Hull City boss responds to controversial FA and Premier League agreement

Hull City head coach Liam Rosenior admits the congested football calendar is a problem at the top level, as he addressed the scrapping of FA Cup replays.

There was significant outcry from EFL and non-league clubs this week when the FA announced that they had agreed a deal with the Premier League to abolish replays from the first round proper from the start of next season, after the governing body came under increased pressure from the top flight.

That decision was met with fury with the 72 clubs in the EFL being blindsided by the decision, which can cut off a significant revenue stream for lower league clubs and those in non-league.

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City themselves went to a replay this season when their third-round tie with Birmingham City ended in a 1-1 draw and the pair replayed at St Andrew's with the Tigers bowing out with a late 2-1 defeat.

The Tigers head coach, whose dad Leroy has managed in non-league and has seen at first hand the importance of FA Cup finances to those outside the EFL, admits it's a difficult situation. But Rosenior says the funding must filter its way down the pyramid to ensure it continues to thrive.

"Obviously, there's been some amazing, memories with the FA Cup, especially replays," Rosenior told Hull Live. "I remember being a kid and watching Ryan Giggs run through Arsenal's team at Villa Park and score that goal, I was running around the front room. The FA Cup is an amazing, amazing tournament.

"Everything evolves and football needs to evolve with the times. There are so many more commitments for teams in the Premier League in terms of European competitions, making sure that they fly the flag for this country. Also, my dad was manager of Gloucester City in the Southern League, and I understand the pyramid as well. Those clubs that go on cup runs in non-league rely on those replays.

"I saw a report that the replays would be abolished, but then they're going to give more money to the grassroots teams as well. We all aspire to be at the top of our respective industries or pyramids, but actually, what is a solid base of our pyramid is our grassroots game.

"It is the non-league game, there's no other country in the world that has our system so as long as those clubs are still being supported without the possibility of replays, I understand the idea, but it's really, really important that there's a balance for both ends of the argument.

"For a manager, that winter period is so tough, it really is. The Championship and Premier League are so hard, not just that, League One and League Two, they don't have international breaks unless they have three or four players away on international duty.

"It's part of the game, but what I would say is that we have to find a way; people are paying fortunes for season tickets for subscriptions, for shirts to follow clubs, you want to give the fans the best product possible.

"If you look at the schedule of tournaments, Mika (Seri) was away, Adama (Traore) was away on the AFCON duty, you look at the World Cup in the winter, those players had to come back and finish the season and then they're straight into Nations League games, then they're straight back into a season, then they've got to go and play in the Euros.

"The chance of getting the best players on the pitch fresh just diminishes and that actually brings the quality of the product down and everybody wants to see the best players play at their top level.

"So it's a really, really difficult thing to manage, and at the moment, I do think there are too many games in the calendar for a player's benefit, to go and perform at their maximum level."

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