F A Cup

[ady1973]

Anybody else, I'm not really bothered about the cup this season. I would of prefered if we play our reserves/juniors in this competion and keep our 1st team intact. Free of injury's suspensions etc.

Don't get me wrong I normally love the cup, but this season we could be ours and I would hate it if it was to be ruined by an injury to a key play. Playing in a competion we can't win.

Lets just stay focused on the league....and get promoted...and move into our new home as a championship side, rather than 4th round winners.

 

[strings]

Last night we needed to play the first team, because they hadn't played in 2 weeks. Against the 'orrible people from down the coast I would play the first team because I think it would be a good exercise to see where we are in comparison to a club 10 places above us in the football league pyramid.

I agree, the cup isn't a priority this season, but success in the league and the cup are not mutually exclusive - we can have both. Our league form took a dip following the Woking game and I wonder if the loss of momentum knocked the teams confidence a bit. Play the first team (minus those on 4 yellows) with Brez in between the sticks, I say.

 

[Giraffe]

I am bothered about the FA Cup. It's the FA Cup for fucks sakes. Glad Gus played a decent team last night, hoping he has learned that actually if you take it seriously you can win games and keep players and fans happy.

A good cup run is a good thing and compliments the league run well. Can't see any reason why we wouldn't always try our best in the biggest knockout competition in the world.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

He had to play a strong team last night to give them match practice for the weekend. Nothing better than to go into Huddersfield game on the back of a 4-0 away win

 

[clippedgull]

I am bothered about the FA Cup. It's the FA Cup for fucks sakes. Glad Gus played a decent team last night, hoping he has learned that actually if you take it seriously you can win games and keep players and fans happy.

A good cup run is a good thing and compliments the league run well. Can't see any reason why we wouldn't always try our best in the biggest knockout competition in the world.

This. Plus the additional money it brings into the club as you progress through the rounds. If we are on form then I can see us getting a result against Portsmouth and then hopefully another decent draw in the 4th round.

 

[Giraffe]

And people talk about how it can distract you, like Leeds last year, but they had bloody good days out at Man Utd and Spurs and still got promoted in the end. Ask a Leeds fan or player if he'd have rather not bothered with the cup last year and I'm sure they would say f*** off.

 

[Brighton till i die]

Ask a Leeds fan or player if he'd have rather not bothered with the cup last year and I'm sure they would say f*** off.

to be fair....

Ask a Leeds fan or player ANYTHING and I'm sure they would say f*** off.

 

[ady1973]

I understand why we played a strong side last night, and as the 1st team had not played for a week or so. They needed to play.

But, just playing devils advocate, if say Leeds hadn't got promoted last year due to an injury at Man utd or Spurs. Would the fans be happy just on the memories of some 'great days out'. Fortunately they had both,and could afford to as they were so far ahead at the top.

I'm not saying we can't have both , I just don't want anything to jepodise our promotion push (not excatly been in the mix for promotion recently).

 

[Icy Gull]

I imagine the Cup will be a nice distraction from the League for the players. No real pressure for a change. Can't see Gus not taking it seriously from here on in.

 

[Giraffe]

I understand why we played a strong side last night, and as the 1st team had not played for a week or so. They needed to play.

But, just playing devils advocate, if say Leeds hadn't got promoted last year due to an injury at Man utd or Spurs. Would the fans be happy just on the memories of some 'great days out'. Fortunately they had both,and could afford to as they were so far ahead at the top.

I'm not saying we can't have both , I just don't want anything to jepodise our promotion push (not excatly been in the mix for promotion recently).

I believe we are good enough to have both, but I'm greedy like that.

 

[Giraffe]

to be fair....

Ask a Leeds fan or player ANYTHING and I'm sure they would say f*** off.

That is a very fair point.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Nice little money spinner for the club already with two televised ties. Plus a sell-out tie v Pompey.

More important, it's probably given the players a bit of their confidence back.

