Televised FAC 4th Round Games

[Magpiegull]

ESPN have announced live coverage of Everton v Chelsea, Fulham v Spurs and Arsenal or Leeds v Huddersfield. ITV had already announced Soyuthampton v Man Utd so that leaves just one more tie to be announced sometime next week. Very much an outside chance now for our Crawley game. The £144k would have been very welcome!

[Southampton Gull]

Very predictable, sadly. As if there isn't enough Premiershite on tv already they just continue to strangle the life out of it.

[Louis]

RIP Setanta!

[Yellow4life]

Everton Chelsea is such a poor game- if ours isn't chosen!

Any dates for these games yet?

[ferrarilover]

What is the point in the FA Cup being televised if all the TV people are gonna do is broadcast the same old rubbish which they broadcast every other weekend of the season?
They will get just the same audiendce for showing our match as they will Man Utd, especially on a Sunday later afternoon slot. People have lunch, then watch the Sunday late afternoon match, even if they watch no other.
That, and the £144,000 will pay Rooney for about 3 days, whereas it'll pay half our wage bill for the season.
Our match could be absolutely thrilling, a non-league side in the 5th round of the Cup, it's exactly the kind of story which has kept the FA Cup alive and well for 120-odd years. The Man Utd game however will involve a very boring United side beating a very energetic, but ultimately fruitless, Southampton side by the odd goal or two. Total and abject snoozefest.

Matt.

[JamieE]

Manchester United have had their last 29 FA Cup games televised. Stretches back to 2005.

[Burnhamgull]

Realistically, does anybody truly believe that Torquay United v Crawley Town would be a crowd puller?

On the day we won't fill the ground so how many people around the UK do you think would switch on to watch it live? How many of us would tune in to watch Lincoln City play Stafford Rangers live on the telly?

The TV bosses are waiting for 5th round when the winners have a greater chance of a plum draw and then I suspect it will be shown live.

[Plymouth Gull]

Manchester United have had their last 29 FA Cup games televised. Stretches back to 2005.

Ridiculous. When will the people at TV stop bumming United?

[ferrarilover]

Burnham, we all take your point that fewer people would turn on to see Torquay than will turn on to see United. But the glory boys get to watch their 'beloved' "Big Four" almost any day of the week, every week for 9 months of the year. The enduring appeal of the FA Cup is that it exposes the nations genuine football lovers to clubs which, otehrwise, they would not get to see.
The longer TV takes the attitude that there are only 4 clubs in the country worthy of any airtime at all, the more and more new young football fans will decide to pick United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool because they are the only teams they have ever seen on the telly.

Let the armchair supporters have their abundant days in the sun on Premier League weekends, celebrating like mad for all of 9 seconds after Rooney hit the back of the net, the FA Cup belongs to REAL football fans who genuinely love their clubs and will remember the matches long after the prawn sandwiches have passed through all the glory hunters.


Matt.

[yellowforever]

I don't see why they don't put up the this game.

I reckon that you'll see such passion and drive in it that you'd never see with the Man U game - real entertainment.

Southampton will be giving it all, but will Man U go all out for it when they've got a pressing league season? I honestly think they can't be bothered, they just want to win and get to the next round.

With Crawley vs Torquay, both teams will give the cliched 110%, no doubt, it means so much more for them than Sir Smug Alex Ferguson and his bunch of muppets.

On the subject of quality, both of our teams are doing well in the league and (well i don't know about Crawley) play nice attacking football.

Isn't this what's the FA cup is all about? Passion that you just don't get in the normal league season.

[happytorq]

They will get just the same audiendce for showing our match as they will Man Utd, especially on a Sunday later afternoon slot. People have lunch, then watch the Sunday late afternoon match, even if they watch no other.

I really doubt that, I have to say....

[bixieupnorth]

Any dates for these games yet?

details here

http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompeti ... 1/4RPLive2

rubbish choice, as if any of those clubs need the £144,000, who wants to watch another premiership clash, at least the leeds and saints games have a slight edge to them?

[Awayday]

Like I said on another thread why would they put on Torquay v Crawley and then a small club with a big team in the 5th round, when they can wait until the next round and guaranteed small club v reasonable / big club game

[Scott Brehaut]

On a selfish note, now that I can make it I am glad they haven't changed the day/kick off time or I would have been screwed (unless it had been changed to the Sunday as I am still over then!!)

[Burnhamgull]

I'm not saying that we should be forced a diet of watching the Big 4 all the time. What I am saying is that there are better ties to appeal to the armchair viewer than our game.

Stevenage v Reading
West Ham v Notts Forest
Notts County v Leicester or Man City

I think whoever wins our game will get a live TV appearance in the 5th round.................unless the opponents are Burton or Stevenage