A Bradford fans letter to the powers that be.

Dear Sirs

I feel angry and upset. The Magic of the Cup is an illusion after all. After a few days of borderline hysteria – the BBC, BT Sport and the FA have brought me and thousands of football fans back down to earth with an almighty bump. A system that ignores the actions of David and throws every advantage the way of Goliath is alive and well, and it stinks.

My evidence for this accusation follows.

Just a few days ago Bradford City pulled off what was described, in the words of the thousands of people who voted on the BBC’s own poll, the ‘biggest ever giant killing in the FA Cup’. Your own MOTD pundit, Robbie Fowler, called it the biggest FA Cup shock of all time. The public spoke, as did your own analysis team.

‘Brilliant Bradford’ the commentator watching the game for the BBC screamed, as a team costing £7,500 put the mighty Chelsea to the sword. For once, the description of the club was correct – it isn’t often you see brilliance at Bradford City but a few thousand people stick with the club through thick and thin. Honestly, people do support teams like the Bantams however your decision makes me think that you have forgotten that in favour of the need to continue satisfying the thirst of the mighty.

It was a courageous and gutsy performance – the kind a team like Bradford City need to beat a team like Chelsea. Surely it was a lucky one too? No, it wasn’t. The Bantams fully deserved their victory. Ask anyone who watched the game. Despite being 2-0 down, a team from League One stormed back to beat possibly the best team in England 4-2. ‘Unbelievable’ cried the pundits, commentators, media, politicians, fans, players and coaching staff. The fans of Bradford City pinched themselves, in shock at what had just happened. Tears fell down cheeks, grown men hugged each other.

Our reward for this has been miles and miles of positive press coverage. A so-called ‘small’ club who have survived administrations, countless struggles to stay alive, and battles to stay in the football league would surely get their just deserves and be rewarded with a day out on the TV. In this age of Premiership ubiquity where clubs such as Bradford struggle to cut through against the all-pervading Chelsea’s, Man Utd’s, Arsenal’s and Liverpool’s the ‘biggest FA cup shock of all time’ would surely be rewarded with the chance to shine in front of the nation?

No. Nothing of the sort. Collectively, the FA, BT Sport and the BBC have – to your eternal shame – thrown your full weight behind the Premiership clubs and given two-fingers to the so-called ‘magic of the cup’. If that magic exists within any of your organisations, I beg to suggest it is now screwed up in the bins outside the offices right now.

Liverpool will once more be on TV should they beat Bolton and meet Crystal Palace – an all Premiership tie if it happens. West Bromwich Albion’s home clash with West Ham will also be aired live, as will Aston Villa v Leicester. Both Premiership ties.

Manchester United have been presumed to overcome Cambridge at Old Trafford ahead of a trip to either Preston or Sheffield United. Manchester United on TV again. As predictable as night follows day.

Arsenal’s home tie with Middlesbrough will also be shown. Fair credit to Boro after what they achieved.

Many of these clubs receive millions of pounds in TV rights every year thanks to their elite position in the Premiership. This rewards them for their aptitude on and off the field. Reaching and remaining in the Premier League is no mean feat, so the rewards are more lucrative and that is well deserved. I don’t argue that point, although whether or not the division of financial rewards throughout the leagues is fair or not is an argument I won’t go into here.

That aside, the FA Cup – the so-called ‘magical’ competition – is the chance for the smaller clubs to thrust themselves into the publicity and cash frenzy that is football today. Once every season, the smaller clubs dream of the big ties, the big day out, the big upset, the day on TV, and the big reward that a cup run provides. The magic of the cup infects us, but today when I think of the word ‘infection’ in relation to the FA Cup, it’s something a bit grubby.

You have planted a huge ‘do not dream’ sign in front of one of the smaller clubs who dare to do so. A day in the limelight offers a club like Bradford the chance to demonstrate a local alternative to the all-shiny, brilliantly marketed Premier League clubs. The children who live in the area and claim an allegiance to a top four Premiership club they’ve almost no chance of seeing live, could well say to their parents ‘I want to go to Valley Parade’ on the back of a TV appearance and the publicity that goes with it. This rule doesn’t just apply to Bradford, it’s a problem faced by clubs up and down the country. The pull of the Premiership is a problem for many smaller clubs, one which you’ve disregarded today.

There’s the obvious financial impact. Clubs in the lower leagues face ruin all the time. Bradford City is no different. We nearly went out of business a few years back, and clubs in the lower leagues have to scrap for every penny.

The prize for being televised in the next round of the FA Cup is about £250,000 – 0.05% of Man Utd’s revenues (£433.2m) and 0.2% of West Ham’s (£114.8m). For a club like Bradford, £250,000 isn’t a mere fraction of a percentage point. It’s a major impact on the balance sheet. It can make or break a season. It can make or break a club. So, when a chance comes, forgive me for thinking that a club who has just beaten Chelsea away from home should be given its chance to make some big impacts on its balance sheet.

I have nothing against their fortunes of the other teams who will be on television. They too have supporters who follow them passionately, and good luck to them. My complaint is that, having acknowledged the biggest FA Cup shock of all time, you have taken the magic of the cup that came with the Bradford victory, placed it on the penalty spot and smashed it into Row Z. Shame on you.

