A retro trip down Wembley way

Notwithstanding the fact that this year’s final boasts a collision of two modern heavyweights, the FA seems to be going out of its way to further dull the sheen of the once revered trophy which still bears its name — albeit now with a certain brew on the side.

Not only does today’s FA Cup final have a neither-one-thing-nor-the-other kick-off time of 5.15pm, it must also vie for media space and public attention with a Premier League fixture, with Arsenal hosting Norwich a few hours earlier. Indeed, considering that the stock of the Champions League has risen as sharply as the FA Cup’s has fallen, one commentator was within his rights to point out this week that, with the Gunners looking to secure a top-four league finish, the poor old cup final might not even be the biggest game in London today.

Against which depressing backdrop, let’s hear it for ESPN who’ve decided to go all retro by devoting a full 12 hours of programming, beginning at 8am, to today’s decider at Wembley. It might be a futile gesture but it’s one which will be much appreciated by greybeards like myself, even if the grim truth is that, these days, we hardly have the stamina for a marathon on the comfy armchair, never mind one spent pounding city streets.