[Football] Is the FA Cup such a big deal as a lower Premier League club?

[Bodian]

Makes a nice break from our current toils

Watching the game - all our current toils are on show!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

My thoughts. You have a reasonable chance of being knocked out by a lower league club, especially away from home. Survival in the Premier League takes preference. If a team does go through and draws one of the big boys, so what they already play each other twice a season anyway.

What would have been a “Wow, we’ve drawn one of the big six at home (not quite so wow away) becomes “oh feck we’ve drawn a big boy who has already beaten us every time we’ve played them already this season”

The only positives, if you are playing a lower league team, is that it’s a rest from the weekly defensive grind and a chance to get a bit of confidence back into the team. Against lower league teams you get the chance to rest players and put in the fringe players. Do that against a top team and you are likely to get mulllered.

Thoughts on an FA Cup we weekend.

Is this defeatist bullshit?

I would have posted a poll but Harry Wilson’s tackle scares me

<sigh>

My own personal view is that staying up is everything - till you get to the semi final, then everything changes....

 

[GT49er]

It’s all hypothetical though, suffice it to say we disagree on this, I am more than happy for us to play a decent side (and our squad is decent) rather than the first choice team in a Cup game.

Fairy nuff - no quarrel with that.

 

[Icy Gull]

<sigh>

My own personal view is that staying up is everything - till you get to the semi final, then everything changes....

It will be much tougher to decide if that happened...

 

[Hastings gull]

Disagree, think it should be important for any club in the Premier League to try and win the cup.

You play fewer games in this division and everyone has bigger squads.

Last season I couldn't give a stuff about the cup because we were already playing Saturday and Tuesday most weeks and any injuries could've really stuffed our promotion. This season we've had hardly any midweek games and we have good players on the bench who need game time. We really should be strong enough to cope with a cup run.

Yes, fair comment, particularly as three saturdays are free for cup games, so one cannot claim too much about overload. Today's team was so much stronger than the "reserve" team put out over the last few seasons.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Feels like a big deal. We are in the 5th round !!!

 

[andy1980]

I think most people don't think the FA cup is a big deal until they reach the latter stages,

 

[Simster]

Regardless of it's importance, this cup run has been beautiful so far.

We beat Palace thanks to a goal from Super Glen with 3 mins to go. We then go to Boro for a wonderful chance to gloat at their league status and come away with a lovely lucky last minute win. What next? The way this is going, we will end up getting to the final, where we beat Man Utd 4-0 after one of our players breaks Alexi Sanchez's leg.

 

[Driver8]

Regardless of it's importance, this cup run has been beautiful so far.

We beat Palace thanks to a goal from Super Glen with 3 mins to go. We then go to Boro for a wonderful chance to gloat at their league status and come away with a lovely lucky last minute win. What next? The way this is going, we will end up getting to the final, where we beat Man Utd 4-0 after one of our players breaks Alexi Sanchez's leg.

I’ll settle for beating Liverpool 5-1 in the final.

 

[TottonSeagull]

Personally I have no interest in the cup these days! Simply not the same competition it was back in 1983. The Premier League have killed it (too important to get league points than play your strongest side), playing Semi Finals at Wembley when there is more than enough club stadiums to host them has devalued the final, not having the FA Cup as the last game of the season at 3pm on a Saturday has made the final just another game. This year it will even be vying with Prince Harry’s wedding!

Unfortunately, for me, it is all about staying in the Prem for next couple of seasons!

 

[withdeanwombat]

The argument for semis at grounds other than Wembley has been strengthened in recent seasons by the development of excellent stadia more or less throughout the Premier League and a lot of the Championship.

But the FA have still to get their money back, so in the event of northern teams reaching the final their fans can look forward to a long return trip, probably for an odd kick off time.