| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... 13:00 - Nov 11 with 6146 views | ThatMuhrenCross |
You may well be infuriated to hear younger fans say that, after all the FA Cup brought this club one of its most famous days. Year after year we laud it over Norwich that we have this "prestigious" trophy, when the best they can muster up is a Milk Cup.
I was born in 1991, so never experienced the joy of following a side that won this competition, competed in Europe or were in the upper echelons of the top division. It's hard to imagine Ipswich Town as one of the very best in the land.
My only experience of anything that resembled success was our glorious play-off victory in 2000, and the subsequent European journeys we experienced not long after. Alun Armstrong (it was nice to see him in MOTD yesterday) scoring that magnificent winner agains Inter Milan goes down as one of the best days I ever had supporting the Town.
I'm sure that pales into insignificance for any town fan who started supporting them 20 years before I did. Lifting the FA Cup at Wembley must have been incredible to witness.
Yet, in the context of where we are now, the FA Cup is a pointless distraction. Little more than a friendly. An unnecessary risk to the fitness of our key players.
Why though? Well, put simply we have absolutely zero chance of winning it. Reaching the third round is a possibility, reaching the fourth and fifth rounds is decidedly unlikely. What's the best we can realistically hope for? A cup run, only to be humiliated by Manchester City when we reach a stage of the competition that is way out of our depth? Perhaps a third round match away to Reading, who we've played a million times in the last decade but could have the chance to remind us once again that we're not yet ready for Championship football...
The financial reward is minimal too. For competing in round one, the pot is £36,000... just over a week's wages for Luke Garbutt. Round two it's not a lot better - £54,000, merely 10% of what we paid for our right-back this summer. So no incentive there either.
For me, and most fans I should imagine, the priority is to get promoted from League One and back into the Championship. Maybe next year the FA Cup can take on more significance, especially if we find ourselves in mid-table in the Championship with little to play for.
I get that a cup run can galvanise a team, but why not prioritise one we have a genuine chance in - The EFL Trophy? A trip to Wembley would be wonderful. Lambert hasn't given that much priority so far either, but perhaps if we reach the knockout stages he will view it as a genuine opportunity to get a piece of silverware for his CV, and make the proverbial silk purse out of the sow's ear that has been supporting Ipswich Town in recent seasons.
Paul Lambert was absolutely right to make wholesale changes at the weekend in my opinion. We'd have been devastated if Norwood, Jackson, Garbutt or Skuse had suffered a season ending injury in a tournament we had little hope of advancing far in. I say wrap them in cotton wool and keep them safe for the more important league fixtures.
With everything I've just said, I don't mean any disrespect to our illustrious history and the competition that gave us our finest hour, but right now, where we are as a club and the absolutely massive job Lambert has on his hands to get us back to the Championship... I say let us just have a year off from this one. |  |
| |  |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 17:41 - Nov 11 with 1257 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 17:37 - Nov 11 by Ftnfwest |
Although bear in mind we’re trying to get promoted back to a division within which we didn’t bother with the cups either. |
And so the reasoning is we have bigger fish to fry; i.e. getting back up.
But when in the Championship the aim was to get promoted to the Prem so cup runs really weren't a priority.
If by some miracle we find ourselves back in the Prem one day then our priority will be to try to keep up.
Shame isn't it. We should be going for it each and every time or we'll never have anything [again]. |  |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 17:48 - Nov 11 with 1249 views | Ftnfwest |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 17:41 - Nov 11 by jeera |
And so the reasoning is we have bigger fish to fry; i.e. getting back up.
But when in the Championship the aim was to get promoted to the Prem so cup runs really weren't a priority.
If by some miracle we find ourselves back in the Prem one day then our priority will be to try to keep up.
Shame isn't it. We should be going for it each and every time or we'll never have anything [again]. |
Well considering that the only two major trophy competitions we’ve been able to enter for the last 17 years we haven’t bothered with, it’s certainly a bit depressing |  | | |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 17:57 - Nov 11 with 1246 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 13:30 - Nov 11 by Dubtractor |
Being a football fan is about winning games, about the excitement of big matches, about dreaming of upsets you know probably won't happen, about fairytale cup runs that shouldn't happen.
Take that away and be purely pragmatic about it and you may as well just skip the games and get the results on the internet afterward. |
I suspect that’s all some people do. |  |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 18:25 - Nov 11 with 1222 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 16:41 - Nov 11 by Churchman |
Winning the FA Cup in the 1970s had the same ‘value’ as winning the league plus a day when it felt the eyes of the world were on the finalists. It was the only live televised club game. Everybody watched it. It was on the 2 main channels and programmes around the Cup Final began early in the morning. It was special. For people who weren’t around at the time just imagine if England made a World Cup final now. The interest then in the FA Cup final is comparable if not greater.
I was lucky enough to go to the 78 Final, having seen most of the cup run that preceded it. It was an amazing experience, made all the better by the near miss in 1975. Nobody who was there or watched it on tv will ever forget it.
The league is of course the priority and the FA Cup is Mickey Mouse by comparison with how it was. But I’d still like to see and another cup run. They are still special and one would benefit the club if not financially, in every other way |
I can guarantee if we win it it would feel every bit as special as ‘78. Probably more so given how much of a smaller club we are now.
