We went out in both cups in bad style. We couldn't put down a toothless Hull team, and we lost 3-0 to Oxford... LOL. But it's probably a massive feckin relief seeing as we've recently lost our top scorer to an injury and we don't need anymore injuries on top of that. The only time we should really be prioritizing a cup is once we solidify a strong position in the premier league. Until then, the cups are low on our list of priorities, under promotion, staying up in the premier league and then steadying the feckin ship. We have lost our top spot... but we are still in a very strong position for promotion, and we shouldn't be fooled into thinking that finishing 1st place means we're more likely to stay up next season. Brighton have an advantage over us - - They have a lot more recent experience at this level - They have a manager that has managed a club at this level and won the league. Even if we are out of both cups and don't get the title - Do you really think we'd have done this well without Rafa? The morale was ****e until Rafa came, and if wasn't for Rafa we'd not be filling stadiums, and we'd not have convinced key players to stay or come in the first place. This is his first season in charge of a club that's been ran like a joke. I'd say he's done well. Especially seeing as last time we were in the championship, we had a lot more experienced players in the team. This time we've been left with quite a few kids. We're doing fine. If we get promoted, that's a great result.
I think if the window had have given us any kind of lift for our only goal, we might be more understanding of the bigger picture. We need a win badly.
Please explain this to me, as I understand we play Villa on the 20th, probably would have been changed to the 22nd had we won against Oxford. So that wouldn't have been too many of a change, name me one team who has been held back by a cup run, seen teams improve by having cup runs. Defeats like this can detoriate a season, 1 win in 9 after Stevenage defeat in 2011.
Wigan were screwed by the cup run weren't then or was it Boro? I remember a team dropping down a division adter a Wembley appearance??
Doesn't brother me going out, the main thing is that we can put all of our efforts into getting promoted.
Weren't both in the relegation zone both the 3rd Round of the Cup, Middlesbrough would have stayed up if they hadn't been deducted 3 points in January (when they were bottom). Odd team might have struggled but I bet you would find more who struggle after an embarrassing cup exit like yesterday. Like Rafa, like Hughton but they both got it badly wrong yesterday.
its like loads of teams just give in ..with there selections ..but manure , chelski sometimes the whingers arsenal hoy on there best players ...a non contest anymore
Leeds played a team mostly of kids and got knocked out by Sutton. For the likes of us, it's pain we've got to take for the greater good, but for the likes of Oxford, Lincoln and Sutton, it's the chance of a massive pay day. Swings and roundabouts. Gary Monk has taken full responsibility for the Leeds exit though. But he's not too bothered at all...
We put out a Mickey Mouse team for a competition were not bothered about, Brighton, Leeds, Ipswich, Watford etc have done the same...this isn't a season of giant killing, if one actually peruses the team sheets and sees the kids and reserves that the big teams are playing, they'll notice that in fact the "underdogs" are probably the favourites. Case in point - Brighton went out to a non-league team, however they played their reserves and kids, and like our second team, their second team is the equivalent of a non-league team so the odds were probably in Lincoln's favour, seeing as Lincoln were playing their first team. It's nice that clubs like Lincoln and Sutton are getting far in this competition, but unfortunately it's not the old days of FA cup romance and giant killings, it's now just sadly a competition that most don't give a **** about, and the teams they're putting out prove that. We're still favourites for the league, let's just get back to watching the real team and look forward to them smashing QPR on Wednesday.
Er yeah. Give this squad to most managers and they'd do this well. It's the best squad in the division. Put it this way, do I think Pardew, Hughton or McClaren would have done this well with this squad? Yeah with maybe the exception of McClaren. Rafa isn't pulling up any trees. I'm not sure where people get the idea he is to be honest.
He isn't pulling up any trees despite the fact that we're on course to gain our objective? And it's the best squad on paper based on people's assumptions of the ability of those players, and the fame behind the names, not because these players are proven at this level at all. Saying that most managers would do th Rafa has made his mistakes but has made our team efficient and solid for most of the season, allowing us to win plenty of games, and a new style of football is clearly in development, and needs time to solidify. We haven't played amazing yet we've won most of our games, and are in a tight race with a manager who's experienced at this level with an experienced side. I never said Rafa has done an amazing job, I'm saying we're in position to gain promotion, there's still plenty of time left, and people need to calm down. It's moments like this when we understand why some fans of other clubs call us deluded. We were relegated and looking shakey, and just managed to pull off a dream manager signing, and half a season down the line after years of **** management and ownership, we expect to be winning trophies again and stomping the championship? Our team is not experienced at this level and some of the players are barely experienced at all. Hughton has won this league before, knows it better than Rafa, and his side are more experienced at this level and know what to do to get results.
This defeat isn't going to derail anything, our reserves and kids lost a game, not our first team. Against Stevenage we played our first team, lost Carroll shortly after, were in the Prem and had Pardew as manager. We went out of both cups early last time we were in the Champ and it hardly derailed anything. Gary Linekar was asking on MOTD is the FA Cup's dead now, and it might as well be, most team's seem eager to get out of it.
You said would we be here without Rafa? The answer is most probably yes unless they appointed a complete moron. He has done ok. We are on target to be promoted which is the main goal. I think as a club that would be the bare minimum. After that you'd say winning the division would be preferable - then trying your best in the cups. We still have a chance of winning the league but have made very heavy weather of it. We tried in one of the cups. Yes hull was a disappointing result but we had a go. Yesterday was just outright terrible management. So overall he has done ok, maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10. You're another running this ****ing delusion fallacy. It is utter ****. We have spent massive for the division we are in. The manager has had complete freedom. With those resources he has done ok - no more no less. It's not delusion, its reality. If you are going to try to buy your way to something, the purpose is to make it easy. We aren't even top.
Am as pissed off with yesterday, the same way as I was annoyed with Kinnear, Pardew, Carver and McClaren for not taking cups seriously in previous years, arguably Roeder as well. Let's be fair Rafa had to start all over again after relegation, same as any team who goes down after a few years in the PL. We're 2nd, Aston Villa are 13th and 20+ points behind us, also Norwich are 7th and 10+ points behind us. Squad is thin bare and yesterday proves it but it was always going to be. Villa have signed a few players in January, we need to sign one or two, even if it's on loan.
