Can the Baggies live the dream?

By Jemma Tappenden
March 9 2008

It comes as no surprise to me whatsoever that the FA Cup has lost its magic over the last decade or so. A whole generation has been born on the basis of the cup going to the ‘top 4’. You have to go back to 1995 to find a cup winner that isn’t Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United, and back even further to 1988 when Wimbledon beat 1-0 to find a genuine open to all final.

A whole generation has been born on the basis of the ‘top 4’ taking the trophy. In fact in my life time, since 1981 Manchester United have won the competition 8 times, Chelsea 3 times, Liverpool 5 times and Arsenal 6 times. My 27 years have seen only 5 occasions where the cup has gone outside these four, with Spurs taking it three times in 1981, 1982, and 1991, and Wimbledon in 1988 and Coventry 12 months earlier in 1987.

It is on this basis that I am over the moon so to speak that this year’s final is a dead cert to not feature any of those top 4, or indeed those 7 mentioned above. With the exception of Wimbledon and Coventry City, as a Wolves fan there is little mentioned there that inspires me, and lets face it, in 1987 and 1988 I was almost certainly too preoccupied with the adventures of Barbie and My Little Pony to give a real care about who won the cup, especially if my Saturday afternoon viewing of Fraggle Rock was interrupted by my Dad turning over for the cup final.

It has been 40 years exactly since Albion last lifted the FA Cup at Wembley, and the Baggies 1-0 victory over Everton, Jeff Astle scoring the goal into extra time; will for many Albion fans be out of living memory. In fact as a Wolves fan I have to go back an extra 8 years to 1960 since we last lifted the cup.

To me, and I’m sure many will disagree; this year is what the FA Cup is all about. I confess to be a little over excited that at this stage of the competition, to still see sides like West Brom, Barnsley, Bristol Rovers and Cardiff is an absolute joy. And I would find it hard to believe myself even if I said I wasn’t just a little bit pleased to see the defeats of Chelsea and Man Utd yesterday. A sly chuckle to myself I did indeed have.

If I’m honest, I empathise with pain Wolves fans must be feeling here. Being one myself I’m not immune to such feelings. It is bad enough to have to grace your fixtures and watch such rubbish week in week out, without having to contend with the possible successes of your nearest and dearest at the same time.

But I have to be have to be truthful here, jealous as I may be that Albion look most likely to grace top flight football again next season, and are just 90 minutes from a Wembley semi final I would love, just love the Baggies to win the cup. It is about time Midlands football had something to celebrate, and its sure as hell not coming to Wolves for the foreseeable, so where is the harm in being a little bit gracious and wishing it on your neighbours?