FA Cup - How interested are we?

Do we want a good run in the FA Cup or will we play a weakened team on Saturday and put some fringe players in the shop window?

 

No, would rather concentrate more on the league and play the likes of Mc Shane, Harper and East

 

It would be nice to go on a cup run as this can help with league form, just look at Crystal Palace and Cardiff in the league and League Cup (obviously not all of the time with Birmingham last season being a case in point). However, I think that most of the starting 11 need a bit of a rest and as you say, we need to put some of the fringe players in the shop window and the FA Cup is the ideal place to do that.

 

I'd be gutted if we went out & Ipswich got a plumb tie in round 4. Hopefully the players who come in will give NB something to think about and really stake a claim for a regular start. As you say, first 11 are looking a bit knackered at the moment.

 

I was more intrested in a good cup run during our time spent in Div 3 and Div 4 .. It put excitement into the bleak seasons ... But now we are going for a promotion spot / play off place the FA Cup doesn't seem as important.

 

I love the cup generally. For us though, I couldn't give a monkeys. Rest the key players and if we win, we win, if we lose, we lose.

 

Trouble was, we never seemed to get to round three in those days!

 

i say the same every year, but i hope we play a fairly strong team..
al this tiredness rubbish, it will 5 days since there last game, and 7 days before there next...should be able to play every day.
no problem with playing a few fringe players to give them game time, garcia, cairney etc...but id like us to have a go.
bit of luck with the draw like millwall got a few years ago, and you can get to an fa cup final...who wouldnt want that?

 

i feel the oppisite, been to the premier league and turned arsenal over etc, ..id love to get there again, but a cup final is next on the list to check off...

 

Agreed - and we got a decent run up to round 6 while we were in the PL only to be cheated by an offside goal by the Arse which denied us a second wembley appearance in 2 years - could happen again

 

Utter garbage.

 

...with the possibility of playing in Europe if you play against a team in the top 4 of the Premier League. Speaking of which, if Man City beat Liverpool in the league cup semi, will Palace or Cardiff be in the Europa League qualifying rounds next season? I can't remember whether the league cup winner gets into the Europa League or not

 

Yes - cos Birmingham are in it this season

 

Oh aye

 

constructive as ever, still better then a 100 page match report i suppose.

 

I'm fairly certain that if the League Cup winners also qualify for the Champions League, then their Europa League spot goes to 6th place in the PL and not the League Cup Runners Up.

 

Correct, Birmingham actually won the Cup last year which is why they're in it. It's only the FA Cup where the losing finalists get the place. I've got a feeling it applies even if they finish in 5th place and qualify for the Europa League through the league as well. Not sure what happens if the same team wins both cups and finishes 10th in the PL though (would the FA Cup slot be given to the finalists, or the League Cup be given to the 6th placed PL team?)

Birmingham though are a good example to take. With it being the FA Cup we could qualify as losing finalists if we had a run like Millwall did to the Final. In the course of that we could pick up injuries and suspensions which **** us over in the league for this season, and then end up with a ridiculous fixture list like Birmingham have had that harms our chances next season as well.

Personally I'd go with:

GK - I guess I'm stuck with whoever is walking with the smallest limp.

East, McShane, Cooper, Kilbane

Garcia, Harper, Cairney, Pusic/Devitt

Adebola, Emerton

Subs: Olof, any other kids we want to loan out

I don't know why but I've got it in my head that Bradley has been loaned out already, and Garcia, Cairney, and Olof are only in the squad for game time.

 

I'm sure I heard something to the contrary. I think Birmingham are in Europe becvause they were PL last season. If a Championship team qualifies for Europe they can't play I don't think (even if they're promoted).

That might be all bollocks, but I'm sure I heard it somewhere when Birmingham won the League Cup, and if it is bollocks then god knows where I invented that level of detail from.

 

Both the winner of the FA Cup and Carling Cup qualify for the Europa League. Top 4 qualify for the Champions League, 5th place qualifies for the Europa League. When a top 4 side wins either cup it goes to the runners-up. That's why Birmingham (Carling Cup winners), Stoke (FA Cup runners-up to Man City) and Tottenham (5th place) qualified. There's no reason why a Championship club couldn't qualify for the Europa League I don't think.

 

I like a Cup run.

Though we don't get many.