"MINNOWS" TO "GIANT KILLERS" - WELCOME BACK THE F.A. CUP

Well for this particular fan it wasn't such a welcome start to the F.A. Cup's third round. As per usual all the hype had been building for a game that presented League Two side Stevenage welcoming F.A. Cup 'rivals' Newcastle United in a game which could present the opportunity for a large scale upset. There is history between these two clubs, as ESPN made crystal clear in their tiresome build up to the game, with a tie in the fourth round back in 1998 needing two rounds for the Alan Shearer led Toon Army to surpass the then non-league Stevenage outfit. Many remember this game for the embarrassing closeness by which Newcastle avoided defeat, yet this time all will laugh and remember the time when Newcastle Utd. were outplayed and outclassed in a 3-1 defeat to a team placed 70 odd places behind them in league standings.
      Watching this game I was shocked, embarrassed and very, very confused. Yet what more should I have expected? From what I have seen of the weekend's results we were not the only team to be put to the sword by lower opposition. Arsenal drew with Leeds, Sunderland lost to Notts County and both Premier League sides were at home. It seems that if anything, this is a case of team mentality rather than skill. This cannot be an excuse for Premier League teams, for in my own opinion, every game matters. Teams should be ready to excel and relish opportunities to dismantle lower league opponents, like Chealsea's 7-0 annihilation of manager-less Ipswich. Yet this is so often not the case, and is what many see as the beauty of the F.A. Cup, with spirit, determination and belief providing the basis for fantastic performances from teams that would so often lie dormant within their respected leagues.
     I personally have never enjoyed following Newcastle adamantly through an F.A. Cup run due to my age and commitments at the time of the 1998 and 1999 F.A. Cup finals, so therefore feel as if I have never truly connected with the cup. This does sound strange but it's something that bothers me slightly, for I feel as if personally I haven't quite grasped the 'magic' of it yet.
     This magic is often built up of a formula I think of as something similar to this:

   ("Minnows" team spirit, belief and basic footballing ability) + (Premier League arrogance and lack of respect, poor mentality and effects of chaotic winter period games) + the opportunity for lower league sides to either welcome P.L teams at HOME or be inspired on the big stage AWAY = The 'Giant Killer' equation.

  It's a strange one with the F.A. cup, for there are always Premier League teams that fall into the above formula, almost as if a lesson is never learned from years previous and so on. The fact that Premier League teams often don't even put out their starting eleven in this cup is another matter altogether. Of course I understand the need for youth talent to pick up experience and reserves to get a game, but when your reputation and chance to proceed in this historic tournament is on the line, surely your strongest side available is necessary? I point a finger right at Arsene Wenger here. For me he epitomises the arrogance of the Premier League, fielding weak and inexperienced sides for years in both the F.A. and League Cup. He is not the only one at it, Ian Holloway made nine changes to his first team for this weekend's loss to the Saints. His excuse was that Blackpool were never going to win the F.A. Cup in the first place, so he believes, why risk injury to key players that are needed in the Premier League battle to stay afloat let alone in a comfortable 13th place.
    I despise this sort of negativity. Mr. Holloway would say he is being realistic, yet how can you tell in the F.A. Cup? Look at Portsmouth, winners and finalists in such a short space of time yet also relegated. The F.A. Cup is about more than realism, it's about positivity and belief. It seems a bit cliche to be saying all this but I strongly believe it to be true. From the Premier League team's point of view is it a case of forgetting all connections with league position and they may have a stronger chance, or is this too simplistic? Is the F.A. Cup really not that important to footballers and managers these days? English players who have grown up watching this historic cup must know its importance and surely dream of lifting it after a climb up those Wembley steps. Cups are what fans thrive on, silverware can mean everything, I would know, we've been after one for some 42 years now...
   
Jesse   

p.s. if anyone feels like commenting Will and I know how difficult it can be on Blogger so we ask you to send us an email at degodenzonen11@gmail.com. Hopefully if constructive we can start putting some of these up for debate etc.

 thanks