WHILE having a beer one Friday tea time with my friend, Mike Whiting, we had a chat about the FA Cup final and how it seems that it’s no longer that important, especially for the bigger clubs.

To me, this English cup competition is the greatest national tournament in the world, and when I was a kid, I would wake up early on the Saturday to watch the TV coverage start in the morning. These days, it just seems like another game for so many people, and it has somehow lost its sparkle.

I am not quite sure why this is, maybe the media concentrates too much on the Champions League ? I still like to watch the FA Cup final, even though my beloved Manchester City have not been in it since 1981, and I would say that most supporters know what team lifted the glorious trophy until the late 1980s, when it was still a huge Football day.

I’ll be watching the game in May, and if City don’t make it to the final, I’ll still be chanting for the underdogs in an Inspector Clouseau accent in a local drinking establishment, with fellow football loving maniacs and rabid comedy fans.

Christopher Wardell, Darlington I THOUGHT it a nicely balanced performance that earned Manchester United their 2-1 FA Cup win over Southampton.

The home side played well but were deservedly beaten in the end and it was good to see Michael Owen’s goal.

It was later said that some of the United players do not possess an FA Cup winner’s medal and are determined to win one this year.

It would be a fine prize to aim for.

L D Wilson, Guisborough