I think most of of us have a fair point, and there is a very fine line between the need to play your strongest XI no matter what game it is, and also the need to give some players a rest, and give the fringe/youth players a chance to get match fit. This is a long old season, and very few outfield players will be expected to play in all 46 league games, plus the few cup games we play. I know they are supposed to be highly paid sportstars, but they are only human, and we all get tired every know and then. I still think it's the perfect opportunity to bed in some youngsters, which will hopefully give them (and the coaching team) an insight into what is needed for them to make it in the first team.
I don't go in for the whole 'players need a rest' thing, they are highly paid sportsmen and if they are not at the peak of fitness then they are not earning the money they are paid. 3 games in seven days should not be too much for them Eddie Izzard managed 43 marathons in 51 days so i'm sure someone that has nothing else to do but keep fit can run around for 270 minutes in the 10080 minutes of a week. So i believe you play your strongest team every single game allowing players to get in sync with each other and also winning any game adds to the good morale of the team.....
Weighty - so how do the youth/fringe players get match fit? Sticking them on the subs bench, and coming on with two mins to go is hardly helping their education. I'm not saying play 6 or 7 of them at one time, but surely giving one or two a full(ish) game will be beneficial to all.
If they are good enough they will get a chance from the bench to prove themselves but i don't think you should leave a first team player out to play someone not as good, fringe players are on the fringe because the players in front of them are better/fitter so they should get their heads down and work hard in training and reserve games to give the manager a selection problem as for youth players i think coming of the bench is best for them to begin with and if they prove to be better than the starting line up then they will replace them......simple.
I would love to agree with you and I think that in our current situation you are probably correct. But it isn't always as black and white as that, I remember Lee Martin dropping to League 1 on loan under Keane and then came back under Jewell to cement a 1st team place We won't necessarily know if anyone is any good if they don't get game time at some point....
Right now Villa seem to be there for the taking, they've suffered bad defeats recently except a draw against Swansea when they should have been 5 down by half-time. A real chance of putting Villa out the cup for you if you play the right team!
[video=youtube;PDoAq4IWN8A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PDoAq4IWN8A[/video]
Its possible that Martin benefitted from dropping down a level and getting some games thus improving as a player allowing him to break into the first team....
Thus reinforcing my point of not knowing if anyone is any good if they don't get game time at some point.... That said I am not calling for wholesale changes at all, just that because a player has not had a look in yet doesn't mean they aren't as good or good enough, they perhaps have not had the opportunity at the right time. Luke Hyam has spent the majority of his footballing career sat watching on in the stands yet we are all calling out for him to be in the team.. (albeit we've seen enough of him to see he's decent) but my point being both Ainsley & Murray have looked Ok when they've played so why shouldn't we consider them as able to play in the 1st team?..
Thats a decision for the manager to make if they are a better option than the player currently in the line up fair enough but if not why drop someone just to see, maybe a loan spell would be a good option for them....
We used to criticise and quite rightly Jewell for constantly tinkering with the side and now that we have a manager who knows his best starting XI and sticks with it we are calling for him to tinker about with it! Play your strongest possible side and only tinker when you absolutely have to through injuries, suspensions or a less of form. That way you get a settled side where everyone knows their jobs and are confident and comfortable in the side. Hardly rocket science is it!
Villa's young team are there to get into, I say go for it. We don't have a match until the following Saturday so the players will have time to recover. There's not been a better chance to beat a premier league team in the cup for a while so I would like to see us give it a good go. With them being a fairly inexperienced team themselves there is room to make a couple of changes, Hewitt being one of them for me.
If our "strongest" starting XI are knackered and need a rest then playing youngsters who are out trying to prove a point and fight for a first team place might actually be our strongest team on the day.
I cannot believe that some people are advocating that we send a weakened side to Villa on the pretext of not tiring out the senior players. The FA Cup is the most famous domestic Cup competition in the world and as such it should be treated with the respect it deserves, and if clubs cant or wont do that then dont enter the bloody thing. Win or lose give it the best youve got.
You better believe it field marshall, from the horses mouth.http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich...side_for_fa_cup_trip_to_aston_villa_1_1781490
