The FA Cup in recent years has seemed to have dwindled in excitement with the top sides doing so well in Europe they have treated the FA Cup much like its shadow, and less decorated cup, the Football League Cup. But with this Premier League campaign being the most unpredictable to date for a long time it seems to have rubbed off some magic back into the FA Cup, and for a neutrals point of view that is as exciting as it gets.
With English sides dominating Europe over the past 6 or so years they have been mistreating the domestic cups with hardly any respect. The Football League Cup hadn't had a good reputation before but now teams like Liverpool especially were fielding a fully different side to the ones fans were familiar with. The FA Cup, the most decorated trophy IN THE WORLD has been replaced by the money available by just qualifying for Europe. Before the turn of the millennium English sides weren't too favourable in Europe after the Heysel tragedy banning them from the competition from 1985-91 so during that time the top sides in England saw the FA Cup as obviously the next best thing to the league title, but with money piling into football quicker than Roman Abramovich can write a cheque the rewards of European football are just to hard a choice to turn down for any team.
Yes European nights are great, Istanbul is probably one of the best finals ever to be played, not only just in Europe, and yes you see the worlds best players in the competition, but that is what makes the FA Cup so magical, literally anyone from the off can win it, from the Ryman divisions all the way to the Premier League, roughly 800 teams take part in it each year, and for those non-league sides that battle through the qualifying stages even though they are battling up the leagues to get into the Football League they know making a name for themselves in the FA Cup is something special and something that can't be copied in the European competitions.
This years FA Cup is the 130th birthday of the worlds oldest association cup, and the English teams have been partying all year round with giant-killings and very near ones too. It is only at the 5th round stage but already we had a mouth-watering 3rd round clash with Liverpool and Manchester United on which Man U came out on top 1-0 winners; the reigning champions Chelsea knocked out by Championship side Reading; a miraculous run by Crawley Town halted at the 5th round by giants Manchester United but only by the 1 goal; Leeds forcing a replay against Arsenal in the 3rd round and then Leyton Orient repeating that same feat with the replay being played tonight; Leicester City did the exact same to Manchester City and again copied by Notts County; Stevenage overcoming Newcastle 3-1 in the 3rd round; Burton Albion overcoming former Premiership side Middlesborough 2-1... That's just the upsets.
We have seen some great quality games that have included goal galore: Lower league sides Hereford and Lincoln playing an enthralling 2-2 draw to set up a replay that resulted in Hereford triumphing 4-3 in the 2nd round; Wolves finding some form in the FA Cup by thumping 5 past League 1 high-flyers Peterborough; Chelsea turning on the style that saw them win it last year easing past Ipswich 7-0; Birmingham City and Coventry playing out a 5 goal thriller of which Birmingham came out on top 3-2; the same being repeated by West Ham and Nottingham Forest with West Ham continuing their rich run of form in the domestic cups by triumphing 3-2 also.
Every sense of the FA Cup seems to have changed for the better this year with lower league sides ever more determined to make a big name for themselves in the cup and show their credentials, and the top sides equally determined to not let that happen is exactly what makes the FA Cup something magical, that feel of rivalry between top sides and lower league sides where they lesser sides have nothing to lose and the top sides have everything to lose in their pride.
It's really refreshing to see top sides pay respect to the cup once again by fielding their first eleven against lesser opposition to make sure they get the result they are expected to get, and for the top sides that aren't quite showing that same respect, they have been shown the ultimate punishment of being knocked out of this cup.
This year still has Birmingham, Bolton, stoke, west ham, reading, Arsenal/Leyton Orient, Manchester City/Aston Villa and of course Manchester United in it and with what has unfolded in the earlier rounds, expect to see a few more upsets until the final at Wembley.
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