Welcome to Episode 30 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

We recorded this on the Friday morning of a (ridiculous) 4 day FA Cup 3rd Round Weekend, before the giant killing heroics of Macclesfield, Mansfield & Wigan and great games at Wrexham, Newcastle & Grimsby to name but a few……

But in the spirit of the podcast DNA it would seem natural for us to discuss "What's Wrong with The FA Cup in 2025/26".

Your Hosts are both of a certain age where we still love the FA Cup - it's history, it's heritage, it's legacy and the memories it has created that are seared into the brain of any football fan of a similar vintage. Hell, we can both still list EVERY FA Cup winner since 1970 in Nick's case and 1978 in Dom's case.......

But, it is fair to say that over recent years, it seems to be dying the death by a thousand cuts - some of which we cover in this episode.

• A Four Day 3rd Round Schedule
• No Replays / Straight to Penalties
• A Terrible TV Schedule
• Matches Chosen for TV
• Teams Playing Weakened Teams
• Same Division Fixtures
• Semi-Finals at Wembley
• Why the Final Was ALWAYS Appointment to View Watching
• Why Palace Winning it Last Season Was Great News for the Competition
• Snow Covered Pitches & Orange Balls
• And More.......

This is a real discussion podcast - so what is your view, and what is your age that supports that view?

Are we just looking at things with the benefit of hindsight through rose-tinted glasses, and are we just curmudgeonly old buggers - or should the FA Cup be resurrected in the hearts and minds of genuine football fans?

A clue - we think the latter!

We hope that you will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Why not comment, get involved and expand the debate. After all, this is and always has been a game of opinions. We hope that you will enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed recording them.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

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