Leave The FA Cup Alone!

And still it goes on. The desire to ruin the greatest club cup competition anywhere in football. Turn into something that does not really matter and has no kudos! All down to the Premier League small-minded, narrow-minded and introverted clubs.

There were nearly 750 football clubs that entered the FA Cup for this season. Of that number all but 20 were outside of the Premier League but it is the will of the 20 and not the approximately 730 that counts. Football really has gone to the dogs since the Premier League was formed. Why so many? Simply because of the magic of the FA Cup. The ability to take on the big boys. Attend the big grounds, earn some much needed revenue. The wonderful feeling of watching the third round draw and knowing that a minnow, the smallest and lowest placed team left in the competition could draw the biggest and best and compete with the on an even footing.

So what am I ranting about, getting me hair off about? The totally unnecessary reforms that are being suggested so that the poor old multi-millionaire footballers that play in the Premier League don't get too tired by having to play too many games. It is sickening! Do they not realise that the FA Cup has been in existence since 1871-72? That is 145 years. The Premier League since just 1992. Do they not realise they should be giving it the respect it deserves?

We have heard of proposals relating to the seeding of teams, making the competition a mid-week competition with no replays when a draw occurs. This along with other suggestions about lower league teams playing at home when drawn against higher league teams. Why? What is the point?

I will tell you what I believe the point to be. Simply because Premier League teams do not want to play two games a week. The poor over-paid "stars" get tired. If they have the honour, at least it used to be an honour, of being selected for the English national team, those few English players that actually play in the English Premier League, they may be too tired to play properly in the summertime international competitions because of the previous winter's exertions. Bless them! How do they cope? There is no other reason. Sadly, it would appear that the Football Association have now fallen for this nonsense and are willing to change the rules of their cup competition.

So what about the rag-bag 730 teams that do not compete in the Premier league? Well they really don't matter. The fact that a good cup run brings in hugely needed finance is irrelevant. The fact that for a lower league team to get a tie at a Premiership ground, either via the draw or by earning a replay, can have huge financial benefits along with exposure to the wider footballing audience doesn't matter. In essence, football outside of the Premier League no longer matters to either the Premier League itself or the Football Association.

The Premier League has done little or nothing for football in this country since it's inception and with these changes will help to force non-Premiership football into further decline. Decline you may say with some surprise? Absolutely, decline. It has been declining in importance since the day the Premier League was formed.

I fear for football in this country and the ordinary football supporter should too. Unless of course they feel that the heart of football is he Premier League!

Gawd. It's A Saturday Again!

Saturdays in summer. What a waste of a day. Nothing to do and to make it worse it's raining cats and dogs. This should not be allowed; having Saturdays in summer. Surely they could remove Saturdays from the calendar from the middle of May until the middle of July. That way the middle of July would come round a lot quicker. Why should I wish for that to happen? Simple.

THE FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS

Yes indeedy. THE FOOTBALL SEASON. The chance to go and sit out in the cold and watch 22 men chase after a ball. The chance to go and share the tribal passions of the like-minded who, in a very considered way, support their team. Travelling hour upon hour and thousands of miles to watch 90 minutes of action. Always with the distinct possibility that they will come away disappointed because their heroes have not done the business. Picking the bones out of every kick of the ball. Identifying those heroes that have become rubbish. Bemoaning the fact that the manager has no idea what he is actually doing! Being convinced about something that they have known all their lives. Yes, the referee was rubbish! 

But oh the glory, the heart-warming feeling when their heroes persevere against all the odds and achieve that which is the sole aim. VICTORY!!!! The garnering of another precious three points in the never-ending pursuit of success. Reliving every wondrous move, every delightful pass and every thunderous 30 yard screamer that just about burst the net. Oh yes it is all worthwhile.

Meanwhile Saturdays in the summer! Oh dear. 

Bradford Fire - Bantamtrek 2015

Just been highlighted to me by a friend who is a Bantam supporter that the Barnsley City kitman John Duckworth is walking from Sincil Bank to Bradford's Valley Parade to raise money for the Bradford Burns Unit in memory of the 56 that died in the Bradford tragedy and the survivors who were treated at the unit. 

For more information on the Bradford Tragedy please see my earlier blog http://steveodare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/bradford-fire-remembered.html.

John Duckworth Bradford CIty Kitman

You can give to this great cause in one of two ways: 

https://www.justgiving.com/Bantamstrek2015/ 

or by texting BANT56 with the amount to 70070. 

If you can, please give. The guy is walking 73.6 miles in aid of this worthy cause and deserves all the support we can give him. 

Many thanks. 

Steve

Football - The Same At Every Level

Lincoln City have the same problems as Arsenal who appear to have the same problems as Blackburn Rovers. A lack of money and a manager under pressure due to poor results. Amazing really that the same issues can cause the same reaction at the top and bottom of the football pyramid. The only difference really is in the degree. Arsenal and Blackburn really need tens of millions of pounds to improve their situation and Lincoln need about the same as the other two pay their top player a week to improve theirs.

The total reliance nowadays on money is the thing that is going to bring the football world crashing down. Too many clubs spending too much money they haven't got to try and achieve results. Ridiculous amounts of money being spent to buy players who are then paid equally as ridiculous amounts of money in wages. It is unsustainable and will cause the end of football as we know it now.

This might not be a bad thing to be honest. Perhaps then we can move back to an era when football really was "the people's game". To a time when the largest part of a club's income was made up by the man-in-the-street paying to watch the game live in the grounds. To a time when the board and the chairman were not sleighted by large parts of the supporters of the clubs for not putting money into the club because that is the panacea of all ills. To a time when football told the TV what they could and could not do and not the other way round. Never going to happent though, unfortunately.

If that happened then one other thing that I have already touched upon would make more sense. The constant calling by some supporters of clubs for the manager to be sacked. If the clubs were on a more equal footing financially then the performance of the players could be put down to the abilities of the managers. There would be some equity in the standard of the players at differing clubs. Let's face it. If a manager is at a club where the money is not available to go out and buy the best players available at a particular level, then they really are on a hiding to nothing from the off. What can they actually be expected to achieve in an environment where the "haves" will always prosper and the "have-nots" will always bring up the rear? What will changing managers really bring? Probably just a different face to be berated after a few months of poor results. What will that achieve? Not a lot. After all of this time with the game kow-towing to money I would have thought that supporters would have got an understanding of that.

Gratified.

Just a big thank you to all who have viewed my recent poetic posts. They have proven very popular. Be warned, there may be some more!!

I normally get plenty of views in the first few days after uploading a post but I am always very surprised to see posts still being viewed a couple of months after they have been published.

My most popular post by a long way has been "The Monty Python Football" post and that is followed by the "Hullness of Hull" article. I try to keep the blog as eclectic as possible and there couldn't be two more different posts proving the most popular.

Again, thanks to all those that view my bleatings. It is pleasing that there are so many of you.

Footballers Pay.

This is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. Sadly, but not surprisingly, it is even more relevant and true now than it was then.

Footballers Pay

I dont understand it,

And I guess I never will,

How those that kick a football,

Are worth more than those that care for the ill.

I don't understand it,

I think they have a cheek,

To get more than a doctor gets each year,

In their pay cheques every week.

I don't understand it,

What about the teacher that inspires,

Ambulance crews that save our lives,

And the brigade that puts out fires.

I don't understand it,

It really is too much for me,

Footballers earn millions,

Whilst the Lifeboats do it for free.

I don't understand it,

They get millions just to sign,

What about the brave military,

That are serving on the line.

I don't understand it,

But it really makes me sad,

When footballers are worth millions,

The world it has gone mad.