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Post by ColonelMustard on Jan 5, 2020 16:37:50 GMT
A win in the early rounds is fine, I wanted us to win yesterday, but I'm sure there are a few examples of an extended cup run in a relegation battle ending unhappily on both counts. Not that I can remember the specifics right now. But teams going out in the later stages offer have a deflation problem in the league.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 18:21:10 GMT
'concentrate on the league' whatever that means. You really don't know?
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Post by terrorofturfmoor on Jan 5, 2020 18:49:41 GMT
An FA Cup run is always welcome, we all love the romance of it!!!
That said, our priority is staying in this league this season, and all focus has to be on that, and that alone in my opinion!!! We certainly don't need distractions like getting arse raped, should we come up against the likes of Liverpool, Leicester or city......we also need to keep clear of potential injuries, for partaking in something we have absolutely no chance of winning!!!
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Post by wherty on Jan 5, 2020 18:49:43 GMT
Our FA Cup exit has been greeted by many with satisfaction and even delight on these pages. The idea I think being that enduring the misery of a Round 4 draw without our number on a ball and a 'dead' Saturday in 3 weeks time is a small price to pay for the ability to 'concentrate on the league' whatever that means. Seriously is there even one iota evidence to suggest that teams suffering the ignominy of a departure at the first hurdle of the nations #1 cup competition go on to do better in the league that they otherwise would? All irrelevant as we will be playing Swansea now in the league as planned on fa cup 4th round weekend as they lost at QPR.
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Post by Gods on Jan 5, 2020 20:57:02 GMT
Our FA Cup exit has been greeted by many with satisfaction and even delight on these pages. The idea I think being that enduring the misery of a Round 4 draw without our number on a ball and a 'dead' Saturday in 3 weeks time is a small price to pay for the ability to 'concentrate on the league' whatever that means. Seriously is there even one iota evidence to suggest that teams suffering the ignominy of a departure at the first hurdle of the nations #1 cup competition go on to do better in the league that they otherwise would? All irrelevant as we will be playing Swansea now in the league as planned on fa cup 4th round weekend as they lost at QPR. Only the 'blank Saturday' is irrelevant and that was little more than an aside anyway, the rest is exactly as relevant as when I first typed it.
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Post by BuzzB on Jan 5, 2020 23:20:02 GMT
Having watched it they were there for the taking. We were so comfortable all over the pitch but toothless up top yet again. We did have chances, 3 or 4 good ones, and lost to a flook goal, keeper error or not, it was a flook. Dissapointed not to be in that draw tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 23:31:53 GMT
To play devils advocate we also would leave ourselves open to City away which could be a cricket score. We bowed out gracefully, I will enjoy a week off from the stress of watching us to some extent too, can just enjoy the other matches.
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Post by Rose City Potter on Jan 6, 2020 0:35:33 GMT
I see it as a distraction from the league this year. It is a double edged sword as it can provide game time to squad/young players. It is an opportunity to experiment. However the downside is that it could lead to extra games (replay) and then if you take it seriously, risks injuries to key players. You could also get upset by a minnow or thumped by a top side, neither are good for fragile confidence.
I am never happy to see us lose however under these circumstances I accept it as bigger picture we must stay up.
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Post by marylandstoke on Jan 6, 2020 0:46:36 GMT
To play devils advocate we also would leave ourselves open to City away which could be a cricket score. We bowed out gracefully, I will enjoy a week off from the stress of watching us to some extent too, can just enjoy the other matches. So your not going to watch the Swansea game then?
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Post by hotterpotter on Jan 6, 2020 8:23:04 GMT
I am still waiting for this one scintilla of evidence requested in the OP that teams actually on balance perform better out than in. There doesn't seem to be any hard evidence either way - hence the mixed response to your question with less name-calling than usual... 🙂 Just as an aside, I don't think we're going to find any hard evidence on the enema front either... 😂
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2020 9:31:01 GMT
I too have no idea what we've gained from going out after a half-hearted crack at the FA Cup. As previous posters have said it could have helped improve morale and give the supporters a welcome break from the misery of the league.
The club is as dull as dishwater.
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Post by Frogger Theft Auto on Jan 6, 2020 9:49:45 GMT
Have wins in the cup ever translated to points in the league either? We knocked out Wigan and Leeds in the League Cup whilst we couldn't buy a win in the league this season, all for the prize of a humiliation against Crawley.
The FA Cup isn't for rich teams struggling at the bottom of the Championship. It's just for Prem teams in no danger of going down or lower league teams that want to see the likes of James Milner in the flesh and earn an impressive amount of money for them.
We don't need the risk of an injury to our fringe players, or the money (or humiliation) from drawing the likes of Wolves away. And we definitely don't need the risk of humiliation of our reserves/club going out to a Crawley again, I think something like that would negatively affect league form. The likes of Shawcross wouldn't want a post-match selfie with Raheem Sterling either. It's all just not for us this year. We need important league game after important league game - everything else is a pointless distraction.
Stoke reserves bowing out to Brentford's reserves despite a dominant performance, just losing to a fluke goal that went over our 3rd choice keeper's head is fine by me.
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Post by rawli on Jan 6, 2020 10:18:27 GMT
We really have got bigger fish to fry this season. Could do without a key player getting injured like Bojan did at Rochdale.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jan 6, 2020 10:19:47 GMT
The manager clearly didn't care and I get that. Way more important things to concentrate on.
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Post by theincontinents on Jan 6, 2020 10:22:07 GMT
My own increasing longevity now allows me to reflect back on eras from the 60’s onwards. I certainly don’t think things were better in the “olden days” but I am still mightily pissed off we didn’t put out a full strength team in an attempt to demolish Brentford.
An FA cup run would still mean the world to me regardless of anything, because whilst your in it there always remains a glimmer of hope and I still firmly believe that Man Citeh are wank!!!
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Post by mrcoke on Jan 6, 2020 10:26:06 GMT
As referred to above, one positive outcome from the match is that MON has had further evidence that with Gregory and Ince we will rarely score goals.
It has all been said about Ince before; Gregory is different. I like the look of him like Allen, he puts in a shed load of work and gives 100%. The sort of player managers love to have as you can trust they will give their best, or if not, at least keep trying to. But at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, just how much have they contributed to success, and make a clinical judgement.
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Post by thevoid on Jan 7, 2020 9:47:09 GMT
We'd have had Leicester at home, bullet dodged. That could've been horrific
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Post by Gods on Jan 7, 2020 10:34:27 GMT
We'd have had Leicester at home, bullet dodged. That could've been horrific Crumbs don't go there, I've seen 12 page debates on whether in fact your next opponents in the draw would really be those of the side which defeated you!
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