[Albion] Win the FA Cup or stay up this season?

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If you could only have one would you chose to win the FA Cup or stay up this season?

  • Win the FA Cup

    Votes: 152 44.8%
  • Stay up this season

    Votes: 187 55.2%

  • Total voters
    339


Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,479
Brighton
Win FA Cup value over all rounds = 2.7 million ish then probable 1.8 for Europa cup visit
Stay up value = 128 million ish

It's a toughy .

On today of all days.

The romance of the Cup truly is dead in some people’s eyes. :nono:
 






brakespear

Doctor Worm
Feb 24, 2009
12,326
Sleeping on the roof
Win the FA Cup, the Championship is more interesting and you can have the excitement of getting promoted all over again :thumbsup:
 




MJsGhost

Oooh Matron, I'm an
NSC Patron
Jun 26, 2009
5,029
East
I am 74 but I still think that if we can stay up this year and build on what we already have squad wise we will win a major trophy during my lifetime but if we get relegated I dont see us coming back in a few seasons.


Because it fits the narrative of staying up being the be-all and end-all... Sure, we'd lose a player or two, but there's no reason to think we'd end up with a squad that was weaker than last year's promoted heroes. The core of the squad will have been promoted before and we'd be able to bolster that with other championship-ready players due to being relatively cash-rich.

As for us having the squad to win a major trophy in BG's lifetime... Spurs have had a far better squad than us and when did they last win something? (10 years ago?)

It begs the question whether people think it easier to win the FA Cup or get promoted from the Championship...
 




BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
If we get relegated I think that we will lose Dunk and Stephens at least possibly also Gross, Propper and Ryan. Murray will be another year older so perhaps not so effective as last season. Just from the financial point staying up is imperative as it is not certain that TB will want to continue bank rolling the losses we incurred last time to get promoted. he probably would but nothing is certain.

As regards building a squad in the next three or so seasons it only takes the luck of the draw and 7 wins to win the cup hence championship sides have reached the final. especially if the top 6 draw each other in a few rounds.

Winning the cup is far easier than getting promoted from The Championship.
 
Last edited:


blue'n'white

Well-known member
Oct 5, 2005
3,082
2nd runway at Gatwick
Had we had the internet in 1983 I suspect that people would have voted to "win the F A Cup" because "if we go down we'll be back up in the top division in a year or two" . . . it took us 34 years so, on that basis, I'll stay in the PL thanks very much. And I know the arguments that the club is run properly now and wasn't in 1983 or for many of the years following but I, for one, don't want to throw away our slice of the PL "pie" for a one -off game that we would probably not win anyway - and who, except, that team's supporters ever remembers the losing finalists. Stay in the premier league all day long for me
 


MJsGhost

Oooh Matron, I'm an
NSC Patron
Jun 26, 2009
5,029
East
Winning the cup is far easier than getting promoted from The Championship.

It's interesting that you think that, because the facts would suggest otherwise.

It's easy to win the FA Cup but only if you're Manchester Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.

In the time that it has taken for 2 clubs other than those to win the FA Cup (Wigan & Pompey), the following teams have been promoted from the Championship:

Sunderland (4 times), Bolton (twice), Forest, Charlton (twice), Fulham, Man City (twice), Portsmouth, Norwich (3 times), Reading (twice), WBA (4 times), Wolves (twice), Newcastle (twice), QPR (twice), Cardiff, Leicester (3 times), Bournemouth, Burnley (3 times), Derby (twice), Barnsley, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Blackburn, Wigan, Sheffield Utd, Birmingham City (3 times), Stoke, Southampton, Hull (3 times), Watford (3 times), Palace (3 times), Ipswich, West Ham (twice), Blackpool, Swansea, Huddersfield, BHA
 




BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
It's interesting that you think that, because the facts would suggest otherwise.

It's easy to win the FA Cup but only if you're Manchester Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.

