Starting to lose its soul ?

[Sky Blue]

I don't know how about everyone else but when we beat Everton in 1981 at the 6th round stage, the 52,000 crammed into Maine Road exploded at the final whistle.

Yesterday we reached the FA cup semi final and at the final whistle the place was half empty. I know the game was over once the first goal went in but I include myself in the fact that I didn't get excited at the fact we had reached another Semi final in probably the biggest club cup competition in the world with the exception of Champions league of course.

I fear with our new found wealth and success that this "non-plus" feeling will get worse as the trophies and finals continue to arrive.

I hope not :(

I never leave a game early, but last night i was fuckin frozen. Never felt so cold at a game, sat three quarters up in the Collin bell stand. I bet most people left for the same reason.

I was the same mate 3rd tier frozen fucking stiff....lasted until the 89th minute!

 

[johnbmcr]

I don't know how about everyone else but when we beat Everton in 1981 at the 6th round stage, the 52,000 crammed into Maine Road exploded at the final whistle.

Yesterday we reached the FA cup semi final and at the final whistle the place was half empty. I know the game was over once the first goal went in but I include myself in the fact that I didn't get excited at the fact we had reached another Semi final in probably the biggest club cup competition in the world with the exception of Champions league of course.

I fear with our new found wealth and success that this "non-plus" feeling will get worse as the trophies and finals continue to arrive.

I hope not :(

I never leave a game early, but last night i was fuckin frozen. Never felt so cold at a game, sat three quarters up in the Collin bell stand. I bet most people left for the same reason.

I was the same mate 3rd tier frozen fucking stiff....lasted until the 89th minute!

the kids in front of me weren't born in 1981 but they has a ball yesterday we do need to move on 30 + years does strange things to memories

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I think the OP makes a good point and I think standing has a lot to do with it.

Against Everton the 20,000 on the Kippax were making a deafening sound and the atmosphere was brilliant. I guess there is now an expectation of success and seating makes it hard to get the noise going.

Will never forget the atmosphere of that Everton quarter final.

I always get a little depressed when I get reminded of this. I was 11 and I was supposed to go to that game with my dad, but I got in trouble at school and he went on his own as a punishment :-(

It was supposed to be one of the great Maine Road nights.

I can remember the night, and the fact that we won, and that it was a magic night. But my main memories are getting stuck in platt lane Methodist church car park by someone who blocked the entrance, a load of Everton fans getting chased past us, and my dad calling the bloke who blocked us in a "lemon" when he eventually got back to his car. And not knowing Everton had scored because we left early that night too ;-)

 

[Mike N]

I think the OP makes a good point and I think standing has a lot to do with it.

Against Everton the 20,000 on the Kippax were making a deafening sound and the atmosphere was brilliant. I guess there is now an expectation of success and seating makes it hard to get the noise going.

Will never forget the atmosphere of that Everton quarter final.

I always get a little depressed when I get reminded of this. I was 11 and I was supposed to go to that game with my dad, but I got in trouble at school and he went on his own as a punishment :-(

It was supposed to be one of the great Maine Road nights.

Any former students of St Pius, Victoria Park, will remember that the same weekend of the original tie at Goodison Park, the school gym got burnt down. I'll never know if it was related to the replay or not but the tickets went on sale on the Monday morning and as everyone got sent home from school it allowed us to join the queue for tickets at Maine Road!

 

[Balti]

I don't know how about everyone else but when we beat Everton in 1981 at the 6th round stage, the 52,000 crammed into Maine Road exploded at the final whistle.

Yesterday we reached the FA cup semi final and at the final whistle the place was half empty. I know the game was over once the first goal went in but I include myself in the fact that I didn't get excited at the fact we had reached another Semi final in probably the biggest club cup competition in the world with the exception of Champions league of course.

I fear with our new found wealth and success that this "non-plus" feeling will get worse as the trophies and finals continue to arrive.

I hope not :(

If we'd have won yesterday 1-0 with a last min goal then yes.. but the game was over after 20 mins..

Anyway its finals that are important...not semis.

after being starved of semis for decades i'm delighted to see them all coming round again :-)

 

[The Road Sweeper]

I think the OP makes a good point and I think standing has a lot to do with it.

Against Everton the 20,000 on the Kippax were making a deafening sound and the atmosphere was brilliant. I guess there is now an expectation of success and seating makes it hard to get the noise going.

Will never forget the atmosphere of that Everton quarter final.

I always get a little depressed when I get reminded of this. I was 11 and I was supposed to go to that game with my dad, but I got in trouble at school and he went on his own as a punishment :-(

It was supposed to be one of the great Maine Road nights.

One of the greatest matches for atmosphere I've ever experienced. As young lads, six of us finally got through the turnstiles about five minutes before kick off.

I'll never forget bouncing up those steps to the top of the Kippax in time to the beat of the Teardrop Explodes "Reward" coming from the PA system. The adrenalin pumping and my heart thumping in anticipation.

Until we got to the top of the Kippax...

We were met by a solid, immovable wall of bodies and could see absolutely nothing.

After about five to ten minutes of squeezing, shoving and inching our way in to the seething mass we finally assumed a half decent position.

Until our first attack...

The crowd surged, we had no choice as to which direction we were taken. The six of us that had previously stood together separated and we never saw each other again until after the match!

But what a noise. I don't remember any other game, past or present, reaching the volume levels to which "We're on the march, we're John Bonds' army" was sung that night.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

We're on tv too much.

When I were a nipper you either went to the match or you listened to it on the radio. None of the Sky, ESPN or foreign satellite stuff.

Nowadays you can watch every game either in the local or on your pc. It's taken away the anticipation of it all. If we'd played away the weekend before chances are you hadn't seen us play for two weeks and you were bursting with excitement. Now you needn't miss a game no matter where in the world or when - its available somewhere.

The 'going to Wemberleee' thing has been diluted as its not such an exclusive place nowadays - semis and playoffs have ruined that.

It isn't going to get any better so get used to it.

spot on.

 

[blimp reeny]

It's not starting to lose it's soul, that ship sailed 15 years ago, pal. Look at the clubs that get into the latter stages now...Barnsley, Blackburn, Oldham and Millwall FFS!!

When we won it, we played frickin Stoke in the final...STOKE!

It's more and more like the league cup every season. The Big cubs still left in it only tend to play their first 11 when they are in the semi finals, the rest of it is just meh..and poor itv trying to hype it up, but you know when someone at work asks you what games are on this weekend and when you say fa cup and they instantly groan, then they say at least there's rugby on the box. Yep, more happy about egg chasing than the fa cup.

Dead as a dodo

 

[ElanJo]

The FA Cup isn't what it was.

Imagine a CL quarter final at home. That'd be more comparable to an FAC QF of the past. The place WILL be buzzing WHEN we finally reach one!

Plus it was a cakewalk vs Barnsley

 

[SiMCFC]

Guess I will have to move from East Level 3 then as we're obviously all getting tarred with same brush up there...

Shame I had to move there from South Stand after an op on my knee meaning I can't physically stand for the full 90 without making it virtually impossible for me to walk/hobble back to the car...

May as well just hand my season card in now and have done with it ;)

P.S when did a large amount of our fanbase become such opinionated twats?