As losing tomorrow night is seen as essential in some quarters, the club have now decided upon the following; From Tuesday the 7th January all football activity will be solely directed towards the 1st team squad and their remaining 20 league games. Players not included in the 1st team squad will now be required to be stretcher bearers to assist and aid in the prevention of any uneccessary physical strain or impairment occuring to 1st team players whilst not training or playing matches. Whilst wheelchairs and/or invalidity scooters were considered, medical science dictates a fully flat posture to be the most recommended due to the potential of lactic acid build up below the knee. Non 1st team players will hopefully to be able to return to their usual duties and training from approximately the first week of May 2020. We trust this decision meets with the approval of the majority of our supporters, we have done extensive research across various social media platforms and share the concerns of many that any over exertion of our players at this crucial time could pose a serious threat to our long term goals.
When the FA and League Cups are dead, that leaves the Prem title to play for, just the Prem title if we eventually get promoted. No one will really care if they win the title or not as long as they grab one of the 5 spots into Euro football...........I say 5 spots cos the other two doors are shut and dead.............The FA Charity shield dies a death cos there's no FA Cup winners. Lower League and non league teams also lose their opportunities to add a giant killing notch to their walls, they too only have promotion to look forward too. Big name clubs and players will only be seen in prem, or Euro leagues if they make it. Lower league and non league teams start to fold cos they can't afford to operate, eventually it will start to hit the Championship.................I think you get the picture Poly......whoever you are. So, it seems you want football to die a slow death in this country rather than become more competitive and exciting.....................and you're a yank to boot.
In answer to your questions: 1. Because they support the team and to away games as a "collective". They'd go to a second division Belgian team's ground on a pre-season friendly. Not saying there isn't a large hard-core traveling support but the FA Cup is not the priority it was - hell, it's not a priority at all. Did you see the Liverpool team that played Everton Sunday ? 2. "Glued" is hardly the right term....that might apply if it was a tightly contested game against the Arsenal - in the final. If the game was on TV here, I would watch, not sure "glued" would be the operative adjective though. If we go 2-0 down, Coronation Street might see a rise in appeal. 3. Yes. Because the point, for a Championship side, is to gain promotion to the Prem. The FA Cup is a meaningless distraction...if fact it's worse than meaningless as it could very well have a detrimental effect on the promotion push. There are 20 games to go in the regular season. Our focus must be 100% directed at them not some FA Cup diversion offering nothing but potentially taking so much away.
Ask any fan would they prefer to win the current FA cup this year or win promotion, you’ll get the same answer from every single one. Liverpool get their biggest local Merseyside rivals in third round draw and put out a full reserve team. It’s not some time in the future the cup will die but several years back. As for giant killing anymore? Never again can Colchester beat the great Revies side or Hereford beat Newcastle. Why? If it was now they’d be playing their u23 sides. Hardly the same thing
You know, I suspect it is one of the few instances of a match between Leeds and Arsenal where neither team are really bothered if they win of lose and perhaps both would prefer the later? I will still watch it though and hope that we do well but really the following 20 matches are it.
Main interest for me is seeing Gotts in action and Kikos understudy. If we can’t manage to sign anyone in January these two could have a big part to play in last 20 games as some point
I agree Eire, Leeds fans want back in the Prem league, here's the thing though.........we haven't gained promotion yet, and there's no guarantee we will be. Everyone thought we'd get promoted last season, just like they do every season, and every season is the same complaints, same excuses, same opinions, same moans and groans and same "we'll do it next season". Every season is "we don't want to be in the tin pot cups, we need to concentrate on promotion" and every season the FA and FL cups die a little bit more cos big teams in Prem, and Leeds United twist the knife just a little bit more by fielding weakened teams. Every season the big prem teams, and Leeds United disrespect the Cup competitions and turn'em into a laughing stock, and so football in this country dies a little more.............it's a pattern, a pattern that repeats itself every season, eventually leading to only one outcome. If the likes of Don Revie, Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, Jock Stein, Bobby Robson, Bill Paisley, Bill Nicholson, Bertie Mee etc were managing today, would they field their weakened teams for cup games, no, they were all too passionate and too competitive. Why do you think the FA and FL cups started to lose their appeal, was it the rise of the Euro competitions, the influx of foreign managers, managers who preferred to wrap their star players in cotton wool, or a combination of all 3 cos the Euro comps paid more prize money. Germany and other countries have complained how the Euro comps are ruining the cup comps in their respective country too. Many of the Revie era fans have certainly changed their tunes from the days football use to be football, and along with Revie, wanted to win everything.
