Romance of FA Cup fading

What was once a historic and famous cup competition has been reduced to nothing more than a sideshow.

The FA Cup returned last weekend but you could be forgiven for missing it.

The coverage was minimal, the build-up low-key and the aftermath all but forgotten.

The money men in the game have turned competitions like the Premiership and Championship into such a wealthy prize pot that few teams care about cup glory anymore.

Stoke and Bournemouth crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Two average top-flight sides who – if they were to lift the cup – would give their fans an occasion never to be forgotten.

It could be the turning point for one young boy or girl who sits in the stands at Wembley and says‘this is the team for me’.

But who cares when you’ve got a game with Burnley in the Premiership next week, eh?

Stoke and Bournemouth would much rather crawl along and finish 17th in the‘best league in the world’than lift a trophy.

And that’s exactly what is wrong with the FA Cup.

There should be a large-scale inquiry after a cup exit to a lower league side.

Could you imagine if either of the Old Firm crashed out to Linlithgow Rose?

They wouldn’t be able to just brush it off and get back to league business.

But we don’t have the levels of money that the English game has and while the majority of times that can be disheartening, we should take great pride in our respect for silverware.

In 2013, Wigan defied the English game by lifting the FA Cup in the same season they were relegated.

Manager Roberto Martinez could have played a weakened team and focused on staying in the top flight. However, he guided Wigan to cup glory while the team were relegated to the Championship.

Ask Wigan fans now if they would swap that day for Premiership football and the chance to play Hull, Bournemouth and Stoke and I bet they would tell you no chance.

Nothing compares to watching your team go on a cup run and there should still be some magic

Very few top teams care about the FA Cup