14 Feb 2026 20:02:03
Given my age, I wasn't alive during the Paisley era but was surprised to see he didn't win the FA cup during that successful period.
Any reason for this such as resting players at the time and not deeming it a priority or was it the case we had bad luck/ tough draws during that period?
14 Feb 2026 21:03:01
I think because we were winning the league most years under Paisley, we prioritised it, but the FA Cup back in the day held a lot more prestige than it does today, had full day TV coverage of it, so everyone fought to win it. We were unlucky a lot of times, though. Now it's only the 3rd biggest trophy to win.
14 Feb 2026 21:11:36
Nobody rested players back then, really. You played your strongest 11 most of the time, especially under Paisley. It was just the way football was, as in, you can't win everything. Like Paisley said, we had bad times too. One year, we came second.
14 Feb 2026 22:02:17
Bob was winning three European Cups, so he was not worried about the FA Cup, and in between he was also winning the league. YNWA.
14 Feb 2026 22:10:29
Was beaten in the final by United, wasn't he?
14 Feb 2026 22:11:01
Yes, as per Albey. Generally speaking, the FA Cup final was always sandwiched between the final league game and the European Cup final. The FA Cup ranked number 3 in priorities.
14 Feb 2026 22:53:41
Paisley was also busy winning the League Cup 81/82/83.
14 Feb 2026 22:57:14
Denied the treble by a United team that we had beaten a week or so earlier in the league.
15 Feb 2026 00:09:41
Jimmy Greenhof with the winner? Correct?
15 Feb 2026 00:22:50
Yes, SG. A few days later we won our first European Cup. Rome 1977.
15 Feb 2026 00:27:39
It really was a prestigious competition back then too.
15 Feb 2026 07:30:18
TV coverage would last almost all day, following the fans, with cameras on the team bus on their way to Wembley.It used to be a high point in the football calendar.
{Ed025's Note - it really was Willo..
15 Feb 2026 09:14:32
I always felt we were unlucky in the cup in the Paisley era, particularly the MU final, where it felt as though we expected to win and were caught out by a team playing out of its skin. My Dad also had a theory about playing at Wembley in white being hugely unlucky, having seen us lose there twice before.
Also, the European Cup was hugely different to the Champions League, so the team should have been fresher. That said, there were only 12 in the matchday squad in that era, which made big tactical changes impossible. Happy days all-round, though: then and now, on reflection.
15 Feb 2026 09:18:12
Did YouTube do extended highlights?
15 Feb 2026 10:13:19
Crazy, right, Bobcat? A guy that was so successful domestically and in Europe did not win at least one FA Cup. Well, I guess you can't have it all, can you?
15 Feb 2026 14:52:32
Still one of my favourite competitions. I've been lucky enough to hold the cup itself. People don't realise how many little dings and marks there are on it. Pure history.