Another shambles. Knowing your next opponent before you play the present round is stupid. I imagine we will also have a pair of stooges as usual to try to pick the balls out without dropping them.
Unfortunately the people at th FA are just suits that don't know anything about football and are just in it for the money! They don't give the clubs or the fans any consideration and chop and change days and times of games when a lot of fans have already made travel arrangements for the original time. TV companies always get considered first ( a little backhander here and there maybe ) and the fans can like it or lump it!
Like Agent Bruce says, it's purely so they can sell the rights to the draw to ITV right after the City - Notts County match. They know they won't get it on TV if they put it on after the Orient - Arsenal match. All they care about is their money and getting their smarmy faces on the box... @jordan, the draw will be about five minutes after the result of the City - Notts County match. So probably around 4pm, but it could be as late as 4:45 if Notts County need extra time and penalties to knock the Citehzens out. The last match in the round, barring the ones that were delayed due to replays, will be Orient - Arsenal kicking off at 4:30pm.
Agree - I don't like the draw being made before all the 5th round games are drawn. But that doesn't stop the corporate machine from doing what they want, be it for money or interrupting X-Factor or some other **** that clogs up the airwaves....
Just ridiculous!!! And what about 4th round replays being played on the same day as 5th round!! Now thats stupid. Love the FA Cup, but can't help but think its being ruined by "corporate machines!"
Ticket sales arrangements, travel arrangements, tv rights. Not really that big a deal is it? It's not like our players will suddenly think ah now I want to stay in the cup because we have Man U next... well I bloody hope they don't. I actually reckon some of these players are hoping for replays so they get more playing time, it could explain why we're so woeful against so many lower league opponents... or that Denilson, Squillaci, Almunia, Eboue and a few others just aint that bright without the likes of Cesc, VP, Djourou and Wilshere to pick up the pieces.
Why don't they just draw the whole thing before the start? So the draw will look something like this: Man United / Arsenal / Dagenham & Redbridge / Port Vale / Bolton Wanderers / Stevenage FC / Derby County / Middlesbrough vs Chelsea / QPR / Burton Albion / Swansea / Leicester City / Sheffield Wednesday / Oxford United / Norwich City etc etc etc
Ok...we didn't want to make you and Chelsea feel bad that you could only draw Cos that would ruin the magic of the cup. And confuse the **** out of everyone...