[Football] A mIssed opportunity?

[Brovion]

Certainly after reading the '50 years since Wolves' thread and remembering the great League Cup run in 76/77 I am incredibly disappointed that it was just treated as another version of the FA Youth Cup. We're not a 3rd division side any more who enter these Cup competitions with absolutely no hope of winning them, they are now a genuine chance of us getting some silverware.

No I didn't go and anyone who wants to criticise me for not going yet still having an opinion - fair enough. However I am still interested in Brighton's results.

 

[Wozza]

Ah well, we were never going to win the LC anyone.

Not many strong teams left...

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

I don't get the anger. Yes, we're out and yes there were a few more first teamers that maybe could have played, but I enjoyed seeing the youngsters not getting completely outclassed against some top top players. At 2-1 who knows what could have happened and Villa then decided to get Grealish on which is a compliment. It will be great experience for them to play against PL players and not look out of place. Richards will learn from giving the ball away for the second goal and Baluta will look back and realise that he has to be more careful also. Roberts was outstanding and the whole team can be proud and it moves them closer to a breakthrough. Potter is correct to show that there is a pathway available to the first team if you have the ability and work hard.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I know the Caribou Cup

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Were we the only club making many changes .nope ...sorry but it’s a Micky mouse cup

Expected changes certainly.
Expected some youngsters to be given first team experience.

The matchday squad had 2 players with squad numbers under 25. That isn't first team experience.
And to be honest I'm not sure Shane Duffy will be overly impressed at being risked (considered expendable).
Doesn't say much about how Potter sees him.

To be honest I was hoping Schelletto might be given a few minutes, or Bissouma.
Had I seen 45 minutes of either of those two, I would have accepted it as just a mickey mouse cup and understandable.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Expected changes certainly.
Expected some youngsters to be given first team experience.

The matchday squad had 2 players with squad numbers under 25. That isn't first team experience.
And to be honest I'm not sure Shane Duffy will be overly impressed at being risked (considered expendable).
Doesn't say much about how Potter sees him.

To be honest I was hoping Schelletto might be given a few minutes, or Bissouma.
Had I seen 45 minutes of either of those two, I would have accepted it as just a mickey mouse cup and understandable.

Fair point

 

[BNthree]

Good luck selling Cup game tickets in the future!

That's my take on this. Feel ripped off for the money I spent on the night. Definitely not going to bother with any cup games, unless it is the semi or finals, whilst Potter is in charge as it seems a waste of cash.

 

[Worthing exile]

I hope in future seasons we are always drawn away, as I doubt I will buy a home ticket for a LC game again.
I’d be very interested to know B&B’s behind closed doors reaction to that team, I’m not sure Potter did himself any favours there.
Are we really saying Mooy, Gross, Montoya, Propper, Burn, Webster, could not even be on the bench? Mooy especially looks like he needs game minutes.

As we have space in the 25, why not register Crofts? He is there to work with the U23s and would have been some use in midfield even for 45 minutes.

 

[oneillco]

Agreed.

We were never going to risk the critical central players - Ryan, Dunk, Pröpper, Stephens, Groß. We'll take the club at their word that Murray and Maupay (a scratch on his leg ) were genuinely unavailable, and that none of Bernardo, Schelotto, Balogun were ready to play even a half.

That still leaves the likes of Mooy, Webster OR Burn, Bissouma, Alzate, Montoya who COULD have played some part in the game.

The youngsters did really well, and I am all for promoting the youth. But, to start 8 academy players. To have TEN players making their debuts together. NINE of those, playing their very first senior game. That is ridiculous.

Agreed, ridiculous. Surely the Rumbelows Cup or whatever it's called now is a chance to let junior players gain experience alongside seasoned pros, not throw them to the wolves (though I know we were playing Villa last night)

 

[dazzer6666]

As we have space in the 25, why not register Crofts? He is there to work with the U23s and would have been some use in midfield even for 45 minutes.

He is registered

 

[blue-shifted]

Agree with the majority of sentiments expressed.

I understand that manager’s often play much changed line ups in the Carabao Cup. Though that’s got to be the most extreme example I’ve ever seen. I understand the point that we’ve got a few injuries, but some of those players had barely played at u23 level let alone against Premier League players, several with full international honours.

A great learning experience for them yes, but I’m not entirely comfortable with us binning off a competition so ruthlessly. That line up we selected is as close to throwing a match as you can get in professional football.

 

[crodonilson]

In the last 20 years Birmingham, Middlesborough, Swansea, Leicester and Blackburn have won it.

Bradford, Bolton, Wigan, Villa, Cardiff, Sunderland, Tranmere and Southampton have been runners up.

