1986 FA Cup Final Preview 

It was the only scheduled live TV club game of the season. The only other times that clubs would be shown live were if the FA or League Cup Final went to a replay (the League Cup Final itself kicked-off at 3pm on a Saturday along with normal League fixtures so wasn’t shown live), or a British team reached the European Cup or Cup-Winners Cup Finals (though not, I think, the two-legged UEFA Cup Final).

You’re spot on up until about 2000 it was “The Game” 😢

So true…superb memories indeed

I remember the 3rd round having more buzz back in the day than the final does now

You could argue it was bigger than the league.

Absolutely agree have never agreed with the semi finals being played at Wembley. The magic of the cup final was about getting to Wembley. For the final now you are at Wembley before the final. The feeling can't be the same the tv coverage was brilliant tarby celebrity bar. Saint and jimmy brilliant days

The ENTIRE day resembled a "Royal" wedding & that's not an exaggeration either .

na it wan a certain team who went to Brazil to play another competetion that killed it

That is a brilliant comment. Could not agree more 👍

It was for 100 years

Money took over...sadly

Still matters massive to this fan.

You're right, he did. But Lawrenson won their duel in the final itself, when Lineker was through and Lawrenson stopped him with a perfect recovery tackle!

Snooker was the number 1 pastime with my mates back then. It was hugely popular and Dennis Taylor- Steve Davis final was watched by everyone it seemed

I uploaded this a few months back and there is more of Saint and Greavsie on the video here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hnHK0erS2u4.html

On the pitch in their suits.....it was great!

Definitely Mimms. Southall got a bad ankle injury playing for Wales and was out for months.

I saw a brilliant interview with Greavsie a few years back where he looks back on his career. It was quite sombre and he never once smiled or joked. I wonder was his humour masking a depressive persona. He almost seemed to regard life as a farce.

Yes, I would 100% agree RE autobiogrphies. I haven’t read Saints however Greasvie is absolutely amongst the best and ive read alot. He was so very modest.

Isn't it?

Thanks. This is from a "best of Saint & Greavsie" episode and is all the was shown from the 86 final. I assume you meant more of the build up to that match, and this is all I have of the ITV build up. If you meant the S&G best of, someone posted a link to the full episode of that elsewhere in the comments.

Cheers Dave! This footage is so weird to me. I’m 34, and as much as I still enjoy the FA Cup final, some of the lads I go the match with are touching 60 and they told me how much of a huge deal it used to be. Some of the comments to this video also confirm this. My first FA Cup final memory was Owen vs Arsenal in 2001. Thankfully too young to remember ‘96, but I don’t remember any … pomp? That the word? I just don’t remember it being the huge, huge deal it apparently used to be.

The fa cup final even in Ireland it was massive from the built up in the morning of cup final day right to the end was most watch TV

I think there was a time when the league title and FA Cup were of equal importance, and it was a massive shame for Liverpool fans that the club had not won the cup before 1965. By the 80s, when I was growing up, the league was more important but the FA Cup was still massive.

@@DaveWallerLFC It's not actually the full episode as I pieced together a couple of bits from different shows. Loved S and G!