My cup runneth over: how to save the sanctity of the silverware
As Chelsea reigned triumphant at Wembley on Saturday, David Moyes cut a disconsolate figure, as you would expect the manager of a losing team in the FA Cup final. Yet the Scot’s comments in the run up to the game said much about cup competitions in the modern era.
Toffees fans would have been delighted had Everton taken their first piece of silverware since 1995, but, according to Moyes, winning the FA Cup would be a “stepping stone” for the club. Not a great end to a highly creditable season for the Merysiders, but a stepping stone.
Similarly, Chelsea may have won the match, but the FA Cup only became a priority after the League title and Champions League prospects had rescinded. Similarly, given the squad Manchester United put out against Everton earlier in the competition, the feeling persists that Sir Alex Ferguson now only wants to win the cup insofar as it adds an extra trophy to the season as opposed to any particular significance to the corridors of Old Trafford.
Elsewhere, while the Champions League may still remain the trophy to win in Europe, it’s adopted a slightly tedious look to it over recent seasons (even if the games on display this season have, unusually, been worth tuning in for). For the second year running, three English teams competed in the semi-final, with at least one of the so far off the pace domestically it seems somewhat absurd to have them playing in a competition called the Champions League.
Then there is the Champions League’s unloved smaller brother, the UEFA Cup, soon to become the Europa League. Shakhtar Donesk may have celebrated wildly at their win, but, again the competition has lost whatever lusture it once had. First Bolton, in what was arguably one of their biggest nights in recent history, sent out a reserve team to Madrid in order to fight a relegation battle.
A year later, it was Aston Villa sending out name unfamiliar to the weekly teamsheets. Martin O’Neill may have personally apologised to fans, but the fact remained that Villa had passed up on their only realistic chance of silverware to chase a fourth place they rapidly found themselves in with no chance of achieving. And the end result? Qualification for a competition they’d already shown their contempt for.
It didn’t used to be like this. There was a time that cup success, be it European or domestic, meant something. Abroad, victories for Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in the Cup Winners Cup felt like a huge achievement as opposed to a given. The UEFA Cup had a reputation as the hardest cup of all, as it caught the sides who’d been on the bubble the previous season. And the FA Cup was (and in my mind still is) the greatest cup competition in the world – the trophy that every team in Britain wanted to win.
Managers may moan that they detract from the league, but to the fans, there is nothing like a cup final to get the juices going. Dave Kitson may not give two shits about the FA Cup, but try telling fans of Reading and Stoke that dropping out of the cup with a whimper is a good thing.
There is a reason why cup finals are at the end of the season – they are the showpieces of the season. One thrilling game of winner takes all. Here, then, are ways that competitions can regain their sparkle.
Champions League
Thankfully, UEFA did away with the endless group stages in 2003, which was threatening to drown the competition in a sea of mind-numbing indifference. Even so, the group stages remain the competition’s achilles heel.
With each team in the eight leagues of four playing each other twice, it feels a lot more than just six games, while something just doesn’t feel right when Internazionale can scrape through this stage with just two wins, while many of the games towards the end of the group stages end up as dead rubbers.
Then there’s the name itself: The Champions League. Previously reserved for those who won the title, it seems somewhat perverse that Arsenal, who have finished no higher than 3rd in the last four seasons, should get regular entry into the competition. Indeed, the final rounds in recent years have been tediously predictable, which is the antithesis of a cup competition.
That said, the current format works reasonably well, but there are ways to inject added spice into proceedings. To go back to its roots as a competition for league winners, only give those winners automatic entry into the Champions League. The rest must qualify for the right to take on Europe’s elite. Different names would get a crack at the trophy, and it would add a further element of unpredictability into the competition.
Europa League
When AC Milan found themselves at Fratton Park last season, that game summed up what the UEFA Cup should have been about. One of the biggest names in Europe forced to go head-to-head against more unlikely qualifiers, with the underdogs still in the with a genuine chance of causing an upset.
Since the Cup Winners Cup was folded into the UEFA Cup in 1999 and more qualification spaces given over to the bigger league (England, Spain, Italy), the competition has slowly declined. AC’s trip to the south coast was somewhat of a rarity and increasingly managers are treating the UEFA Cup as a distraction rather than a worthy piece of silverware.
There’s little to suggest that the changes that have lead to its rebranding as the Europa League will add much shine to the competition. The problem here lies in the group stages. Last season the groups of five went on endlessly and the majority of fancied teams qualified. Trimming back the leagues will help but in an overpacked system where the Champions League reigns supreme, the idea of a dead rubber between Villa and Randers doesn’t exactly set the pulse racing.
The solution is a simple one: return to a straight two-legged knock-out competition. Failures from the Champions League would still be welcome, but they’d have to do it over a series of games rather than the comfort of a round robin to enable them to coast to the latter stages.
Meanwhile, a straight knockout competition would return the cup to what we love best: games where the unfancied side can upset a big name in Europe. Cup upsets are a key part of any competition, and the mini-league system takes this away. And would be something quite enjoyable seeing the likes of Arsenal, Bayern and Juventus having to travel to Iceland, Latvia, Croatia or even Craven Cottage to challenge for a trophy.
