GONE, perhaps, are the days when the FA Cup was the biggest domestic cup competition — for years the Champions League has been the be-all and end-all for big English clubs.

But I do enjoy third-round weekend. Or did. Because the cup to me is dead.

Many point to the Football Associations’s 2000 decision to let Manchester United pull out of the FA Cup to play in the World Club Cup — largely to help England’s 2006 World Cup bid — for spurring teams to no longer care about the competition.

But in truth, the FA have slowly killed one of the greatest domestic competitions in the world and the clubs haven’t helped.

I loved having the majority of games played on the first Saturday of the new year, with a few big games reserved for Sunday.

But this year the games have been spread out over five days and on the Saturday, not one game was live on TV.

Why didn’t the BBC or BT Sport put Blyth Spartans on TV? The non-league club could have gained thousands of pounds from TV revenue which could have been crucial for their longevity.

It turned out to be one of the games of the weekend but we had to settle for a few minutes of highlights.

And as for BT Sport, they shouldn’t have the rights to cup games. BBC and ITV should be the two TV channels with the rights to show live matches.

That way it remains free-to-view for everyone and the same goes for the final. It is traditional to have the FA Cup final on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm, on BBC, and after the Premier League season has come to an end.

This new idea that it is better to have the kick-off two weeks before the season has finished and at 5.30pm is ridiculous, as Wigan found out a few seasons ago.

The fans were unable to travel back due to planned engineering works on the trains which meant they had to stay in hotels which of course means the day costs more.

It is also traditional to play the final, and only the final, at Wembley Stadium. Fans and teams dream of reaching Wembley but by having the two semi-finals at the stadium devalues the cup final occasion.

Obviously the FA has to pay for the stadium so by hosting a further two games there, they are able to rake in a bit more cash. If it means the cup loses a bit of its magic who cares?

Non-league clubs should have priority when it comes to televised matches. That is the magic of the cup. Watching the smaller sides knock out the “cup giants” on live television.

Capturing the moment on TV as the final whistle is blown and the crowd erupts. Grabbing the manager moments after the game and seeing his reaction as it sinks in.

Seeing it hours later on a highlights show isn’t the same.

For many of the players, they will never get the chance to play the game they love live on TV. The FA cup gives them that chance and people want to see it.

No-one wants to watch Arsenal take on Hull after seeing it two months ago. Or Everton host West Ham. They are Premier League games which we already see twice a season, we don’t need to see it live on TV in the cup.

Not to mention, by putting the non-league clubs on TV and giving them some extra money, the FA is giving back to grassroots football.

But of course this won’t happen. The FA and television companies have found a new way to squeeze a bit more money from fans by broadcasting games on a subscription-based channel.

By spreading out the third-round fixtures and moving the final they have devalued the competition.

But if they are able to earn a couple more million pounds then that’s the main thing. 

Who cares about the fans right?