Classic FA Cup semi-final derbies bring back the true glory of the illustrious event
Welcome back, FA Cup. Good to see you again. We've missed you. Where have you been? Hiding in the corner of the English playground, bullied by those gorged on the rich treats of the Premier League and Champions League?
Tottenham celebrate Ryan Nelson's opening goal has they head for a late victory over Bolton Photo: AP
By Henry Winter
10:00PM BST 28 Mar 2012
Not now. After the quarter-finals were completed in such pulsating fashion on Tuesday, a vintage FA Cup semi-final weekend awaits.
These are two prime-time, unmissable fixtures, giving the first double derby in the semis since 1993 and only the third in the competition's long, illustrious history. These are semi-final match-ups that would make great finals, and have done so in the past: Liverpool against Everton (1986 and 1989, Ian Rush striking twice in both) and Tottenham Hotspur versus Chelsea (1967, Bobby Tambling's late goal not enough to deny the Spurs of Dave Mackay, Alan Gilzean and Jimmy Greaves).
Always a welcome invitation for a pleasurable stroll down memory lane, the Cup is so much more than a sepia-printed celebration of English footballing traditions. The trophy does more than link the Old Etonians to the new super-clubs. For all its belittling as an anachronism in the age of the leagues, the Cup does offer a modern relevance. It provides a timely reminder that the game must be about the glory, to borrow from the eloquent philosophising of Danny Blanchflower, the Spurs playing legend and briefly Chelsea manager.
Money matters. So does finishing in the top four. Yet little shapes an individual's legacy like a storming performance in the FA Cup.
Starting in 1871-72, barring the war years, the Cup has tendered an opportunity to live up to Blanchflower's credo, to do something special: Alan Sunderland sliding in at the far post, Ricky Villa dribbling, Keith Houchen's diving header, Dave Beasant's penalty save or a 30-yarder from a cramp-riddled Steven Gerrard.
"The Cup final goal was the best moment of my career,'' reflected Yaya Toure last year.
The Cup still resonates. This season, the 131st FA Cup attracted an all-time record entry of 763 clubs. For fans, it's a day out and the possibility of a lifetime of memories. Adding 90,000 for the final and an anticipated 170,000 for the semis, a total of 2,156,347 will have attended ties this season, including 581,949 for the third round, the most since 1980-1981.
If the competition is dying, somebody forgot to notify the public. Global interest endures: the Cup is broadcast in 180 countries.
For footballers, it does not get more iconic than to have a match named after them, such as the Matthews final. Even the White Horse got its own naming rights to a final, in 1923.
Folklore is made in Cups. Chelsea's interim head coach, Roberto Di Matteo enjoys the goodwill of the support partly because of that 1997 thunderbolt from the blue at Wembley.
Di Matteo's presence, and the increasing fascination in his impressive auditioning for a job he is highly unlikely to get, is just part of the beguiling Cup narrative. Harry Redknapp directing operations from the home dug-out of England's HQ will command many camera lenses.
Kenny Dalglish will be in the spotlight. If Liverpool reach the final, their season will be hailed as a success, for all their league travails. Victory on May 5, adding to the Carling Cup, will intensify Anfield's love affair with Dalglish. First, though, Dalglish must plot a path past the well-drilled Everton of David Moyes, who craves some champagne to go with his Everton 10th anniversary cake.
On the Saturday, fans will see if Moyes' centre-halves, Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin, can deal with Luis Suárez, a forward as slippery and as electric as an eel. Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel must stick similarly close to Nikica Jelavic, the Croatian confirming again Moyes' eye for a bargain.
After the reds and blues, come the lilywhites and blues on a colourful weekend for English football. There will be Gareth Bale running at Branislav Ivanovic, Fernando Torres darting at Younes Kaboul and Emmanuel Adebayor duelling with John Terry.
So many storylines. England's current and deposed captains, Scott Parker and Terry, will lead teams out side by side at Wembley (Parker only if Ledley King injured). The FA's beloved competition could see a final showdown between two of the players who have vexed them most this season, Suárez and Terry. Those pre-final handshakes with FA officials could be eventful.
All this intrigue adds to the show, yet only a total romantic would claim everything in the English garden is rosy. The Premier League still casts a shadow. The Spurs-Chelsea semi could coincide with the televised league meeting between Manchester United and Aston Villa at 4pm.
The logic for an earlier kick-off at Wembley, say 1pm, is also increased when Chelsea's crammed calendar is taken into account. If Chelsea progress past Benfica in Europe, Di Matteo must decide whether to rest certain players before the Wednesday semi-final home leg. A couple of hours' extra rest is better than none.
A straw poll of Chelsea fans on the flight back from Lisbon on Tuesday indicated their desire for a full-strength team versus Spurs.
The FA itself has shredded some of the Cup's uniqueness by staging the semis at Wembley but debts need paying. Each club has been allocated only 31,000 tickets, which are sure to be snapped up, even in a recession. Club Wembley tickets not being used by debenture-holders need re-circulating.
A final thought: for students of social history, the Cup provides an annual snapshot of changes over the past 140 years, from flat caps to baseball caps, from a TV blimp replacing a Zeppelin over Wembley and the improvement in facilities for fans, even medical attention for players. Nobody would play on with a broken neck now. Health and Safety would invade the pitch, waving clipboards.
The FA Cup is part of the fabric of English life.
