The 39th Game

[supertom]

Celebrating staying in a league is entirely different.

You mention the resultant publicity if Tamworth beat Man U. While very unlikely, that is far more likely to happen after one game and a penalty shoot-out than it is after two games.

My earliest (non-Villa) memories of the FA Cup are of brilliant FA Cup games followed by crap replays which the favourites won easily. Not always, but more often than if the games had gone to extra time and penalties I reckon.

Big clubs are more likely to "take their eye of the ball" and rest players and come unstuck in a one-off tie than over two games.

One off ties would also reinvigorate the competition as a televisual format, which in turn would lead to more people taking the competition seriously and hopefully getting better crowds.

I'm really struggling to think of the last brilliant FA Cup replay I watched.

Such is the state of the FA Cup these days you'd probably be hard pressed to think of too many decent ties in the last 10-15 years full stop, aside from plucky scrappers trying to make a game of it against an indifferent Premiership side that doesn't seem to bothered. Which is a shame.
The last final wasn't too shabby though to be fair. Despite the unfortunate result of Arsenal winning a trophy.

[peter w]

I'd also scrap replays. At the highest level - well international fotoball anyway - you don't have replays so domestically yopu want your players playing the same game as they would at international level. Therefore, have a mindset more atune to settling it on the night.

[Clampy]

I'm really struggling to think of the last brilliant FA Cup replay I watched.

It's not about what you enjoyed watching whilst sitting on a sofa. If a club like Forest Green held Liverpool to a draw at home, then surely they deserve their chance of another crack at Anfield?

[cdbearsfan]

By scrapping replays you'd be denying smaller clubs the chance to make money which in some cases would keep them going and it's players the chance to play on a bigger stage and at a bigger ground. For some it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and something they never forget long after they've retired. Besides, isn't that what the early stages of the F.A Cup is all about or do we want to kill that off as well?

They could make more money... by winning after extra time or penalties and going through to the next round. The more games a team wins, statistically, the more likely they are to play at a big ground eventually.

That said, any club which needs big  FA Cup ties to keep them going has a bloody awful business model and will likely go tits up at some point anyway. For instance, Scarborough went bust within a few years of playing (and taking the lead) at Stamford Bridge.

I'd say the early rounds of the FA Cup are "all about" non-league teams trying to beat bigger clubs, not drawing with them.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm really struggling to think of the last brilliant FA Cup replay I watched.

It's not about what you enjoyed watching whilst sitting on a sofa. If a club like Forest Green held Liverpool to a draw at home, then surely they deserve their chance of another crack at Anfield?

Let's switch the argument.

Why do Liverpool, having failed to beat a non-league club over ninety minutes, get the luxury of having another crack when they will probably win easily, rather than having to face the uncertainty of extra time and penalties and the possibility of national humiliation and hilarity for us all?

[DesBremner]

Something I thought I would never type

Mick Quinn talks sense............
 
"Money raised from 39th game should to grassroots football"

if you haven't signed the @savegrassroots campaign...............sign now

Link here
www.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/66835

[Ads]

Maybe there could be a presumption of gate receipts in favour of the club from the lower league?

So if you're going to Anfield and do get a draw, you won't miss out on the replay, because your percentage take of match receipts compensates you for that.

Equally, if you do draw Liverpool at home, you keep 100% of gate receipts instead of the split that is in place now.

No two legged semi finals in the League Cup could suit us, as we will likely get semi-final football back at Villa Park.

[cdbearsfan]

Something I thought I would never type

Mick Quinn talks sense............
 
"Money raised from 39th game should to grassroots football"

if you haven't signed the @savegrassroots campaign...............sign now

Link here
www.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/66835

The trouble is that still pre-supposes that Game 39 goes ahead... which I think would be disastrous.

No thanks.

[Lucky Eddie]

On International TV rights from the BBC:

'North Korea and Albania are the only countries not to have some form of rights agreement in place'

If the 'big' four are so keen to expand their customer base maybe they could play each other over there. Now that would be a SUPERSUNDAY

[cdbearsfan]

Surprised Albania doesn't show games. How much Norman Wisdom can you watch?

I assume they just find someway of watching games provided by one of their numerous neighbouring countries so, in reality, North Korea is likely to be the only place that really never shows Premier League games.

[Villa in Denmark]

Central Iraq or the Turkey / Syria border should also be options.
John Terry could give a pre-match speech on racial and religious tolerance.
Jose Mourinho could be in trouble though if ISIL find out that he thinks that he's the special one.

[fbriai]

Surprised Albania doesn't show games. How much Norman Wisdom can you watch?

I assume they just find someway of watching games provided by one of their numerous neighbouring countries so, in reality, North Korea is likely to be the only place that really never shows Premier League games.

I reckon you are probably right. I met an Albanian bloke here once who was a Man Utd fan.

[Meanwood Villa]

Regarding the replays debate. If you did do away with them then wouldn't a lot of non-league/lower league teams seek to switch the venue to maximise receipts in the one-off game?

[Villa in Denmark]

Regarding the replays debate. If you did do away with them then wouldn't a lot of non-league/lower league teams seek to switch the venue to maximise receipts in the one-off game?

I thought that they changed the rules a few years ago to stop this.

[Comrade Blitz]

....and what's the point of introducing a mid-season break at a time when clubs routinely embark on overseas summer tours in June/July? The game's gone mad.