FA Cup third and fourth-round replays scrapped

I can see the logic, but not great financially if a lower league side get drawn at home against a big club, and don't get the revenue they might of if their draw meant a trip to Old Trafford, or Anfield etc ......

One way of looking at it is that the "dream" replay at a 35k+ venue is potentially lost.

Another is that, and demanded for some time by many; the chance of claiming a life-long memory of a big win via 120 minutes and a penalty shoot-out becomes far more realistic for tiers 3-6 in the 3rd/4th Round - when the possibility of a replay is no longer there. It means pressure to perform and get it right at the first AND ONLY time of asking is added to the mix.


Remember the year Hopkins & Coutraine tried telling us "A Big World Needs A Big Bank", the year naked bodies began selling soap/washing powder on TV ads and Coldplay & S Club 7 dominated "the charts"?

The year 2000 also invited a club, eliminated by right in the 2nd Round, back into the tournament in Man Utd's absence?  Darlington would lose 2-1 at Villa Park.  Herr Klopp will remember that one, for sure...


The fact is that The F.A.'s credibility in foreseeing Plan B/C when doing nothing and hoping for the best simply is no longer a matter of "We'll know better next time 'round" being good enough, is on the line here, as much as many other professional heads are in the world of work. Simply saying "We can bring the mid Winter break forward" when we're all fighting something several generations have had no warning or experience in coping with, does not wash.

The [losers] Cup may have to be neutral, one-legged ties.
The F.A. Cup may have to be replay-free from start-to-finish.
Scotland have used a mid-season table split for some time now; this may well be in discussion in the medium-to-long-term as well.

Then throw-in the 2022 World Cup - and the catching-up on the re-scheduled Euro 2020; dithering is a no-no right now. Everyone has to accept that brutal decisions may be made - that won't always seem fair on all affected.

For us, the painful thought of Liverpool beating us 1-4 at Goodison being low on their list of priorities may linger long.

At the same time, all involved in a transfer of a player with a point to prove, yet limited in many people's footballing capabilities prior to August 2021 called Demarai Gray, must be praised in bringing a player that for just £1.7m has proved an on-pitch upgrade on the only player our club's players could previously trust to pass the ball to, even in close attendance of opposing players.

Knowing Richarlison was going to need long-term rest-management for his fitness health, we've shown much foresight in sealing this deal.


I may have slightly digressed, but my simple point is that as a whole, the club has made some very good decisions in tough times, and if brutal decisions like the future of The F. A Cup made by those in power go against us more than most, we can still hold our heads up high - even if others are sharpening their teeth all over England, Europe and the world...