Sir Steve - vindicated?

[Dirk Gently]

What has that got to do with this season?

"Simple".

I was n't talking about this season. Just seems like a reasonable idea for the future to me.

You needn't even make it that complicated to administer. Do what Arsenal do - make the first couple of cup ties included in your season ticket. Voila!

[Platypuss]

What has that got to do with this season?

"Simple".

I was n't talking about this season. Just seems like a reasonable idea for the future to me.

You talked about beating Newcastle/West Brom and about giving priority to those who went tonight - make your bloddy mind up!

[Sonic]

What has that got to do with this season?

"Simple".

I was n't talking about this season. Just seems like a reasonable idea for the future to me.

You needn't even make it that complicated to administer. Do what Arsenal do - make the first couple of cup ties included in your season ticket. Voila!

I do agree, but adding more games to the season ticket will increase the cost and this will not suit everyone.

[Dirk Gently]

True, but no-one can have it both ways - the people who it wouldn't suit would be the 11 thousand who stayed away today.

[readingbedding]

What has that got to do with this season?

"Simple".

In the past when Reading had a good draw in the Cup, the club made the incentive for fans to attend the regular games leading up to the Cup match by issuing vouchers for the plum draw in the Cup.
It's changed somewhat now.

[Sonic]

What has that got to do with this season?

"Simple".

I was n't talking about this season. Just seems like a reasonable idea for the future to me.

You talked about beating Newcastle/West Brom and about giving priority to those who went tonight - make your bloddy mind up!

Too late at night for this !!! I was using the example of this year to explain how the system would work. I believe if we had adopted this policy for tonight's game the attendance would have been higher, nowhere near a sell out but certainly higher. And yes I do believe it would be a good idea to adopt it for future years

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Err no.

He's stated that this year's FA Cup 3rd Rd was the best attended in years. 1989 in fact. At no point does he say anything about it being nowhere near what it was 15 years ago.

Show me the disagreement, as I can't see it.

Ok....

Hansen's comments about the FA Cup is something that I agree with.
I posted the link then Alad said that it was the highest attended 3rd round since 1989.

I took that as someone who was saying that the FA Cup is still popular as ever.

A lot less people could go to matches back in 1989 due to smaller grounds etc.

The FA Cup, in all honesty, will never be what it was in the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s because the money in the Champions League and Premiership is now so huge.

Couldn't agree more - yes the "average" attendance is the highest in 17 years, but that helps when you have Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool at home adding almost 160,000 spectators over 3 games.

Looking at FA Cup attendance vs Average League attendance:

Premiership Clubs:

Man Utd: FAC - 74,924 ; League Ave - 75,738
Chelsea: FAC - 41,434 ; League Ave - 41,849
Liverpool: FAC - 43,619 ; League Ave - 43,457
Watford: FAC - 11,745 ; League Ave - 18,986
Reading: FAC - 11,714 ; League Ave - 23,912
Sheffield Utd: FAC - 15,896 ; League Ave - 30,325
Portsmouth: FAC - 14,336 ; League Ave - 19,787
West Ham: FAC - 32,874 ; League Ave - 34,627
Everton: FAC - 24,426 ; League Ave - 37,046

Championship Clubs:

Birmingham: FAC - 16,444 ; League Ave - 21,962
Palace: FAC - 10,238 ; League Ave - 16,179
Derby: FAC - 15,609 ; League Ave - 24,619
Hull: FAC - 17,520 ; League Ave - 18,085
Leicester: FAC - 15,499 ; League Ave - 22,246
Preston: FAC - 10,318 ; League Ave - 14,308
QPR: FAC - 10,064 ; League Ave - 12,328
Southend: FAC - 5,485 ; League Ave - 9,829
West Brom: FAC - 16,957 ; League Ave - 20,313
Wolves: FAC - 14,524 ; League Ave - 20,092
Stoke: FAC - 8,024 ; League Ave - 16,038 (although this was a Friday night which wouldn't have helped).

So that's the biggest 20 out of the 32 cup ties (I can't be bothered to do the others) and all bar 1 (Liverpool) had a smaller FA Cup attendance than the league average. Yes, some were close, but a lot of others were way down on the league average.

