Debate: is this the greatest FA Cup ever?

The competition's reputation has been built on tales of high drama and this weekend its history was enhanced ever further. Shock victories for Portsmouth, Cardiff City and Barnsley mean that for the first time in 100 years there is only one top-flight club in the last four.

Portsmouth and Barnsley produced heroic defensive performances to halt the progress of Manchester United and Chelsea respectively with 1-0 wins and Cardiff comprehensively outplayed Middlesbrough to record a 2-0 victory. West Bromwich Albion had a much tougher match against Bristol Rovers than the 5-1 scoreline suggests, but they were cracking quarter-finals one and all.

It's been 33 years since the final lacked the presence of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham or Everton. Barnsley can arguably be named the team of the competition after knocking out two of them - they stunned Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in the fifth round with a last-minute winner.

But this season's competition was tasty even before the quarter-final stage. Havant & Waterlooville, the Blue Square South team, claimed the scalps of Notts County and Swansea City and even more impressively they took the lead twice against Liverpool in the fourth round before losing 5-2. Manchester United took the wind out of Arsenal's sails with a 4-0 trouncing at Old Trafford, with the visitors only showing some signs of life after Nani's juggling masterclass.

Honourable mentions go to Chasetown, who became the lowest ever ranked club to reach the third round after beating Port Vale, and Sheffield United, who dumped out Bolton and Manchester City (in the latter instance with the aid of balloons). Championship strugglers Coventry City and Preston North End enjoyed unlikely 4-1 whippings of Blackburn Rovers and Derby County respectively and Oldham Athletic stunned high-flying Everton thanks to Gary McDonald's 25-yard wonder strike.

Hasn't it been refreshing. And it's not as if the big guns have taken the FA Cup lightly. Avram Grant's job at Chelsea is supposedly on the line after the defeat at Oakwell and Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared to get into trouble with the FA for criticising Martin Atkinson, the referee who took charge of their defeat at home to Portsmouth.

So can you remember a better year for shocks? When has the joy of the world's greatest cup competition been so generously shared around?

Comments

[Keith Collins]

It's a victory for all of those who really support clubs, not just the dead-beat dullards who support the over-hyped big four.

I enjoyed Barnsley beating Liverpool and Chelsea almost as much as I enjoy Palace winning!

Well done Barnsley, West Brom and Cardiff, and all the other lower league teams who have breathed some much-needed life back into what we becoming a much more tedious sport to follow. Let's hope someone pips Liverpool to 4th spot in the league too!

[Scousekiwi]

There have been seven great FA Cup seasons:

1965. 1974. 1986. 1989. 1992. 2001. 2006.

In every other campaign, the trophy has been out on loan from Anfield, its rightful place of residence!

Cheers,

Scousekiwi
LFC fanatic! :-))

[Nigel Dowdeswell]

Peter Hillick's pompous comments reflect the attitude of the money making big clubs and corporate fair-weather supporters. Most football fans will be right behind the teams in the semi-finals and will rejoice in the return to the good days of the FA CuP - the reason that people started watching it in the first place: who knows who is going to win? Exciting!

[Will Chubb]

Fantastic FA cup, from my hometown Horsham making into the 2nd round and facing Swansea live on SkySports...something greatly appreciated seen as I reside in Sydney...to now none of the big 4, 6 in the semis. Great stuff. It should be enjoyed by all.

[Gareth]

I dont know about the rest of the country but south Wales is an amazing place to be a sports follower at this point. At the beginning of the year I wish I could find the odds on Cardiff City to win the FA Cup and Wales to win the grand slam. Here in Wales we often live in the sporting shadow of our neighbours so cut us the slack and allow us to believe in our dreams without the churlish comment on "devalued FA cup" or poor Jonny's form.

[Phil Hughes]

To Chirs Thurston - Are you honestly suggesting you watch the Champions League expecting to be entertained? You must have a short threshold for enjoyment if watching monumental bore-fests between the financial elite gives you even some semblance of excitement.

The fact is amongst football fans last season's "dream final" was over-hyped and intevitably underwhelming; the only surprise was that it got so much attention.

This year, we will see four teams contest the semi's all believing they can win the Cup. Long may it continue.

[Peter, London]

It has been an invigorating FA Cup of the type that established the competition's historic prestige in the first place. From 1990 look back down the years and a few clubs had won the FA Cup 4, 5, 6 times, rarely more, but in victories scattered as very occasional events over many decades, and thus were they special occasions for all concerned. EUfootball-sponsored construction of a 'Big Four' of very recent vintage, reinforced by financial distortions of a 'Premier League' vis a vis other football divisions, has served to load either advantage or handicap on FA Cup competitors, and regurgitating each season an FA Cup victor from the same little clique with which so many are so bored.

Both FA Cup semi-finals and the final itself will get very substantial TV audiences, will generate genuine football interest, and if Wembley has any spare tickets going for sensible prices after they've been offered to the finalists' fans, then they'll be snapped up by fans of other clubs who love an exciting, eventful day out.

[Peter Hillick]

Yes it has been a year for shocks and drama. And it has rekindled enthusiasm in the FA Cup because the Big 4 are gone. Most neutrals I would hazard to guess are thrilled that the predictably has been washed out of it, if only it could be like this every year. And it may turn out to be the most exciting cup final in a long time as clubs will be excited to be there and probably play more freely than any of the big four do.

[Chris Thurston]

Yes, it probably is in the sense that even those who support the big 4 clubs get great pleasure out of seeing the others lose. However, the problem now is that with those teams out, The big drama is over and with all due respect to the teams that are left, apart from their own supporters its now become who cares who wins. I predict that this years final will hold the dubious honour of being the least watched final of all time. Presumably there will be no problem getting cup final tickets, and another nail sinks into the FA Cup coffin while we look forward to the Champions League for real drama?