On Match of the Day the wonderfully enthusiastic Jonathan Pearce declared the FA Cup as the greatest cup competition in the world and after weekends like this one, it feels as though he is right.
In keeping with the story of this season’s cup, intrigue, upset, controversy and, most importantly, excitement all featured as the grand old competition showed the best of itself at places like Vale Park, Field Mill, the Racecourse Ground and Craven Cottage.
The performance of the last sixteen came from Port Vale who, after knocking out Sunderland, have now won more cup games this season – seven – than they have in League One – six – where they currently sit bottom. But Mansfield and Wrexham certainly ran them close.
The secret to it this time round seemed very simple. Mansfield, Port Vale and Wrexham were all playing at home. Just as non-league Macclesfield were when they knocked out holders Crystal Palace back in January.
The jeopardy increases tenfold when big teams travel to smaller ones and it’s always been this way. And as the gap in quality and resources between the Premier League and rest continues to grow wider, it’s tempting to wonder whether an FA Cup rule change would help.
Callum Doyle celebrates for Wrexham – who thrived playing at home against Chelsea
It already happens in Germany where – up until the last sixteen stage – lower league teams automatically play at home against outfits from the upper echelons. There is no reason why that couldn’t happen here and there is no particular reason why it should stop until we reach the Wembley semi-finals.
If we already knew before tonight’s draw, for example, that Port Vale and indeed Championship Southampton would be playing at home in the quarter-finals over Easter weekend then it would only add to the allure of our great domestic cup.
Good luck getting it past the chairmen and the owners, mind. Offered a home ‘glamour’ tie and a money-spinning trip to the Emirates or Anfield, they would take the latter every time.
Sad but true.
Can the top flight ease the pyramid’s pain?
Not that this would be such an issue if the Premier League could find a way to divert a little more of its riches down the pyramid. That’s the view of Mansfield manager Nigel Clough, anyway.
When we met to talk ten days out from Saturday’s game, conversation briefly touched on the issue of money and Clough argued that five per cent of Premier League wages should be siphoned off to ensure the health of clubs further down the food chain.
‘Without the pyramid we don’t get Macclesfield beating the holders in round three and therefore we don’t get one of the stories of the season,’ said Clough.
‘Would the Premier League players miss that five per cent every month? I think they would be okay.’
One problem that continues to muddy the waters of this enduring issue is that the Premier League clubs don’t trust counterparts in the EFL to spend their money properly. And they have good reason to think this. The Championship in particular is awash irresponsible ownership and clubs who have overspent recklessly in a desperate bid to win promotion.
Why, therefore, should Premier League agree to fund this chaos?
‘I hear that argument and I understand it,’ says Clough.
‘But the Premier League would have control over where the money went. I am not talking about handing it out willy-nilly without thought or responsibility.
‘But you give it to a club that needs help with a pitch or a training ground. You do it on a case-by-case basis.
‘What you don’t want to do is damage the Premier League. But the EFL is a great product and needs looking after too.
‘That five per cent from top flight wages would be absolutely massive to everybody else down here. We shouldn’t give up on this. We should keep chipping away.’
An excuse to dive
Early in the game at Field Mill, Mansfield’s Rhys Oates muscled past Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera and was pulled down. The offence started outside the penalty area but continued inside.
We have seen examples recently – for example when Crystal Palace lost at Manchester United – were such an infringement has led to a penalty.
The difference on this occasion is that Oates bounced back up again and played on. He still had the ball. The referee could still have stopped the game but he didn’t. And this – to a degree – is why some players choose to dive.
Honesty gets you nowhere.
Mansfield’s Rhys Oates muscled past Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera and was pulled down
Say no to Monday night Cup football
The draw for the next round will take place tonight before West Ham play Brentford. So we will know the line-up for the last eight before the last sixteen stage is even finished.
Only in English football would we allow this nonsense to happen and it’s deeply unfair on the two clubs as it all makes the final game of the FA Cup weekend look and feel like an after-thought.
A Friday night game to kick off an FA Cup round feels justifiable but – now we only have eight games – it should all be done and wrapped up by Sunday night.
I would love to know what tonight’s TNT viewing figures are for the game? High enough to justify this stupidity? I doubt it.
Robbo sale talk was madness
Liverpool didn’t need home advantage to win at Wolves on Friday night and their 3-1 victory was sparked by a relatively rare goal from Andy Robertson, his first in a domestic competition for almost two years.
