I really enjoyed watching the reactions of Wigan fans this week, we know first hand what a wonderful cup result can do for a club. Giant killing of any nature is exciting, especially when it happens to one of the game’s behemoths such as Manchester City.
Immediately lots of pundits started calling it one of the biggest shocks ever, something that immediately drew the ire of Imps fans. Comparisons sprung up creating scenes similar to the aftermath of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. Back then, I was angry at the snub, but now I couldn’t care less if the BBC don’t recognise our win as one of the greatest ever.
Non-league clubs don’t often beat top-flight teams, but when they do it is inevitably the ‘tier-two’ top flight teams. Luton beat Norwich, hardly one of the games greats. Sutton United knocked out Coventry, winners in 1987 but not a great side. It doesn’t devalue the efforts, but a snappy little news piece doesn’t want to mention Burnley, Norwich or Coventry. It wants Chelsea, Liverpool or Spurs.
The ‘real’ giant killings, the one the media loves, are when household names get put to the sword. Manchester City losing to Wigan, Chelsea losing to Bradford or even Wimbledon beating Liverpool in the 1988 final. Some pundits would have you believe Rochdale’s draw with Spurs was bigger than our win, despite them being two leagues closer, at home and not winning. Who is to say they’re right or wrong?
The one match that really does buck the trend, the one that had both a non-league team and a super power of sorts, was Hereford and Newcastle in 1972. That is THE giant killing act by which all are measured. Sure, we could claim that the Premier League meant Burnley were as strong as Newcastle, we could claim we were away and they were not, but what would be the point? Why does our win, indeed our entire run, have to be judged by someone else, not least the BBC?
There was the typical hand-wringing at the BBC’s article naming the greatest FA Cup shocks, but failing to mention our tie with Burnley which is recent. Yeah, it’s an affront, but it’s journalism. Burnley are not an attractive team, nobody cares they had the England keeper in goal or that their centre half moved for £25m a few months later. Perhaps more pertinently, they didn’t show it live. BT Sports did.
I don’t care now whether we get named in these ‘top ten’ lists or not. I don’t feel the need to quantify or achievements against that of other small sides. What is the point? Wigan’s win last night meant more to their fans than anything, but we know because we were there a year ago. Rochdale’s late equaliser against Spurs will have made them feel exactly the same as we did. These lists don’t take away from what we achieved and we can hardly moan about a lack of exposure now, can we? Danny and Nicky have been media darlings, the ‘former school teacher’ angle has been done to death. even some poxy Sun journalist classes himself as their friend.
Just because we think it was the best win ever doesn’t mean it was. To us, Burnley away was perhaps the greatest day ever to be an Imp, it doesn’t mean it was the greatest day ever in the FA Cup
No, us being omitted from a hastily compiled list after a shock FA Cup result isn’t an affront at all and saying the Wigan win was one of the greatest cup shocks ever is just the sort of thing bandied about by those who don’t fully appreciate the game exists outside the Premier League top six.
Success in football is relative, but opinion is not. Just because the BBC think our win isn’t worth mentioning, it doesn’t mean it isn’t. Similarly, just because we think it was the best win ever doesn’t mean it was. To us, Burnley away was perhaps the greatest day ever to be an Imp, it doesn’t mean it was the greatest day ever in the FA Cup. Some Imps think Ipswich was actually a better occasion, showing that the opinion is divided even amongst our own.
In the end though, time will pass and each new feat of giant killing will be billed as the latest, the greatest and the new big thing. It doesn’t matter though, we’ll always have February 17th, We’ll always have Turf Moor, Sean Raggett and our own slice of history.
My only gripe with it was something that will be lost in history. They had lost just 3 games at home up to playing us, 6 games lost at home all season, hadn’t lost at home in 3 months at home before we beat them, apart from the bookend at the start of the season and end of the season when Swansea and West Ham won there, the only other teams to win were City, United, Arsenal and Tottenham. They had won the last 5 games and drawn to Chelsea at home the week before we went there and won. And it was not like they rested players. We had done what 14 other premiership clubs had failed to do.