Last weekend, on Radio 5 Live’s 606 show, I suggested scrapping FA Cup replays in conjunction with readdressing the distribution of the funds they generate.
Our phonelines erupted with angry fans appalled by the suggestion. My Twitter also went crazy.
Richer teams want fewer games to ease fixture congestion, poorer teams want more because they provide additional or essential finance. Given each side has something the other wants, there is a compromise to be made.
Someone who strongly disagreed with me was former Republic of Ireland international Jonathan Walters.
“FA Cup replays can help clubs lower down survive another year and all the jobs that come with that,” he tweeted.
Tranmere’s vice chairwoman, Nicola Palios, also recently took to Twitter to argue with Gary Lineker, a fellow supporter of scrapping replays, suggesting that fewer cup ties would reduce lower league teams’ revenue and send them down the same route as Bury.
While each of their comments was liked thousands of times over, I couldn’t help but read them and wonder how they were garnering mass support as opposed to causing mass panic.
What happened to Bury in December was a stain on the fabric of English football and should never be allowed to happen again.
Are ex-pros and executives honestly suggesting that the slim chance of an FA Cup replay against Premier League opposition is what may be preventing some clubs becoming the next Bury?
If that is indeed the case, this shouldn’t be an argument for more ties, it should be an argument for an urgent overhaul of football’s finances.
My proposal is simple. Play cup ties over 90 minutes and go straight to penalties to alleviate fixture congestion and avoid player burnout. However, when the draw is made, the lower-ranked team gets the choice of playing the tie at home or away.
Lower league teams can then choose the most financially rewarding option, or can opt to reward their supporters and players with their dream outcome – or they could even select whatever outcome they feel benefits their team most tactically to advance further in the competition.
Let’s stop lower-league clubs praying for the glamour tie they want or need, and help them out with a more stable and sustainable plan.
And while scrapping replays, let’s urgently readdress lower league funding - from the unfair Elite Player Performance Plan to a review of the knock-on effects of parachute payments.
That is how we will stop clubs following Bury – not by preserving a flawed system for the sake of nostalgia.
