Losing 3-0 to Oxford, is just a joke. Since 2007 we've won 4 FA Cup ties and lost to 5 teams from lower leagues. Rafa must see after today that some of these players aren't good enough. Mitrovic hasn't scored since October. If Rafa can't sort it out then no one will.
The sad fact is the FA Cup is not, cannot and will never be a priority for a club like ours. It's becoming a distraction for those either trying to go up (see Brighton's team/result for proof) or trying to stay up. Those who can just turn up, pick the first team and have a go will regularly reach R5 and the QF's, but I would expect the tournament to be won by the top 6 from here on in, for ever, barring the odd cupset here and there.
The travelling fans were let down today. Rafa said he'd give it a go, then played players who have not ever played for the first team. Those 1800 fans should get their money back and receive an apology citing the needs of the bigger picture. And Mitro! Defying team orders again! I hope a big bid comes in for him.
Think a lot of people including myself have had enough of Mitrovic after today, guy knows how to make himself look fans without actually playing well. Rafa starting to see through it as well. Club and players should refund the fans who have gone down there today, £21 for a ticket and £28 on the bus for today I believe.
What a knee jerk Bradders I have to say mate. We were ****e today. That is all. Check out the table man.
Not a high priority, we weren't gonna win it so it would have been an unnecessary distraction. Rafa has learn from playing a first team in the league cup and then having the league form subsequently affected....I guess he saw this as a "if we go out good there's nothing to get in the way of the league, and if we go throw I'll just keep playing the reserves" type fixture. It wasn't a giant killing and Oxford are stupid if they see it as anything other than beating a bunch of reserves and kids. Klopp will feel like an absolute knob, Liverpool had a genuine chance to win this competition, and as they're not going to win the league, they should have gone for this big time. We were never going to win in, and we're better off out sooner rather than later we've already had a cup run in the league cup, one's enough now let's just focus on the league.
Not been convinced with us since November, we will go up, just fed up of us not having a cup run (getting to the 5th round would do) and getting knocked out to lower league every other year. Still worries me given some of the away games we have left. After today Rafa has no option but to take us up.
Putting it all into context, it was a reserve team that we put out. Has no bearing whatsoever on the push for promotion. Has no bearing on how we will do next season. Has no bearing on whether we need to buy now or not. People, get a grip. As for Mitro I haven't seen the game and so cant comment on that but again, as Chippy has said to Bradley, what a knee jerk reaction. He sounds as if he had a poor game from some peoples comments but on the highlights yes he should have scored but his misses weren't horrendous as the penalty was a good save and the one on one was a good save. He's been out of the team recently through injury and hasn't played a lot in recent months, he's probably not unsurprisingly rusty and is a player who needs to play and get in a groove. Again comments are ott. I agree about his indiscipline if he's taking the penalties but isn't the nominated taker but that's where a strong captain is needed. But still rather have a player who wants to take them than one who steps back and I forgive him a fair bit because of his passion which comes across as genuine and is a breath of fresh air and a throw back to when it was a standard part of a footballer's make up and football wasn't "just a job".
Not sure I get all this not caring, we can't win it anyway ****e. You play to win. We had no reason for so many changes.
Struggling ??? I am proper pissed off about today but we are hardly struggling my beef is with Rafas decision to play a 2/3rd string team highlighting his priority is going up and not trying in the cup. Granted the team he picked should have beaten any oxford team but if he had taken it seriously we would have gone through just like how Liverpool and Brighton both disrespected the FA cup. The proof will be in the pudding when we play QPR and I expect a big response to today. So for me it's a poor decision on Rafas part but we ain't struggling plus the African lad will be back soon to boast our squad.
In the last two months, these are Newcastle defeats. Newcastle 0 - 1 Blackburn Hull 1 - 1 Newcastle (Hull won 3-1 on penalties) Nottm Forest 2 - 1 Newcastle Newcastle 0 - 1 Sheff Wed Blackburn 1 - 0 Newcastle Oxford 3 - 0 Newcastle 6 defeats, 2 defeat to Blackburn and an humiliation to Oxford, these are worrying signs, still expect promotion but at this precise moment in time we are strurggling, players are playing poor. Rotherham would have beat us last week if Darlow hadn't made that save and Brentford could easily have beat us.
One other comment to those defending Mitrovic, he's a £14.5 million centre forward who hasn't scored since October, only has himself to blame for that. Seems to be that his agent has unsettled him, I mean what striker losing his footing like that when he's in on goal. If we get £10 million for him I'd take it and use the £10 million to buy a winger or midfielder or improve the squad to get us other the line.
Mitro was lethargic today but still put his foot in. He certainly didn't go into hiding. We've had a really bad day at the offfice that's all. We're really ****ing fortunate to have Rafa manage us but I think some forget this fact. The one plus from today is that our squad issues were laid bare. Hopefully that gives extra impetus in the last few days of the window. The Oxford fans were utter ****e too.
He performed like someone that is desperate to do well but he's done well in all the other games he's played this season, so I'm not going to be one of the arseholes saying he's useless for a change . The reason is I'm more concerned getting rid of the following Jack colback is the worst cm player we've had in over 50 years.
