Robbie Savage slams FA Cup replay decision and demands vote over dreadful changes

ROBBIE SAVAGE COLUMN: The FA have made the decision to bin FA Cup replays from the first round proper starting next season but it is a decision that only benefits the Premier League's elite

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Robbie Savage Columnist

10:55, 19 Apr 2024Updated 10:55, 19 Apr 2024

Football's Mr Marmite - you'll either love him, or hate him. Read Sav's weekly column every Friday online or Saturday in the paper

Scrapping FA Cup replays is a dreadful mistake and was rushed through without consulting the clubs it affects the most.

Every club who enters the competition, from the first qualifying round, should have had a vote - but we weren’t give a chance to make our voices heard. Some of the greatest upsets in English football history, and some of the most memorable nights, have happened in FA Cup replays.

Hereford’s incredible win against Newcastle in 1972 - Ronnie Radford’s rocket launched out of a mudbath - was a replay. Exeter’s 0-0 draw at Manchester United as a non-League club in the third round in 2005, and the replay live on TV, generated income which secured the club’s future after they had been staring down the barrel financially.

Stevenage’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle in the fourth round, with a squad costing £16,000 to assemble, and the replay at St James’ Park in 1998 gave them the impetus to become a League club. The list could go on and on.

At Macclesfield - where we would love the chance to draw one of the big guns if we reached the third round next season - we were not given any say on the matter. I feel the decision - mainly to suit Premier League clubs - showed a lack of respect towards the dreamers further down the pyramid.

Look across the football spectrum and you’ll find we were not alone in our despair. Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony warned it could lead to a “fallout within English football", saying: “We are now at the stage where the big boys don't even bother to notify us/talk through proper changes like the ones announced re the Emirates FACup. I have no idea what the Premier League or the FA are even thinking pulling this move.”

And League Two Tranmere issued a statement which said: "The decision, and the way it was taken, demonstrate a total lack of respect for the football pyramid and its fans.”

What are your thoughts in FA Cup replays being scrapped? Share your response in the comments below

Football is already being ruined by VAR. Now we are trashing the FA Cup, the most revered knockout cup competition in the world - and for what? To keep a handful of big clubs happy?

Yes, European competitions are being expanded next season, so the calendar needs more space to breathe. And, yes, the FA said the deal would see the Premier League "providing up to an additional £33million for grassroots football on top of the £100m it currently gives to good causes each season.”

But where’s that extra money going to go? There won’t be enough to go round all the clubs who have struggled to produce playable pitches during the incessant rains we’ve had over the winter.

There are clubs who have been asked to cram five games in 10 days to complete the season before the first week of May. Don’t give them a few quid to upgrade their pitches and then take away one of their biggest potential sources of income without even consulting them.

People who have expressed opinions in favour of scrapping replays must be consumed by the Premier League because they show no regard for minnows who dress of becoming giant-killers. There are players in the Premier League now who probably dine out on their exploits in the FA Cup. They should step up and say what they think.

Football is not just about the Premier League. It’s about the 72 EFL clubs below them, the National League and the feeder leagues down the pyramid, where players, coaches, chairmen and supporters dream of the day their team will go up against the superstars.

The FA should think again - and extend the courtesy of a vote on abolishing Cup replays from the first round onwards to their member clubs who fight so hard to get in the main draw every year.

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