Mouthy Motty Out of Touch With Real Fans

BBC commentator John Motson has branded this years FA Cup as back to its best; because the top teams are still in the competition.

But not only that, he described last year's semifinals as "boring", guaranteeing this time around will be very different indeed.

Motson's comments not only show himself to be out of touch with a large proportion of football fans outside the "Big Four", but also contradict the common notion of fantasy and magic that surrounds the oldest cup competition in the world.

Last year's FA Cup, after years of predictability and disrespect by the bigger clubs, saw the magic return, with great stories and shocks aplenty. Who can forget Havant & Waterlooville twice taking the lead at Anfield? or Barnsley going one better to knock them out before seeing off Avram Grant's Chelsea in the fifth round?

These moments, ones that will be played and played again annually on TV, epitomise what the cup is about. The semi-finals comprised of three Championship teams (West Brom, Cardiff, and Barnsley) and one Premier League team, eventual winners Portsmouth.

There was a freshness about it, a renewed interest and a bellowed message that anything is possible in this competition, as though we'd all forgot. They got there because the so called Big Four couldn't see them off in the earlier rounds.

Both semis were ultimately decided by solitary goals, but the tension and desperation from the players, staff and fans to make the final was evident for all to see.

Tight, tense affairs yes—boring, no.

"Boring" can be defined by the previous final between Manchester United and Chelsea. New Wembley's first FA Cup final, a 0-0 bore draw decided by a late, scrappy Drogba goal deep into extra time. We weren't even rewarded with a penalty shootout after having to endure almost two hours of a tactical stranglehold which looked to have no signs of being loosened.

Motson must look to this game as a reminder that it is not all about the Manchester Uniteds, Arsenals and Chelseas of this world. The FA Cup is special; special because once in a while, we get to witness something that is remembered forever.

Pompey fans will never have had a better day. For Chelsea fans, it was a mere consolation in a disappointing season.

Undervalued? I think so.