deletebeepbeepbeep
Well-known member
- May 12, 2009
- 21,638
Put the stiffs out!
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Stoke game - play a full strength side?
- Thread starter Icy Gull
- Start date
HseagullsH
NSC's tipster
Full strength.
bristolseagull
Well-known member
Ladies.
joker
BHA Blues Away
Stoke Saturday, Plymouth Tuesday on official site, same thing though, I am going to Stoke as I do all the away games but the league must take priority, so a weakened team for me unfortunately
Gritt23
New member
If we beat Stoke, lining up an FA Cup QF, then I'll certainly have a stiffy, but not sure I'll be getting it out at the game.
fire&skill
Killer-Diller
Same here - teach me not to look before I leap!
We should play the side in the FA cup that we've pretty much used up till now ie Brez and Elph being the main changes
I'm with you! Do I want to win the FA Cup, or even just reach the final, with all the undying glory that that entails (especially as the 1st 3rd division side to do so), or do I want to get three points against Plymouth? *Thinksreallyhard*. Nope, still the FA Cup for me.
Are we HONESTLY debating whether "playing in Europe next season" is a good thing or not?
The gettingcarriedawaywithourselves monitor is about to explode.
Gritt23
New member
Exactly.
Oh how we'll remember and laugh, chat endlessly about that great day, the day we secured 3 points over a struggling Plymouth team. Yep, it's for those glory days that we follow the team through all the dark days, so that one day, we'll come out into the light and beat Plymouth on a Monday night. Whereas Cup runs are instantly forgettable eh?
Also, why is everyone so obsessed with the two events being mutually exclusive. A strong team playing at Stoke doesn't mean we'll stumble against Plymouth any more than a weakened side at Stoke will guarantee 3 points vs the Pilgrims. Play to win every game I say.
Bognor Bystander
Looking for a new job
agree with not playing the strongest side we have at Stoke but maybe only 3 or 4 changes like HKFC proposes - and still think we can get a result at the Brit with that side. It rather depends what team Stoke put up to play as well tho' ... they have the Arse midweek so may rest a few 1st teamers for that one.
BB
BB
DarrenFreemansPerm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cock, ive just realised i voted wrong too. I'm in favour of the full strength team at Stoke.
mcshane in the 79th
New member
- Nov 4, 2005
- 10,485
You'll be gutted if we miss out on promotion by a couple of points after losing to Plymouth though!
Although as you say there's no guarantee that playing a certain team will ensure a certain result. If's and but's.
I'm with you on this one. I really fail to see how playing a full strength side in an FA Cup game against Premiership opposition in a big ground with a massive away following when we're 2 wins from Wembley can be a bad thing. They say winning is a habit, so lets try and keep on winning. If someone gets injured or tired, then someone else will come in and fill their place. We are going up because we're by far the best team in the division, and nothing is going to change that. Whether we go up as Champions or not I don't really care, I would much rather get to a Wembley Semi-Final and finish 2nd in the league than win the Championship and lose against Stoke.
Play a full strengh side and we can win this one. Then we would be in a quarter final against any one from West Ham, Burnley, Notts County, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Birmingham, Sheffield Wednesday, Leyton Orient, Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Reading, Manchester United, Crawley Town, Fulham, Bolton or Wigan. With the exception of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal, we could give any of those teams a game on our day. I honestly think there is a real chance of us getting to the Semis and having a day out at Wembley.
And we're going up and we'll win the cup, for Sussex by the Sea.
Dominoid
Albion fan in Devon
I say full strength side and if we need to we can rest some players against Argyle. I hate to sound arrogant but in all reality, Plymouth have very little to counter us even if we field some of the fringe players within the team.
The general consensus down here seems to be that most of the fans just want to get this season out of the way and reboot next season from league 2 with a clean financial book, they've all but abandoned hope of even staying up now. I feel for them, we've been there too and it sucks to be expecting to lose week in week out, but there's a lot of support for the lads even if nobody expects them to win anything this year so they'll bounce back I'm sure. In the meantime, we ought to take advantage and do some squad testing!