Yours,

James M

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IN A NUTSHELL prolonged applause for that man ,SAVE OUR SPORT OR IS IT TOO LATE !

 

Fair play to him

 

Eloquent. Just a shame it won't make a damn bit of difference!

 

Fantastic letter all bar the "premiership" bit as that no longer exists in English football.

 

Bravo sir, spot on!

 

Fair play and correct up to a point but it's a little too attention seeking for my liking. ........ I'd be more interested if his letter concerned the media obsession with Hillsborough and the total lack of recognition for the totally blameless people who died in that horrific Valley Parade inferno.

Just go to the match and cheer your team on mate and bollox to whether or not it's on the telly, you shouldn't care ffs.
If you can't get a ticket go to your next match, against Colchester, when they really need your support.

"I feel angry and upset."

Well what a ****ing shame

 

I think the letters echoes the feelings of most local clubs who are given the opportunity to have a financial lifeline via the cup, especially as a reward for a class performance. Whilst acknowledging we live in a real world of viewing figures etc, it is not above the wit and wisdom of the TV people to advertise Bradford as the "giantkillers", especially as they reached the league cup final a couple of years ago. I doubt I will bother to watch the ties they have selected, nor ccan I swee them as high viewing attractions.

Or maybe they do not see the FA cup as a glamour event any more.

 

That letter is spot on this sport is f**ked (as a sport not a business)

 

.
What if as fans we just boycott FA governed football surely if we said we will support our club in exactly the same way (financially) but only if they leave the FA and an new body governed by a house of representatives 2 from each club no matter how big or small one fan elected and one board member and each one has the same power as any other all revenues shared within the league's to make sure no club can become too rich and make sure no club be in danger of administration could we not take back the sport

 

The bbc will never show a fa cup game without a premier league team, and frigging WHU and Carroll , Alladyce's mug was shown about 150 times etc make me puke, Bristol city made them look good ! all the 6th round games will be on though.

 

What a great post....he's right in every respect!!

 

Bang on ! great post mate

 

We missed that boat when Sky took over. Sky were in negotiations with the FA who wanted to do just what you outline as they wanted to control the fixtures that would be broadcast for the benefit of football as a whole. Murdoch entered talks with the "bigger" clubs and outlined their financial plans to them and the clubs went for Sky's version, hence the Barclay's Premier League. The FA got out from between a rock and a hard place by accepting a watered down deal otherwise we would not have a league outside the premier.

 

"The children who live in the area and claim an allegiance to a top four Premiership club they’ve almost no chance of seeing live, could well say to their parents ‘I want to go to Valley Parade’ on the back of a TV appearance and the publicity that goes with it."

It'll be on TV just as the Chelsea match was, what's the big deal?
If children can only show an interest in Bradford because they're 'live' on TV then they want their arses kicking.
If the parents only take their kids on the back of them asking after a TV programme then they want their arses kicking.

The truth is that adults in places like Bradford play into the hands on the 'top four', and TV companies, by poncing around in Man Utd replica tops.
Teach your kids about loyalty & pride and actually take them to the ground instead of cherry picking the glamour games.

There's a report, on BBC this morning, that a third of kids, in the UK, are obese, no surprise if people are so obsessed with living their lives through a screen. Get your kids down to the ground, as soon as they show an interest in football, and get them involved in their local team.

Whinging about what's on the telly is a symptom of the disease, not the cure.

 

Sad but true.

 

We were recently delivering to Kirkbymoorside, on the edge of the North Yorks Moors, and stopped at a pub for lunch.

One after another middle aged bloke trooped in wearing spanking new Liverpool shirts until there was about a dozen.
I assumed they were Scousers whose minibus had broke down or summat.
The match came on and, when we'd finished our meal, we went through to watch.

The blokes all had thick Yorkshire accents and were saying things like, "E's aying a reet good game our Stevie."

I could've brought me dinner up

 

Smug could have written this response for me.

Bradford fans piping up cos they're not on tele, big deal. Go to the match where your club needs your money, and if the ground is full then go to the local pubs, because before long, in Bradford they'll be kebab shops.

The town is awash with locals wandering around in United (fake) shirts with 'Rooney' on the back, they need to sort themselves out the sad bastards.

They'd be on tele much more if they got behind their team and supported them to get to the PL.

I'd laugh at that stupid ****ing letter if it was addressed to me.

 

All about opinions! Mine is that he's right - regardless of what he says, the chances are they will fill the ground for the home tie in the 5th round - and West Brom and Villa certainly don't need the money and, let's be honest, those two games are pretty shocking to be put on the TV! Slightly off the topic but I Hope Bolton **** liverpool up next week!! Be hilarious to see "Stevie Gee's" face if they get knocked out - particularly if it's on pens and he misses the one that knocks them out!!!!! (

 

It's the FA Cup not the ****ing Salvation Army Cup, if their fans were that bothered about the team they should go watch them every game intead of just the glorified cup ties. They avg 13k fans this season, that's half their capacity.

**** fans piping up because they're not on the tele, how ****ing typical.