[Guest Post] LFC legend Alan Hansen slams the double-threat that's 'damaging' the 'magic' and 'romance' of the FA Cup. What's the solution...?

GUEST POST: On Monday, Liverpool legend Alan Hansen bemoaned the decline of his beloved FA cup, and having won the trophy in '86 and '89, it's obvious he has as a lot of affection for the competition. Unfortunately, the so-called 'magic of the cup' has dissipated over last decade, and this concerns Hansen, who insists that a revamp is in order, and offers up a solution to improve the situation. Is the FA Cup beyond saving, though?

In his column for the Daily Telegraph, Hansen described the FA Cup as 'something magical', and slammed the 'damaging' influence the Premier League and Champions League on the competition of; He explained:

“The FA Cup is a shadow of the competition it once was and I seriously fear for its future unless it has a big revamp.

"The money is all in the Premier League and getting into the Champions League so of course the FA Cup is going to take a hit.

"I cannot see how it is going to get any better until they scrap replays, [which are] no good to anyone For [big clubs] another game is the last thing...needed and [can created] a real fixture pile-up".

In my opinion, the answer lies in how relevant the FA cup is in the modern era, and the answer to this question varies wildly amongst supporters, players, managers, and club owners.

Not Worth it?

For owners of top flight teams, winning the FA Cup offers little financial reward, and attaining a Champions League place is now more important than winning the oldest cup competition in the world.

The practice of fielding weaker sides for cup games is increasingly criticised, but when a manager can win the cup but still lose his job (for failure to win the league/qualify for the champions league/progress in the last sixteen), it's hard to blame someone for making that decision. Given the choice between the FA Cup and having a job at the end of the season, most manager's won't hesitate to prioritise the league.

Football clubs at the lower end of the table are also starting to see the FA cup as a lower priority, and again it's he same reason: money. Last year, Wigan became the first club in the competition's history to win the cup and be relegated in the same season. However, not only did Roberto Martinez keep his job, the owners and fans (rightly) hailed the victory as possibly the greatest achievement in the clubs history.

However, this seems to be the exception not the rule. In Dave Whelan, Wigan have an owner who understands what winning the FA Cup is all about. To him and the fans, a trophy is clearly worth more than the riches of Premier League survival, though it's doubtful someone like Cardiff owner Vincent Tan would share the same view.

Dump the Competition?

Last weekend, Norwich boss Paul Lambert received heavy criticism for his comments about the the FA cup. When asked if his fellow top-flight managers would prefer to avoid the competition altogether, Lambert told reporters:

"If they were being honest, they probably would do. Not just because of the money but survival in the league is vital.”

This is a compelling insight into the mindset of managers in charge of relegation-threatened teams, and in some cases it can be justified, especially when considering clubs like Leeds, Wigan, Blackpool and Wolves, whose experiences after dropping out of top-flight football are are a cautionary tale for football's current set of managers.

Refreshingly, mid-table premier league regulars still see the FA cup for what it is: an opportunity to reach beyond the ordinary and become exceptional for one season at least. The same can be said for every league club below the premiership, who play every FA cup tie with the belief that this year could be their year. Unfortunately, this is all for naught unless top teams take the competition as seriously as the minnows.

Drop Replays: A Good Solution?

So what can be done to revive a competition seemingly on life support? Hansen seems to think eliminating replays is the answer, but I don't believe that would be effective:

* If the priority is to avoid replays then logic seems do dictate that a manager will field his strongest team to ensure no replay occurs? In practice, however, the priority is to avoid tiring or injuring your best players. I

* With extra time and penalties instead of replays, top clubs will (IMO) still field weakened sides, but if the match is at eighty minutes and still a draw, managers will simply bring on big-money signings to to blow away the opposition, safe in the knowledge that there still remains maximum game-time of forty minutes. In my opinion, something much more drastic is required.

Bigger Incentives

* The ideal solution is to raise the incentive of winning the competition. Reduce the league qualification spots for the champions league from four to three and make that extra spot the ultimate prize for winning the FA Cup. Unfortunately, I can't see UEFA agreeing to this change kind of change.

* Another idea being mooted is to introduce premier league clubs at a later stage of the competition to reduce the number of games played, though this would inevitably incite considerable opposition from the lower leagues.

The solution is far from clear, but what is plainly obvious is that something has to be done.

Thanks to Sky TV, English football is now a global product, with international leagues more widely available and increasingly followed by British football fans. As a result the magic of the FA cup has shifted to European competitions.

The new generation of fans no longer salivates at the prospect of Man Utd vs. Liverpool at Wembley; it's now Man City vs. Barcelona in Lisbon. European football has grown at such a rate globally that the idea of a European Super League has been considered.

Can the FA cup really keep up with the relentless progress and popularity of the new “brand football“? unfortunately, the answer is probably no. For better or worse, at the top level of football, the global football machine has outgrown the relevance of the FA Cup, and I see no way to reverse the trend. The competition will always be a part of British football, but it just won't be quite as revered by fans as in the past.

To Mr. Hansen and co, I offer this slight comfort. An image of Steven Gerrard in the Sky Sports studio in twenty years time, recounting his memories of Istanbul 2005, and how winning a Champions League used to mean something before being reduced to irrelevance by the European Super League.

The farther you go, the harder it is to return.

Author: Barry Kennedy (aka site regular Slippery_Slope)