Does playing a Semi at Wembley take the gloss off a Final?

[Marvin]

I think it does, would rather it was at Villa Park but the upside is larger ticket allocation.

That's it in a nut shell

 

[manchesterJACK]

yeah it will but one burden at a time first time at the new wembley

 

[bluealf]

It's stupid playing it at Wembley. You 'get to Wembley' as an achievement for reaching the final of a competition, or at least that's what it should be for anyway. The semi's are just another round in the competition, nothing more and nothing less. For it to be played at Wembley is just to help the FA pay back the £1bn they stupidly paid for it to be built. In other words the fans are paying for their fuck up.
Semi's of the FA Cup should always be played at a neutral ground, but not at Wembley. This United tie should have been at St James' Park or somewhere like that, with the final, the glamour tie of the competition, being at the national stadium.

They started playing Semi Finals there long before the new Wembley.

The 1991 semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham was the first to be played at Wembley. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley, which was again used for both matches in 1994 and 2000. In 2005 they were both held at the Millennium Stadium. The decision to hold the semi-finals at the same location as the final can be controversial amongst fans[9] However, starting with the 2008 cup, all semi-finals will be played at Wembley; the stadium was not ready for the 2007 semi-finals.

-- Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:27 pm --

I dont think it's the right decision as proved when two northern teams get to play there and infact this year it will be all four teams.

We should be at Villa Park and Bolton and Stoke at Old Trafford or ours.

 

[city-adam]

No because you'd be in the final :)

 

[Deleted member 14625]

yes as any Blue this afternoon im proud of the team for getting to wembley.

but does playing a semi final at Wembley take away some of the 'gloss' from playing a final?


Chuff to bits though.

As much as I'm buzzing, yes it completely detracts from the spectacle of the final.

 

[maine man stan]

should have put a new stadium in birmingham when they had the chance.

 

[mancitymick]

Demand has out wayed the smaller semi-final venues. Harsh fact. Yes we are going to get band wagon ticket hunters, Happens all the time. In days gone the semi final venues had standing thus bigger ticket allocations. This has all now gone. On the plus side 32k (£30-£60 quid a ticket) City fans can now see City at Wembley, If Wembley was just used for the Final it will be a 22k (£50 plus a ticket). Judging the way tickets have gone recently you will need 3500 points just for a Wembley ticket for the final. I dont agree with it but have learnt to accept it, Plus it aint the traditional Old Wembley any way