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Eggbert Nobacon 12:09 Fri Feb 19
Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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West Ham's Slaven Bilic: Let's ditch FA Cup replays and introduce a winter break
Before we begin to talk about changing the FA Cup I would just like to nail my colours to the mast — I absolutely love it!
Anyone lucky enough to be at our fourth-round replay against Liverpool would surely agree and it will be a long time before they forget the sheer drama of that night.
The FA and the Premier League have concerns, though, and they are right to be worried.
While the Premier League believe the sheer intensity of matches could harm English club’s chances in Europe, the FA’s concern is that England players go into crucial internationals at the end of a long season tired and jaded.
Scrapping FA Cup replays, which is being discussed, would be radical and I would only be in favour if that opened the door for a winter break in this country, something which is long overdue and vitally important.
There is no doubt that not having a break puts English clubs still competing in Europe in the second part of the season at a disadvantage and the same goes for the England team when it comes to the big tournaments.
The break doesn’t have to be long, perhaps a week off for the players and another 10 days mini pre-season.
If the option is either keeping replays or having a winter break, I would vote for the latter.
It is not an easy one because the fans in this country love the Cup, its history and tradition. I do also.
If every Cup game was like our replay against Liverpool, you would want them all to finish as draws!
If it’s going to stop this country introducing a winter break, though, then replays have to go. It’s not as if we are trying to fill our calendar with matches, is it?
READ MORE
When is the FA Cup sixth round draw?
It is not just about the big fish either. The FA Cup is about the lower league clubs having the chance to kill the giant — and remember they have 46 League games a season so don’t need any more.
In other countries in which I have played or managed, things are different. In my home country, Croatia, they have replays in some of the rounds but the League is only 10 teams.
There has also been talk about cutting the Premier League to 18 clubs to reduce the calendar and begin a winter break but that is not a good idea.
In Italy, they went the opposite way some years ago and increased their league from 18 to 20 but some clubs have not been competitive and I think it was better before. In England it is not like that. There is enough quality to keep it at 20 so I wouldn’t want it reduced.
In Turkey the top league has 18 teams and in Russia, they have just 16 although they have a longer winter break.
In this country, with the football tradition, so many big clubs and with the money coming in, I would certainly keep it at 20.
I don’t believe you need to tinker with the size of the league. Yes, stop replays if you have to and then just fit in two more midweek matches, with one of them at the beginning of the season when the players are fit and fresh.
Even without replays, the FA Cup would still flourish.
Stretched by injuries but determined to fight on
We are looking forward to our fifth‑round FA Cup tie at Blackburn on Sunday. More than 7,000 of our fans will travel up there so we want to perform well for them.
I don’t really know their manager Paul Lambert but I have spoken to him several times because our defender Doneil Henry has been on loan there.
When Paul played for Dortmund I had already moved from Germany to England so we missed each other as players. However, we have talked about our time there especially him moving to Germany as a relative unknown player and going on to win the European Cup — a magnificent achievement.
Sunday is a big opportunity for us. We have decisions to make on our team, especially in defence where we are without a specialist right-back and up front where we will be without both Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia.
However, Manuel Lanzini is back in the squad, which is a big bonus while Emmanuel Emenike is available.
We do have some other injures and on the one hand it would have been good to have had a week off. We would probably have gone abroad somewhere like other clubs.
We wouldn’t swap a week off, though, for a chance of going through to the quarter-final.
Absolutely no way.
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Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
Eggbert Nobacon
12:09 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Salv?????
Doh
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Eddie B
12:11 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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I love Slav, but he's fucking wrong iro the FA Cup.
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Marston Hammer
12:12 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Don't agree with scrapping replays.
If we had a winter break most clubs would end up flying halfway round the world for lucrative friendlies.
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whufcroe
12:15 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Can't agree with that, totally against a winter break and scraping FA Cup replays, that would be the final nail in coffin of the cup I reckon.
You just have to look at the replays this season to see that.
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i-Ron
12:17 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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OMG I JUST FUCKING LOVE HIM 😍❤️😘
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Buster
12:17 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Probably the only thing he's ever said that I don't agree with.
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One McAvennieeeeee
12:18 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Oh Slav, what have you done!
Spare room for you tonight!
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charleyfarley
12:20 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Don't agree with scrapping replays, small clubs not getting a giant payday with a replay at a big club would be bad news
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whufcroe
12:22 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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I guess had they gone abroad it would have been seen as a jolly up?
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B6NY B
12:22 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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From a selfish point of view, I would like the winter break,. Have the FA cup 3rd round, then football back at end of jan or first week of feb. 3 weeks, financially that would help me!
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JONESY
12:25 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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no shit Russia has a long winter break.....
it gets pretty fucking cold there!
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whufcroe
12:26 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Not really sure how it would help financially
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Eggbert Nobacon
12:26 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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B6
More likley we'd lose the Xmas/New Year program
Which I love!
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Grumpster
12:28 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Sorry Slaven son you fucking legend, but you're wrong here.
Am starting to realise the British are obviously the toughest cunts in the world, as it's only since the influx of overseas managers and players that people have been moaning about needing a break.
New European cup formats to blame, with the ridiculous amount of games now played to win the fuckers.
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madeeasy
12:31 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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One of the few things i disagree with him on.
Scrap the first england firendly which is normally at the start of the seaons and fit in another premier league game there.
Then have the Fa cup on the first saturday of January and then have the second saturday off.
For those that want to rest players for ties with lower league teams this would mean up to 3 weeks off for key players and that would give all the teams a minimum of 10 days off.
However i would stipulate that no friendlies are to be played for commercial reasons during this time and any matches would be played behind closed doors in training camps.
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whufcroe
12:31 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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"More likley we'd lose the Xmas/New Year program"
Not a chance, they produce massive viewing figures for Sky & BT
When it's been brought up at the PL it's been for after the first weekend of January or 3rd round weekend.
Still I have no idea how it could work or what benefit would be gained from a winter break.
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B6NY B
12:31 Fri Feb 19
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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whufcroe 12:26 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
Not really sure how it would help financially
Because football is expensive, and going away games just after Christmas is expensive? It's from my point of view, that's all!
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whufcroe
12:32 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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"However i would stipulate that no friendlies are to be played for commercial reasons during this time and any matches would be played behind closed doors in training camps."
and who would stipulate that then?
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madeeasy
12:33 Fri Feb 19
Re: here you go Mac, Salvs Standard bit
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Croe, surely it is just to give the players a full week off from training and let their bodies recover a bit and not have the stress of working 2 hours a day during the week.....
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whufcroe
12:33 Fri Feb 19
Re: Here you go Mac, Slav's Standard bit
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B6NY B 12:31 Fri Feb 19
But if you wanted to go to those games then they are going to be midweek games in February, March and April which more often than not are more expensive.
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