5 reasons the FA Cup final is still brilliant

"Tell us about the time you scraped into the top four, Grandpa." Said no grandkid, ever. When you’ve got your family huddled on your living room floor, they want tales accompanied by medals. Football is about winning things.

Wikipedia is living proof of that. In the "honours" section, there is no mention of early Champions League exits. But there are nods to FA Cups, Community Shields and Johnstone’s Paint Trophies. Why? Because silverware matters.

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Arsenal fans are familiar with Groundhog Day. Finish in the top four, celebrate wildly, get knocked out of the Champions League, say "next year will be different". Repeat. The owners were undoubtedly delighted with the financial flow, but there’s a reason "since Arsenal last won a trophy" became a viral hit. The fans demanded more and, eventually, the rot was stopped with back-to-back FA Cups.

It's a sad state that money in the English top-flight has forced cup competitions into the shadows. It's not viable to field a strong team in the knockout format, when managers are appraised on league performance. It wasn't always like this. Cups were once a big deal. And for fans, they still can be. Do you really care how much money your club has? Sure, it's nice to be linked with big-name signings, but what's the point if you're never going to win anything? Would it not be worth swapping your top-four cheque to see your team triumph at Wembley? The FA Cup offers that opportunity.

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We've had a two-week long national celebration for Leicester City, a party that has distracted us from the disappointing conclusion to the Premier League season. Do we really want Chris Smalling's own goal versus Bournemouth to be the final moment of the 2016-17 season? Of course not, and the FA Cup is here to help.

After some drab years - we'll call them the "Chelsea years" - where the final rarely captured the public's imagination, the last three have been entertaining (unless you support Aston Villa). It's the perfect send-off to the domestic season.

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Come on. You can't get bored watching Shaka Hislop claw at thin air as Steven Gerrard's thunderbolt assaults the net. And, given the TV coverage always starts alarmingly early, we'll get to watch it at least 50 times.

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Right now, Crystal Palace fans will be getting swept up in the "magic of the FA Cup". It’s nonsense, of course. But even without enchantments and sorcery, the FA Cup final has produced some sensational moments that are etched in British football history. From Wimbledon’s "Crazy Gang" stunning Liverpool to lowly Wigan beating Manchester City.

Not every edition can be an absolute barnstormer. But when Miles Jedinak and Wayne Rooney lead their respective sides out on Saturday, and 90,000 fans rise, how can you not get excited?