Despite being a bit of an advocate for the FA Cup, I didn't go. The principle reason I gave myself was - despite the reduced ticket prices - it was an additional expense at a point in time where I'd rather be using those funds for other things. I'd probably have gone if it had been at Maidenhead though, even though this would have costed more. So what's the real reason I didn't go? I think maybe it's because a home game wasn't worth the additional expense. A home game against a side three divisions below you - there's no real way you can win that game. Breeze through 5-0 and it's boring. Labour to a 2-0 win and it's dissatisfying. Draw or lose and it's miserable and depressing.
Couple that with the home match experience being so dour (and even worse yesterday by the sounds of things), a home draw in the FA Cup is just not very enticing. Even when it's a premier league team like Arsenal. Especially when it's a premier league team like Arsenal.
Is the club getting worse at putting on home games? There were considerable well-documented issues at the Arsenal game last season. The two Man City games were a logistical nightmare, the parking was abysmally managed, and their team bus nearly caused a crowd crush. There's never enough food vans, the concourse queues are always too long. This apparently gets worse at low-attendance matches rather than better.
I don't remember these problems at the Woking boxing day game, or the Villa game, or the Orient game, or any of the Swindon games or the Swansea game or the Wycombe game. Maybe there were issues then too but I'm just older and less tolerant of arseache these days. Dunno.
