Flags and banners were being waved by supporters of Chelsea and Liverpool at the weekend as the teams fought out the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium but for me the cup has lost a lot of its appeal. I think I've seen every Cup Final for as long as I can remember. I can even recall gathering with family members around a black and white screen at my grandmother's to watch the infamous Matthews Final in 1953 and later saw Forest beat Luton in 1959. Unfortunately although I was alive, Derby's success in the same competition came just too early for me to recall.
I even visited the old Wembley Stadium later with refereeing colleagues for more recent finals but the days when the Cup Final was the climax of the season appear to be long gone. Gone too are the days when "Final" really meant the final game of the season. Now with play-offs and even league fixtures to be fulfilled after the Cup Final date, it just doesn't seem right. Even on Saturday, the same day as the Cup Final, there was a full fixture list in some of the Divisions which is probably one reason, another being TV rights, for the kick off to be at 5:15 rather than the traditional 3:00 in the afternoon. I wasn't really bothered who won the match, the powers that be have relegated the Final to just another match. It's a shame but for me at least, the magic of the Cup has been eroded and I'm losing all interest - until next season of course!
I even visited the old Wembley Stadium later with refereeing colleagues for more recent finals but the days when the Cup Final was the climax of the season appear to be long gone. Gone too are the days when "Final" really meant the final game of the season. Now with play-offs and even league fixtures to be fulfilled after the Cup Final date, it just doesn't seem right. Even on Saturday, the same day as the Cup Final, there was a full fixture list in some of the Divisions which is probably one reason, another being TV rights, for the kick off to be at 5:15 rather than the traditional 3:00 in the afternoon. I wasn't really bothered who won the match, the powers that be have relegated the Final to just another match. It's a shame but for me at least, the magic of the Cup has been eroded and I'm losing all interest - until next season of course!
I agree with you
ReplyDelete