THE devaluation of the FA Cup has been completed – by the FA itself. Try finding the date of the final on the FA’s website. If you enter “what is the date of the FA Cup final 2011” into the search engine, the top item is the Champions’ League final at Wembley on May 28.

It’s not there. You have to go to the Wembley Stadium website to find that it’s supposed to be on Saturday, May 14. Why isn’t that on the FA’s website, I wonder?

The answer might be that, as you learn if you go to the website of the Premier League (proprietor: the FA) there is a full programme of Premier League fixtures that weekend. No, really. Bloggers will know that there is talk of the FA Cup final being played on Sunday, May 29 – after the Lord Mayor’s show?

The conclusion? It’s not on the FA’s website because the FA are embarrassed that they don’t know when they can find time to play their former showcase event, rather like a fixture that’s been postponed through bad weather.

No wonder the clubs don’t take it seriously any more.

Ian West, Gainford, near Darlington