Hull City boss Steve Bruce leads calls to ditch FA Cup replays

The Tigers will meet Arsenal next month in a fifth-round replay after grinding out a goalless stalemate in North London. The winners were handed a home meeting with Watford in the draw for the last eight.

Negotiations were still continuing last night as to the exact date of the Gunners’ visit to the KC Stadium due to the congested schedules of the two teams.

It is understood the replay will take place in the week beginning March 7, most likely on the Monday night due to UEFA forbidding a clash with Champions League fixtures – which take place that week on the Tuesday and Wednesday. The sixth round is due to be held the following weekend.

To facilitate the Arsenal replay taking place that week, Hull’s home match with Brentford –scheduled for March 8 – will have to be moved.

Hull already have a rearranged fixture at home to Nottingham Forest the following Tuesday. A two-week international break then kicks in on March 19.

For Bruce, the priority remains promotion and he admits such a gruelling itinerary could have a negative impact on the club’s Championship campaign.

“For us to have Arsenal back at our patch is great,” said the Hull manager. “But our schedule is ridiculous.

“I think the time has come when we could do away with replays. No one is more of a traditionalist than me and the day we got to the final was the biggest in Hull City’s history.

“But why can’t we just go to penalties? Why do we have to have a replay? Especially for those supporters who have to find the money (to attend the replay).

“A penalty competition could add to the excitement of the FA Cup. We could have gone straight into a penalty competition against Arsenal (on Saturday). That might have given us a better chance of getting to the quarters.

“I would love to go to Wembley, again – of course I would – to try and win the FA Cup. But my sole priority is getting the team back up. We want to go to Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool in the Premier League.”

Hull return to the Championship tomorrow at Ipswich before Bruce’s men host Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.

At Portman Road, he is likely to revert to the starting XI that drew 0-0 with Brighton & Hove Albion last Tuesday after making 10 changes against Arsenal.

“I was never tempted to play a full-strength team here,” he added. “Not at all. All footballers can play every day if you want them to. An athlete can run a race every day. A racehorse can run every day, too.

“But you can’t do it repeatedly with the right intensity and energy than if you have had a break to let your body rest. We have to be realistic.

“If I had played my full-strength team at Arsenal and then asked them to go again on Tuesday, Ipswich would have a huge advantage. They didn’t play at the weekend. The number of games we have to play in a short space of time is difficult.

“We have to rearrange Brentford. Where we end up with that one, goodness only knows. We will probably have to play four games in a week at some stage. When going for a Championship, that is not ideal.

“Personally, I feel we should take a look at the international break. We have two weeks when we can’t play (between March 19 and April 2). We could easily slip in two or three games there.

“That would make sense. But, instead, all the players are away playing nonsensical friendlies. I can’t see them getting much out of it.”

Bruce’s concerns over Hull’s promotion bid being undermined by the exertions of the Cup is a problem that Steve Evans would love to have at Leeds United.

Instead, United crashed out at Watford to a freak own goal by Scott Wootton to leave the club’s head coach a frustrated man.

“Watford have got some outstanding players,” said the Scot. “But I genuinely thought, standing on the sidelines, that it was a day when Watford were never going to score.

“I saw us make blocks, make tackles, I saw the goalkeeper being commanding and I didn’t see them make a lot of chances.”

Leeds return to league action tomorrow night at home to Fulham and Evans added: “We are very focused.

“We probably need to get a result on Tuesday, which mathematically makes us think about next season completely. When that is done, I can look at one or two of the younger players and see if they are going to be good enough.”

FA Cup match reports: 
Pages 2 & 3.