The 39th Game

[cdbearsfan]

One bonus, if we have to play away to Crystal Palace in Melbourne, at least it will be easier to get to.

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Fans need to take a united approach to this.

Collectively, as happened last time, the clubs have to take notice. This is the one of the few matters that would ever lead me to boycott the Villa.

[Dave Cooper please]

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.

It's not always about keeping going, it can be the difference between  mid table obscurity in the Northern Premier League and an assault on Conference North. That might seem nothing to a Premier League fan but it's a great deal to a fan of, say, Stafford Rangers.
Or, as with my previous Burton Albion example, the catalyst to get a club into the League.

 Anyway, why is it any different for fans of a really small club to celebrate a draw against a massively bigger club than it is to merely stay in a league you have been shite in for most of the season? You take your "victories" where you can unless you support a club that wins all the bloody time!

[cdbearsfan]

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.

It's not always about keeping going, it can be the difference between  mid table obscurity in the Northern Premier League and an assault on Conference North. That might seem nothing to a Premier League fan but it's a great deal to a fan of, say, Stafford Rangers.
Or, as with my previous Burton Albion example, the catalyst to get a club into the League.

 Anyway, why is it any different for fans of a really small club to celebrate a draw against a massively bigger club than it is to merely stay in a league you have been shite in for most of the season? You take your "victories" where you can unless you support a club that wins all the bloody time!

My point was that they'd have a better chance of achieving actual victories, rather than celebrating gallant draws, if the match went to Extra Time and penalties, than if it went to a replay.

Get through, have another money-spinning tie next up.

Plus, a big replay is all well and good, but if you're some schoolkid, and it's away, you can't go.

Midweek football is, generally, shite.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd fancy that the majority games that went to extra time would be won by the 'big club' anyway because their fitness levels would be superior, even more so if they are playing a part time club.

[cdbearsfan]

I'd fancy that the majority games that went to extra time would be won by the 'big club' anyway because their fitness levels would be superior, even more so if they are playing a part time club.

I think sheer adrenalin can often enable the smaller club to thrive in such circumstances, especially as the big club may have taken the game for granted and rested a few.

In the replay, it's asking a bit much for the smaller club to be able to motivate themselves for another 90-120 minutes against superior and fitter opposition. As for the part-time business, that'll impact even more if it goes to a replay due to the fact players will have to rush to the game straight from work or sometimes not be able to play at all if they can't get time off.

The "fun" aspect of replays is now ruined too by virtue of the fact that they have to be played at least ten days after the original event and clubs have had a league game or two in the meantime and forgotten all about the cup.

[dave.woodhall]

I'd fancy that the majority games that went to extra time would be won by the 'big club' anyway because their fitness levels would be superior, even more so if they are playing a part time club.

I think sheer adrenalin can often enable the smaller club to thrive in such circumstances, especially as the big club may have taken the game for granted and rested a few.

In the replay, it's asking a bit much for the smaller club to be able to motivate themselves for another 90-120 minutes against superior and fitter opposition. As for the part-time business, that'll impact even more if it goes to a replay due to the fact players will have to rush to the game straight from work or sometimes not be able to play at all if they can't get time off.

The clubs themselves seem to prefer it. Plus there's the factor that a lot of non-league fans are former supporters of the 'big' clubs who got pissed off with modern football. Replays are a part of that.

[Dr Butler]

the old jug eared silver fox speaks...

Gary  Lineker

BBC Sport
Football

Reemergence of plans to play PL games overseas is a rotten one. Need to make game more affordable for fans not less. Disrespectful avarice!

[PeterWithesShin]

It would be rare for an employer not to give time off for a big cup game. And watch how often a non league club is under siege towards the end of a 90 minute game because they are fucked. The extra half hour would do most in. You only have to see how knackered some PL teams look towards the end of a 90 minute game against a 'big' club.

[bertlambshank]

Fuck off Scudamore you woman hating ******!

[cdbearsfan]

That's just Villa... no team ever looks knackered against us!

I still say it's easier to motivate yourself for an extra thirty minutes than it is for another ninety. It also means the paying public get to see the victor of the contest they've paid to see. Certainly the paying public don't seem overly-impressed with recent FA Cups if the attendances are any guide. More penalty shoot-outs makes for more drama which equates to more interest from broadcasters. So the smaller clubs could be compensated for any loss in revenue by increased prize money or TV funds if their tie is picked for live coverage.

[bertlambshank]

Funny this has come out the same time Man Utd want to go around the world midweek.

[cdbearsfan]

A change that may prove beneficial, and hopefully compensate for the lack of replays. I've also thought for a while that the Second Round needs changing.

So... all Premier League clubs enter at Round Three. All Championship clubs now have to enter at Round Two. The remaining League teams and qualifiers enter in Round One.

The upshot of this is that now seventy-two non-League teams enter the First Round, rather than the current thirty-two.

It would also mean a greater number of League One/League Two/Non-League clubs would still be alive in Round Three assuming at least a smattering of Championship clubs got punted out.

So, clubs wouldn't be able to have replays, but they would have a greater chance of getting a glamorous tie, or more, as they'd have a greater chance of progressing.

Non-League clubs get a better chance of progression and a cash windfall, Leagues One-Two likewise. The Second Round gets a fresh impetus with the arrival of the likes of Dirty Leeds and other fallen giants into the competition. Television gets a better spectacle due to the increased number of penalty shoot-outs and I get to stay in of a midweek and save some money as we won't be having a replay.

[cdbearsfan]

Anyway... while I'm against the 38th Game idea, I was bored, so did a simulation of what it might look like using a random number generator of t'internet. I'd be happy with our draw, but I doubt it would be a sell-out.

SATURDAY

Match 1 – Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024), Melbourne, Australia - 2000 Local Time, 0900 UK
Manchester City vs Sunderland

Match 2 – International Stadium Yokohama (72,327), Yokohama, Japan – 2100 Local Time, 1200 UK
Liverpool vs Everton

Match 3 – Salt Lake Stadium (120,000), Kolkata, India – 2030 Local Time, 1500 UK
Southampton vs Leicester City

Match 4 – Soccer City (94,736), Johannesburg, South Africa – 2000 Local Time, 1800 UK
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa

Match 5 – Rose Bowl (92,542), Pasadena, USA, 1300 Local Time 2100 UK
Stoke City vs West Bromwich Albion

SUNDAY

Match 6 – Olympic Stadium (69,950), Seoul, South Korea – 1800 Local Time, 0900 UK
Arsenal vs West Ham United

Match 7 – Beijing National Stadium (80,000), Beijing, China, 2000 Local Time, 1200 UK
Swansea City vs Hull City

Match 8 – Croke Park (82,300), Dublin, Ireland, 1500 Local Time, 1500 UK
Manchester United vs Newcastle United

Match 9 – Khalifa International Stadium (68,030), Doha, Qatar, 2100 Local Time, 1800 UK
Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Match 10 – Maracana Stadium (74,738), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1900 Local Time, 2100 UK
Burnley vs Queens Park Rangers

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I would rather drink in the pubs around the Sty than in Joberg! Could get a bit dicy!