Poor

[HP Seagull]

We've now got a replay away at Woking three days after a long trip to Hartlepool, meaning we will be tired. It also disrupts our week meaning we will not be able to prepare as thoroughly for Bristol Rovers. On top of that we now have Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday games ahead of our biggest game of the season, hardly ideal preparation.

Gus should have brought Bennett on to win us the game when it became obvious that we wouldn't score if we played all week. However, the problem wasn't the side that Gus played, which should have been enough to see off Woking, it was the attitude he sent the players out with, which was obviously the same as against Orient and Northampton. He obviously doesn't care about any of the cups, as much as he claims to, so we may as well play the youth teams. I just hope this doesn't effect our league form, pretty sure Gus would rather have lost than gone to a replay.

 

[WeAreTheAlbion]

Well Said!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I don't think we went in with the wrong attitude, I felt that Woking were excellent. They closed us down well, they didn't panic when they couldn't get hold of the ball and they were good on the break.

Their game plan worked and we were lacking the usual spark to make things happen.

All credit to them.

Loved their fans. Great to see a couple of flares at Withdean. I was expecting a re-appearance of Rocket Man if we had scored.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The players wont be tired after Hartlepool as they'll mostly be rested until the Bristol Rovers game.

 

[Rookie]

We've now got a replay away at Woking three days after a long trip to Hartlepool, meaning we will be tired. It also disrupts our week meaning we will not be able to prepare as thoroughly for Bristol Rovers. On top of that we now have Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday games ahead of our biggest game of the season, hardly ideal preparation.

Gus should have brought Bennett on to win us the game when it became obvious that we wouldn't score if we played all week. However, the problem wasn't the side that Gus played, which should have been enough to see off Woking, it was the attitude he sent the players out with, which was obviously the same as against Orient and Northampton. He obviously doesn't care about any of the cups, as much as he claims to, so we may as well play the youth teams. I just hope this doesn't effect our league form, pretty sure Gus would rather have lost than gone to a replay.

So had nothing to do with how the other lot played then

 

[Beach Hut]

Thought Woking did their homework better than most other teams and played pretty well.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Predict we'll play a complete reserve side in the replay

 

[murraymints4brighton]

Woking played a typical FA cup first round style game which consists of a lot of running/closing and a plan to stop "football being played". I really don't know why people are so surprised anyway, replays and these kinds of games happen EVERY year and we have gone and drawn the short straw, also note replays seem to occur quite frequently with teams at the top of the table, e.g. we are playing such tremendous stuff that like today, lesser teams will just run themselves into the ground stopping us.

We really shouldn't worry about this, providing we again field a weakened ream we should be fit and ready for the future league games and should still win the replay anyway, and if not... GOOD. Let's get out of the competition and focus on the league, simple. We are not going to win the competition, nor are we going to benefit ourselves in the long run by getting to the 3/4 round and getting knocked out by Blackburn or someone. Cup days out are fun, but playing in a higher division is better.

 

[RexCathedra]

Thought Woking did their homework better than most other teams and played pretty well.

On any given Saturday....

Sometimes you'll toss a coin ten times, and get ten heads. It's not the normal result, but it's not an impossible result.

 

[HP Seagull]

I don't think we went in with the wrong attitude, I felt that Woking were excellent. They closed us down well, they didn't panic when they couldn't get hold of the ball and they were good on the break.

Their game plan worked and we were lacking the usual spark to make things happen.

All credit to them.

Loved their fans. Great to see a couple of flares at Withdean. I was expecting a re-appearance of Rocket Man if we had scored.

I agree that Woking were excellent, and thoroughly deserved their draw. They came with a game-plan and they stuck to it, they could even have nicked it on the break like you say.

However, I can't see how you believe we went in to that game with the right attitude. There was no desire today, no urgency, and our normally crisp passing and movement in midfield was non-existant. We played as if the game didn't matter to us. How many times in the second half was there loads of space on the right wing? In a league game Calderon would have been bombing into it but on more than one occasion today he was content to stay rooted to his position at right back. The one time he did break forward almost produced a goal.

It was a lethargic and innefective performance today and there is no doubt in my mind that had we played with the same intensity that we do league games we would have brushed Woking aside.

Fair play to them and there fans though, who were excellent. The flair was brilliant, shame our ridiculously over-zeleous stewards saw fit to remove him from the stadium, just let them enjoy their day out.

Also, not using Bennett epitamised the fact that we didn't care about today.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Thought Woking did their homework better than most other teams and played pretty well.

Quite right Mr B. As well as they battled & as abject as we were, it did make me chuckle when I heard the Woking manager (ex-Stain) suggesting he wouldn't have been surprised if they had gone in 2 or 3 up at half time. Per-lease...

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Predict we'll play a complete reserve side in the replay

There will have to be a couple of first team regulars so that the FA dont get suspicious.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

There will have to be a couple of first team regulars so that the FA dont get suspicious.

Crap. Forgot about that rule!

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Should have played Smith in the Bennett role.

 

[Sheebo]

We weren't great today but 6 changes showed. The league's the main thing. Keep the faith.

 

[HP Seagull]

Should have played Smith in the Bennett role.

Quite. It was only when he came on that we showed any urgency at all. Ironically, it was only when we started launching balls into their box towards the end that we started to look dangerous.

 

[fire&skill]

We've now got a replay away at Woking three days after a long trip to Hartlepool, meaning we will be tired.

Yeah - that hour drive up the M25 is going to be a killer three days after the six hour drive from Hartlepool.

These are young, fit professional footballers for gawd's sake - not pensioners.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

We weren't great today but 6 changes showed. The league's the main thing. Keep the faith.

Agree with that, it's just frustrating that we have ended up with a replay, the worst possible result!

 

[HP Seagull]

We weren't great today but 6 changes showed. The league's the main thing. Keep the faith.

I completely agree, the point I was trying to put forward with my original post is that I hope our abject performance today, and resulting replay, does not adversely affect our league preparations/form.

 

[Thanet Seagull]

The midfield for us was shite. Baz was a lightweight and Sparrow and Dicker's passing was crap. I thougth Bridcutt worked hard, but has passing was great either. Credit to Woking they worked very hard all game and with a bit more confident in attack they might have nicked something today