FA Cup Semi arrangements

Probably.

If Hughes can get them believing in themselves again after that, he will be a leader to rank alongside the greatest in history.

 

This is where Hughes needs to earn his salary and get the players focussing on the way they played before and after that goal surge.

 

Also, reacting quicker to substitutions by the other team. By the time we’d adapted to Pedro and Giroud coming on we’d let in 3 goals. We have to have leaders on the pitch to take instant charge of situations like that. For all his play has improved under Hughes, Bertrand isn’t a leader. We need Davis or even JWP to step up.

 

Hopefully Chelsea won't turn up for the whole 90 minutes this time, instead of 75 of them

 

Then what about extra time...

 

Plenty of tickets left I'm hearing, we can't even sell out a fa cup semi final, just about sums this season up.

 

We won't need it if we're 2-0 up fats

 

We would if the semi-final was held at an ordinary though neutral ground....Wembley is bigger than most. Some have mentioned the sell out for the JPT, but that was entirely different....we felt positive after being saved from oblivion, we hadn't been to Wembley for decades, and we had a good chance of winning. Everyone is pretty depressed and we are unlikely to win (though there is always a chance of course), but I think Wembley in a semi-final is very different from a final.

 

Have to disagree , not settling out a semi final at Wembley would be shocking considering it's only what 33k worth of tickets. Pretty woeful

 

Particularly as it’s the first time we have played at Wembley in the FA Cup since 1976. I can’t point fingers as for various reasons I have chosen not to go, but you would think we could manage to rally 33,000 people to go.

 

Ah course I don't blame people for not going it's hardly end of the rainbow stuff a semi final but even so a day out at Wembley for most fans in the lower leagues is once in a lifetime type stuff.

 

I’m not going and I don’t mind saying why. I was going, despite an horrendous April outlay in cash, including mother-in-law’s 70th Birthday, two tickets for my Dad to the F1 at Silverstone (don’t tell him if you know him) for his 70th birthday and the final payment due on my son’s extortionate trip to India this summer (yes I know, he should have raised more himself!)....

.... but then the trip to Newcastle and the game at West Ham did me. I mentally threw my toys out the pram and told the wife we didn’t need to spend another £200 on a day at Wembley. I then offered my ticket t a forum member which meant that I couldn’t do it.

I was very down after the West Ham game.

Rest assured, I’ll be buying a ticket and becoming a plastic super fan and going to the final should we reach it.

 

Have we sold out yet?

 

This whole process has been a ****ing shambles, around 5k still unsold. Embarrasing.

 

The tickets could have been sold better but I don't think it's embarrassing if we don't sell out. If it was the final then yes, it would be embarrassing. But there are many reasons people may not want to buy a ticket :

• they can't afford to go to the semi and the final should we get there.
• they won't go on principle as they believe the semis should not be played at Wembley
• our league form
• we were at Wembley last season so they're not fussed about going on Sunday for the sake of a semi-final.

Honestly, I have no issues with people choosing not to go. I'm personally really looking forward to it, even if it's just for the reason that I won't be freezing my balls off like I was for the league cup final last season.

 

Have they got to the point where anyone can buy a ticket yet?

The only game I've been to in years was Hull in 2015 and a mate who lives abroad bought the tickets so if it's still limited to anyone who's bought a ticket since 2014/15 I don't think I'm technically able to get one.

 

PM me if you can't I have a spare

 

Taking points individually:j

- Not being able to afford it is fair enough and there probably are quite a few who can't at the moment as myself and others have said. It will be interesting to see how they proritise the semi for the final should we get there?

- I'd be very surprised if there's more than a handful who won't go solely on this reason.

- Not a good enough reason imo.

- I sorta get that but the fact it's a semi final is bigger than going to Wembley isn't it? If we go down we don't know when we'll be back there either.

I kind of agree that it's not all that surprising that we don't sell out but it does probably show that our fanbase isn't as big as some think? Be interesting to see what a win tomorrow would do to sales.

Love your last paragraph

No you won't you have to have history since then on your number.

The whole process is so drawn out though. We have about 8 windows in ten days and I don't think it helps tbh. They should've given all STH's 2 extras by now imo.

 

Thought so.

Completely agree about the process. It's not that easy to keep track of what's going on. They were obviously expecting all the tickets to get snapped up early doors.