SO, HOW WOULD YOU REVAMP THE FA CUP?
IT’S fifth-round weekend but the news this week has been all about scrapping replays and moving the FA Cup into a midweek slot. Which one thing would you do to help this great competition? Sportsmail asked its experts…
MARTIN KEOWN
Having the semifinals at Wembley has taken away some of the magic so just stage the final there. You used to have to be a cup finalist or an international to play at Wembley and getting there was half of the joy of the competition. My fondest FA Cup memory was sitting in the Villa Park dressing room after our semi-final in 1998 knowing I would get my day in the sun at Wembley at the end of the season.
JAMIE REDKNAPP
Award a Champions League place to the winners. That’s the only way it will be taken seriously again. Replays could be ditched after the third round but a Champions League place would make it the best cup competition in the world again. People want to see Leicester or Tottenham face the European elite next season but imagine if the likes of Portsmouth and Wigan had the chance. It’d be a breath of fresh air.
LAURIE WHITWELL
What about bringing Premier League clubs into the pot a round earlier? Introducing the big beasts in round two would increase the chances of producing those David v Goliath match-ups everyone wants to see. It would also provide extra possibilities for moneyspinning ties for lower-league teams. The compromise for the extra fixture would perhaps have to be the abandonment of replays.
JAMIE CARRAGHER
Scrap replays! Plus, if a Premier League team faces a side from a lower division, the lower team gets all the attendance money — whether they are home or away — and any TV money. There’s too much football for teams who are successful. Their success becomes more about endurance rather than ability.
MATT LAWTON
Giving the FA Cup winners a Champions League place would increase its relevance overnight. But I would also scrap replays. Do we want a successful England team or don’t we?
NEIL ASHTON
Invite one of European football’s glamour clubs — Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona — to play in the tournament as a one-off, but with the proviso that they must play every round in England.
MATT BARLOW
Sharpen up the business end of the competition by moving the semis out of Wembley to other neutral venues and play them both on the same day when there are no Premier League games. Maybe even try to play four quarter-finals on one day with no Premier League games too. Focus minds on the glory of the competition and celebrate FA Cup days. Losing replays would be sad for nostalgics like me.