Just goes to show that the fans are becoming less bothered about the FA Cup and the FA are just trying to put a positive spin on that fact to save embarrassment.

[Mr Angry]

I predict that the forthcoming 4th round will produce the biggest average gate seen at this round of the FA Cup for close to 40 years.

How?

The following are either at home, or likely to be at home.....

Arsenal
West Ham
Chelsea
Spurs
Newcastle
Sheff Weds/Man City
Man Utd
Wolves (v West Brom)

This doesn't take into account the other games that include Derby, Ipswich and possibly Leicester (if they beat Fulham).

The reason isn't because of the "magic" of the FA Cup; its because of the random generation of who were picked for the home ties, and the increased size of modern stadia in the last 5-10 years.

[brendywendy]

I had a ticket for tonight but if I'd turned up at work yesterday and asked for this afternoon and tomorrow morning off at short notice so that I could travel 480 miles to watch our reserves play Burnley, he'd have told me to oxf*rd off.

fed was good, bikey did well, long took his goal fantastically, goldbourne looked ok, and set up the 3rd, DLC was ok and set up the 1st, sodje looked ok, and with more games and a better understanding with th eother CB will be fine
great game, and nice to see the others get a run out

[papereyes]

Only 11,514 there tonight.

The FA Cup hasn't lost it's magic..........

Why so shocked, the FA Cup is nowhere near what it used to be.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 241979.stm

That will be why this was the best attended third round for years then?

I pointed that out to someone on the bus to the game. He was rather surprised.

[readingbedding]

I predict that the forthcoming 4th round will produce the biggest average gate seen at this round of the FA Cup for close to 40 years.

How?

The following are either at home, or likely to be at home.....

Arsenal
West Ham
Chelsea
Spurs
Newcastle
Sheff Weds/Man City
Man Utd
Wolves (v West Brom)

This doesn't take into account the other games that include Derby, Ipswich and possibly Leicester (if they beat Fulham).

The reason isn't because of the "magic" of the FA Cup; its because of the random generation of who were picked for the home ties, and the increased size of modern stadia in the last 5-10 years.

Ta-dah.
I knew people who can write sentences better than I can would back it up eventually.

It's a no-brainer.

The FA Cup is nowhere near the prestige of what it used to be...

[weybridgewanderer]

of course coppell is vindicated

its the managers job to put a team on the park that gets the job done

he did that last night and did not risk the majority of his first team

as we romped to the champioship last season there was some discussion that our "fringe players" was a mid table championship side. I think last night confirmed that.

[Wycombe Royal]

of course coppell is vindicated

He had done nothing that he needed to be vindicated for in my opinion.

[biscuitsrus]

A real Drogba finish.

And at a fraction of the price

[Skin]

It's a no-brainer.

The FA Cup is nowhere near the prestige of what it used to be...

And you would stand by that if we suddenly found ourselves in the semi-final or even the final?

[rotherwick_royal]

Easy now, dont get shirty.


For those of you who missed the game check out Long's goal - well worth the price of admission.

I don't think I've heard momentary stunned silence for a home goal like that before. It was like 'how the hell did he get it in from there??'

Quality finish from Lita too.

[SWLR]

Sir Steve to take it more seriously next time?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 247459.stm

[readingbedding]

It's a no-brainer.

The FA Cup is nowhere near the prestige of what it used to be...

And you would stand by that if we suddenly found ourselves in the semi-final or even the final?

That would be an exciting Cup run - definitely, but it wouldn't shift my perception of what the FA Cup was and what it is now.

[Scylla]

Personally I would prefer a cheaper admission price to a voucher for a future tie as the club should be encouraging those who might be prepared to pay, for example, £15 to watch Reading rather than those prepared to gamble £20 on the chance to see Chelsea etc.

As things turned out I thought it was worth £20 anyway.

[londinium]

of course coppell is vindicated

He had done nothing that he needed to be vindicated for in my opinion.

I totally agree...many others don't though.

Reason I asked the question was to shut up the muppets (and my god there was loads of them) who said that we should have fielded our strongest team, risking injury!!!


Coppell = Main man.