In the time that it has taken for 2 clubs other than those to win the FA Cup (Wigan & Pompey), the following teams have been promoted from the Championship:

Sunderland (4 times), Bolton (twice), Forest, Charlton (twice), Fulham, Man City (twice), Portsmouth, Norwich (3 times), Reading (twice), WBA (4 times), Wolves (twice), Newcastle (twice), QPR (twice), Cardiff, Leicester (3 times), Bournemouth, Burnley (3 times), Derby (twice), Barnsley, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Blackburn, Wigan, Sheffield Utd, Birmingham City (3 times), Stoke, Southampton, Hull (3 times), Watford (3 times), Palace (3 times), Ipswich, West Ham (twice), Blackpool, Swansea, Huddersfield, BHA

It is only an opinion and if the luck of the draw went the way using this years teams Man Utd v Man City Chelsea v Tottenham in 6th round the 2 winners draw each other in the semi there is a distinct possibility that a weak team could be in the final. So if you take that to next year and the top 6 draw each other from round 3 onward and in subsequent rounds the possibility rises again
 


LowKarate

New member
Jan 6, 2004
2,002
Wombling free
I must add the caveat that although I've voted 'Cup' (and I'm pleasantly surprised that the Romantics amongst us aren't completely outnumbered), I want to WIN it. I do not want to get to the final, lose, and also get relegated. Been there. Done that.

Admirable views, but that wasn't the option. Under the mutually exclusive terms of the poll, voting for us to win the cup means that you are voting for us to go down.

Recognising that you can't have your cake and eat it, which do you really want to happen?
 


aberdare seagull

New member
Feb 28, 2014
110
south wales
As a fan i can only vote for winning the cup. Who in years to come is going to sit down with mates and family and say "do you remember back in 2018 when we finished 17th in the Prem" Football is about memories so for that reason its a FA cup win
 




Jimmy Come Lately

Registered Loser
Oct 27, 2011
504
Hove
I assume that all the people who have voted "stay up" will be charging onto the pitch to celebrate if we secure 17th place at the Amex against Man U, because it will mean so much to them.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
I assume that all the people who have voted "stay up" will be charging onto the pitch to celebrate if we secure 17th place at the Amex against Man U, because it will mean so much to them.

I assume that all the people who have voted "win the FA Cup" will be celebrating swapping places with Cardiff, while the Albion occupy either 9th, 21st or 23rd in the Championship.
 


Jimmy Come Lately

Registered Loser
Oct 27, 2011
504
Hove
I assume that all the people who have voted "win the FA Cup" will be celebrating swapping places with Cardiff, while the Albion occupy either 9th, 21st or 23rd in the Championship.

Clearly it wouldn't be the relegation side of the trade-off that we would be celebrating. Much as I love the Championship, that's not a moment to treasure. We'd be going mental at winning the cup.
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Clearly it wouldn't be the relegation side of the trade-off that we would be celebrating. Much as I love the Championship, that's not a moment to treasure. We'd be going mental at winning the cup.

But will you still be celebrating winning the cup next February while Cardiff have been dry humped all season long, occupying 'our place' in the Premier League and the Albion are either 9th, 21st or 23rd in the Championship?
 


MJsGhost

Oooh Matron, I'm an
NSC Patron
Jun 26, 2009
5,029
East
It is only an opinion and if the luck of the draw went the way using this years teams Man Utd v Man City Chelsea v Tottenham in 6th round the 2 winners draw each other in the semi there is a distinct possibility that a weak team could be in the final. So if you take that to next year and the top 6 draw each other from round 3 onward and in subsequent rounds the possibility rises again

Have they changed the way they make the draw for the cup, or has exactly the same chance of throwing up an un-fancied winner as you describe there resulted in very little other than the same few teams winning it in 20+ years?
3 teams are promoted EVERY year, so your opinion (as much as you are entitled to it) is just wrong when you consider the facts.

For what it’s worth, I’m not suggesting getting promoted out of the Championship is easy (though given where we are now in terms of squad, income and club profile it’s easier than it was), but history would suggest that winning the FA Cup is WAY harder. You only have to count the number of teams that have done it to realise that!
 












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