Cup has been a loser of Premier League’s rise

NO-ONE can doubt the vast improvement in the standard of football today compared with the past, though much has been forfeited with respect to social participation of the supporter at grassroots level.

Most certainly, players in the higher echelons are generally far more skilful, fit and athletic.

I can certainly bear witness to this having initially watched First Division football in the early 1960s.

Many defenders of that era, in particular, were much slower in their endeavours than those of the Premier League of today.

This development, however, has come at something of an expense to the professional game as a whole, for never has the gulf between the rich and poor been so pronounced.

And this predicament simply reflects the have and have nots of what has resulted from the excessive commercial side of the game: Premier League player salaries in particular having reached ridiculous proportions.

In the 1940s and 50s in particular when there was less, though still something of a substantial, gap between the various leagues, the FA Cup competition was certainly played on a more level playing field than today as at least a good many of the lower division clubs could make at least some progress, if not substantial, through the various rounds.

Over the last few decades it has become something of a monopoly for competing clubs in the upper tier of the Premier League, thus depriving the competition of its original intentions.

The situation is even more pronounced in Scotland where both cup and league are dominated by two clubs, Rangers and Celtic; a more or less two-horse race.

What has been lost is something very significant in terms of the social element of the game concerning the lack of public interest generally for their home team when at least some progress has been made in the cup.

The evidence for this is in the empty seats in the ground on the day in question, particularly behind the goals, and an expression of disillusionment in general.

In the past it would not only have been regular supporters clambering for tickets but also the public at large, even if they had not previously shown much interest in the game.

Community spirit would be the order of the day.

So the professional game goes on with the Premier League taking on something of a momentum of its own, the financial aspect evoking feelings generally of disgust among the public at large.

At the same time, there is the demise of support for the rest of the leagues, brought about understandably by much indifference, not so much from a salt of the earth remnant, but the general public.

These days my sympathies lie with the non-league and the devotees of such as I’ve been proud to be both a benefactor and supporter of this aspect of the game.

David Abbott, Stoke Golding