Focus on the cups

Woolly Blue · May 28, 2015

ilikecheese said:
I'm amazed at how many are focused on cups. Winning them is great, but does nothing to grow the club.

Guaranteed CL football is a minimum standard we should be shooting for. CL football sorts the cups out because the best in the world will only want to play for clubs that are in the CL.

It's 2015, not 1985.

1985 was a boss, boss year.

Titus Bramble · May 28, 2015

Can we win the league and the cup please.

RaleighBlue · May 28, 2015

A cup would be nice.

Won't do anything for the future though. Top 4 also wouldn't do too much for the future if it was a one-off. Should play promising youth with a few old heads in the cups...get them ready for the future. Build for the hope of being able to afford to really make a go of regular success. FA Cup or League Cup would be a successful season, but you're not going to go out and win those every year, and the top players want CL money and CL exposure...

Getting in the CL leads to cup wins more than cup wins leads to the CL.

So...4th for me, as much as I wish it wasn't.

Truth is it's all a bit moot without some improvement on our ability to buy and retain players (retain in this sense meaning pay a huge wedge).

4737carlin · May 29, 2015

I wonder if the reason the atmosphere is terrible could be because so many fans feel its more important to qualify for a competition than to actually win anything? If fans don't dream of seeing Everton win something i can see why they cant get up for the game.

SerenityNigh · May 29, 2015

Bryan said:
Had a think, or a muse. Definitely prefer the E cup over DD.

I'd love to lift the cup; nigh impossible with the scenario you've proposed.

Cels · May 30, 2015

For the best part of the last ten years Arsenal have finished in the top four, but only won two cups in that time (granted they are in the final again). Champions League football does not mean you'll be more successful on the domestic front due to the club receiving more and attracting 'better' players.

ilikecheese · May 30, 2015

Cels said:
For the best part of the last ten years Arsenal have finished in the top four, but only won two cups in that time (granted they are in the final again). Champions League football does not mean you'll be more successful on the domestic front due to the club receiving more and attracting 'better' players.

That's two more than we have

blue4eva77 · May 30, 2015

Cels said:
For the best part of the last ten years Arsenal have finished in the top four, but only won two cups in that time (granted they are in the final again). Champions League football does not mean you'll be more successful on the domestic front due to the club receiving more and attracting 'better' players.

I know which one I'd rather have take.

OneTrueLegend · May 30, 2015

I'm not sure if it's possible to "focus on the cups". I think the best thing we could do is play our strongest available players for each game, including the cup games and see how we get on.

I hate it when we rest the first team and the go out to a team from league one.

It didn't happen exactly that way this year though, we rested most of the first team against Swansea in the league cup and got spanked 3-0.
I also think we were a bit unfortunate to go out to West Ham in the FA cup, on pens after a replay

Cels · May 30, 2015

ilikecheese said:
That's two more than we have

True, and both Portsmouth and Wigan have won one more than we have in the same period of time

ilikecheese · May 30, 2015

Cels said:
True, and both Portsmouth and Wigan have won one more than we have in the same period of time

Yep...and it's really made a big difference in the bigger scheme of things for their clubs, hasn't it?

Cels · May 30, 2015

ilikecheese said:
Yep...and it's really made a big difference in the bigger scheme of things for their clubs, hasn't it?

I think we are better equipped to win a cup and survive in the 'top flight'. Wigan Ath. won the cup and got relegated in the same Season, but that may have been due to them having an inflexible Manager who couldn't cope with fighting on two fronts... whatever happened to that bugger I wonder?

It now looks like Arsenal are on course to win three more than we have

ilikecheese · May 30, 2015

Cels said:
I think we are better equipped to win a cup and survive in the 'top flight'. Wigan Ath. won the cup and got relegated in the same Season, but that may have been due to them having an inflexible Manager who couldn't cope with fighting on two fronts... whatever happened to that bugger I wonder?

It now looks like Arsenal are on course to win three more than we have

My point is that CL football is more important than the cups. Being at that level will sort the cups out.

Cels · May 30, 2015

ilikecheese said:
My point is that CL football is more important than the cups. Being at that level will sort the cups out.

Arsenal at the level for ten years, won one cup more than Wigan. My point is finals can be reached and cups can be won. Villa are getting their ass handed to them at the mo, but they are playing in the Final despite finishing fourth from bottom. We are not going to agree, but I'll dance around in circles with for a while longer if you wish