The Mail is reporting that the FA remains committed to finishing this season’s FA Cup should the Premier League safely be able to restart.
The FA Cup WILL be finished this season if football can return safely with semi-finals and final to be played behind closed doors at Wembley https://t.co/C1dRxvQVod
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) May 21, 2020
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham reportedly told FA Council members of his desire to complete this year’s FA Cup during a meeting on Thursday.
When the competition could return was not mentioned however, the semi-finals and finals will still be held at Wembley.
Newcastle, of course, have reached the quarter-final stage and were scheduled to host Manchester City on March 21st before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus.
Newcastle have progressed the farthest in the FA Cup since 2006 when we were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Chelsea.
Whether the competition can get completed this season all hinges on the Premier League’s ability to safely restart. Teams returned to training this past Tuesday as part of phase 1 of Project Restart.
Next week, a discussion will be held on whether clubs can move to phase 2, which involves group training.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has called for the FA to get creative in finishing the FA Cup this season. This is Carragher’s proposal from The Telegraph:
“The FA should get on board with a radical experiment to complete their fixtures.
“I would love to see this season’s FA Cup rescheduled to resemble the final stages of a World Cup, all the remaining games played after the conclusion of the Premier League.
“Imagine it. Quarter-finals could be played on the Friday and Saturday after the last Premier League weekend. Midweek semi-finals could then be immediately followed by the final, the competition concluded in eight days.
“It could be a thrilling finale to a season which, in the Premier League at least, is all about the top four and relegation places once play resumes.”
A lot will depend on when the league resumes as to how the FA Cup will get completed. Carragher is calling for the final three rounds to be played in rapid succession after the league concludes.
If the EPL managers get their wish, the league may no restart until the back end of June. That will mean this season may not finish until close to August.
The FA will have to be flexible in how they complete the remainder of the FA Cup. But the good news for Newcastle fans is that it hasn’t been abandoned.
197 comments so far
Kevin Vegan
May 22, 2020 at 3:57 PM
Comment #1My first first 🙂
Kevin Vegan
May 22, 2020 at 3:59 PM
Comment #2Also, how amazing would it be if the FA cup went ahead and we won it?
DaveD1000
May 22, 2020 at 4:01 PM
Comment #3I’m just wondering how Brucey would fit the lad’s 3 days off in if we played a la Carra. obvs we beat Citeh and will be in the Final.
DubaiMicky
May 22, 2020 at 4:02 PM
Comment #4Wasn’t it 13 years ago today ashLIE bought Sir John’s shares?
Hal
May 22, 2020 at 4:14 PM
Comment #513 years tomorrow I think Mickey.
carltoon
May 22, 2020 at 4:14 PM
Comment #6Yes what a day that was, thirteen years later, if only we had known !
lesh
May 22, 2020 at 4:17 PM
Comment #7And if Brucie won the cup?
carltoon
May 22, 2020 at 4:17 PM
Comment #8Geordie Tom you and Jail could be a double act, I’ve never laughed so much for ages, thank you. 🙂
the Northumbrian
May 22, 2020 at 4:18 PM
Comment #9With Ashley in charge the world has been our obstacle
With Amanda in charge the world will be our oyster
Happy days to come
bill
May 22, 2020 at 4:25 PM
Comment #10Unfortunately we are stuck with the poor sods we have now, so not much chance of winning anything this season.
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:27 PM
Comment #11Carltoon …
i dont like his choice of soup though 😀
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:27 PM
Comment #12Bliddy bus moved while was listening to meatloaf …
Kevin Vegan
May 22, 2020 at 4:29 PM
Comment #13Lesh, if we win the cup I highly doubt it will be Brucey’s doing. Rafa had the squad working well towards the end of his last season, and Bruce has caught the end of that wave but hasn’t been able to really replicate that kind of form yet. We rode our luck most of this year, Dubs won us more points than I can count with his shot-stopping, but I can’t think of more than a couple of ganes where we were able to exert any kind of control, and our attack looked horribly disorganised. Individual talent and a high work-rate kept us above water, but Bruce is no tactician from what I saw and I think he’s had his chance. We should be looking for improvements on Rafa at this point. Bruce hasn’t shown enough to convince me he’s got it in him
wynsleap
May 22, 2020 at 4:39 PM
Comment #14If we were to win the FA Cup can you imagine the amount of clamour from the ‘sympathetic (hypocritical) ‘ media and his ex-playing pals to get him the job when the Saudis take over? There would be another massive attack on the ‘uncaring’ Geordies if he was still replaced – something else to throw at us on a daily basis. I think we’re going to have more flak coming at us in the coming months than an RAF fighter pilot had in WW2.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
May 22, 2020 at 4:41 PM
Comment #15I – cup final – Toon should of been there tomorrow
Jib
May 22, 2020 at 4:41 PM
Comment #16What’s happening ?
Toms pinched Jail’s meatloaf so he has to make do with soup for tea ?
bettyswallocks
May 22, 2020 at 4:44 PM
Comment #17A bloke with two birds of prey doing his housework during power cut.
Hawk Kestrel Man Hoovers in the Dark.
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:44 PM
Comment #18Jib …
you ever tried meatloaf its minging , jail can have it all to his lonesome 😀
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:45 PM
Comment #19SOUP two nights in a row boring …
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:46 PM
Comment #20any movement at companies house ??? …
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:49 PM
Comment #21https://www.themag.co.uk/2020/05/newcastle-united-players-club-doctor-reveals-results-of-virus-tests/
lesh
May 22, 2020 at 4:53 PM
Comment #22Geordie tom
Companies house doesn’t do speed of updates. And you’ll see nowt until the takeover’s done and dusted.