The general consensus down here seems to be that most of the fans just want to get this season out of the way and reboot next season from league 2 with a clean financial book, they've all but abandoned hope of even staying up now. I feel for them, we've been there too and it sucks to be expecting to lose week in week out, but there's a lot of support for the lads even if nobody expects them to win anything this year so they'll bounce back I'm sure. In the meantime, we ought to take advantage and do some squad testing!
severnside gull
Well-known member
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
Now that the Plymouth game has been moved to the tuesday there is absolutely NO reason for this to even be a debate. 100% full strength team(maybe play Brezovan, Elphick and Kish-but they count as full strength anyway). We're a game away from the quater-finals, two from wembley, we've got to go for it! If stoke fill half their team with reserves and they underestimate us we have a fantastic chance of getting to the last eight. Bear in mind that in 110 years of trying we've only got past the last eight once so to get there would be pretty much our second best cup run...ever! Come on, that's got to be worth a full side, surely?
Also, lets stop with the bollocks about stoke being agricultural and a danger to our dainty, cultured little princes. We play in league one FFS!
Also, lets stop with the bollocks about stoke being agricultural and a danger to our dainty, cultured little princes. We play in league one FFS!
Exactly. If you can say with certainty that we'll lose at Stoke despite playing a full-strength team and we'll also be so knackered from the attempt that we'll lose at home to Plymouth, and that result and that result ONLY will cost us promotion - then yes. Play the kids, reserves, triallists, whatever at Stoke. But you can't say that can you? As you say it's all ifs and buts and the Plymouth game is only one game out of forty six! During the course of the season we'll win games we should lose and lose games we should win for myraid different reasons. I could maintain that a win at Stoke will give us so much confidence that we'll brush past Plymouth no matter how tired we are.
EDIT: I'll also say if we miss out on promotion by two points I'll blame the ref and the lino for the Bournemouth home game (especially if we lose out to Bournemouth!) I will NOT be blaming the FA Cup.
Last edited:
Gritt23
New member
Of course I'd be gutted, but I'd be far more likely to look at points dropped courtesy of that ridiculous penalty at home to Bournemouth, or that dopey late Rochdale equaliser, or something similar than we are yet to witness. I guarantee I will not be on here bemoaning the lack of freshness in the side due to us not resting players in a previous game.
Well put, both strong sides but enough changes for the team against Plymouth to still be fairly fresh.
Silent Bob
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
- Dec 6, 2004
- 22,172
In principle you're right, but I'm not sure we should play all three up front. It's worked, I think it could work aainst Stoke as well. But then when it comes to the league game it means we have no fresh legs to use up front if we need them. I wonder if that was part of the problem at Orient.
mcshane in the 79th
New member
- Nov 4, 2005
- 10,485
Exactly. If you can say with certainty that we'll lose at Stoke despite playing a full-strength team and we'll also be so knackered from the attempt that we'll lose at home to Plymouth, and that result and that result ONLY will cost us promotion - then yes. Play the kids, reserves, triallists, whatever at Stoke. But you can't say that can you? As you say it's all ifs and buts and the Plymouth game is only one game out of forty six! During the course of the season we'll win games we should lose and lose games we should win for myraid different reasons. I could maintain that a win at Stoke will give us so much confidence that we'll brush past Plymouth no matter how tired we are.
EDIT: I'll also say if we miss out on promotion by two points I'll blame the ref and the lino for the Bournemouth home game (especially if we lose out to Bournemouth!) I will NOT be blaming the FA Cup.
I know exactly what you both are saying, but it's because of games like Bournemouth and Rochdale that we possibly can't look to just disregard a game like Plymouth at home. I think Gus needs to do all he can to put a side out that can win that game, without hedging bets on other games. Only Gus will know what his players are capable of and if they need a rest or not and I will wholeheartedly back whatever he decides