We've drawn Oxford at home in the first round of the league cup. Now i know many on here don't like the cups but just for once I'd like to see us go on a decent cup run and who knows draw one of the big boys away from home. That being said I believe this also gives us a great chance to play some of the youngsters and give valuable experience to the likes of Fox, Cousins, Smith, etc
80-1 on William Hill to win the Carling Cup, would happily win a cup, would even consider winning a cup and not going up this season yet going up next season along with a small time in Europe
This is a rematch from 11 years ago, also at the Valley. We lost on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The arguments for and against cup runs have been chuntering on for decades. A cup run didn't do Bradford any harm. In fact the money gained could fund another promotion for them next season. On the other hand Wigan were only narrowly relegated. Would they have stayed up without a cup run? My view is that Charlton need money more than points at the moment. We have little chance of promotion, and indeed those wiser than me on not606 assure us that it would be a disaster if we were promoted before we are "ready". And I don't think we will get relegated (not while we are playing in the same division as Doncaster and Yeovil). So a cup run could come in very handy. If we don't start replenishing our coffers there may not be a Charlton Athletic to be promoted or relegated. A glorious win over a Premiership club might attract the notice of a potential sugar-daddy.
For a club with a smallish squad and in the thick of a promotion or relegation fight (but not desperately short of cash) the cups may not be worth it. But that is not us.
I'd like us to take this competition seriously. Approach it with a first team, and a bench packed with young players eager to show their talent. Oxford are well organised and well managed, but they're a League Two side and we ought to see them off about 3-0. Anything less and we ought to be taking a good look at ourselves. And yes, I look at all the cup competitions as a distraction from the main event, but I don't like to see us beaten under any circumstances.
.TRouble is we're a crap cup team whether we take it seriously or not. Curbs always put out his strongest side and we were still crap. The Cup draw has been very favourable over the years and we still manage to lose whoever we play. What did we get about 6k against Udders last year and you can see why.
I know it's not related, but buzzing here as have just arrived home from a packed Olympic stadium where Australia booked a place in Brazil with a 1-0 win over minnows Iraq, was scintillating fellas - 80,000 going mad !!!
Well done! Don't undervalue your win with talk of "minnows". Wikipedia says: On the Asian level Iraq is one of the powerhouses having won the AFC Asian Cup once (2007), the Gold Medal of the Asian Games (1982), Three Gulf Cups of Nations (1979, 1984, 1988), and West Asia Championship (2002). Admittedly they are at a disadvantage because their Sunni players won't pass to the their Shiite players and vice-versa.
Saddam Hussain's brother used to be manager of the football team, and he had a solution to that. When the team lost, the players would get beaten on the soles of their feet.
Yeah I know, I purposely threw the word 'minnows' in because it feels a bit strange announcing australias success on an English forum, the two international teams are on such different plains. We go ok though, and it is just fantastic to have your team to follow in the world cup. We had two goals disallowed last night, and without exaggerating the Iraqi's were falling over at the prescence of shadows, it was very disappointing and the crowd was ripping right into them. Josh kennedy came on in about the 77th minute and slotted home a header like he always does. Cheers lads,
If the Sun didn't tell the public every tournament year "WE'RE GONNA WIN COS WE'RE ENGERLAND", we wouldn't be on such different plains. My expectations are for England to qualify for each tournament, which are pretty high considering how often we make a pigs ear of it.
