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

[Seagull]

Winning the cup would be epic, we'll never forget it. I'd definitely choose that. At some point we're likely to return to the championship but we're also good enough / substantial & secure enough as a club to bounce back to the PL. Was there in 83, knew I'd probably never be back, even though I was a kid ... we've only made the quarters once since ... but oh to see Bruno or Lewis lift that Cup ... omg beautiful ... would be perfect!

 

[Weststander]

Stay up, improve the squad, then we'll have a greater chance of more FAC and LC runs.

 

[OzMike]

Stay up.............................but both would be nice, to stay up and play in Europe.

 

[neilbard]

Win the FA Cup, the Championship is more interesting and you can have the excitement of getting promoted all over again

In 34 years time, crazy talk..........

 

[MJsGhost]

In 34 years time, crazy talk..........

Why do you think it would take 34 years to go back up? Are you deliberately being a miserable sod, or can you not see that the club is in a very different place compared to 1983?

 

[Brovion]

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?

I did recognise the terms of the poll, I was just pointing out that simply getting to the final (which was all we cared about in 1983) isn't sufficient this time. So if I am to make this Pact then we actually have to 'do a Wigan' and WIN the Cup.

In other words:
Getting to the final OR staying up (which I accept wasn't the question) - Staying up.
Winning the Cup OR staying up - Winning the Cup.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I would happily take one FAC win to my grave and suffer any number of promotions/ relegations. It is there forever, in football history. We got so close. It could have been oh so different. I still feel the pain now. I was right behind Smith when he shot and for a split second I thought it had gone under Bailey. Newcastle, Man City, Liverpool, Norwich and Sheff Wed all beaten. Just couldn't close it out.
This time around, I have a feeling for semi's.......Palace, Boro, Coventry, WBA and Tottenham ( defeat at Wembley )

 

[neilbard]

Why do you think it would take 34 years to go back up? Are you deliberately being a miserable sod, or can you not see that the club is in a very different place compared to 1983?

It took us so long to get hear and now people would prefer to win the FA Cup than play top flight football, for Christ sake it madness.

I could probably bet that most Coventry City supporters would rather be in our position now and forfeit the FA Cup win, their situation is very similar to ours back in 83.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Understand the sentiment around the FA Cup but staying in the PL would be my choice, make sure we become established and generating money year on year. 4-5 years time that balance might swing to the Cup.

 

[MJsGhost]

It took us so long to get hear and now people would prefer to win the FA Cup than play top flight football, for Christ sake it madness.

I could probably bet that most Coventry City supporters would rather be in our position now and forfeit the FA Cup win, their situation is very similar to ours back in 83.

You think we would struggle to go back up because Coventry are in a sh1t state now after their cup win 30 years ago? I don't follow.

You seem to be underestimating the benefit of the huge investment in our club's infrastructure. This isn't a flash in the pan - if were to find ourselves in the Championship next season, we would be amongst the favourites to go back up:

We'd lose a few players for sure, but there's no reason to think we'd lose the lot – we would have a very good squad and would have the financial clout in the Championship to replace those lost with players worthy of a promotion campaign.
In Hughton, we'd have a manager who has done it all before (and a fair few players too)
We'd still have TB running the show, not the Oystons, Venkys, Dave Whelan, SISU Capital or their ilk… We are not one of the basket-case clubs that would go into free-fall

I don't know why this hypothetical situation has got me so engaged, but I can't for the life of me work out why people are SO negative about our hypothetical prospects if we were to be relegated…

 

[Bwian]

Stay up.

People around the world are aware of BHAFC purely because of our place in the Premier League. This year I needed a physiotherapist so went to one in Phuket Town, Thailand. The owner said to me "English-what your team"? Brighton! Ah Brighton-mine Manchester United. For the previous 13 years of visting Thailand nobody knew we existed. I like our new found fame.

I'll take staying up every time.

 

[Indy]

Cup win
I wouldn’t remember staying up but will always remember winning a cup.

 

[Bognor Bystander]

FA Cup win please. The Prem is the Have's (top 6 ) v the Have nots and a repetitive struggle to keep up.

 

[MJsGhost]

Stay up.

People around the world are aware of BHAFC purely because of our place in the Premier League. This year I needed a physiotherapist so went to one in Phuket Town, Thailand. The owner said to me "English-what your team"? Brighton! Ah Brighton-mine Manchester United. For the previous 13 years of visting Thailand nobody knew we existed. I like our new found fame.

I'll take staying up every time.

Would your Thai physio wipe Albion from his memory if we were relegated...? Maybe that would create a little space for the underdog winners of the FA Cup, who might well get a bit of global publicity too?

 

[Bwian]

Would your Thai physio wipe Albion from his memory if we were relegated...? Maybe that would create a little space for the underdog winners of the FA Cup, who might well get a bit of global publicity too?

Other than real fans the Premier League 'fans' around the world (generalisation here) is all about the now so yes, he probably would-be along with 99% of worldwide followers of the PL. An FA Cup final win would be a one off and people would forget before a ball is kicked the following season.

Win the FA Cup once we've established ourselves in the Premier League by all means but not at the cost of being relegated after one season.

 

[Durlston]

Staying up.

Europe would be fun with the FA Cup win but it costs a lot for Europa League matches. Birmingham City made a loss overall and away fans brought flares in which they were fined for. That's why St Andrew's seems to be the heaviest body search personally and talking to other supporters.

 

[JBizzleBeard]

Stay up is my vote.

 

[BN9 BHA]

It took us so long to get hear and now people would prefer to win the FA Cup than play top flight football, for Christ sake it madness.
.

I think you are taking the thread a bit too seriously, it's just a hypothetical question.

 

[Jimmy Come Lately]

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?

Probably. When we've suffered an undeserved 4-0 loss to Chelsea I can cheer myself up by thinking back to the Wigan game and the promotion celebrations and reminding myself why we're here, and what promotion meant to us as fans, and it helps to put it in the perspective of the rollercoaster ride that is supporting the Albion. If we were to have a difficult first season back in the Championship, I reckon I would be consoling myself with memories of our intense time in the top flight, and getting our only two underdog wins against the Big Six at Wembley, and lifting the cup, and going on some crazy European away days.

And I'd be thinking that it was worth it.

I know it's possible that we'll establish ourselves as a mid-table Premier League team (if there even is a mid-table next season) and have another chance at cup glory in future. But we shouldn't underestimate our good fortune in drawing small clubs like Palace, Middlesbrough and Coventry so far, with the possibility that the luck of the draw could yet gift us a quarter-final against Swansea or one of the Sheffields. We've got great team spirit throughout the whole squad and a group of reserve players who remember the winning mentality that got them promotion (and are fighting for what might be their only chance at earning a Premier League start before being offloaded). Even then it's taken a never-say-die attitude and Glenn Murray's glorious goal-scoring knee to get us this far. Next year we might face a brutal draw with a reserve team of has-beens, Premier League journeymen, deadline day distress purchases and unready academy kids.

This could be our best chance for a long time. We should take it if we can.

 

[philgull25]

Win the cup. Winning a cup at Wembley will be remembered forever, whereas we could easily stay up this season an go down the next.

Brighton’s most famous moment is losing the 83 cup final, despite multiple seasons in the top flight. Let’s change that! Let’s make history!