T
The Life & Times of Helder Postiga
Guest
Ok, before you all stone me for being a heretic, I'd like to pose the following question, the subject of a rather lively debate between me & a mate last night...
Should we set up to treat the FA Cup much like we did the Europa League?
As a bit of background, the first Spurs trophy I can remember was the 1991 Cup, so the 'magic' of the cup will always have a special place in my heart. HOWEVER...
As I think the xmas period- in particular our performance last night- made abundantly clear, this season has been extremely tough, extremely taxing, and is only going to get harder as the pressure increases.
I think it was Lidls who pointed out that- based on current stats- it is highly likely that the teams who finish 3rd & 4th this year will probably have accumulated enough points to have won the title itself most years. To put this idea into perspective...
- Last year, United clinched the title with 80 points. The year before that, Chelsea won it with 86 points. By either standard, we would have to drop another 14 points to fall short of Chelsea's total- I for one DOUBT even the mighty Tottenham 'Rollercoaster' Hotspur will do that! City would have to drop 17 points to fail to meet that. In fact, according to many pundits, it is highly likely that Chelsea's 04/05 record of 95 points may well be beaten this year. (City can reach a total of 102 pts this season).
- Put simply, this season has probably been closer and more dramatic than any other. What worried me last night (and against Swansea) was that- despite having no Europa or Carling Cup games to contend with- key members of the 1st team looked utterly knackered. We have been playing footy of the highest quality this year and, truth be told, nothing less seems to suffice to keep the 'chasing pack' at bay (or frothing at the mouth, in Liverpool's case).
- Add to this our mounting injury list (just when the mountain was actually becoming a molehill!)...
- And the looming reality that City, Chelsea, United, Pool and maybe even Le Scum may well strengthen their squads this window...
- And the fact that- although we have a magnificent squad, key positions are glaringly and indeed embarrassingly short of adequate cover (cf. Right Wing and Forward)...
- And the fact that- as great as our footy has been thusfar- it'll only need to get greater, stronger, faster as the season progresses.
SO:
How much do we want a good FA Cup run? How much is it worth risking fatigue and injuries to key players? Unlike the Europa League where the next 6 games (group stages) are a known factor, what would you say if we get City Away in the next round? A trip to OT? A trip to Stoke? <vomits>
A penny for your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen.
In any event, I've written a letter to Arry requesting that ALL squad members be given a nice rest for the Cheltenham match. I have forwarded my suggested line-up:
______________________________ Pat's Big Hands___________
____________Wandering Yid______KingHotspur (C)__________PerrymanLegend________Notsosmartspur
__________ HIAG____________Spurf___________Schteffen Freund (Yid Vicious)___________HBIC
___________________________ Dona_Mara ______________
_________________________ L&T of Helder Postiga ___________
Manager: HarrysDisciple
Referee: PleaseNotPoll
Should we set up to treat the FA Cup much like we did the Europa League?
As a bit of background, the first Spurs trophy I can remember was the 1991 Cup, so the 'magic' of the cup will always have a special place in my heart. HOWEVER...
As I think the xmas period- in particular our performance last night- made abundantly clear, this season has been extremely tough, extremely taxing, and is only going to get harder as the pressure increases.
I think it was Lidls who pointed out that- based on current stats- it is highly likely that the teams who finish 3rd & 4th this year will probably have accumulated enough points to have won the title itself most years. To put this idea into perspective...
- Last year, United clinched the title with 80 points. The year before that, Chelsea won it with 86 points. By either standard, we would have to drop another 14 points to fall short of Chelsea's total- I for one DOUBT even the mighty Tottenham 'Rollercoaster' Hotspur will do that! City would have to drop 17 points to fail to meet that. In fact, according to many pundits, it is highly likely that Chelsea's 04/05 record of 95 points may well be beaten this year. (City can reach a total of 102 pts this season).
- Put simply, this season has probably been closer and more dramatic than any other. What worried me last night (and against Swansea) was that- despite having no Europa or Carling Cup games to contend with- key members of the 1st team looked utterly knackered. We have been playing footy of the highest quality this year and, truth be told, nothing less seems to suffice to keep the 'chasing pack' at bay (or frothing at the mouth, in Liverpool's case).
- Add to this our mounting injury list (just when the mountain was actually becoming a molehill!)...
- And the looming reality that City, Chelsea, United, Pool and maybe even Le Scum may well strengthen their squads this window...
- And the fact that- although we have a magnificent squad, key positions are glaringly and indeed embarrassingly short of adequate cover (cf. Right Wing and Forward)...
- And the fact that- as great as our footy has been thusfar- it'll only need to get greater, stronger, faster as the season progresses.
SO:
How much do we want a good FA Cup run? How much is it worth risking fatigue and injuries to key players? Unlike the Europa League where the next 6 games (group stages) are a known factor, what would you say if we get City Away in the next round? A trip to OT? A trip to Stoke? <vomits>
A penny for your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen.
In any event, I've written a letter to Arry requesting that ALL squad members be given a nice rest for the Cheltenham match. I have forwarded my suggested line-up:
______________________________ Pat's Big Hands___________
____________Wandering Yid______KingHotspur (C)__________PerrymanLegend________Notsosmartspur
__________ HIAG____________Spurf___________Schteffen Freund (Yid Vicious)___________HBIC
___________________________ Dona_Mara ______________
_________________________ L&T of Helder Postiga ___________
Manager: HarrysDisciple
Referee: PleaseNotPoll