Couple of points 1. Regardless what team we field, were very very long shots to win the fa cup anyway, whatever team we field. As someone pointed out, such is the gap its nearly always one of the top four even playing their reserve squads who win it 2. If it means so much why are no other clubs too interested either 3. Whether we go up or not won't depend on tonight's result unless injuries of course Anyway, don't shoot the messenger, not my fault it died years back
everyone seems a bit entrenched on this. Am i the only one with a middle view? I lament the demise of the FA cup. It used to be a key event in the sporting calendar, now i don't watch it, I don't know who won it last year. The side that does win, knows plenty of 'contenders' got knocked out because they fielded weakened sides... the victory is devalued and therefore the magic diminished for me. And yet I love cup football in principle... when i watch tonight, and i will, i will want the side to win. What are the pros cons of a cup run? As Poly says, Leeds fans more than any should know that cup matches and replays and success in multiple areas comes at a cost. Look at 1970, look at 1972. Fatigue is a reality. But do you judge the success of a season purely on silverware or on the journey to it? Ordinarily I'd say no... but we're a side with a desperate need to get back in the top flight and we are in the best postion possible to achieve it. That has to take priority. But then we've had numerous seasons fall apart after cheap cup exits playing weakened teams. Does that fragile thing called confidence in team sports impact a side even if the first 11 weren't wholy involved? Or was it just coincidence? Bielsa's sides have a bit of previous of doing a devon lock, we witnessed it ourselves last year... does a few extra games in the cup risk what is presumably a fine balance.. plus injury and suspension risks... or is it relatively meaningless, low risk, to a team that train 3 times a day anyway and only eat lettuce? It's a tough call. Bielsa knows the players, he knows his priorities, it looks like he's playing a weakened side but a side you would hope would be competitive. That would have been my instincts too, but i don't know the players... who needs a break mentally or physically and who doesn't. Bielsa is the manager who has us top of the table, he understands both traditions and priorities. We have to trust his judgement on these matters... even if we have nagging doubts (and personally I do) regarding his understanding of the effects of horse flogging. Fans aren't wrong or right on this one. Everyone wants promotion, everyone wants the best for the club... just different perspectives on how that looks and how to achieve it.
After our final 20 league games are completed I shall be...resting. Yep resting my wallet and bank account from the soulless, bland, anti competition sport that is football. After I've reverted to being one of the many on here (who contribute nothing financially to football) I shall then gloat in perpuity about my superior wisdom as others worldwide continue to be entralled by the glossy sham our national game has become. Congratulations to those that saw this inevitable development, I applaud you for your foresight and preparedness and once my season ticket expires shall join you on the sidelines
Not shooting you or showing malice towards to you Eire...... Number 1..........I think Bradford City in 2013 League Cup Final would disagree. They were in L2 at time. Even in present day lower leagues and probably one or two non league teams will better our performances in cups. Number 2........., question is Eire, like I asked before, when did interest in the FA Cup and League Cups start to wane when, previously all teams were fielding strong teams. From memory, and I could be wrong, weren't Man U fielding weaker teams when they first began getting into the Euro comps, cos it had bigger prize money. Remembering how much debt Man U were in back then.......could that be the time where big businesses and Billionaires also came into equation by dictating where their priorities lay. Number 3...........if that's the case, why shouldn't we field a stronger team if the result makes no difference to our promotion hopes or not. The FA and League cups didn't die a while back, they began to die when clubs started fielding weaker teams in favour of the Euro comps. FIFA I believe want to create a Euro league, then the likes of Manu, Man City, Liverpool etc can all eff off, they'll be back. Should it ever happen that way, I hope the FA turn round and say "you have to start at bottom again".
Interest in the FA Cup began to want at two points I believe. Not sure which came first but Scum were playing in the World Cup and got special dispensation so they didn't have to compete in the FA Cup that year. Up until that, clubs had to have a valid reason for not playing a player, injury for example. Otherwise they'd be fined for fielding weakened sides. The scum ruling opened the floodgate for treating the cup as a second class tournament. Second event that devalued it greatly was abolished,ishing the cup winners cup in Europe. This was an excellent competition which we like many English teams are proud and honoured to have won. It was limited to fa cup winners only except when a team did a double. That competition was devalued with the advent of the hideous champions league. As someone else pointed out even playing the two set is at Wembley detracted from it. So there you go LL, thats my take on it. Ps Ive no idea what age you are but Im ancient enough unfortunately to remember the excitement of the proper FA Cup and the excitement of the live draw
I have to say I agree completely with what Milkyboy wrote. When I was younger I'd spend the whole day glued to the TV, it was the footie event of the year. Maybe it was because there were virtually no live matches on telly back then, it was a novelty. Now I don't even know who won it last year and if Leeds aren't playing I have very little interest in it. There's so much live stuff on tv nowadays in every sport, something has to give way.
For me Eire and I think posters like LL, the question is; Should we (as fans) just accept, what is esssentially the clubs decision to downgrade the importance of the FA Cup ? I don't believe we should, but it appears I'm in the minority. It's a huge part of the heritage of our game and it's importance and relevance should be protected, we all the know the clubs will eat themselves if allowed in the pursuit of money. We the fans, should not allow it to continue and it would not take much action from the FA to resurrect it in status. The problem is they would face huge resistance from the Premier League and it's a battle the FA are not willing to take on. LL is 100% correct...we only have 3 competitions to compete for each season and now 2 of them are rattling towards extinction. Viewed in that context surely fans can see that accepting what is happening is being complicit and we must all stand against it. Tonights match has created huge interest...in Leeds where I am, everyone is talking about it and have been all week. The FA Cup is worth saving is it not ?
It will also add a few quid to the transfer budget. For Arsenal this will be a bigger home game than them playing most of the Prem teams.
Just checked our recent history playing Arsenal and its not great, plus three of the four games we've lost have been in London where we haven't won since the old King died, plus they've just appointed a new manager and the players have upped their game. It's not looking good is it?
Just my opinion Jammy but your post would have been 100% correct and relevant say 20 years ago. The cup is beyond salvation in my opinion unfortunately and as Ive said previously, at one time, the FA Cup was equal for me to winning the league, perhaps even better. I remember being at the league cup final against villa and despite the awful performances, was one of the best occasions Ive ever attended. The fa or whoever have messed that cup up altogether too
