Form on the up, Top 4 Wide Open, But.....

[ijjysmith]

9 changes against Norwich and scraped through on pens, don't think he's that bothered tbh

Ah yeah. Forgot that, and I now remember seeing the line up and thinking he didn't care about this.

Quarters though. I reckon a bit more serious now.

But still, for me anyway, every competition is priority and we are in no position to pick and choose.

 

[blue61]

Don't underestimate the effect winning a pot can have on a group of players still searching for that extra bit of self belief that turns a team from potential into the real deal. Look what beating a poor team (Watford) did to the confidence of our squad in 84. I'm sure El Broguez is well aware of this games importance.

 

[Dithering Dougie]

I'd disagree Doug, we wouldn't have won so handsomely in those games had we had say Osman or Naismith on the pitch instead of Deulofeu or Kone. The fact is we are a much better side without them, especially Naismith to be fair

It would be perfectly reasonable for the manager to pick both Naismth and Osman in a cup game to a lower division team 3 days after a premiership match, and from my point of view it would be very odd reason to stop going the match if it was to happen.

 

[MikeH72]

It would be perfectly reasonable for the manager to pick both Naismth and Osman in a cup game to a lower division team 3 days after a premiership match, and from my point of view it would be very odd reason to stop going the match if it was to happen.

Oh of course, I've sat through worse experiences and I still go the game. But this is sure to be a tough game as Boro are in good form and are at home, so I'd be disappointed if Naismith started at the expense of one of our good players

 

[Dithering Dougie]

Oh of course, I've sat through worse experiences and I still go the game. But this is sure to be a tough game as Boro are in good form and are at home, so I'd be disappointed if Naismith started at the expense of one of our good players

But it's for games just like this that we have a large squad otherwise we might as well just go back to flogging the same 11 week in week out like its the 50's or something.

I take it if Martinez picked his strongest 11 you'd be happy to see Howard start over Robles then..

 

[MikeH72]

But it's for games just like this that we have a large squad otherwise we might as well just go back to flogging the same 11 week in week out like its the 50's or something.

I take it if Martinez picked his strongest 11 you'd be happy to see Howard start over Robles then..

Stop bringing Howard into it you rascal

You can't honestly say having watched us this season, that we don't play better football without Naismith in the team? It appears Martinez has seen the light as well as we have barely seen the albino Pele since his horror show against United

 

[Bungle]

But it's for games just like this that we have a large squad otherwise we might as well just go back to flogging the same 11 week in week out like its the 50's or something.

I take it if Martinez picked his strongest 11 you'd be happy to see Howard start over Robles then..

 

[Deleted member 24970]

For the first time in a long time, we talk about replacements and the team still looks strong:

Drop: Galloway, Barry, McCarthy, barkley, Delboy and kone.

Include: Baines, Cleverley, besic, Gibson, lennon and Mirallas.

Quality is still there, great squad of players at our disposal now.

 

[Dithering Dougie]

Stop bringing Howard into it you rascal

You can't honestly say having watched us this season, that we don't play better football without Naismith in the team? It appears Martinez has seen the light as well as we have barely seen the albino Pele since his horror show against United

It's about the bigger picture though isn't it.

It's not as if we haven't played well with Naismth in the team, just look at the Chelsea game. A team with Naismith and Osman in it is more than capable of comfortably beating a lower level team.

 

[MACCA75]

Whenever we make 5 or 6 changes, even though the team looks ok on paper, they always play cack.

 

[dholliday]

we've never won the League Cup and it's been going for about 50 years...reason enough.

Anyone old enough to remember when we chose not to take part one year so we could focus on the European Cup? 1970-ish, I think. The year after the suits made it compulsory for all league clubs to have to play. Shades of Man Utd & fobbing off the FA Cup back in 2000 or so.

 

[Ashtonian]

We need to start somewhere. We've been notoriously flakey in cup competitions for years, and need to start building up the belief we can win these cups every year.

I agree mate, winning it would be a potential starting block for martinez, if we could say within three years we won a trophy then you can't argue with those results.

 

[caught]

we've never won the League Cup and it's been going for about 50 years...reason enough.

Anyone old enough to remember when we chose not to take part one year so we could focus on the European Cup? 1970-ish, I think. The year after the suits made it compulsory for all league clubs to have to play. Shades of Man Utd & fobbing off the FA Cup back in 2000 or so.

This. We're one of the few big clubs (and the only really big club - hi WHU fans x) to never win it.

Plus, I like it when people show their age and call it the Milk Cup, or people show they're utterly insane and call it the Rumbelows Cup. Or I slip up and call it the Coca-Cola Cup. Or when some stupid six year-old calls it the Capital One Cup.

 

[dholliday]

This. We're one of the few big clubs (and the only really big club - hi WHU fans x) to never win it.

Plus, I like it when people show their age and call it the Milk Cup, or people show they're utterly insane and call it the Rumbelows Cup. Or I slip up and call it the Coca-Cola Cup. Or when some stupid six year-old calls it the Capital One Cup.

I've always called it the League Cup only because during my 26 years of following football (and Everton) the sponsor changed about 10 times...arsed if i'm keeping up with that lol

 

[LydiateLee]

It's criminal that a club of our size and history hasn't won it.

Look at the dross that has won it in recent memory - Blackburn, Leicester, Swansea, Birmingham, Liverpool (not joking), Spurs...