I agree that the FA should look at improving the FA Cup's status; it's not enough to rely on tradition.

However, I look back in fondness at second and third cup replays; it made a team's whole cup campaign seem more of a titanic struggle. When penalties were introduced to first replays, it gave the impression of "oh for God's sake, let's get it over with: it's only the FA Cup".

Part of the FA Cup's appeal is the randomness of the draw each round (conspiracy theories about warmed up balls notwithstanding). Seeded draws might ensure that lower clubs get their day in the spotlight against higher clubs, but wouldn't this also protect higher clubs from facing each other until later rounds, thus prolonging the boredom of the same few teams winning it almost every year?

I agree with reducing the PL to 18 teams, although I'd prefer scrapping the PL altogether and reverting to it being the First Division of the Football League - call me a dinosaur.

I'm afraid the cup is now well beyond redemption after Tim Loeufjoi's participation in the draw...

Midweek games are a nightmare for exiled fans and those who travel away though. And anything that makes the galling corporate whores of the premier league sit on the sidelines for a week while all the attention is switched elsewhere (as pretty much happened this week) has got to be a huge plus.

The thing about replays is that, okay, as small club in a seeded competition you may get to see the big boys on your patch, but it would also be nice to travel away to one of these much-touted famous homes of football and see what they're really like. (After an underwhelming experience at Old Trafford to see an England game a few years ago, nothing dents the facade of amazingness than actually going to one of those places.)

The FA cup needs one simple thing. Champions league qualification for the winner. It needs mo other change. Suddenly interest is back up from fans and the big teams try again. Easy.

Nurse Duckett is a dinosaur.

It seems like there is no winning here. The cries were loudest about the lack of luster the year that Portsmouth played Cardiff in the final. The final was a bore, the semi-finals were attrocious, cried the media pundits. Yet, they also complained that the Big 4 (which if it keeps up like this will just be an expanded replica of the SPL's Big 2 and should be re-named the Big Snore) were dominating all domestic competitions. I think the cries are louder again this year because Chelsea is the only top side left and the so-called magic of the cup (little sides knocking off big sides) is only magical in theory but not in practice.

I would bet that seeding, which will favor the big clubs, will be the next move. If that doesn't work, the FA can then follow the Coppa Italia model where seeding also has played out this season by having the higher ranked club as the home team. This type of move should suit all the United and Chelsea fans well, boost the ratings internationally, bring in tons of cash, and still give the pundits something to complain about.

Loveboy loves touching the FAs balls

there is a fashion at the moment amongst some football fans of gazing jealously at the german model and wishing everything here was like there: member-owned clubs, full stadiums, terraced areas, beer on sale.
But the german cup is not a competition taken more seriously than shoulder-shruggingly. OK if you get to the semi-final and start to dream of a day out in may in berlin but apart from that there is plenty of apathy there for the DFB-Pokal.
The great thing about the FA Cup is its sheer simplicity. put all the names in a hat and you get who you get. Chelsea at home, or Darlington away. All the froth about Lovejoy or Elliot doing the draw is just froth, not important. To start loading the draw would be a massive nail in the coffin.

And cup shocks are just that: they are shocks because nobody expected them. So media pundits drumming up "potential shocks" are missing the point. If southampton v portsmouth is a potential shock, it cannot be a shock. Is that clear?

Scrapping the league cup would be a start. It's never brought much into the game. I don't think a seeded draw would add much to the competition- you could argue that it's just a way of trying to kill off all the small clubs early on in the proceedings.
What about playing the FA cup under 1872 rules? that'd bring the crowds back

Scrap the League Cup, all league and Premiership teams enter the FA Cup from round 1.

More chance of the non-league teams meeting one of the big-boys and the big-boys have to make more of an effort as it's the only domestic cup competition on offer.

The so-called magic of the FA Cup is that some team of part-timers from the Doc Martins Third Division might draw a glamour tie against a Premiership team. Seeding would kill that entirely.

How will teams in the extra preliminary round benefit from having to play midweek with no replays? For many teams in the really early stages a home FA cup game on a Saturday will be their biggest gate of the year. And how would Burton players and fans feel about not having the opportunity of having a replay at Old Trafford?

Also at what stage do the extra referees and video technology come in?

The beauty of the FA Cup is that any team from the littlest to the biggest can enter - over 700 clubs entered the cup this season. Therefore any changes should be designed with all clubs in mind not just a handful at the top.

The cup doesn't need tinkering with it's format it just needs incentive. Give the winners of the FA Cup a Champions League place and I think you'd find all the big clubs and their supporters would suddenly remember about the 'magic' of the FA Cup.

Of course these proposed changes are all for the benefit of the 'big boys' who can't be bothered with 'minor' domestic cups when they're chasing glory in Europe. Why don't we just close down every club except Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal & Liverpool, then they'd be rid of the inconvenience of playing against the peasantry altogether!

Some thoughts from Germany:
Allows winning of the FA Cup to start in the Euro-League?
That's why it is interesting for a German Team to win the DFB-Pokal. Even if you loose the final you are in, if the winning team is already qualified for either Champions-League or Euro-League by it's position in the Bundesliga. So for every starter it means that you need six wins to start in Europe - the easiest way at all compared to 34 matches during the whole Bundesliga-season.
Even more interesting is the financial aspect: Starting in Europe makes additional 1.5 - 2 Million Euro - a lot of money for a lot of German Teams which haven't such a big TV contract as the Premier League.
For me it's difficult to compare Premier League and Bundesliga because both haven't the same conditions.

Finally reg. the discussion about replay matches or not: Not having replays helps your penalty-performance ;-)

Regards,
A09

"It seems like there is no winning here. The cries were loudest about the lack of luster the year that Portsmouth played Cardiff in the final. The final was a bore, the semi-finals were attrocious, cried the media pundits."

That is abotu the only final I've watched in recent years that I've in any way enjoyed mainly because someone 'different' was going to win the cup. The worst final ever was the Arsenal-Man U one that went to Penalties. That was absolutely dreadful. Anyone whose first experience of watching two teams for the greatest league in the world would wonder what on earth the hype was about if they saw that game.

Madmickyf is spot on. This kind of messing about with the cup lark is all about the new class warfare in football, between those with money at the top and those without it struggling to survive.