I am sure Bruce thought that the Jak would give Arsenal a gift. In his post match interview Bruce referred to Jak just as "wor goalkeeper" not by his name
Anyone thinking Brucie hoped we'd lose is bonkers. We were lucky to get through the game without any injuries. Yes it's a second string team, but what if one of the 1st choice backups gets injured, then a first teamer gets injured tomorrow? Games like this take time to prepare for, we're playing a **** load of games in a short period. It's mental. No other country does it like we do. Rick on twitter had some good ideas. Bin replays and spread the cash in the leagues around more fairly if the big draw is that small chance of a big pay day for a "minnow". Plus I agree with Brucie on the fans too. 26 quid plus travel for the weekend, then the same again, for the same game. Why? Essentially that game will have cost a few 52 quid plus travel. Anyone on here happy if one game had cost that? Of course not, but that's what some are going to end up paying. There were undoubtedly positives from the game, but playing this many games so soon after each other will carry a huge amount of risk, which could see us out of the cup, and possibly out of promotion. Why would anyone want that? In my view his tactics were spot on. Why go gung ho? That just makes it easy for them, might as well not bother even going. We coulda nicked it. We coulda lost. But it was at least a pleasing game from our perspective to watch, wasnt it?
Maybe so. Bruce made it no secret where our priority lie though. His team selection alone made that statement. Last thing he wanted was an injury for tomorrow night or beyond. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
I agree his tactics where spot on, and got us a great result..but then he cant moan about it afterwards, we essentially played for a draw and got one.. he is sending out confusing messages, does he wana be in the cup or not. if he wanted an easy way out, he could have sent us out to attack, wed have got beat and he could have said oh well we had a go, ....hes got what he set out for then spent every after match interview whingeing about it.
All these games crammed in then 2 weeks of us madness. 46 games is to many and its about time the Championship had 20 teams in it. I thought it would have been £15 and a tenner for this game. Beyond me im afraid with the other games coming up id give the gunners 5,000 tickets personally.
It's hard for many at the moment. Playing a second string in a replay won't help but its City after all so I'll take the lad again and keep encouraging him to go .
When the two clubs agreed the ticket prices for the game, they also agreed that these would be the prices for any replay, it's the norm.
And yet we won't play the same quality side in the replay that we would have played if it were a league game on at the same time.
Honestly didn't see it like that. I saw us set up to contain them and catch them on the break if possible. It almost worked too.
I don't think Bruce went with the intention of losing, though I do think he would have been perfectly happy if we had lost. While we're giving game-time to our second string, I don't really know what Bruce's is moaning about, I enjoyed Saturday's game and I'm looking forward to having a go at them at home (when we'll probably finally sell out the KC for the first time this season, it's a half and halfers dream tie).
The result was. But backs to the wall for nearly all the game matches aren't my personal favourite. Keeping the ball more (like near the end) would I think have meant Arse had less shots, and for the next game that should be the target.
Why would we? Leicester go out to attack everyone, that's why they're top of the table with a vastly cheaper assembled squad than ours. Southampton went out to attack everyone in that magnificent season they had. Swansea and West Ham likewise. When you set out to play for a draw, more often than not you get what you deserve, absolutely **** all. Sometimes it works, but you're relying on the enemy ****ing it up in front of goal just as much as you are a solid defensive display, much like we did on Saturday. You're not going to keep a team like Arsenal at bay for 90 minutes, specially not when you just camp in your own 18 yard box and invite them on to you. Arsenal had enough good chances to put 5 or 6 past us, they ****ed up in front of goal, we rode our luck and got a draw. We were **** and deserved to lose, which was quite obviously Bruce's intention.
Look how much more dangerous we looked and actually holding our own in the game in the last 10 minutes when we actually held the ball and attacked.
Keeping the ball more isn't necessarily important. Actually trying to do something with it other than hoof it for one man to break down an entire defence is what matters. Stretch them, keep them on their toes, don't let them push their defensive line 30 yards in to our half, give them something to worry about. We're not going to outplay them and strangle posession, we just need to make sure we use it at their end of the pitch and push them back.
Saturday was probably our best chance despite being away, they will get tonked 6-0 tomorrow and realise they aren't going to win the champions league and put strong team out against us in replay.
What I meant by keeping the ball was exactly that really, just clearing it to Arse so they could come back in wave after wave isn't productive. And you aren't really about to keep it for long just playing in your own half.
Just going back to our fixtures, after the I-break, we still only have 3 free mid-weeks before the season ends. So, if the Arsenal replay is held March 12th (6th round week-end) then one of those will be needed for the MK Dons game and if we were to go through the 6th round would also have to be mid-week. Gawd knows if we get into the realms of 6th round replays and a semi-final date. This in a season whereby we've not had a single game postponed due to bad weather.
