Gillingham FC Forum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35266109 - This debate has come from Jurgen Klopp's Post Match Press Conference where Jurgen Klopp mentioned - cannot believe another game, but you want it like this so we will be there.

I will start off by saying that I wouldn't scrap FA Cup replay's, Look at Exeter City, the two games against Manchester United saved the club financially and now there going to make £700,000 for a return trip to Anfield, and The Exeter City Players will get the opportunity to play at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp and every other manager knows the rules of The FA Cup, you can win or lose the first match in ninety minutes, but if the first game ends in a draw then there will be A Replay.

I think A Winter Break will happen for The Premier League and I do think one needs to introduced, but Replay's in The FA Cup need to be preserved and protected.

A winter break is for wimps

Yeah I think we should go back to the semi finals being played at neutral grounds like Villa Park and Old Trafford.I feel playing Semi's at Wembley takes the magic away of reaching the final.

If Klopp didn't want a replay he could have fielded a stronger team. Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester and Chelsea all fielded near to their best teams. Instead of trying to deprive small teams of extra revenue, why don't they look at their own greed. Start by reducing the Premiere league to 18 teams. Cut out a few friendlies such as pre-season overseas tours and give the players more of a break. Cut back on meaningless international friendlies and try rotating their players a bit more. If they're not good enough to be trusted in the first team against minnows in the cup, then they're not good enough to be in squad. I do think there are too many games over Christmas. It takes more than 2 clear days to fully recover from a game and you're inviting injury by playing so soon. However, as long as greed rules, nothing will change.

Scrapping the group stages for Champions League would save a lot of games, but then that would reduce earnings for the greedy premiership teams instead of robbing the lower/non league teams.

Totally agree! Firstly a midwinter break for what reason?? Player fatigue? Then stop playing 15 games across the globe in the weeks before the start of the season. To rest the players? Then ban them from playing ANY 90 minutes as this will become another cash making excercise playing games elsewhere. For bad weather? Our worst weather seems to be in February, I doubt the break will occur then and if we can't fit in all the games now, how will we if we do get a bad Jan / Feb being games behind after a break?????

As for replays, I'm fed up with top clubs treating the best sporting tournament anywhere in the world with such disdain!! They don't support the national sides or the FA Cup and then moan when they don't win!!! We aren't allowed to make an entire 11 changes in the trophy games so how come they can in the countries highest profile cup tournament that is watched the world over! It's about time these managers got a grip and use the massive squads effectively rather than storing to prevent other sides using them instead! Many of these teams will see their players play 10 - 15 fewer games than some so how can they be more tired! BRING BACK NEVER ENDING REPLAYS ha ha!!!

Another foreign manager coming in and whining about the rules of our competition. We need to keep replays, but then again, if you have penalties after the first tie, there could be more big teams losing.

As for a mid season break, I suspect the big teams will jet off to warmer climes and play a couple of money making friendlies. Keep it as it is.

It's rare to see us all agree on any football related topic but this looks like the honourable exception. Klopp just the latest in a series of overseas, "super-managers", berating English football for one of its most cherished competitions 5 minutes after arriving on our shores.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fa-cup-replays-could-scrapped-7378639

FA Cup replays could be scrapped according to this article on The Daily Mirror Website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36393608

FA Cup quarter-final replays have been scrapped from next season.

Another attempt to smooth the passage of the big boys to win the premier by not having to play so many games. I've always thought that if you are so good that you end up in the final stages of all the competitions you should have to prove that you can cope with loads of games. It's a kind of trade off if you like. This seems just another way of ensuring that a Leicester scenario will be even more difficult in the future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53765807

There will be no FA Cup replays during the 2020-21 season to "ease pressure" on the football calendar.

The competition will start with the extra preliminary around on 1 September and the final is due to be played at Wembley Stadium on 15 May 2021.

What are your thoughts on FA Cup Replay's Being Scrapped For The 2020 / 2021 Season ???

Sheer folly and so unfair on the clubs lower down the foodchain

THE MAGIC OF THE CUP, the chance for a small home team to make more money in 90 minutes after holding a Prem. team to a draw at there home ground , why would anyone at the League Headquarters want that, it might interrupt there busy day. Arrive around 8 for breakfast, go to a meeting at 10, coffee at 11, and then off for a two hour lunch , nap in the afternoon, time for cocktails and a three hour dinner.
Leaving to go to their clubs the Chairman says , busy day to day gentlemen, and anyway that German guy at Liverpool he has probably got it right ,what ever it was he wanted, show of hands, OK passed see you at the club in twenty minutes drinks on me.

I think it makes sense as long as it remains a one-off and doesn't become a "well it worked last season so we might as well keep it" scenario. It will be starting later and will need to fit in to a season that loses a month meaning more Tuesday night games without games being called off due to Covid which seems inevitable. It seems impossible to fit them in anyway, even more so when the majority of sides competing still don't know when or if they will be starting their league campaigns. Its remarkable they are in any position at all to play in the cup.