Summary
IN its heyday, the FA Cup was the epitome of footballing glamour, the chance for players to savour the unique Wembley atmosphere while attempting to win arguably the most coveted medal of the English soccer season. How times change. Now, with the Champions League and Barclays Premier League all-important, the Cup is the poor relation, with managers fielding weakened teams, attendances falling and TV viewing figures -- of muchcriticised programmes -- plummeting by 40 per cent from last season. But what can be done to bring back the FA Cup's glory? Sportsmail asked a host of well-known figures, including a Cup legend or two .
RON ATKINSONSee the full content of this document
Extract
How to Polish a Tarnished Trophy [Eire Region]
Managed Manchester United to Wembley wins in 1983 and 1985 The fourth Champions League place should be given to the Cup winners -- do that and all the importance of it will soon come back. The Premier League clubs might not be in favour but it's very unusual that one of their members doesn't win it. The influx of foreign players and managers to England hasn't helped. In their own countries the knockout cup is not a particularly big event, although they always say they used to watch the FA Cup final.
DAVE BASSETTManaged Sheffield United to semifinals in 1993 The only way to ma...See the full content of this document
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