How painful was the FA Cup Final? I know it was the last game of the season before the players go away for a summer break, but you’d expect someone would want to go all out for victory - if only to say they were the first team to win the trophy at the new Wembley.

I watched it in my local pub with a few Chelsea and Manchester United fans. The landlord happens to be a United fan, so we knew the game would be on - and that he would be providing the half-time hot dogs, beef sandwiches, sausage rolls and other nibbles as long as we kept buying alcohol.

It’s a done deal, really, although admittedly a far cry from the prawn sandwiches and champers that the corporate fodder at Wembley would have been tucking into at half-time. He even came out from behind the bar to join us, which was a laugh. There were a couple of gloating Liverpool fans in as well, clad with their colours, excited for Wednesday night. I admit to wearing my Arsenal away shirt, and of course the Chelsea and United fans were decked out, so it made for a colourful bar and plenty of banter.

'Staying at home is the best option on FA Cup Final day - unless you’re in the corporate areas, where they probably make allowances for boring games'


You know something is wrong in my local when one of the pool tables gets moved back into place in front of the big screen during a match. By half time we’d had enough - even the United and Chelsea fans were more intent on playing pool and getting stuck into the grub than what their teams were doing in north London.

We kept a reasonably close eye on the game while playing pool, but other than the odd bit of excitement here and there, it remained a poor game. I heard Fergie say that it was disappointing to lose the game. Well, sorry Sir Alex, but from what I saw you didn’t deserve to win. Admittedly, neither did Chelsea - but perhaps they just deserved it more than United, even if it only meant Jose Mourinho got his hands on an FA Cup winner’s medal.

I haven’t heard back from friends who managed to get tickets to the game. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re on the streets of Brent trying to get together the cash to come home again after being robbed to be there. It’s a long walk back to the north east from London.

I am sure the FA are well impressed with their revenue from the game, though. Of course, whether it’s a six-goal thriller or a 1-0 bore makes no odds to them as long as the money rolls in and pays their ridiculous salaries and provides enough prawn sandwiches for the corporate crew. Judging by the empty seats just after half-time, they must be the same lot we get at the Emirates every home game who are probably more interested in what is on the menu and who they can bump into than what is happening on the pitch.

Exactly how many fans paid £95 to watch that? I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry for everyone who had to pay £60 and even £35 to watch that match. It was not a game befitting of the FA Cup Final or the first major clash at the new national stadium - the England v Italy U21 game back in March was better all round and tickets for that game were only £10!

My fellow writer, Sportingo’s Donna Gee, wrote in an article on Friday  that we could be subject to a bore draw and even penalties and that anyone but Manchester United and Chelsea would have been a better game. I agreed with her on the latter comment, and she proved to be right with the former as well, even managing to correctly predict the score.

I tell you, staying at home is the best option on FA Cup Final day - unless you’re in the corporate areas, where they probably make allowances for boring games. If you don’t fancy a shopping trip, then your local pub is probably the next best place. At least if the game is as bad as Saturday’s, you have plenty of alcohol around to spice things up a little.

Don’t make the assumption that I don’t think the FA Cup is important. It should be a wondrous occasion every year. It is the finale of the best domestic knock-out competition in the world; the last game of the season in English football (aside from the play-off finals in lower divisions) and a game viewed by millions around the world.

But if the prices don’t drop next season and teams and players don’t start to take the Final seriously - regardless of what they have achieved already - then it will simply become another game with little importance.

Is it really better to watch the Cup Final in the pub than to be there at the game? Leave a comment below or write an article if you prefer.