Let us start off this half article, half rant by setting the record straight. I hate ITV's coverage of football generally, I mean who else would seriously consider giving David Pleat a job? But their FA Cup coverage is so horrendous it's embarrassing, which we'll cover before moaning about them choosing Bolton Wanderers vs. Tottenham Hotspur over our trip to Fulham. From the first round, they've been trying to promote the magic of the FA Cup at places like Paulton Rovers and Northwich Victoria, yet managing to truly patronise every underdog they've covered thus far. The fourth round tie between Scunthorpe United and Manchester City saw a genius line of commentary, where Clive Tyldesley said "we shouldn't patronise Scunthorpe", before doing just that in the same setence. Then there's the pitiful highlights show, which usually involves extended highlights of a match that was broadcast live a couple of hours earlier and that has a line of commentary that gives away the rest of the results.
Mind you, up until this round, they have at least managed to give those non-league and lower league clubs who've done well enough to progress an extra financial boost and helping of publicity by putting them on the tele, if only to ensure Clive Tyldesley's monotonous FA Cup cliché quota for each round is fulfilled. However, this time, their choices for live games are horrific. We'll put the South Coast derby between Southampton and Portsmouth to one side, because that was always going to be chosen and will prove to be an extremely intriguing game with the potential for an upset. But otherwise, there is nothing but sheer dullness. Chelsea vs. Cardiff City has a minute possibility of a shock but will almost certainly be an efficient but unexciting win for the Blues like their previous victories over Watford and Preston North End. Manchester City vs. Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers vs. Tottenham Hotspur are nothing more than run-of-the-mill Premiership clashes of the sort that Sky trick viewers into watching by describing as a 'Super Sunday'.
Clearly, if ITV were interested in what the cup represents and not trying to pull in a host of part time City and Spurs fans, they'd have chosen Derby County vs. Birmingham City, a chance for a mild upset infront of a packed Pride Park in something of a local derby. They would also have picked Notts' trip to Fulham to see the first League Two side to beat a Premiership team in the competition since 2002 and their attempts to reach the quarter final. It may not have the glamour of the City of Manchester Stadium, but it's a tie that oozes the essence of what the cup is supposed to be about and it could see another step on one of the best cup runs of recent years.
Not that it really matters to us as just about anyone connected with our club will be at Craven Cottage or biting their fingernails by the radio and not sat at home watching David Bentley saunter around the Reebok Stadium in a game neither side will particularly care about. The next time they try and base their coverage around the romance of the cup or describe one Premiership team beating another as an 'upset', another part of this great competition will die.