I, like many others was deeply jarred off on Sunday, and let it be known on here, too. However, wise words from ancient philosophers (such as yourself) have brought a large slice of reality and a view of the 'bigger picture' into focus. A battling performance next Sunday, hopefully yielding a point, and all will be well in camp Canary again - I, for one can't wait
we've still got so much to look forward to this season - thats why i cannot comprehend the volume of despair on these boards over the weekend. it was just a cup game - only one team can win the cup. chances were it probably wouldn't have been us. victory would have been great but it didn't happen for whatever reason and we move on! we still face manchester united, manchester city, liverpool, arsenal and tottenham this season. its really exciting that we are able to compete against these teams every week - perspective is needed
And while we're on the subject of being out of pocket, I reckon I was probably hit the worst out of any of you following the defeat on Saturday. I took advantage of what (certainly at the time) seemed incredibly generous odds of 20/21 for us to win the tie, and as I was as confident as anybody that we'd win I lumped £25 on that and another tenner on us to win by more than one goal at 7/2 so I was a fair few quid down come the final whistle. Dissapointed? Yes, but it doesn't mean I'm ranting and ravnig about how I'd been let down by anybody, rather I appreciated that we were simply beaten by the better team on the day
Munky, a good pal of mine has a football bet most weekends. He saw odds similar to those quoted by you and thought 'I'll have some of this!' But as a safety net - never a bad idea when NCFC are involved , he had a bit on Nugent to score the winner He just about broke even over both bets.
I intentionally steered clear of trading insults. I take your olive branch and offer a swizzels drumstick in return.
I would like to express my view on this subject as a "casual supporter" by this I mean a supporter does not have a season ticket due to work and family commitments. I was thinking about going to the cup game as these are the games that are easier to get to due to tickets being available at short notice. Luckily enough it was my wifes birthday and I would have been shot and burned at the stake if I had of attended so I chose not to. This is not the first time that this has happened, the MK dons in the League cup and Orient the year before. It does make you feel a little angry, as I would love to come and see a hard fought match with players that look like they want to be there and that wasn't the case on Saturday. I listened to it on the radio and they were not kind to Morision and said that players looked a bit un-interested. As I work away a lot and have small kids these match's really are the easiest to catch and not for the first time I was dissapointed but not surprised. I think that from now on I will not bother attending these games because if the player can't get themselves up for it then why should I spend my hard earned to watch it? I will just try and catch and get tickets for the prem games and just won't go to see them as much. I know all the mitigating around why the team was not as strong as it could be, but I think the issue is the players really not the manager. With the team we put out we should have won it, the players just did not turn up. It's a shame to see how little the FA cup means to the modern game and players as I still think it is a great competetion.
My first observation is that, if league has indeed been prioritised over FA Cup, it would be a board decision not the manager's. So the thread should have been entitled "The City board's big mistake" and the flak should be directed at the board not PL. Secondly, PL has consistently said that if you are in a competition, you try to go as far as you can, and that he sets out to try and win every match. I don't see any reason to think he has changed his stance on either. Thirdly, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the team he selected; it was rather stronger than I expected. But the performance was below par for the players on the field. We can theorise all we want about the reasons for that, but one thing we can say, Leicester played well. Fourthly, "opinion" comes into its own when the question at issue is more or less undecidable. If the question is "Where will the roulette wheel stop?" nobody knows and we can all have our opinion. But another person's opinion is not something to get hot under the collar about -- in my opinion! Finally, as you know, my "second" team is Arsenal. You can all feel sorry for me if it helps!
Thi isnt meant as a wind up (as a town fan I have no way of being able to even if I wanted) Am I missing something? Am I reading about a club who two seasons ago were a laughing stock and had just been humiliated by Colchester United. You have come so far yet 1 poor result turns into pages of over reaction. I didnt see the match but from what I have seen and read you put out a strong enough team to compete. It may not have been your strongest but Im sure that Lambert put out a team that he thought could win, even if its not his highest priority this season. I imagine he used it as a platform for a few 'squad' players to prove to him that they deserved a regular premier league slot and that alone should be incentive enough for the type of hungry players you have signed. You were playing against a strong (in terms of both finances and the calibre of players they have) championship. Admittedly they havent gelled so far but you can hardly call a team that includes the likes of Mills, Beckford, Nugent etc nobodies and you were narrowly beaten. Its not like you got pumped by some league 2 nobodies. I expect in all honesty that there is little difference between the likes of Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan (PL clubs) and Leicester. Fans may love the idea of a Wembley trip and I would imagine the players would aswell but if you want to move forward as a club, including attracting a higher class of player and more notice around the world then a decent league finish is going to be a lot more important. If you won the FA Cup it would also add to the rigours and pressure of competing on two levels next season which is where a lot of clubs fall down. An average sized club travelling round europe on a Thursday with games at the weekend can ruin a season. We know from experience. We never like to see our clubs underperformance (although, yes I have got used to it recently) and losing to a lower league club is especially painful but I would imagine you have already experienced more highs than you ever expected this season. A team that can establish itself in the league is going to be a lot more beneficial to you guys and if you can do that then there is no reason why you cant aim regularly for a Wembley visit. Good luck for the rest of the season and I hope to see us join you there over the next few seasons.
Thank you very much for your thoughts, I have to say you make a lot more sense than some of our own supporters! Thank you also for your wishes, and, all local rivalry aside, you can't beat an 'old farm derby!' Especially in the Prem
Spot on mate, like Dave says you make a whole lot of sense within this post and I think you've nailed it perfectly. Thanks for your input, you can certainly come again
tractorbhoy, great post! thank god - you talk a lot of sense and as is often the case, its easier to judge a situation from the outside
Endorsed by a binner now huh? Let that be a lesson to anyone taking a contrary view to certain others on here.
Just 2 further points. I seem to recall that last year we went to Leicester when they were far higher in the league than they are now and beat them handsomely with a team which was, on paper, weaker than the one put out on Saturday. How can you blame PL for team selection? Secondly even if we are safe this year - which we are not - don't you get nearly £1m a place the higher you finish? We are 8th in the league but with several clubs close behind us doesn't it make sense financially to concentrate on our league form rather than get distracted by the FA Cup?
Disappointed to be out of the cup, but... a) I don't believe Lambert goes into any game without planning to win. b) I'd have one eye on Man Utd the following weekend if I was coach / player. I also think that what Lambert has been doing playing Steer and Co in the cup is an excellent idea. Great way of blooding up and coming players and any squad player worth his salt will want to play out of his skin when given the chance. Anyway it's done! Back to the league and what to spend our extra 9million pounds on in the summer if we stay in 8th place ;o)
