was about money, they’d keep the cup replays. Especially for the lower league clubs who really need it.
Kev, you could correct after all didn’t Stan kroenke wan’t / try to get Arsenal play a home match in the America shortly after he took full control of the club.
I hope it never happens,
I can’t see PL fixtures being played in the US. That would spell the end of English football as we know it my opinion. Should the day come, football will be history in my life…
Good point about FA Cup first and second replays,it makes no sense at all to scrap them.
I hope some improved deal for non Premier league clubs has been done.
Apparently games 7 and 8 in next years Champions league will be played in January.
Ah, so that’s why the the winter break has been scrapped Limey. Champions League.
That’s right, there’s going to be a new format in the CL next season.
More games of course…
Deep joy…
Rest In Peace Sir Chips Keswick… 😢
New post up