The FA Cup is a chameleon-like beast this season, and is refusing to show its true colours.
It revels in shocks - Leeds United, having knocked out Manchester United in round 3, will now take Tottenham Hotspur back to Elland Road for a reply; Reading knocked out Burnley; Southampton beat Ipswich Town; Notts County will play Wigan Athletic again; and Crystal Palace were close to humbklin Wolves.
Yet, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal now gone, the draw for round 5 lacks a certain sparkle.
All the weekend headlines were stolen by four-goal Wayne Rooney in the only Premier League match, despite the heroics of Jermaine Beckford, Gylfi Sigurdsson et al.
Attendance ranged from the sublime: 39,725 at Villa Park, 35,750 and White Hart Lane - to the ridiculous: 10,315 at Portsmouth (for an all-Premier tie), 16,102 at the Hawthorns for a top-of-the-Championship pairing.
The Cup has lost some lustre. It has history and tradition on its side, but whereas, before the days of wall-to-wall live games, the only live game of the domestic season was the FA Cup final, now it has competition from everything from the Johnstone Paint Trophy to the Champions League final.
The FA Cup no longer stands out. Many managers may it quite clear that it's little more than a nuisance in their quest for the Premier League/ Champions League. Top 4/ Promotion (delete as applicable).
Perhaps the award of a Champions League place for the winners would give the FA Cup back some much deserved glitter.
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