WHY SAY ANYTHING?

Not only do Manchester United have the already big disadvantage of having to play an FA Cup semi-final in London, against a team from London, they also have 48 hours less recovery time from their previous game.

Chelsea played, at home, against an already relegated Norwich side, (and actually struggled to beat them 1-0), on Tuesday, whilst United had to wait until Thursday to travel to London and play Crystal Palace.

It would appear that the FA, having failed for once to deny the prospect of the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final by actually keeping them apart in the semis, are now doing their utmost to make sure that at least one of the two remaining London clubs reaches the final.

When people ask why the FA Cup is losing it’s appeal, particularly to the fans, then there is more than one reason and they should be pretty obvious to anyone who has an ounce of football knowledge inside them.

Firstly, there is the fact that the final itself has been devalued because reaching a semi-final is now a guaranteed trip to Wembley. So the “magic” of a final appearance is no longer what it used to be. Now the poor supporters of any team from outside of London have to make the trip twice if their team reaches the final and, believe me, a trip to London is a punishment not a treat!

Secondly, Wembley is not what it was. The old Wembley had a personality all of it’s own and was instantly recognisable. The monstrosity now bearing the name is just a big sports arena occasionally used for anything which will go towards repaying the massive debts incurred when building it. To put it bluntly Wembley, as we older supporters knew it, has gone forever.

The third reason, as previously mentioned, is the clear and obvious bias towards London clubs when the competition reaches the final stages.

We are still at a loss to fathom out how a football ground IN London can be considered a neutral venue when a football team FROM London is involved, (Tottenham even played a semi-final there when it was their HOME ground but, being Tottenham, they lost). Imagine the furore if United v Chelsea was held at the Etihad and City v Arsenal was at Old Trafford, yet they would be just as “neutral” as Wembley!

We are also at a loss to understand the reason, if it isn’t bias, why Manchester United have to travel to London on a Thursday night for a Premier League match, then travel back to Manchester then, on Saturday, travel back to London and check into a hotel for the game the following day. All the while Chelsea players are sat AT HOME with their feet up having a good laugh because, for them, there is no travelling involved and their last game was TWO DAYS before United’s!

The only good thing about this year’s semi-finals is that there will be no supporters. The FA treat people from Manchester and the north in much the same way as the government do. They see them as an income source and nothing else. They drag them down to London at every available opportunity where they will be fleeced by hotels, pubs, restaurants and the FA themselves and, in the case of United, it would have been TWICE in FOUR days!

The sooner somebody in power, somewhere, realises that the FA Cup was a magical competition when the semi-finals were held at genuinely neutral grounds, like Villa Park or Goodison Park, and not everything had to revolve around London the better it will be for everybody. Let those supporters in London find out what it’s like to actually have to travel for a semi-final!

And finally…..

We said a sad goodbye to Big Jack, the more garrulous of the Charlton brothers. Having won the World Cup as a player with England back in 1966, he went on, as a manager, to take the Republic of Ireland to the same competition on a couple of occasions as well as the European Championships.

He appeared to be at his happiest though when sat by a river in Ireland with his fishing rod in hand and dog by his side.

Always a character and never short of words he will be missed by many. The biggest compliment we can pay is to say that he was one of those people we didn’t see enough of and, when we did see him, he always left us wanting more. Now he has just left us.