It’s quite funny seeing a few people on this thread saying it’s boring and inevitable as the big sides always win. Despite being the underdog on the day, we were still a big side when we won it; so not a lot has changed in that regard. | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:06 - Nov 11 with 1202 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 18:25 - Nov 11 by Swansea_Blue |
I can guarantee if we win it it would feel every bit as special as ‘78. Probably more so given how much of a smaller club we are now.
It’s quite funny seeing a few people on this thread saying it’s boring and inevitable as the big sides always win. Despite being the underdog on the day, we were still a big side when we won it; so not a lot has changed in that regard. |
It's quite bizarre looking back, that despite having one of the best teams in the country - hell, Europe - we were still seen as constantly punching above our weight. | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:33 - Nov 11 with 1182 views | TractorWood |
I'm around the same age and mostly agree. I love our history but it's just that, brilliant history.
I get that a huge demographic of our fans have a soft spot of nostalgia for the cup but it's naïve to think it's important this season.
Having been to Pompey and countless home games I also get the emotional disappointment. [Post edited 11 Nov 2019 19:36]
|  |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:43 - Nov 11 with 1176 views | BloomBlue |
On the flip side a lot of fans felt if SBR had ignored the FA cup especially as we had already won it and played the second team we would have won the league twice but too many games caught up with the team in the end of those two seasons. |  | | |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:43 - Nov 11 with 1175 views | Oldsmoker |
Did anyone else get a buzz when our name was mentioned in the draw?
If we don't make it to round 3, I wonder how we'll feel about being left out. |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:46 - Nov 11 with 1170 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:33 - Nov 11 by TractorWood |
I'm around the same age and mostly agree. I love our history but it's just that, brilliant history.
I get that a huge demographic of our fans have a soft spot of nostalgia for the cup but it's naïve to think it's important this season.
Having been to Pompey and countless home games I also get the emotional disappointment. [Post edited 11 Nov 2019 19:36]
|
Wanting to be able to win something is pointless?
Otherwise we're just talking the hopeless task of every club clambering to gain places up the league surely? | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:12 - Nov 11 with 1147 views | TractorWood |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:46 - Nov 11 by jeera |
Wanting to be able to win something is pointless?
Otherwise we're just talking the hopeless task of every club clambering to gain places up the league surely? |
We can realistically win something. The league.
The FA cup is not a remotely reasonable aspiration on a league one budget. | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:19 - Nov 11 with 1141 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:12 - Nov 11 by TractorWood |
We can realistically win something. The league.
The FA cup is not a remotely reasonable aspiration on a league one budget. |
I mean as a general ongoing attitude.
I'm of the mind you field your best possible team at all times, filling the gaps with your reserves when necessary - that's what they're for, not to take the place of your best players on certain games.
Unless they're dead on their feet, there's no need to rest any member of your best side.
If the squad isn't getting enough game time the it's down to the club to set up more games - create something locally if not nationally, petition the league to do more.
But not just make a space for the sake of it at the cost of losing matches that are possible to win. [Post edited 11 Nov 2019 23:02]
| |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:33 - Nov 11 with 1128 views | GaryCooper |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 19:43 - Nov 11 by BloomBlue |
On the flip side a lot of fans felt if SBR had ignored the FA cup especially as we had already won it and played the second team we would have won the league twice but too many games caught up with the team in the end of those two seasons. |
A little different then, it was a first team squad of around 14 players. |  | | |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:35 - Nov 11 with 1124 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:33 - Nov 11 by GaryCooper |
A little different then, it was a first team squad of around 14 players. |
18 wasn't it.
Although on match day, the team plus subs, you're probably about right. | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 22:18 - Nov 11 with 1080 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 13:12 - Nov 11 by homer_123 |
Semi is about the best I can hope for these days. |
And extra time is complete wishful thinking..? |  |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 23:14 - Nov 11 with 1063 views | AlanG296 |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:35 - Nov 11 by jeera |
18 wasn't it.
Although on match day, the team plus subs, you're probably about right. |
Subs? Plural? One sub only till well after Sir Bobby moved on. That's another thing wrong with pampered modern football. At least 10 players had to play the full game, often 11 as the sub wasn't always used. And the strongest team played in every competition. |  | | |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 23:17 - Nov 11 with 1058 views | jeera |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 23:14 - Nov 11 by AlanG296 |
Subs? Plural? One sub only till well after Sir Bobby moved on. That's another thing wrong with pampered modern football. At least 10 players had to play the full game, often 11 as the sub wasn't always used. And the strongest team played in every competition. |
I stand corrected.
I was trying to pretend to be younger than I am. | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 23:19 - Nov 11 with 1057 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 23:14 - Nov 11 by AlanG296 |
Subs? Plural? One sub only till well after Sir Bobby moved on. That's another thing wrong with pampered modern football. At least 10 players had to play the full game, often 11 as the sub wasn't always used. And the strongest team played in every competition. |
And thanks to cortisone, careers were finished by the age of 30 in most cases... | |
| |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 01:04 - Nov 12 with 1032 views | StNeotsBlue |
| Sorry to those of you that were around in 1978, but the FA Cup is pointless... on 20:12 - Nov 11 by TractorWood |
We can realistically win something. The league.
The FA cup is not a remotely reasonable aspiration on a league one budget. |
Nobody expects us to win the FA Cup but I don't understand why we can't at least have a crack at winning the odd game. Not bothering for the last few years hasn't benefited is in any way |  | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