I get that the chances of us winning it are slim but they are probably better than they ever have before, certainly in the last 30 years, so before the natural football cycle takes over and we inevitably return back to the Championship as many of the clubs above of similar or larger size to ourselves have done I would love us to give the cup competitions a real good go.

 

[Milano]

I don't get the anger. Yes, we're out and yes there were a few more first teamers that maybe could have played, but I enjoyed seeing the youngsters not getting completely outclassed against some top top players. At 2-1 who knows what could have happened and Villa then decided to get Grealish on which is a compliment. It will be great experience for them to play against PL players and not look out of place. Richards will learn from giving the ball away for the second goal and Baluta will look back and realise that he has to be more careful also. Roberts was outstanding and the whole team can be proud and it moves them closer to a breakthrough. Potter is correct to show that there is a pathway available to the first team if you have the ability and work hard.

Agree with some of that but not all at once. Injuries would have definitely have played a part but there should have at least been options on the bench. Had we been able to put on Gross and Mooy when Villa put on Grealish then who knows......

Losing can become a habit.

 

[blue-shifted]

Agree with the majority of sentiments expressed.

I understand that manager’s often play much changed line ups in the Carabao Cup. Though that’s got to be the most extreme example I’ve ever seen. I understand the point that we’ve got a few injuries, but some of those players had barely played at u23 level let alone against Premier League players, several with full international honours.

A great learning experience for them yes, but I’m not entirely comfortable with us binning off a competition so ruthlessly. That line up we selected is as close to throwing a match as you can get in professional football.

 

[zefarelly]

Our priority is to stay in the PL. it's far too big a business. The caramac cup is just a back up euro entry for one of the top 6. I think the fa cup is going the same way, which is sad. Even the championship sides with aspirations field reserves.

Therefore Potter and the club were fully justified in doing what they did. Tickets were cheap and it was no doubt a pretty good game of football with some goals. . .

 

[Springal]

Our priority is to stay in the PL. it's far too big a business. The caramac cup is just a back up euro entry for one of the top 6. I think the fa cup is going the same way, which is sad. Even the championship sides with aspirations field reserves.

Therefore Potter and the club were fully justified in doing what they did. Tickets were cheap and it was no doubt a pretty good game of football with some goals. . .

Is that not Villas priority too then? They seemed to manage putting out a decent team and did not mind giving Grealish 30 mins. And Villa are hardly flying and no doubt a good win will give them confidence going into the league this weekend

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Personally I was bitterly dissapointed with the way we treated last night game. I know the Caribou Cup is much maligned in some quarters but as a lower half EPL club why can't we take this a bit more seriously?

At the beginning of the season I wonder what our aims are, obviously first and foremost it is EPL football in 2020/21 so survival, but surely we can stretch our ambitions slightly beyond that and take the two cup competitions seriously? We won't get 3 consecutive seasons in the EPL on our honours list, or in our trophy cabinet but whilst we are a decent EPL outfit we do have an outside chance of winning a cup, an outside chance but a chance all the same.

No, completely disagree. Yes there are seasons where we might be considered settled where we should have a go at the league cup. This year we have a new manager finding his feet in the premier league, with a completely new formation still being introduced. This season is therefore not the season to be having a go at the cups.

So I think its completely clear and inarguable what our aims are this season, safety in the EPL.

As you say, whilst we are a decent EPL outfit we have an outside chance of winning a cup. So lets do that first bit first.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Happy we’re out the competition, squad not big enough during Potters opening season. Let others teams around us go deeper and play more first team players.

 

[Easy 10]

Can only echo the comments. These aren’t supposed to be “practice games” for the kids – they are presented and marketed as competitive fixtures, and priced accordingly. Everyone knows there are going to be changes, with the team made up of some 1st teamers plus some of the fringe 1st team players getting a start, then perhaps a couple of kids on the bench to bring on later. But to treat this basically as an academy game is a bit of an insult to the paying punters. There’ll be lots of “positives” being thrown around, great experience for the kids, blah blah. But I’d question what benefit they REALLY had by being given the runaround from a half-paced PL team. Surely they’d benefit far more by having the opportunity to play ALONGSIDE more experienced players in the squad. Instead, they just played with – well, who they always play with at the academy.

I’d question how much they really learned from that last night. Poor show from the club.

 

[Luke93]

Brighton have a small squad. The objective is to survive in the league. The squad is already depleted with Balogun, Trossard and Izzy out injured with other players on knocks and returning to full fitness themselves. An injury to even a fringe player like Bissouma, who’s returning from injury and featured on the bench last week, would leave us short with first team squad players.

I have no issues with the youngsters getting a run out. It protects the squad from new injuries and worsening current knocks. Last season our FA cup ran alongside the league dip in form. Perhaps not directly related, but I’d argue that it certainly didn’t help the league position. A run in this cup competition with the first team players doesn’t do Brighton any favours right now.