Battle to save Cup was lost long ago

PLENTY of handwringing accompanied the predictable news last week that FA Cup replays may soon be scrapped to ease fixture congestion in the English game.

It was said we must fight to protect the magic of the Cup, as if it were a battle that could still be won.

I’m sorry, but it’s too late. The battle was lost a long time ago. The battle was lost when Premier League teams started fielding weakened sides in the Cup because their priorities lay with the Champions League or the fight against relegation. That was when the magic of the Cup ebbed away.

That was when an upset lost its legitimacy. When a lower league team beats a Premier League side stuffed with reserves, that’s not really an upset. Sure, a big name falls but look at the line-ups and no one is really surprised.

We can talk it up all we want but deep down we know it’s not the same. We’re just paying lip service to the Cup. We’re wishing it back to the way it was but we can’t spirit the Champions League away and we can’t change the fact that the money on offer is now so great that staying in the Premier League means more to most teams than winning a trophy.

It is an indictment of the way things are that Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini should say that today’s tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is ‘not a real game’ because he feels compelled to field a weakened side.

It may still be an entertaining clash, of course, but football at any level can provide excitement. The Cup still brings plenty of hyperbole, as the broadcasters who buy the rights sing to keep their spirits up.

But its essence has been diluted. We have reached the point where the FA Cup is a nice idea whose magic exists mainly in our memories.