FA cup no longer important?

In days gone by, the FA cup was the the pinnacle of English football. The romance of the cup, pub teams (and the like) gracing the turf of Anfield with builders and accountants taking on their idols.

Now it is seen as nothing more than an inconvenience. How utterly sad, you never heard of teams fielding understrength sides in the cup. Imagine being a part time player and working your way all the way to the 3rd round to play Arsenal and then not having a clue who you are playing against. Back in the day, the players of the lowly teams would even go and get signed shirts from their heros who they'd just played over 90 minutes.

With the Saints winning well against a top-flight team, but noone bats an eyelid, "meh, it's only the cup, we didn't really try".

Is the FA cup no longer a prestigious competition? Do giant killings mean anything anymore?

What a shame, FA cup 3rd round weekend used to be one of the best weekends in the English football calendar, now it is an annoying distraction from proper competitions.

Booooooooooo!!

The only way I culd see it gaining its importance back, is if the winners entered the Champions League. Take away the CL place for 4th place. It wont happen, but you wouldnt see any weaker teams played then.