McKindrick Blue
Player Valuation: £750k
Been dipping in and out of this thread and some of this has likely already been said, but I'll have my two pence on the cup failures this season...
Firstly, I absolutely expect the club, manager and team to take the cup competitions "seriously", but I'm not sure what some mean by that. We win, fine. We lose, we didn't take it seriously?
As has already been said, the two cup losses were poor in the main. However, we fielded probably the best side we could cobble together against Sunderland, a PL team who at the time were in good form and above us in the table. We didn't play well but scraped a 1-1 draw and then produced one of the worst shootout displays I've seen to go out on pens. Fine margins on that one but probably more disappointing as we had the home draw and so many fans had to watch a poor display in our new stadium.
In the league cup, after dispatching Mansfield, we drew another PL team. Away at Wolves this time who admittedly were in some pretty garbage form at the time but a PL team all the same and at their place. Here's you can probably pick holes in the starting line up but on paper it should have been enough to win the game and ultimately the players had an off day.
So no "cup run". But look at some of the teams that did go on cup runs and it can be very different. Chelsea are in the Qtr final of the FA Cup, against Port Vale, so could well reach the semis, and on that "cup run" they've faced the might of Charlton, Hull, and Wrexham. All away granted but a pretty kind draw. Leeds have faced Derby A, Birmingham A, and Nowrich H, before finally facing a PL side in West Ham. Arsenal have faced Portsmouth A, Wigan H, and Mansfield A, now facing Southampton in the quarters which feels like a kind draw. City faced Exeter H, and Salford H before having to take on Newcastle away. Finally the RS have had Barnsley H, Brighton H, and Wolves A, so probably the tougher of the runs.
So in the FA Cup at least, a "cup run" can very much be influenced by a kind draw. Not excusing going out with a whimper against a poor Wolves team but it is often fine margins between appearing to take it "seriously" and having the run end abruptly early on. That's the nature of cup competitions. Ultimately a run counts for very little unless you win it.
I want us to do well in cups but it only counts for anything if we win the pot, which has been pointed out on this thread is very difficult for anyone outside the established clubs to do (although not impossible so shouldn't be written off).
I do agree that building a stronger, more competitive squad with consistent improvement in the league will naturally make us more competitive in the cups.
No excuses, just reflection really
Firstly, I absolutely expect the club, manager and team to take the cup competitions "seriously", but I'm not sure what some mean by that. We win, fine. We lose, we didn't take it seriously?
As has already been said, the two cup losses were poor in the main. However, we fielded probably the best side we could cobble together against Sunderland, a PL team who at the time were in good form and above us in the table. We didn't play well but scraped a 1-1 draw and then produced one of the worst shootout displays I've seen to go out on pens. Fine margins on that one but probably more disappointing as we had the home draw and so many fans had to watch a poor display in our new stadium.
In the league cup, after dispatching Mansfield, we drew another PL team. Away at Wolves this time who admittedly were in some pretty garbage form at the time but a PL team all the same and at their place. Here's you can probably pick holes in the starting line up but on paper it should have been enough to win the game and ultimately the players had an off day.
So no "cup run". But look at some of the teams that did go on cup runs and it can be very different. Chelsea are in the Qtr final of the FA Cup, against Port Vale, so could well reach the semis, and on that "cup run" they've faced the might of Charlton, Hull, and Wrexham. All away granted but a pretty kind draw. Leeds have faced Derby A, Birmingham A, and Nowrich H, before finally facing a PL side in West Ham. Arsenal have faced Portsmouth A, Wigan H, and Mansfield A, now facing Southampton in the quarters which feels like a kind draw. City faced Exeter H, and Salford H before having to take on Newcastle away. Finally the RS have had Barnsley H, Brighton H, and Wolves A, so probably the tougher of the runs.
So in the FA Cup at least, a "cup run" can very much be influenced by a kind draw. Not excusing going out with a whimper against a poor Wolves team but it is often fine margins between appearing to take it "seriously" and having the run end abruptly early on. That's the nature of cup competitions. Ultimately a run counts for very little unless you win it.
I want us to do well in cups but it only counts for anything if we win the pot, which has been pointed out on this thread is very difficult for anyone outside the established clubs to do (although not impossible so shouldn't be written off).
I do agree that building a stronger, more competitive squad with consistent improvement in the league will naturally make us more competitive in the cups.
No excuses, just reflection really
