Recently derided, the FA Cup reasserts its value – and has never been more needed

As Tottenham Hotspur show corporate complications, Macclesfield display the human spirit that football is supposed to embody. Also this week:

As of Monday evening, Thomas Frank was virtually certain to take Spurs' match against West Ham United this Saturday – a game that might well be the unhappiest in Premier League history. That was a theme mentioned in last Monday's newsletter, so it is timely that this fixture immediately follows. West Ham are facing a long period of decline ending in relegation, with fans uncertain about the very direction of the club.

Tottenham almost face the same issue, but higher up the table. For now, the debate centres largely on the manager, driven by the poverty of performances and results. As one prominent football figure puts it: "The manager, as ever and at all clubs, gets all the blame because he is visible at all times."

Many Spurs fans, to be fair, did direct some ire towards the board as they headed for the concourse at half-time of the weekend's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. The loud boos, meanwhile, could just as easily have been aimed at a number of figures.

This is not to defend Frank, and I am fully aware of the perception that the media spare him strong criticism because of how personable he is. The very uncertainty over his situation nevertheless sums up some of the difficulties he faces in trying to do his actual job.

Some on the Spurs board naturally have misgivings about keeping him – how could they not, given the performances? Others feel he should be given a fair run once most of their attackers return from injury, which would go some way to explaining why the team has looked so uninspired going forward. That frustration found some release in the cheers for Dominic Solanke's long-awaited return.

Above all, though, there is the fundamental question of who they would even bring in to replace Frank.

Tottenham share exactly the same dilemma as Manchester United in that regard, except they arguably have more work to do. They do not just need to consider who comes in next; they have to consider who comes in around him.

One of the prime issues with Frank is that he has gone from a perfect structure at Brentford to one at Spurs where everything must be reconsidered. Some disconnect is inevitable.

And, just like United, this is not a club that has clearly defined the identity it wants to play. Hence, they can go from Ange Postecoglou to Frank, to say nothing of the longer-term back-and-forth between coaches with completely different profiles.

They are just another extremely wealthy club that has neglected the basic best practice of articulating a coherent football identity. It is frankly remarkable that this is still the case for so many major sides in 2026.

That is also where the highly debated departure of Daniel Levy has a real cost, as it has created a vacuum: there is no central figure to steer the club. Spurs would, of course, insist that this is the point of the new executive structure, but it only adds to a perception of uncertainty, since the next steps are impossible to predict. With Levy, there were over two decades of evidence of how he reacted in such situations. Now, who knows?

That uncertainty reaches the very top, with questions about the intentions of the Lewis sibling owners. Are they truly invested, as they insist, or do they actually want to sell the club?

Spurs are just another example of how football – and the direction of a community institution – has been captured by needlessly complicated corporate interests.

And that is also why the FA Cup, and especially Macclesfield's win over Crystal Palace, was so needed this weekend.

In stark contrast to the complications at Spurs, there was a clear purity to what Macclesfield achieved.

Almost everywhere you turned at Moss Rose, there was a gloriously emotional human story. The grand tribute to the tragically departed Ethan McLeod clearly stood above everything, but there were also smaller details that reinforced it. One of these is that, since Rob Smethurst revitalised the club, it has become a local centre where people gather. It has become a community hub in the truest sense.

What you had on Saturday, then, was really what the FA Cup – and football itself – are about: the hope and potential of the sport to enrich people's lives. Consider even one of the "celebrity" elements of the day. We have all seen Wayne Rooney celebrate multiple trophies and endure major disappointments, but we have never seen him come close to tears, as he did for his younger brother, Macclesfield manager John Rooney.

The numbers only amplified this. With 117 places separating the clubs in the pyramid, this was the biggest FA Cup shock involving a top-tier side. That is further underscored by the remarkable fact that it was the first time a non-league side had knocked out the holders since 1909, following Palace's own victory over Wolves.

If you tried to write such narrative symmetry for fiction, it would seem excessive. In football, it feels perfect. This is the kind of lore and rich history that truly defines the sport.

If you cannot write it, you could also say you cannot buy it – although Wrexham's owners did enjoy their own moment with the penalty shoot-out victory over Nottingham Forest.

It is widely believed that Macclesfield was one of the clubs that the Wrexham owners initially considered, as they sought to showcase British football's working-class culture as part of their documentary's appeal.

While there is a separate discussion to be had about that strategy – and even the Wrexham project more generally – all of it leans towards the other side of the conversation here: the "commodification of emotion," to use a phrase coined by lawyer and former player Gareth Farrelly, and how this can lead to the complications we see at clubs like Spurs and United.