FA Cup
The FA Cup is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. The world’s oldest, and greatest, knockout competition has been suffering criticism from all quarters in recent years. If the Big Four make the final it’s too predictable. If we get a Portsmouth v Cardiff final it’s because the cup has been devalued because Premier League teams don’t take it seriously.
Yet for all its critics, the FA Cup still remains a fantastic competition. From the start of August when some of the smallest teams in the country compete for that elusive prize of reaching the first round, to the day out at Wembley: the FA Cup remains special.
Where else could the likes of Hereford embarrass Newcastle or minnows Havant and Waterlooville twice score at Anfield? This season may not have had the stellar fixtures (hardly the competition’s fault – the draw is completely down to luck) but there was something joyful about Histon beating Leeds, while Droylsden’s epic tie against Chesterfield harked back to an earlier time of multiple replays.
And you try telling the likes of Kettering and Torquay that their FA Cup 4th Round ties didn’t matter. Or Exeter City or Burton Albion, both of whom arguably wouldn’t be in this position were it not for their ties and replays against Manchester United.
Yet there are problems with the cup. The lure of Champions League football and the terror of relegation has led to weakened teams in early rounds, although this is as much to do with problems in the League than the Cup. Nevertheless, the competition has become collateral damage due to these issues.
Manchester United’s withdrawal to play in the World Club Championship in Brazil hardly helped matters, and, in some respects, the competition has never really recovered.
The answer may be to increase the prize on offer, namely offer the winner Champions League football. If the final English spot was given to the FA Cup winner rather than the team that finished fourth, the bigger teams would take it more seriously, the middling teams would see a chance for Champions League riches and the smaller teams would have extra incentive to deny the big clubs a big prize.
Of course, there’s one other small step that would restore some of the shine to the FA Cup: take the semi-finals away from Wembley. The final should be a special day, an experience for fans. Having two Wembley trips in two weeks somewhat dilutes this.
Wembley should remain part of the prize, not merely another part of the process. Let’s keep the FA Cup special and send the semis back to Villa Park, the Stadium of Light and Goodison. It’s the least the competition can do.
A very enjoyable read Gary which was on the money with every point except maybe the point of the semi finals, why not let Barnsley etc who make it that far have a day at Wembley. People say about the travel for Northern teams to London but it is just as far for London teams to go to Old Trafford as it is for those in the North East to come to London.
As a Chelsea fan I was delighted we won the FA Cup a competition that was our launching pad in 1994 to greater things that happened in 1997, 2005 and 2006. This from a position far below that which Everton currently enjoy.
I must say I totally agree with your comments on Europe, I think Top 2 would be a better marker for the Champions League, a smaller more competitive competition, with more quality in the Europa league would be win/win for me.
As I said lots of good points
So whats the point of this article?
You say its Perverse that Arsenal keep qualifying for the champions league even though they haven’t finished above third for the past four seasons, as opposed to Liverpool who…. I don’t know…. Last won the league before most of their fans were even born. Your argument is pathetic, self serving and reeks of hateration.
@erwf – how to make existing cup competitions more interesting. didn’t you pay attention in class? are you still looking at gemma atkinson? wake up and stop dribbling
DJ (I’m guessing you’re a Gooner), I used Arsenal as an example because they were handy and had finished a long way off the pace this season. If it makes you a happier North Londoner I could write “it seems somewhat perverse that, say, Arsenal or Liverpool…”
That would be just as valid to the point being made. Essentially, this isn’t a pop at any club, rather the format of the Champions League, and that Champions only should get automatic entry. Which does include, this season, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. And in previous seasons would have included Manchester United in place of Arsenal or Chelsea. Or even Blackburn Rovers. Savvy?
It has nothing to do with the club (who finishes where is irrelevant to the argument) and everything to do with the competition.
I won’t say it reeks of hateration.
I’ve made this point elsewhere, though. Fact is – think about it. If we don’t have the big names that finish third and fourth in the big leagues, you’re not going to get Inter vs Man Utd or Real Madrid vs Liverpool (ugh
) in the Round of 16. You’re much more likely to get them in the semis or finals, because either #1 they seed the teams to prevent the big teams knocking each other out early, or #2 they *don’t* seed the teams, leave it to luck, and end up with, say, Inter vs Man Utd/Anorthosis vs Cluj games in the Round of 16, and then Man Utd vs Cluj in the later knockout stages, which – let’s face it – no one really wants to watch. Sure, it’d draw more talent to the second- and third- tier leagues, but it would open a huge can of worms financially. It might be good for football in the long run but if it’s to be done at all it has to be done slowly.
I don’t think there are huge problems with the Champions League, or the FA Cup. They both work well enough. Obviously the FA Cup is always going to be an afterthought to the big teams, but that is the way it’s always going to be unless you uninvent the idea of European competition.
The Uefa Cup however, is mental. Granted, the Europa League looks a slightly better option than the old format of 5 team groups with 3 teams going through and teams playing each other once.
