Admittedly, the 2001 final had a relatively exciting denouement - unlike last year's yawnfest, which I abandoned at half time, preferring to assemble an Ikea wardrobe instead. In the trailer for ITV's cup final programme, Vinnie Jones makes the rather ludicrous claim that the FA Cup is bigger in Britain than the World Cup. I am not alone in believing that the Cup has lost its lustre. I don't go along with this explanation. The problem is not that there are too few cup upsets, but that the prize no longer matters.
Players now regard the Cup as little more than a consolation prize.
Michael Owen's immediate reaction to winning the trophy was to admit that 'the Champions' League was the main aim this season'. Qualification for the Champions' League, even if it means finishing without a trophy, is now a bigger prize than winning the FA Cup. Well yes, the competition is still capable of producing moments of drama. But when the likes of Manchester United field a reserve team in cup-ties, as they have done in recent years, it diminishes the competition for everybody else. Giant-killing is devalued when Goliath no longer takes the contest seriously.