Such interests have fuelled a long-running debate about the exact meaning of the FA Cup in the modern game – a debate that has persisted for 25 years. Yet after recent changes, it now finally feels like we are on the other side of this.

There is a sense that the FA Cup is being appreciated once again for what it truly is. What it offered this weekend was a series of big stories and scorelines – from Macclesfield to United and Spurs, and even a belter of a game between Newcastle United and Bournemouth. Those two sides clearly cared.

Unai Emery himself touched on this after the Villa game, speaking of how he felt "a responsibility" to deliver such a trophy to fans who made their support so audible at the stadium.

It is surprising to consider that the Birmingham club have not won the FA Cup since 1957, especially given how integral to its lore they are from their early victories.

Tottenham have long seemed more synonymous with the cup. There have been periods when they were central to its story, not least one of its old "truths" about what happened when the year ended in a one.

Now, they still have not won it since 1991, nor even reached the final since then. Another season goes by, as the prospect of yet another "written-off" caretaker season looms.

It says a lot about the two sides of this weekend.

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What were your main takeaways from this weekend's FA Cup fixtures? Email me at m.delaney@independent.co.uk with your thoughts. Inside Football members get access to my answers in full.

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What do these two sequences represent, and what is the link between them?

Nov 1994, Nov 1997, Sep 1998, March 2001, Sep 2003, Nov 2004, Oct 2007, Oct 2008, Dec 2013, Nov 2019, April 2021, Nov 2021, March 2023

Ray Wilkins, David Unsworth, David Pleat, Nigel Pearson, Keith Millen, Paddy McCarthy, Ryan Mason, Kevin MacDonald, Ray Lewington, Kevin Keen, Joe Jordan, Stewart Houston, Guus Hiddink, Duncan Ferguson, Kevin Ball, Clive Allen

Join me in a live Q&A

As The Independent's chief football writer, I've spent years covering transfers, managerial appointments, and speaking to sources about the behind-the-scenes workings that shape top clubs.

I'll be live on Thursday to answer your all your football questions – from the managerial merry-go-round and the head coach versus sporting director debate to potential January and summer moves and how these stories are likely to play out across the Premier League and Europe.

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Latest transfer chatter

I reported on Monday morning that Manchester City were intent on signing Marc Guehi this January, aiming to beat the many suitors for his signature in the summer. That will still require a significant financial offer. Either way, Newcastle United now have virtually no chance of signing a player they were very close to securing only a year ago.

Sources say the club are looking elsewhere for a centre-half and a left-back, and intend to do both in this window. They may even pursue a midfielder if other exits occur. Newcastle do have money to spend, which perhaps explains a certain coyness from Eddie Howe on the matter ahead of their own Carabao Cup semi-final against City.

Back to Spurs, and perhaps it says a lot about their uncertain situation that they currently appear to have no interest in a player who has been a target across multiple transfer windows.

Conor Gallagher, on Monday, was going through the process of joining Aston Villa. Spurs decided he did not fit the current project. The question remains whether they have been so inactive in the transfer market because of the possibility that any new signings might be for a future that does not necessarily involve Frank.

United poised to choose their interim manager

As noted in this newsletter on Friday, Michael Carrick is now virtually certain to be Manchester United's interim manager. As of Monday evening, he was in the final stages of discussions, with the majority of the main terms already agreed.

This will be a disappointment to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who would clearly love the role. Yet it is hard not to feel that the very reason Solskjaer is so emotional about it is precisely why United should make the logical choice. They need to be colder in their decision-making.

As mentioned on Friday, Carrick is also closer to the start of his managerial career. He had a promising stint at Middlesbrough. Solskjaer, by contrast, has been in the job for 14 years, and his only roles outside Norway and Old Trafford – at Cardiff City and Besiktas – were largely disappointing.

If United want to build a coach for the future – if not immediately for the summer – Carrick is the obvious choice. The club, meanwhile, are focused only on the next five months. They intend to use that period to properly consider the permanent appointment.

Every Friday I answer questions from readers – from the politics shaping football to the stories behind the scenes. You can read my full replies by becoming an Inside Football member

It feels like it's back. There was, yes, a sense of magic.

Ire is now really turning towards them as they face up to their shortest season in 111 years.

By exiting both domestic cups in their fixtures, and with no European football, it means they only have 40 games this season. A low, in so many senses.

The dates are when Tottenham Hotspur made mid-season managerial changes.

The names are figures who took more than one caretaker or interim coaching stint at current Premier League clubs.

Drop me an email and let me know how you did. Thanks for reading – and see you on Friday!

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