Despite the ongoing erosion of tournament traditions, Coventry City manages to rescue a dreary FA Cup weekend.
On this particular day, Coventry City served as a reminder to the vandals within those organizations that the FA Cup’s traditions do not require demolition. Coventry City served as a reminder to all on this particular day of the fantastic things this competition can accomplish for the sporting soul.
This was a day when Coventry City truly brought beauty to the FA Cup, despite the terrible loss. But this is what’s here. Because of Coventry’s enthusiasm, passion, and ultimately excruciating anguish, those who meddle with this fantastic competition will likely be grinning smugly right now.
Mark Robins’ team saved a dull weekend at Wembley with a three-goal comeback. Until the last 20 minutes of both normal and extra time in this game, the match had been completely dull. Don’t allow Coventry’s incredible willpower and perseverance to mask the truth that these matches shouldn’t take place at Wembley.
It is understandable to feel conflicted about the matter, particularly in light of these Coventry fans’ emotional journey. And nothing will change for a very long time, given the mortgage that the Football Association must pay off. That being said, the FA Cup semi-finals have no place at Wembley.
And the moment they arrived here, the traditions began to crumble, and this was further accelerated last week when replays were eliminated and the championship game was relocated to a time slot ahead of the final round of Premier League games.
This Wembley weekend was exciting because of terrific Coventry City, and fantastic Coventry City alone. It was not the fault of any Manchester City supporters who chose not to attend to watch their weary squad on Saturday; Pep Guardiola did have a very good point when he complained about the schedule.
Sure, a sizable crowd attended both days to boost the FA coffers, but only one of them will live on in history—the other will only be remembered for Manchester United’s undeserved meltdown, which kept them from losing out on a spot in the final and a matchup with Manchester City.
Actually, it would be unjust for Robins and his team to focus on United’s surrender in the final quarter of normal time. Instead, it would be preferable to focus on Coventry’s incredible comeback, which made them worthy of a victory rather than a penalty shootout loss.
They were, to a man, pretty fantastic after Ellis Simms had started the comeback, and maybe now Robins will start receiving the recognition he deserves for the outstanding work he is still doing at the club.
Maybe he’ll receive a respectable pay increase, but if not, maybe the Premier League and the FA might send him a few thousand pounds. At the very least, they ought to send him a bottle of champagne. They owe Robins and his courageous, unfortunate men a great deal for the favor they performed for them.