But still, if my maths is on the ball, the new format will involve a group stage spanning 288 games over many months, and at the end there is only 16 less teams in it. What a waste of time.
The problem about weakened teams in the UEFA Cup is not one I buy into though. It’s not so much about not valuing the Cup as it is having higher priorities. If a club has earnt the right to play in the Premierleague and the Uefa Cup, and feels it can only compete 100% in one, why shouldn’t they be allowed to choose?
In any event weakened teams are only ever an issue if a side loses. Bolton became the first English side ever to win in Belgrade, drew in Munich and beat Madrid over two legs, all with largely a reserve line-up and no-one batted an eye-lid. The only negative reaction came with the defeat in Lisbon.
Why not give the winners of the FA Cup the final Champions’ League spot instead of giving the 4th place team that spot and then watch everyone field their strongest teams to win this competition. Mind you it gets somewhat complicated if the FA Cup final is contested by clubs already occupying the 1st and 2nd spots in the league but in that scenario then you could give the 4th place team the final Champions’ League position. I think this would revamp the worth of a domestic cup in all the UEFA countries. Let’s not kid ourselves. We live in a very Champions’ League-centric era and if that’s what restores the value of the FA Cup, I’d be all for it.
@Madridista I suspect I may well be alone in this, but I’d happily watch Manchester United v Cluj if it was a knockout game. This may, in part, be down to my football geekery, but also in part my the part of me that has a yearning for cup romance. It’s one of those ties where, if you’re not a Man Utd fan (and, I stress, I’m not an ABU) part of you is hoping for an underdog performance.
@Tom (7) Yes, that’s a fair point. A club does has to prioritise. However, I reckon Bolton would have still have been ok if they’d fielded a full-strength team in that tie (but we’re probably getting into ‘what ifs’ here). I’d not (shamefully) done the maths. 288 games. Jesus. That’s too many, even for me. Hence, why I favour a straight knockout comp for the UEFA Cup. Less games, more fun.
@Daniel (8) Yes, absolutely. You have 100% agreement from me on that.
The FA Cup is probably finding the same level as the Cup competitions in other countries and why should it be something different?
The CL needs a name change but if you go with a model that lets less teams in from the ‘big’ countries you’ll dilute the quality. Let’s face it, the 8 or 9 best teams in Europe are from the 3 big leagues.
That said, you do get the situations where teams are only competing for the CL and not in contention for their national league (Liverpool and AC Milan in recent years), which gives an unfair advantage at the bsuiness end of the competition. However, I don’t see any way to solve that one.
“The worlds greatest” knockout competition? The FA cup is no more important than the Copa Del Rey or the Coppa Italia. It’s very clear that the most important tournaments are the World Cup, Euros, Copa America and than Champions league. The FA cup isn’t even on the radar.
@Rich (11)
The article isn’t so much about the FA Cup being the premier cup competition in the world (although I challenge you to find another club cup competition that boasts the history, longevity and legacy that the FA Cup has). It really has to do with how its value has really eroded in the modern game vis-a-vis the Champions’ League and of course the Premiership. So let’s not bother comparing it to the World Cup or the Euros b/c that’s really not the point of this article. Rather, how can a cup that held so much value to supporters up to the 80s and even the early 1990s have its value restored to those days? When Wimbeldon won it in 1988 I’m sure all their fans cherished that win as if they had won the league… yet the cup today has sadly lost that romance for the big clubs who see it more as a notch on their laundry list of titles (although I wonder how Cardiff City would have responded by beating Portsmouth last season). That’s really the point. I hope that the glory of the FA Cup can return… and my proposal (not that anyone in the FA or UEFA is listening) might be a step in that direction.
I’m with Gary, I’d watch Manchester United take on Cluj for the sake of cup romance. Although, I wonder if the logistics can accomodate a REAL champions only competition as UEFA has 53 leagues it governs, do we give 53 automatic spots? then what of the cup winners/second placed/third placed teams? Do we keep the co-efficient or get rid of it entirely? I actually like the group stage in the CL because it allows for smaller teams to have 3 guarenteed home fixtures, which brings in more revenue, which allows them to bring in better quality players, which improves their league, so maybe we make everyone qualify for the group stages?
I like the idea of taking away the 4th spot qualification and giving it to the winner of the FA cup/copa del rey/coppa Italia, because hell, the competitions used to be about pride, now it’s about incentive. Would you fight tooth and nail for a cup that rewarded you with less than where you finish in the league?
You know what else needs some shine? The club world cup, I grew up in Asia, so it was rather important, entering the CWC meant playing the best European and South American team. I can see the glaring flaw in that it is based in Japan and always takes place there, so maybe moving it annually, but I don’t see it really taking hold in Europe. The other problem being that it’s 2 weeks long, it feels more like an exhibition tournament than a legitimate competition, this though is a rather large point of contention between my friends and I, should we extend and expand the tournament at the cost of imposing on the already taxing fixture lists of clubs participating on multiple fronts whose key players also turn out for their national team every so often?
Thoughts?