Who likes a good cup run

[davidpinder]

Are you a fan of a good cup run or do you see it as a waste of time?? Do you think it helps the team with a positive cup run, maybe putting out a couple of prem teams before being knocked out away at chelsea, or something similar or do you see it as "well we won't win it i'd rather save all the players for a promotion push"???

Whats your thoughts? I like a good cup run personally and hope we put QPR out today.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

If we were gunning for automatic then i'd be tempted to put out an understrength squad, but seeing as there's little hope of automatic, and play-offs only a possibility i'd like to see Blackwell treat the cup seriously.

Plus i want to visit some new grounds!

 

[NN6]

Highbury I just don't understand that attitude of 'if we were going for automatic I'd put out an under strength team'....why? are we ever going to win the Premiership? are we bowlacks...however there is an outside possibility we could win the FA Cup. We've made 2 semis in recent history and were unlucky in both.

For me football is about winning trophies not getting into the premier league and banking some money so its the FA Cup every time for me and I was absolutely furious the year we put out the weakened side v Swansea.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Highbury I just don't understand that attitude of 'if we were going for automatic I'd put out an under strength team'....why? are we ever going to win the Premiership? are we bowlacks...however there is an outside possibility we could win the FA Cup. We've made 2 semis in recent history and were unlucky in both.

For me football is about winning trophies not getting into the premier league and banking some money so its the FA Cup every time for me and I was absolutely furious the year we put out the weakened side v Swansea.

Fair point NN6. Some of our best league seasons have accompanied good cup runs - 02/03, 97/98, 89/90, 60/61.

 

[Santos]

If we were gunning for automatic then i'd be tempted to put out an understrength squad, but seeing as there's little hope of automatic, and play-offs only a possibility i'd like to see Blackwell treat the cup seriously.

Plus i want to visit some new grounds!

SUFC 1 - 2 Colchester (Kabba) FA CUP 2005/2006
SUFC 0 - 3 Swansea FA CUP 2006/2007
SUFC 1 - 2 Port Vale (Sharp) Leauge Cup 2009/2010
SUFC 0 - 2 QPR League Cup 2003/2004

Four games which instantly come into my head as boring depressing games. Please lets make sure today's game isn't a repeat!

On the flip side though, I remember a wonderful Browny volley knocking Forest out about 10 years ago at the Lane.

WIZZARDS

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Highbury I just don't understand that attitude of 'if we were going for automatic I'd put out an under strength team'....why? are we ever going to win the Premiership? are we bowlacks...however there is an outside possibility we could win the FA Cup. We've made 2 semis in recent history and were unlucky in both.

For me football is about winning trophies not getting into the premier league and banking some money so its the FA Cup every time for me and I was absolutely furious the year we put out the weakened side v Swansea.

By the same token are we likely to win the cup this year? Most likely not, so if it was a toss-up between managing the resources so we're firing on all cylinders for auto or going hell for leather in the cup, i'll take the former. For me automatic promotion is just as good as winning a trophy. Even better if we actually go up as champions, with a trophy......

Seeing as that ain't going to happen this year, i'd like a cup run Mr Blackwell!

 

[tomtheblade]

I always like to see us put out a strong side in the cups.

I don't see the point in putting out a reserve side to give them some match experience. In a real league game they'd be playing alongside regular first teamers anyway so it's not a real 'first team' experience for the players that come in. I think it's ok to put out a couple of reserve/youth players in with the 1st team to see how they gel, but no more than a couple. This way we can actually judge their performance in respect to their rivals for that position.

Also, confidence and form are so important (especially to us) to going on runs in the league that i think putting up a white flag in the cups halts momentum and drains confidence from the squad, as any loss does.
This is particularly true if we're playing a team in a lower league or position to us.

So here's hoping we get a win today with a decent, positive performance and a Prem team or an easy lower league team in the next round.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Whilst I'd like to see a strong team, I'd also like to see one of our promising crop of youngsters involved. Last year's cup run wasn't particularly successful, but it did allow us to play Kyle Walker at right back at Leyton Orient, and centre half against Hull. It meant that when he was thrown in after Naysmith's injury he was at least used to the experience of playing in the first team, so it would have been useful to his overall development.

 

[marko1889]

well i love a good cup run like too see us knock couple premier leaugue teams out..... just look at weeds taken out man utd.... outstanding for the smaller clubs. but it can affect your league season, but the way we are now, may go til the simi`s.... UTB.......

 

[LouTheBlade]

I think a good cup run can galvanise a team and encourage good league form. The season we reached the two cup semi finals was an example. I think the league form was spurred on by the cup runs personally.

It depends on the situation though. I think a cup run can be detrimental to sides struggling near the bottom. I don't see how it harms a team in good form (say a top six side). As for squad selection - horses for courses. If you draw bury at home in the 3rd round (no disrespect to Bury), you should be able to make changes to your first team but still have a team strong enough to win the game (if youre a big-ish club).

If they brought back the Cup Winners Cup for europe I think the incentive would be greater in this country. Teams wanted to qualify for that. The europa league is shite.

 

[Ted Danson]

I think a good cup run can galvanise a team and encourage good league form. The season we reached the two cup semi finals was an example. I think the league form was spurred on by the cup runs personally.

I think your right but theres a fine balance to get right. Lots of people thought we'd have got promotion if it werent for the distraction of the cup runs. Maybe if we'de sacked off the coca cola cup we would have been chapions and FA cup winners. If only.....................

 

[LouTheBlade]

I think your right but theres a fine balance to get right. Lots of people thought we'd have got promotion if it werent for the distraction of the cup runs. Maybe if we'de sacked off the coca cola cup we would have been chapions and FA cup winners. If only.....................

Yeah I think thats a fair argument as well. Having said that the cup runs were done and dusted by the time we got to Cardiff. That last game should have been our one and only focus at that point so I have never agreed with the people that said the cup runs ruined it. Warnock admitted in his book that he blames himself in part for losing to Wolves. He pointed out that every time we went 4-5-1 against them we licked em! He wanted to accomodate Kabba in the lineup so went 4-4-2, hence we got murdered in midfield.

I do wonder like yourself though......what if we hadn't had a cup run - would we have won the league? we had a massive dip in form about february time so could have cost us an automatic place. I suppose we will never know because its impossible to prove something like that.

 

[Grecian2000]

I think a Cup run galvanises the whole club and makes for a far better season.

Burnley played more games than us in both cups last season and didn't seem overly knackered at Wembley if I remember.