I really hate clubs like West Ham, they play weakened teams in the cup competitions to focus on the PL, knowing that realistically the best they can hope for in the PL is a 5-10 place finish and possible European football. Then they next season the bomb out of the European competition without even competing to focus on the league position again, which will either bring disappointment or another European campaign the following season. Give your fans something to celebrate and try to win a ****ing trophy, so what if your league positions a bit worse that year, it doesn't even matter if you get relegated, you can always bounce back. If clubs like that have no intention of competing in Europe they should forfeit their place and give it someone that actually gives a ****.
Out of the 32. 2 don't have a name or initials. 11 have the initials (e.g. PSV) the remainder have the name. I take your point. Especially as they had to play qualifying rounds just to get this far. However, was the team yesterday day not missing several key first team players due to injury rather than playing a weakened side?
Yeah we've been through this before. He continues to claim we did put out our strongest team despite the fact people like Figueroa, Sagbo and Aluko started.
Yeah we did and it was the worst thing that Bruce did during his tenure here. It's not hindsight, i was ****ing livid at the time as I stood on the terrace at Lokeren and we only started playing when he brought the subs on who shouldve started.
He must just be looking for an argument! If he said we played strong teams then I'd maybe agree, there's no denying that we should have done better with the players that were on the pitch but thats not the point, we didn't play our best team, so we clearly weren't doing everything we could to win the game.
Potentially, I must admit I'm not entirely clued up on West Hams injury list. It wasn't specifically aimed at them, more the overall mentality that the league is the be all and end all. In reality it just means you go decades without any success for the sake of treading water, in a league where your just there to make up the numbers.
You mean the jelavicwhod returned from the WC and wasn't fit. And continued to not be fit for most,of the season.
He was fit enough to come on away to Lokeren and change the flow of the game, by which point of course it was too late.
Erm, no - not really. You asked what our best chance would be and it wouldve been to play our best players.
And what about our best two midfielders that were essential to the squad the previous season? Agreed, there's no denying that we played a weakened team.
I expect the owners of clubs demand the PL takes precedence over all else and leave the managers with little choice but to play weakened teams in supposedly minor European cup competitions. There's bugger all money in the Europa.
Completely agree. So close to completely chucking it in with City after that away performance. Could have ignored all the Allam bollox that has gone on. Even now it makes seethe. A half decent effort would have seen us into the group stages.
City have had Lokeren moments in the past as well. Wigan away FA Cup when Bri Norton was in charge. Appleton away at Port Vale league. There's others but Lokeren takes the biscuit.