 

[Acker79]

But, just playing devils advocate, if say Leeds hadn't got promoted last year due to an injury at Man utd or Spurs. Would the fans be happy just on the memories of some 'great days out'. Fortunately they had both,and could afford to as they were so far ahead at the top.

Weren't we further ahead at the top of the division than they were a few weeks back?

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I understand why we played a strong side last night, and as the 1st team had not played for a week or so. They needed to play.

But, just playing devils advocate, if say Leeds hadn't got promoted last year due to an injury at Man utd or Spurs. Would the fans be happy just on the memories of some 'great days out'. Fortunately they had both,and could afford to as they were so far ahead at the top.

I'm not saying we can't have both , I just don't want anything to jepodise our promotion push (not excatly been in the mix for promotion recently).

Gus has himself cited Leeds as a reason why NOT to field full strength teams in the FA Cup - they very nearly blew it last season, having a terrible run in the league after they'd beaten Man Utd.

.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Gus has himself cited Leeds as a reason why NOT to field full strength teams in the FA Cup - they very nearly blew it last season, having a terrible run in the league after they'd beaten Man Utd.

.

But maybe it was the cup run before the MU game that was helping their form? Maybe their dip in form was purely coincidence and was on the cards anyway? Besides, they still got promoted. Every team has a dip somewhere in a league season.

Be interesting how we perform on Saturday. If we play well, then it would indicate a good performance in the cup has helped our league form. Certainly after the Woking game with a rested team, we didn't play half as well in the league after that.

 

[TonyW]

Anybody else, I'm not really bothered about the cup this season. I would of prefered if we play our reserves/juniors in this competion and keep our 1st team intact. Free of injury's suspensions etc.

Don't get me wrong I normally love the cup, but this season we could be ours and I would hate it if it was to be ruined by an injury to a key play. Playing in a competion we can't win.

Lets just stay focused on the league....and get promoted...and move into our new home as a championship side, rather than 4th round winners.

A tough one for me.

I kind of agree, promotion is the key, concentrate on the league and all that.
On the other hand, if we play our 'A' game, then we can beat anyone outside of the Premiership at the moment, not saying we would, but we certainly wouldn't be scared of them.
So my other hand says, lets have a go in the FA Cup.

Remeber when Chesterfield (cheating bastards) got to the semis - now that would be exciting!!!

 

[ali jenkins]

There is NO reason why we cant have a good cup run and still go up. Who is to know that Leeds wouldnt have had a blip a week after the Man U game or that one of players wont get injured in training?

Shall we lock them up in a padded cell Sunday-Friday?

Unlike the other 2 cups the FA Cup is played on a Saturday so playing the ressies would acctually mean the 1st team would have a week off and might be a bit rusty (which is why the 1st team played last night)

 

[eastlondonseagull]

But maybe it was the cup run before the MU game that was helping their form? Maybe their dip in form was purely coincidence and was on the cards anyway? Besides, they still got promoted. Every team has a dip somewhere in a league season.

Be interesting how we perform on Saturday. If we play well, then it would indicate a good performance in the cup has helped our league form. Certainly after the Woking game with a rested team, we didn't play half as well in the league after that.

Agree - I'm hoping we'll be flying on Saturday, back to winning ways

 

[Brovion]

Anybody else, I'm not really bothered about the cup this season. I would of prefered if we play our reserves/juniors in this competion and keep our 1st team intact. Free of injury's suspensions etc.

Don't get me wrong I normally love the cup, but this season we could be ours and I would hate it if it was to be ruined by an injury to a key play. Playing in a competion we can't win.

Lets just stay focused on the league....and get promoted...and move into our new home as a championship side, rather than 4th round winners.

I bet you'll* be saying more or less the same thing next year; if we're struggling in the Championship it'll be "The Cup doesn't matter this year, the important thing is that we don't get relegated."


*Not just you. This topic's been discussed about 400 times already and there are quite a few who think like you do.

 

[Fawkesy]

in not interested about the first two rounds. But do get excited with the 3rd round draw, and further if we are still in the competition, and i am somewhat looking forward to the Pompey game, however id be soo more excited if it was at their gaff.