FA Cup changes?

[The Red Baron]

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/644521/FA-Cup-League-Cup-Premier-League-England-winter-break-fixture-News-Gossip

The end of replays I can kind of see, although I'm not sure what the TV companies would think. But moving games to midweek would kill the competition.

Better to reduce the size of the PL, but no chance of the turkeys voting for Christmas!

[Padge_DRFC]

Joke this winter break stuff. They get paid thousands of pounds a week and cry about their legs getting tired because at Christmas they play too much.

Nobody cares about fans other than fans these days.

[bobjimwilly]

Lack of winter breaks in the premier league is NOT the reason the English national side are shite.
FA being told what to do by Premier League again? I'm shocked.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Correct BJW. If the PL teams can't fulfil their fixtures then don't enter the competition. Let the big squads play friendlies while their twiddling their thumbs.

Winter break/transfer window. Make 2 seasons out of one? F*ck all to do with weather as it's too unpredictable.

Ridding replays will kill the competition and is likely to mean less money will go to smaller clubs.

[DaveDRFC]

The thing is it they do get a winter break the bigger clubs will all just bugger off to Dubai, China and America to play friendlies and make even more money, it's nothing to do with needing a rest.

[bobjimwilly]

The thing is it they do get a winter break the bigger clubs will all just bugger off to Dubai, China and America to play friendlies and make even more money, it's nothing to do with needing a rest.

Exactly right Dave! I don't think PL teams have mentioned the weather Baz; they are not hiding the fact they want to rest their players for a few weeks. Meanwhile who suffers in all this? Lower league/non league teams and fans. Bloody typical.

[Wild Rover]

Bring in the "Big" teams at round 1, No replays, by round 3 theoretically no "lesser sides" will remain, make round 3 late Jan. so 3 week break possible for "Big" teams possible, if they really need to have a "winter Break".

Just a thought mind.

[Donnywolf]

Scattergun replies to all the above

Moving the FA Cup to midweek permanently would effectively kill the Competition - romance of the FA Cup - gone - but the tv companies don't give a s***

Fans are the last consideration in any equation these days. Book a ticket on a train 6 months in advance and suddenly Sky / BT decide to move it a few hours / or a day ... result YOU are out of pocket and no recompense

Too many foreign Players in PL (to make it "the best League in the World" ?) does cost us as a National Team for sure

Top Prem Clubs are actively trying to get out of the Cup whilst saving face to concentrate on Champions League PL Title and only those who cant win League will strive to win the Cup so they can have the "token" Silverware. They will hypocritically f*** off to China if they get a gap / winter break ... and in the case of Man U just decide they don't even want to enter the FA Cup as they have bigger fish to fry in China (a few years back). It will be great watching them scrabbling around trying to win a Trophy that they held so much in disdain that they could not be bothered to enter it any more.

Oh and BBC Sky ITV ffs stop calling it the greatest Cup Competition in the world - its a busted flush

[drfchound]

Calling for a winter break is crazy in England anyway.
Obviously the time of the break would have to be announced and planned months in advance.
How can anyone tell so far ahead when the "big freeze" will be, so we could have a break when the weather is suitable for playing then resume as the snow and ice begin.
Games would then be called off and clubs would moan later about having to play two games a week to catch up.
I understand that the potential break isn't just about the possibility of bad weather and has been said, the big boys would shoot off to warmer climes to play for big bucks.
However, they already whinge about playing too many matches so i dont see how this could be an advantage to them.

[idler]

Why not just expel Man U. Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea and or Liverpool and tell them to find their own European league.
Their fans would soon get fed up of coming second to Barca or Real and not being able to afford away away games.
The bragging rights on a Monday morning wouldn't be there either.
A fitting end for greedy clubs and glory hunting fans.

[bobjimwilly]

European schedules only affect the top 4 or 5 teams in England anyway. All the other teams in the PL have less congested schedules than we do, so they can all F*ck n'all.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Have a weeks break in the second week of january. Keep replays, allow the bigger sides to play whatever side they want to round 4, after that they have to play a percentage of their strongest team as usual.
Schedule cup matches and premier league around the top teams champions league  commitments, other countries look after their representatives why don't we?
The England manager as well as friendlies should have two, one week training weeks with his squad. In world cup and euro championship years, the season should start in late july and end two weeks before it does now.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Drip, drip, drip.

More of the heart and soul of the English game being squeezed out by the Money Men.

[RoversAlias]

Replays should stay in my opinion. It's the most important thing that they might be changing.

Smaller clubs can get such an important financial boost from getting a replay against a big team, as well as a great moment by earning a draw in the first place. Teams like Exeter can attest to that.