Afterwards the Scot touched on Liverpool’s decision to contemplate an offer from Spurs in January and the more we think about that one, the madder it sounds.
Yes, Robertson, 32 this Wednesday, is out of contract this summer and there is a chance he could leave Anfield for nothing. Liverpool could have pocketed a few quid had they sold him in January.
But some things matter more than pounds and pence and not every free transfer is a disaster. Not every one of them is the equivalent of a Mo Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold situation.
Arguably, all that Robertson continues to contribute right now is worth more than the £5million Spurs were reportedly prepared to pay in the New Year. With his ‘replacement’ Milos Kerkez taking so long to look like a Liverpool player – will he ever? – Arne Slot’s team simply look better when Robertson is playing and his manager really should be doing all he can to persuade him to sign a new deal.
‘It’s been a fantastic relationship so hopefully that continues and obviously January happened, but that is now gone,’ Robertson said.
‘If we have more performances like we did in this game, then we have a chance of winning things.
‘If we play like on Tuesday against Wolves in the league then we have no chance.
‘So we need to try and find that consistency.’
Andy Robertson continues to show his value to Liverpool despite their January sale plan
Silva to blame for Fulham exit
Consistency issues continue to hold back Fulham’s Marco Silva too. The Portuguese coach is not far from his fifth anniversary at Craven Cottage and it has been a largely progressive spell.
But one reason the club haven’t managed to penetrate the top half of the Premier League – their last three finishes have been 11th, 13th and 10th – is that they too often fail to back up big results.
This season, for example, they have beaten Spurs twice (still a big result despite what Tottenham’s own league position says) and Chelsea but have lost subsequent games against more modest opposition.
For example, their defeat of Spurs just over a week ago has now been followed by a home defeat by West Ham and an FA Cup exit to Southampton – both without scoring a goal.
All of this suggests Fulham aren’t yet good enough to make nine charges for a Cup game, as Silva did yesterday. The blame for this one is on him and maybe it’s no surprise there were some empty seats at the Cottage.
The home fans have seen this movie before.
Wissa money a waste
Similar issues continue to afflict Newcastle who simply don’t have enough depth to cope with the rigours of a season attempting to compete on all fronts.
I was at St James’ Park last Wednesday and Eddie Howe’s team were fantastic as they beat Manchester United with ten men. On Saturday against Manchester City, Howe – who has a Champions League game at home to Barcelona tomorrow – tried to rotate and sadly fell flat on this face.
Howe rested Anthony Gordon and Joelinton and Dan Burn ahead of tomorrow but found the replacements wanting.
Perhaps most worrying of all is the situation regarding big summer signing Yoane Wissa who has recovered from the knee injury that wrecked the first half of the season but at the same time looks for all the world like a player who hasn’t.
Is in mental? Is he physical? Whatever the answer, it currently looks like £55m down the drain.
Newcastle simply don’t have enough depth – and Yoane Wissa looks like £55m down the drain
VAR would ruin great FA Cup moments
The longer it goes on, the more Southampton’s progress through the competition will revive memories of their famous 1976 triumph over Manchester United at Wembley.
Southampton were in the second tier when they lifted the cup fifty years ago and their winning goal was hotly disputed as Bobby Stokes ran through looking a little offside to beat Alex Stepney in the United goal.
It was perhaps the most famous moment in the Saints’ history and it’s sobering to think that were it to happen the same way today, it would have been utterly ruined by an endless VAR check.
Wrexham the latest to suffer
With that in mind, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson wore the look of a bloke being battered over the head by the VAR protocols for the first time as the men in the hut at Stockley Park tore his team’s chances of beating Chelsea away from them at the Racecourse Ground.
Was there enough evidence to turn George Dobson’s yellow card in to a red one after his foul on Alejandro Garnacho as the game headed into extra time? Frankly, no.
The explanation on-field was that Dobson’s challenge constituted ‘serious foul play’ when in reality it was just a very tired tackle. A little common sense was needed in that instant.
Then, as Wrexham sought parity late in the added period, Lewis Brunt’s header was ruled out for a tight offside call. VAR got that one right but Wrexham ended one of the most dramatic nights in their history on the wrong sides of the decisions.
They don’t have VAR in the Championship, of course, and they will be hoping it stays that way.
‘It was our first experience of it and hopefully it’s our last until next season,’ said Wrexham goalscorer Sam Smith.
