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Eggbert Nobacon 12:09 Fri Feb 19
Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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West Ham's Slaven Bilic: Let's ditch FA Cup replays and introduce a winter break
Before we begin to talk about changing the FA Cup I would just like to nail my colours to the mast — I absolutely love it!
Anyone lucky enough to be at our fourth-round replay against Liverpool would surely agree and it will be a long time before they forget the sheer drama of that night.
The FA and the Premier League have concerns, though, and they are right to be worried.
While the Premier League believe the sheer intensity of matches could harm English club’s chances in Europe, the FA’s concern is that England players go into crucial internationals at the end of a long season tired and jaded.
Scrapping FA Cup replays, which is being discussed, would be radical and I would only be in favour if that opened the door for a winter break in this country, something which is long overdue and vitally important.
There is no doubt that not having a break puts English clubs still competing in Europe in the second part of the season at a disadvantage and the same goes for the England team when it comes to the big tournaments.
The break doesn’t have to be long, perhaps a week off for the players and another 10 days mini pre-season.
If the option is either keeping replays or having a winter break, I would vote for the latter.
It is not an easy one because the fans in this country love the Cup, its history and tradition. I do also.
If every Cup game was like our replay against Liverpool, you would want them all to finish as draws!
If it’s going to stop this country introducing a winter break, though, then replays have to go. It’s not as if we are trying to fill our calendar with matches, is it?
READ MORE
When is the FA Cup sixth round draw?
It is not just about the big fish either. The FA Cup is about the lower league clubs having the chance to kill the giant — and remember they have 46 League games a season so don’t need any more.
In other countries in which I have played or managed, things are different. In my home country, Croatia, they have replays in some of the rounds but the League is only 10 teams.
There has also been talk about cutting the Premier League to 18 clubs to reduce the calendar and begin a winter break but that is not a good idea.
In Italy, they went the opposite way some years ago and increased their league from 18 to 20 but some clubs have not been competitive and I think it was better before. In England it is not like that. There is enough quality to keep it at 20 so I wouldn’t want it reduced.
In Turkey the top league has 18 teams and in Russia, they have just 16 although they have a longer winter break.
In this country, with the football tradition, so many big clubs and with the money coming in, I would certainly keep it at 20.
I don’t believe you need to tinker with the size of the league. Yes, stop replays if you have to and then just fit in two more midweek matches, with one of them at the beginning of the season when the players are fit and fresh.
Even without replays, the FA Cup would still flourish.
Stretched by injuries but determined to fight on
We are looking forward to our fifth‑round FA Cup tie at Blackburn on Sunday. More than 7,000 of our fans will travel up there so we want to perform well for them.
I don’t really know their manager Paul Lambert but I have spoken to him several times because our defender Doneil Henry has been on loan there.
When Paul played for Dortmund I had already moved from Germany to England so we missed each other as players. However, we have talked about our time there especially him moving to Germany as a relative unknown player and going on to win the European Cup — a magnificent achievement.
Sunday is a big opportunity for us. We have decisions to make on our team, especially in defence where we are without a specialist right-back and up front where we will be without both Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia.
However, Manuel Lanzini is back in the squad, which is a big bonus while Emmanuel Emenike is available.
We do have some other injures and on the one hand it would have been good to have had a week off. We would probably have gone abroad somewhere like other clubs.
We wouldn’t swap a week off, though, for a chance of going through to the quarter-final.
Absolutely no way.
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
ludo21
2:44 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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Part of the skill in being a manager is surely setting out a side to get a relay and bring stronger opposition back to 'your place' where you have more chance of getting through to the next round.
That is one of the things that makes the FA Cup the great competition that it is.
Better off just scrapping the League Cup than totally fuckig up the FA Cup... might as well have one decent cup. though personally I would just leave everything as it is.
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:^)
2:11 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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Ah, I've just seen Bolty's post.
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:^)
2:10 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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Replays aren't shit, but they are avoidable. There could have been a cracking 121st minute winner in the first game had there not been a replay rule.
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Baggins
2:05 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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Replays are shit?
*Thinks back to Angelo's winner in the 121st minute*
Hmmm. Really?
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:^)
1:45 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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I agree with him really. Don't see the point in replays other than the financial gain for lower league clubs.
Fuck replays, fuck group stages of Europe, fuck loads of pointless international friendlies and give players a winter break, in the hope they can stay fitter. It should improve the end product of which people pay way too much to watch already. Quality not quantity.
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Jasnik
1:41 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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I've agreed with a lot of things slav says but not this.
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. .
1:10 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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Why not have extra time in the first match before having a replay
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Northern Sold
12:40 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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In one Fifth.... just that there are planks like Bolty that have never known European competition in it's purest elements where actual champions of their country played each other in a knock out competition ... is there anything more boring than group stages in a European comp?
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Fifth Column
12:34 Sun Feb 21
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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If the Champions League reduced the number of shit pointless games and the same for the Europa League then there would be no problem.
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Northern Sold
6:16 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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boltkunt 4:36 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
Replays are shit. I'd guarantee peoples opinions would be different if we were in the euopa league/champions league.
Typical noveau I love One Direction modern football fan attitude that Bolty you fucked up melon head....
Some of our clubs GREATEST nights have been FA cup replays.... but then again... you would not remember
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whufcroe
5:21 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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"Replays are shit. "
Yeah that Liverpool game was proper shit, well if you're sitting at home scratching you nuts I'm guessing it was.
"I'd guarantee peoples opinions would be different if we were in the euopa league/champions league."
I guarantee my opinion would be the same, it should go back to the old days and have as many replays as needed to settle the tie.
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After8
4:48 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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*croe
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After8
4:48 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Crow is bang on here!
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Alex G
4:46 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Keep replays, no winter break, reduce the number of games in European competitions.
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Alex G
4:46 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Keep replays, no winter break, reduce the number of games in European competitions.
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boltkunt
4:36 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Replays are shit. I'd guarantee peoples opinions would be different if we were in the euopa league/champions league.
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whufcroe
12:32 Sat Feb 20
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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ILOVEPAOLODICANIO 6:19 Sat Feb 20
Yeah as IF they could do that
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bruuuno
10:54 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Fuck the winter break, I don't give two hoots about how English clubs do in Europe. The Christmas schedule and then the early rounds of the FA cup are the best parts of the season for me.
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ILOVEPAOLODICANIO
6:19 Sat Feb 20
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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I'd rather the Premier League banned its players from playing International fixtures from January until the end of the year.
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Ronald_antly
6:08 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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I don't see why getting turned over by Tottingham is a matter of such urgency to you.
It can wait as far as I'm concerned.
The way we've been going of late, we'll start slowly against Blackburn, who WILL be up for it, and will probably concede first.
I'd be content with a draw tomorrow.
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Private Dancer
6:04 Sat Feb 20
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Well Wenger agrees with you, he wants the replays to stay.
I think it's a pointless extra game, just get the result settled off the bat, I'm pretty sure the majority of fans would prefer that. If either our game or Spurs Palace is a draw this weekend then he Spurs game on the 2nd is off. That's bollocks to me.
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