Plus the four extremely experienced keepers that we started the season with and the unfancied Huddlestone, who just seems to be holding up Carroll's progress and getting steadily less motivated himself. Why did we even let Saha go, if we didn't have anyone coming in to replace him? Far from ideal, I admit, but better than literally nobody.
Sorry, I've got to say this, and I know that I am going to get criticised for this as well as quoted out of context by those with an anti-HIAG agenda - but AVB allowed his clown alter-ego to coach our match against Leeds. He reverted to a system that simply does not work for us, and he played Dempsey in a role that he clearly is not suited to. Most unforgivably, he seemed to take Leeds very lightly. I said to my Chelsea-supporting mate, before the game, that I was extremely pessimistic about our chances of advancing in the competition, and I was not proven wrong. Having said all of that, I am not going to use this as an opportunity to lambast AVB - not just yet. I am waiting to see whether or not he has learned anything from it, which I expect him to have done. If he and the lads can use this defeat to go on a winning streak in the league, it'll have been worth the frustration and the disappointment.
Credit to Leeds, first of all. The players displayed great desire and clearly wanted it more than we did. Their DM in particular, is pretty damn good. Second, yeah, pretty awful from us. Lots of people to blame (including AVB and Levy), just about nobody deserves praise. The big picture may be that every team has an off game now and then, and this was ours. I'll worry if another effort like this comes along any time soon. As it was, a combination of rotating the squad and maybe a hangover from the Man U game resulted in everyone looking flat (somewhat understandable) and clueless (not so much.) Dempsey's not a lone striker, even though I thought it was worth trying. I don't know about the skill, but he just doesn't have the speed. It's hard to imagine a team that goes up and down with one player more than us and Dembele. Possible silver linings: if we're this bad when we rest a couple of players, it may be better we're out of the cup and the extra games it involves. Also, it's not too late in theory for us to sign a Saha-type striker (have to admit he would have been welcome yesterday)--though I'm not expecting anything.
Michael Brown? Played for us from January 2004-January 2006. Had a point to make, I think. Bit of a dirty clogger, but pretty effective at times.
We agree!! Anyone who says money isn't there is wrong, its there alright, its just being horribly mis-used in certain areas atm.
Hiag, what system would you have suggested for the game? we were ****ed because we didn't have a first team "striker" fit. - a knock on affect of poor transfer activity from 6 months ago, and once again leaving everything till the end of this one. ****ing insulting that Holtby has been agreed today. should have been done days ago, but no, we we're bickering over a couple of hundred thousand. it's pathetic.
I was initially facked off with the Leeds result, we were dire and didnt seem to want it enough, it also exposed some of our back up players. However, having seem the draw and who is left in the cup I am less disappointed, the chance of us progressing past City and going all the way would have been slim.
I hear what you're saying, but that line of thought is not for me. I just know that when the next round is being played, I will still feel gutted and angry that we will not be a part of it. And the way City have been playing this season has been far from convincing, so I would have fancied us to get a result there.
I was and remain more inclined to bang my head against a wall over losing to Norwich. That was the one that looked great for us. I'm not happy being down to one chance to win a cup, and the toughest of the bunch. But I pretty much see things CB's way. The chances of winning the cup this year with the teams left were pretty small, and, that being the case, better to lose early than late. I'm unhappy about it, but not that unhappy.
So if you're 'unhappy but not that unhappy', then maybe you can see why the modern day footballer will always have excuses to hide behind when it comes to giving a stinky performance. Maybe I am stuck in a time warp, but as someone who gets ratty if we lose a pre-season friendly, I am extremely unhappy about going out of the FAC. In my day, any manager worth his salt would have yanked yesterdays prima-donnas in for extra training this morning. And if you think I am being harsh in calling our players prima -donnas. I am thinking of Bales's childish and cringeworthy behaviour towards the linesman on two occasions. Somehow, people seem to have convinced themselves that AVB is the man to take us further, yet somehow it's ok that he can't use his 'tactical genius' to get us a win at Man City in the next round, so we can just about live with going out of the cup. No offence to anyone on here, but that attitude is not for me thanks.
Vialli said it years ago when he was manager at Chelsea. How do you motivate a team of millionaires. Bearing in mind that Vialli was brought up in a millionaires family, I have to ask how did he do it himself and also if he didn't know who would! I think we see lack of effort quite often, you are reminded of this when you watch hungry footballers at lower levels. These prima donas perhaps need to be reminded that this is their chance and it wont come again. The money they will get used to and take for granted the winners medals will mean more to them when they are the wrong side of forty.
Sadly the FA Cup is now viewed as a second rate competition, as if you go around all the European leagues, the domestic cups don't have much prestige, which is why the FA Cup used to viewed as a great competition, yet we're now seeing it go the same way as European domestic cups. Steven Reid was on 606 yesterday and even a player of his minor ability and standing admitted the players just don't view it in the same manner, its lost its sparkle and importance and as such its being treated the same way as the league cup.
I think we're in a generation of players now that have only seen the two cups treated with derision by top clubs, until the final that is when you finally see a resemblance of a first 11. As a kid/teen 3rd round day was a real buzz, watching all the build-up, Ronnie Radfords goal on Football Focus every year an all that! now its treated with groans by many. My generation have seen it revered as a comp, and I don't think you can convey that to younger lads, you had to experience it. Its sad those days will never return.
The Cup Final was huge it was the only football game televised at one time. Now we have wall to wall football and it's not valued in the same way. There was more publicity for winning the cup than winning the league. It's still a big day for the two clubs involved and the irony is that if clubs like Spurs targeted it like we used to it's a lot cheaper to win than getting in the top four. The feel good factor would still be worth millions in marketing around the world. I think clubs are missing a trick here.
Fair enough. Part of the difference, I think, is that I (merely) choose to root for Spurs rather than being born a fan, let alone being involved with them professionally. Even so I find myself caring a hell of a lot more about a football team than I would have thought possible or believe wise. Part is that I'm a confirmed anti-gungho guy when it comes to sports. In my small experience, poor play comes much more often from not staying calm and clear-headed enough than from lack of effort. On the other hand, if you do think someone's not giving a professional level effort, get rid of him ASAP.
Last time I checked I was on planet Earth, but sometimes, listening to you vent your bile, I do wonder if I might be somewhere else. One up top does not work for us. I would rather AVB had started with the two strikers he had and gone for it. I would also rather he had prepped our defence by reminding them that they were playing in a Cup competition, and that Leeds are no mugs, and would be up for the game. He didn't, and we lost. Would you rather I lie, and tell you that I thought it was a great display, and that AVB called it right? What planet are you on?
i do not vent bile,but when some one talk's bull i sometimes react,it's nothing personal.Everybody know's it was'nt good enough,but as i said we had NO strikers,so how could we play 2 up front.only by using a couple of reserve strikers,which Obika was,and he was not good enough.Maybe Pritchard would of been,we will never know,so if we had to play 2 up front,tell us who you would have had?
