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Hi all,

No doubt you will have various opinions on your form so far this season and your run in the FA cup,

I currently run a football website called "shouts from the stands" and have done an article that focuses on under dogs in the FA cup, we chose teams who we believed would be interesting to follow and Torquay was my choice.

While anyone can express their view, the opinions that matter most are from you, the Torquay fans. It would be great (if you get the time of course) if you could take a look and express your views on the situation, and comment if you see this as a good or bad thing for your season. Will it be a welcome distraction from the league?


Many thanks, and genuinely all the best for the rest of the season

Hope you enjoyed you Christmas and wishing you a joyful 2011

w w w.
shoutsfromthestands.
c o m/

Hi, thanks for getting in touch.

I would say the magic of the cup is still alive, but its in need of a bit of resuscitation. We would all be ecstatic if we knew that we were definitely now going to get Man United away in the next round. But knowing our luck we will probably get Wycombe at home.

However, it is a welcome distraction and to minor clubs it is still very important. I just wish the bigger clubs still took it seriously. I mean, Birmingham City made 9 changes to their Premiership team for today's game against Millwall. Luckily, they pulled it off. But if they hadn't then you just think when are Birmingham City ever going to win anything else? Surely they would take it seriously and get a taste of glory and Wembley and possibly a minor spot in Europe. But unfortunately they don't. And that is all down to the huge amounts of money involved in finishing just one place further up in the Premier League.

I think three things can be done to bring the cup back to its former glory. Firstly, scrap replays. Secondly, find a way of getting more money on board. And thirdly some sort of seeding system from the third round onwards.

For lower league clubs the FA Cup is still a magical competition despite the disregard and contempt held by many premiers***e clubs to it. For such a small club as ourselves to have reached the fourth round is unbelievable and i am so so excited about tomorrows draw and the hope of getting drawn against a big fish. I had hoped for a Man U or a Liverpool in the third round but my excitement turned to disappointment as we drew Carlisle. Yes a team we could beat but not the plum draw i was hoping for. I remember the other year we got Brighton in the third round at Plainmoor and lost. It was heartbreaking losing to a team as mediocre as Brighton when i would have rather gone to Old Trafford and been hammered!! For us it is not just about the glamorous draw but also about prize money. We have a budget next to nothing compared with some other clubs in league 2 such as Chesterfield etc so the further we progress the more money we get. Premier league managers always make a plethora of changes when they are up against lower league opposition and hope that their supposed quality will see them through. This is clear evidence that an FA Cup defeat is a more preferable outcome than losing a Premier league game. Gutted at Ian Holloway for following this trend. I thought he was a man of principles. I can't blame him for making a million changes but he has just followed all the other sheep that are premier league managers.

Yes! Along with many other 'lower league' supporters, I am really excited about today's draw and the prospect of having the opportunity to cause an upset at a higher division club (well done Stevenage!!). The publicity for the Club is good, the money is very welcome and it must give the squad a bit of a feel good factor. I can't imagine that if we should be lucky enough to get a 'biggie' today, that there will be a Torquay supporter mumbling about how it would be better to concentrate on the League...oh, actually, there probably will, thinking about it..

It is only this cup that causes this excitement for me though, to be honest. Obviously the nearer a Club gets to Wembley in the paint pot trophy or whatever, the more interest is generated. I couldn't contain myself over the Setanta Shield. But the FA Cup does still have a certain something. One complaint about it though - can we go back to having a 'proper' draw, with 'proper' people selecting the numbers? Having said that, if a Z-lister gets us a fab tie today, I reserve the right to delete that comment...COYY

Romance of the cup alive?

3 Generations of my family, travel 250 miles to watch one match against some naff northern league 1 team just because its the FA cup.

Anyone who was at Plainmoor yesterday will have felt the atmosphere the near horse-racing euphoria of shouts of "Come on Benners/Eunan/Billy!!!" fa cup is very much alive.

Just wait till you taste the atmosphere on the day smiffs, then you'll change your mind again

Not after today. Its turned into a quickie behind the bike sheds that you just know will have no longevity

of course it is- with a chance to reach round 5...why not!

The word romance suggests love, so yes I do love the Cup.

Consistently getting f*ck*d every time we get past the 2nd Round by drawing a sexless tie does however leave me at worst feeling limp and at best semi.

That's it then, we'll have to go all the way to the Semi to get the full on stand up feeling.

Anyone think that seeding should be used like the League Cup? Or would it destroy the "romance" of little clubs progressing?