Always nice to have a cup run but we've got more important things going on this year. Give those that need a game a run out and see how they get on. After the last 4 games, a week off will do most of them the world of good and come back fresh for the Tractor Boys
Agreed H. Time for a run out for Lewis, Nugent, maybe John, McPhail, Velikonja, Smith and more game time for Cowie, McNuggs, Kiss, Ralls and possibly Harris if match fit. If we get through okay but if not nothing lost apart from a bit of pride but it will then keep our eyes firmly on the big prize.
a few rounds in the cup would be good to get some game time for fringe players and young bucks but not as a distraction from the league. Kiss, Ralls, Nugent, Lewis and others would benefit from a few games.
Nothing wrong with a cup run - the "distraction" thing is overdone. We, Malky & staff, the owners and the players all know where our priorities lie. It's all about keeping a winning mentality in the club. Early rounds playing fringe players is the way forward. We should set out to win every game (don't see the point in fielding a team to lose), and our second string on this occasion should be far too strong for a Blue Square side. Let's get through that and see who we draw and think again. Let's face it, if we get through these first couple of rounds and close to the quarter finals date, we'll have got promotion under our belt by then.............
Not suggesting we send out a team to lose, just that we don't risk key players or run them into the ground. With the squad we've got this season we shouldn't need to do that, though left back is a slight concern. Up front, the wide positions and the centre of the park (with the exception of whitts) we've more than enough cover, though ralls or KimBo in place of whitts for the cup games should suffice. With Kev having a few games at full back, Connoley can play centre back with Little Ben. That leaves left back as the position with no cover. Pretty sure that will be remedied in the transfer window.
The problem is that you win at Macklesfield and then you may get a lower league team and play your second string again, or you might get a team up their with you like Leicester or Palarce, then what do you do? Win with your first team for the kudos or let them win and hope the cup run b8ggers up their challenge for promotion? And if they had the same idea you'd have 2 teams running round trying to lose and we'd both get relegated for cheating. Then again you might pull Manure or Citeh, play your top team and come away with injuries. The FA cup has been the making and the breaking of teams, the trouble is you never know which its going to be.
This is a perennial problem Snaggs, and I didn't mean to suggest you were advocating losing Remote. Every season these past few years we've been debating this question. At least it demonstrates our strengths in being in a position to suggest making a choice - those teams resigned to mid-table mediocrity would love to have it. Winning becomes a habit, and if it's Malky's judgement that the result could be achieved by fielding "fringe" or even regular bench players, then so be it. What I've never advocated is that we should give up on the competition. If we get drawn against similar opposition then I would hope Malky would put out a more or less full strength side to go for it. The dilema comes when (if?) we come up against a mega Prem club. Turning them over would need the best possible starting 11 and subs to match to have a realistic chance - and then it would be a huge ask. If the said Prem club decided to field a weakened side against us because we were "lower league" easy meat, that's when they could come seriously unstuck. Blackburn last year springs to mind.
No probs Sparkey. When you have a look at our 2nd string, things are not looking too shabby. I always worry about wholesale changes as you lose structure. We've seen it a few times with Man U even. Put a younster in any position and you barely notice. Put a group of them in and the wheels fall off. It's why on another thread I suggested keeping Taylor in at LB with Little Ben and Conolly in the middle. Little Ben with experience either side of him would be OK. Put another youngster at LB and we could be exposed. Getting the ballance right is key. KimBo in the middle with Kiss? Eti up front with Rudy? Inexperienced pairings. Eti with HH maybe, KimBo wth Gunnar would be better. Don't think it should be too much of an issue with Macclesfield, but rotating things for League and cup when we get stiffer opposition would be good. We've seen that in the league of late, with players getting bursts of games and no one (except huds, whitts and Taylor) playing huge numbers of games.
Guys! Guys! This big premiership team issue is also a non-event. we all hope we will be taking them on every Saturday next season.....and let's be honest, the majority of this season's team will be in the squad since we won't have wholesale buying in the close season. Take on all comers I say......as has been said, winning is a habit and a good run will be a lift. OK...some of our players cannot keep on banging in extra games but we have a strong squad and a little bit of testing will do no harm. as a premiership club we would expect to go a long way in both cups as well as the league.
Last time i went to Macc we beat them 5 - 3 in the league, Leo, Earnie free scoring, and i remember Jordan getting subbed after about 15 mins for no other reason that he was totally rubbish, drove up there from London (based in Northwood command centre) and got there 2 hours early, parked up asked a lady policewoman, 'Which way to civilisation' she saw the funny side and pointed in a direction, about a mile or so later i found a chip shop and started to long up hill walk back to that Mecca of football, a small bus pulled over and asked for directions to the ground, i gladly offered to show them the way in exchange for a lift. Got on the bus and they were from Tredegar, they were all well oiled and automatically assumed i was from Macclesfield !! an interesting mile journey the driver knew i was Welsh and we both laughed our heads off. Those happy days of visiting the shyteholes that the 4th division had to offer will live long in my memory. To conclude. I will NOT be attending saturdays match, i will leave that to someone else.
Two points Frankfurter: 1. The problem of playing Prem sides in the cup, as stated here, is not the fear that they're too good for us, but the concern that we would put our best team out and any injuries might adversely impact on our attempt to be in a position to play them every week next season. 2. How do you know that 'We will not have wholesale buying in the close season'? Do you have direct access to the plans of TG and VT? You state it as fact but if they want to be a top team, that is exactly what they might have in mind
I thought that when I read the 2nd point. If we get to the PL anything could happen. I can't see the Malaysians letting us go back down with a whimper. I personally think it would be more Saints style of a few high cost players rather than the whole new club approach of QPR. We'd need a striker, a winger and 1 or 2 full backs to have much of a chance in the PL imo. I'd also rather we took the W.Brom approach of trying to stay but with a side/players/finances that are ready to bounce back if it does go wrong first season. They are a perfect model of how to grow a football club imo and I'd love to see them stay around the top 8. Obviously Swansea and Norwich's success show there's no reason to assume the team that got you up will go back down but Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves are currently showing how hard it can be to get back out of the league if everyone isn't singing from the same sheet and Birmingham, Portsmouth, Leeds etc what happens if you're not ready for the PL cash cow to dry up. Sorry for the thread hijack, I didn't start of trying to turn this into a 'if we get promoted' thread, I just got a bit carried away.............
Anyway back to Macclesfield. Bluesfrombridgend. Believe me when i say ...NO i will definately not be attending. Even if i won a free ticket a ride there and back in a limo and lunch in the Savoy. However for the ununitiated amongst our younger fans, i say this. Go up there have a look at what us old fogies had to put up with in the good old days !!