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 4:54 PM
Comment #23Lesh …
cheers for that …
lesh
May 22, 2020 at 4:54 PM
Comment #24Betty’s
Hawk Kestrel Man Hoovers in the Dark were spotted in a tallon contest!
RobLeenio
May 22, 2020 at 4:55 PM
Comment #25Geordietom, you’ve been eating the wrong meatloaf.
Mine’s great with mash and veggies hot as a meal and cold in a sandwich with pickles or with salad the next day.
Nut roast is great too.
Mund
May 22, 2020 at 4:56 PM
Comment #26If we won the fa cup it wouldn’t be Bruce’s doing??
Then whose would it be? Of course you would have to give the credit to Bruce he would of got us there and won it for us (all hypothetical thinking)
Say what you want about Bruce at least he played his strongest squad available to him. Rafa never done that and Rafa never got us this far in the fa cup.
lesh
May 22, 2020 at 4:58 PM
Comment #27Kevin Vegan
Brucie boy seems to carry luck when it comes to the FA Cup. And yes, were we to win it under him, there would be some clamour to give him as chance. But, facing the reality, he knows and we know, he’s at his peak and wouldn’t be offered the job under the new owners.
Sentimentality doesn’t wash where ambition’s concerned. Say bye bye Steve.
Jail for Ashley
May 22, 2020 at 4:59 PM
Comment #28Kevin Vegan,
Firstly, congratulations on your first first, I’ll never forget mine.
I too definitely don’t want to see a team built round Joelinton but rather than write him off completely which I believe we’d have to at the moment as a: he isn’t going anywhere that’ll give him 40/60K a week??? so he’ll stay put or go on loan with us paying half his wages. So it will be interesting to see where he might fit in if Muto, Gayle and Carroll can be shifted and a couple of out right goal scorers are brought in. He certainly won’t play every week but hopefully he’ll bust a guy to prove he has a place in the front line.
Just a fan
May 22, 2020 at 4:59 PM
Comment #29According to nufc born or died column today Colin Veitch.
One of Newcastle united all time greats.
Also I believe did a bit of acting and had something to do with the people’s theatre.
Jail for Ashley
May 22, 2020 at 5:02 PM
Comment #30Mund,
Rafa may well have been told he’s not getting Almiron if he played a strong team against Watford.
ToonTime
May 22, 2020 at 5:03 PM
Comment #31Every football supporter rewrites history to suit their preferred version of events. Their preferred players, their preferred Manager etc.
Over 38 games the season doesn’t generally lie.
You get good luck and you get bad luck. If you don’t like the manager it was mostly good luck. If you do like him it was mostly bad luck.
Dubs is a great shot stopper. Best keeper we’ve had in a while. But he was saving shots last season and the one before that. Have you forgotten his debut already?
He makes the odd clanger too and he’s done that this season also.
You don’t like Steve Bruce. Fine.
You didn’t want him here so he’s been lucky. Luckier than Rafa. Or was it cause he had better players? What’s your version of history?
He’s always been known as a championship manager. He’s been given a chance at surviving relegation a few times. Yes, even at the Mackems! It doesn’t do your win percentage much good but then there aren’t many jobs. You don’t get to choose.
50 new players retiring every season all after half a dozen jobs. You take what you get.
Can he manage at the top end? Who knows. Probably not because there aren’t many who can. But looking at his win percentage managing clubs scrapping against relegation isn’t going to tell you.
The new owners will make their decision. They will almost certainly want their own man. But in the meantime I think he deserves some respect.
Mund
May 22, 2020 at 5:04 PM
Comment #32Jail
And Rafa might not of been told that.
We cant work on assumptions only what we know
Jib
May 22, 2020 at 5:06 PM
Comment #33The Veitch’s were the premier family in old Heaton
Mund
May 22, 2020 at 5:09 PM
Comment #34Toontime
Fair post mate I was going to say something similar glad I caught yours before I got started.
Great point on lots of people can have different version of events. Some can feel angry others accepting.
Does Bruce really deserve the hate he gets from some of the fans?? Certainly not
Jib
May 22, 2020 at 5:09 PM
Comment #35ToonTime
I’ll tell you what
Folk can rewrite history as much as they want
but
There wasn’t a Mag that was unhappy with the new owner 13 years ago.
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 5:10 PM
Comment #36Robleenio …
i eat most things mate but thats just something i dont like mate …
RobLeenio
May 22, 2020 at 5:10 PM
Comment #37the NUFC youtube channel showing the last match of Shearer’s career tomorrow at three – a Tyne Wear derby at the Stadium of Shoite.
Should be good watching.
Moonraker15
May 22, 2020 at 5:13 PM
Comment #38Jib
Did you say a “Mag”?
Only a Mackem calls us mags according to you!
Munster Mag
May 22, 2020 at 5:14 PM
Comment #39Mung, I agree. Vegan, sorry but statements like that about Bruce and the cup make nufc fans look ridiculous. Yes I thínk if we win the cup we can attribute it to rafa. Jeez we’d better get rafa back or the world will stop.
geordietom
May 22, 2020 at 5:14 PM
Comment #40agree with Mund #26…