What exactly is the deal with McCarthy's injury? Seems another one of these mystery things that hasn't been clearly explained (increasingly, Virgil's injury is going this way)
I will always argue it's a poor structural set up whereby we give the away fans virtually an "end". Much better we give them a corner. I know it's structurally set now but I'd like to see it changed.
yes it was. As was this. Are you suggesting it's less humiliating because we got a good result in midweek? That's a weird logic, if so.
Agree Fran, as an armchair fan for this game it's oh well. If I had spent £100 ticket, travel etc and nearly 7 hr round trip, I would have been a bit more bothered. I accept need to see the big picture here and injuries not helping us at moment. Time to move on to the next match.
The thing with Martina is that he was heading out of the club until Pied unfortunately got injured at the start of the season..I would put him behind Cedric, Pied, Stephens and even McCarthy now.
I'm saying that I have 100% understanding as to why Claude picked the team he did, resting almost the entire first team because of their efforts and achievement on Wednesday. The team who played were mismatched against their opponents and the result was not a surprise. Against Liverpool in the 6-1, we played a strong Saints side, not a side like yesterdays.
I will remember to tell Les Reed that. He will no doubt view your relationship with him in a new light.
I've tried not to comment on this game as I too am so disappointed. However I will be surprised if Saints don't get a fine for putting out such a week team. I don't know the reason why Puel had to treat Arsenal with such contempt by putting out such a weak team. I accept we have some injuries but surely not to the extent where we had to make what was it 10 changes? Does anyone else remember any other game where Saints have had to make 10 changes. I certainly can't. Quite a lot of Saints fans going back to last summer were expressing their doubts as to our capability in strength of depth. Certainly over the last 3/4 years all we have managed to do is to replace players we sold rather than strengthen our depth.........In other words same ole same ole...........To lose 5 nil at home is a disaster and no doubt we will get over it. Sorry though....Puel needs his ass kicked in a big way!!!!! Putting out such a team is just criminal to face the likes of Arsenal!!
My view on it is that it was an opportunity wasted, it was in no way a full strength Arsenal team we faced and starting just a few more first teamers would have seen us with a great chance of progressing. You cannot change an entire team and expect them to perform instantly. I understand that others may not agree but I have always valued cup matches higher than individual league matches unless we are challenging for Europe or fighting relegation.
Arsenal made as many changes as we did. How many first team regulars were in their starting line up? Do you really believe that a manager who has just negotiated a massively congested fixture list to reach a Wembley final, having beaten a Liverpool side who until recently where being touted as title contenders, needs his arse kicked? Don't you think you might be missing the bigger picture here? So Arsenal were able to muster a far better 2nd 11 than we were? So what? Maybe that's why they have qualified for the Champions League every single season, without fail, since 1997.
Don't think Puel treated Arsenal with contempt. It was more disrespectful to the fans, though I understand his thinking (we're not the only clubs to do this). He is nursing a side through our most crowded PL season ever and has injuries to deal with. We have a trip to Wembley in a month and had a game on Wednesday which was not only exhausting physically but emotionally. This match was sacrificed...as simple as that.
I realise you are a slave to your own volatile emotions CBK. When you eventually get past adolescence, all that will settle down.
Sorry Beddy, I couldn't disagree with you more on this. Whatever the opposite of a disaster is, that's what yesterday was. Puel needs congratulating for getting his priorities right. Yes, I feel for the fans who spent their hard-earned cash to watch that rubbish, and I feel for the young players who were sacrificed, but I honestly can't see, with hindsight, what else Puel could have done. Bearing in mind that we have Saints' first major Cup Final in 14 years in a month's time, everything has to build towards that. Getting good results in the 3 PL games between now and then is much more important than another cup run with a depleted squad. Let's look at the squad: Forster, Cedric, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Davis, and Tadić, all badly needed a weekend off before Tuesday's game at Swansea. Everyone else in our preferred 18 man squad who didn't play yesterday is injured! I agree it would be nice if we had more strength in depth, but that's what Puel's rotation policy has been building up. We've come unstuck because of injuries and the sheer number of games (nearly 40 I make it) we have played this season.
I just don't understand that view Beddytare. I'm going to reply point by point to yours raised just to try and show you some mitigation or a flip side view. I don't know the reason why Puel had to treat Arsenal with such contempt by putting out such a weak team Perhaps Puel was only worried about his players and wanted to give them a rest after a mentally and physically draining evening on Wednesday. Perfectly understandable. I accept we have some injuries but surely not to the extent where we had to make what was it 10 changes? Does anyone else remember any other game where Saints have had to make 10 changes See above. Much earned rest. What is the relevance of whether we have made 10 changes in the past? Perhaps we should have done before and that was wrong. Quite a lot of Saints fans going back to last summer were expressing their doubts as to our capability in strength of depth. Certainly over the last 3/4 years all we have managed to do is to replace players we sold rather than strengthen our depth This is not an issue for this game, it is an issue we have compared to any big side such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, City, etc. It is because we are not on the same standing as them. Surely you know that? To lose 5 nil at home is a disaster Is it really? Is it any different to losing 1-0? The outcome is that we are out of the FA Cup. Scoreline is irrelevant. IT IS NOT A DISASTER. Getting relegated is a disaster, as an example. Puel needs his ass kicked in a big way!!!!! Putting out such a team is just criminal to face the likes of Arsenal! Oh give over Beddy. Forget the opponents. He was looking after his players. Yes, he wrote off the FA Cup run, three days after sealing a Cup Final appearance. Is that really such an issue. I won't believe you if you tell me that if I asked you back in the summer that we will play at Wembley in a Cup Final and go out of the FA Cup in the 4th round to Arsenal 0-5. You'd have snapped my hand off. Sorry mate and I know your first response will be, "It's just my opinion," but seriously step back and look at why we did what we did and ask yourself is it really an issue. I just find it a sorry state of affairs when fans can't accept a **** result with a weak team under the circumstances in which it happened. It smacks of spoiled, entitled behaviour and I know you are not like that, which makes your post even more baffling.
I find it laughable that someone can talk about wasted opportunity days after we've reached our first major final for 14 years and our first league cup final for 39 years. Cut the guy some slack. Fine that is your opinion, but my goodness the world is getting filled with lots of high demanding expectations and a want everything attitude. It is my opinion that people need to perhaps be less wanting of everything and be grateful and more gracious of what comes your way.
