FA Cup

[chandog]

honestly promotion challenge or run in the FA CUP........


doesnt really add up

2+2=5


tbh if i had to choose between promotion or getting to the final i would be torn between the two

a day out at wembley would be amazing

getting promoted would also be great but we would be faced with the possibilty of a shit season and relegation again. i like being in the champ at the mo as we will win most our games and it seems to be a more enjoyable league for the fans. as i dont have a season ticket it also means i can decide whether i want to go to a match the night before and the price is fairly good.

[Royalshow]

honestly promotion challenge or run in the FA CUP........


doesnt really add up

2+2=5


tbh if i had to choose between promotion or getting to the final i would be torn between the two

a day out at wembley would be amazing

getting promoted would also be great but we would be faced with the possibilty of a shit season and relegation again. i like being in the champ at the mo as we will win most our games and it seems to be a more enjoyable league for the fans. as i dont have a season ticket it also means i can decide whether i want to go to a match the night before and the price is fairly good.

...and it means i can go to NP for the last time as well.

[Archie's penalty]

I agree that our attitude towards the cup devalues it and takes my enthusiasm away from it to an extent but I understand why we do it.

If anyone can say they didn't enjoy the two games against United when we almost beat them they would have to be a liar (I realise this is going to get an angry response).

And if we devalue it look at Bolton last year. Six changes = 1-0 home loss vs. Sheff.United.

One final point Henry, Karacan, maybe Pearce and Church back in for that game. I look forward to seeing what they can do.


The point is we are not 12 anymore (well some of us are) and things change.

[chandog]

honestly promotion challenge or run in the FA CUP........


doesnt really add up

2+2=5


tbh if i had to choose between promotion or getting to the final i would be torn between the two

a day out at wembley would be amazing

getting promoted would also be great but we would be faced with the possibilty of a shit season and relegation again. i like being in the champ at the mo as we will win most our games and it seems to be a more enjoyable league for the fans. as i dont have a season ticket it also means i can decide whether i want to go to a match the night before and the price is fairly good.

...and it means i can go to NP for the last time as well.

...and also to saints away

[rabidbee]

He might do the same in training, should we wrap in him cotton wool? Weak excuse.

Training isn't as intense as a match, especially not in the legendary "cup atmosphere" of the FA Cup. Besides which, this is still one less game played, which gives them a rest just as the season is getting messy (especially with the generally heavier pitches at this time of the year), and one less opportunity for them to get injured.

I remember how annoyed I was last year at Old Trafford, as I was sure our first team playing 4-4-2 would have won the game. However, I understand in the cold light of day why Coppell plays it safe, and I agree with him that promotion is the key.

[Seal]

It's interesting one re: the FA Cup. A lot fans of other teams that I speak to cite the furore over our attitude to the FA Cup last season as the reason for our downfall post xmas.

They say things like, "it was going well for you until all that stuff Kitson & Coppell said about the FA Cup. From Jan on you just seemed to fall apart"

I've even heard comments like "it was karma you lot going down after the way you treated the cup".

Now I’m not saying these comments are correct, but it's interesting to hear the general perception of our problems last season from those not affiliated with RFC.

Personally I really wish we took it seriously too.

[LWJ]

Will be going by train Which station is closest to ninian park? And is there any chance it could get moved?

[Victor Meldrew]

He might do the same in training, should we wrap in him cotton wool? Weak excuse.

Training isn't as intense as a match, especially not in the legendary "cup atmosphere" of the FA Cup. Besides which, this is still one less game played, which gives them a rest just as the season is getting messy (especially with the generally heavier pitches at this time of the year), and one less opportunity for them to get injured.

I remember how annoyed I was last year at Old Trafford, as I was sure our first team playing 4-4-2 would have won the game. However, I understand in the cold light of day why Coppell plays it safe, and I agree with him that promotion is the key.

So what about International games?
Do we do a Man Utd and plead a groin strain for Ryan Giggs every time a Wales game comes up or do we let our players go out and risk injury?
I would sooner our Irish contingent got imjured playing for their employer rather than their poxy little international side (even better not get injured at all of course).
Training can be as intense as actual games and so the injury risk is similar.
Also the other factor is sticking with a winning team-mess around with it and you can break that momentum.

[Ian Royal]

Agree with Floyd.

The FA Cup used to be fukking great to watch and genuinely exciting. Now it's shit, and following a team that doesn't care about it is one of the reasons why.

Yep, have to agree completely with that.

Tell that to Pompey who got to play AC Milan at home and come a whisker away from beating them after winning it.

Just because we don't pick the same players who play week in week out doesn not mean we aren't trying to win the round, nor does it mean we aren't taking it seriously.

Come back whining when we go out to a team below our division. The last time we did it was 2002/03 under Pardew I believe. There is no telling whether our first team would have done any better against any of the teams we went out against.

Anything we may lose from less quality players, we make up for in determination to make an impression in one of the few chances. The non first team players may arguably be fresher as well.

Frankly

Liverpool 2-4, Spurs (R)1-0, Liverpool 4-3, Man United 2-3(R), Arsenal 0-3, Birmingham 2-1(R)

Isn't a bad series of results and I doubt very much we'd have got a better result with the first choice 11 on the pitch in any of them. Even the 04/05 season whilst disappointing, were sides in our division.


Victor, I think you'll find we have rather less control over our players than Ferguson and United. If we tell Doyle he's not going to play for Ireland he tells us to oxf*rd off and walks away. You can't compare United, who play at the very top level and consistently win trophies, with Reading.

There is also an arguement that our players may learn more on international duty as they're quite often playing against or with players superior to them

[Ian Royal]

It's interesting one re: the FA Cup. A lot fans of other teams that I speak to cite the furore over our attitude to the FA Cup last season as the reason for our downfall post xmas.

They say things like, "it was going well for you until all that stuff Kitson & Coppell said about the FA Cup. From Jan on you just seemed to fall apart"

I've even heard comments like "it was karma you lot going down after the way you treated the cup".

Now I’m not saying these comments are correct, but it's interesting to hear the general perception of our problems last season from those not affiliated with RFC.

Personally I really wish we took it seriously too.

It's ignorant double standards. United and co can do it, but no one else can. We have a solid squad with few individual stars. We rotate and it's disrespecting the cup. Is it my arse.

[Rex]

Poxy little international side. I do seem to think that the international players take pride in representing their country.

This season, the less experienced members of the squad are also current members of the first team. If we play a blend of the two then so be it. If we don't - we don't. After all we are not the only club who face this conundrum. Possibly just the more honest and vocal last season.

[Baines]

Agree with Floyd.

The FA Cup used to be fukking great to watch and genuinely exciting. Now it's shit, and following a team that doesn't care about it is one of the reasons why.

Yep, have to agree completely with that.

Tell that to Pompey who got to play AC Milan at home and come a whisker away from beating them after winning it.

Just because we don't pick the same players who play week in week out doesn not mean we aren't trying to win the round, nor does it mean we aren't taking it seriously.

Come back whining when we go out to a team below our division. The last time we did it was 2002/03 under Pardew I believe. There is no telling whether our first team would have done any better against any of the teams we went out against.

Anything we may lose from less quality players, we make up for in determination to make an impression in one of the few chances. The non first team players may arguably be fresher as well.

Frankly

Liverpool 2-4, Spurs (R)1-0, Liverpool 4-3, Man United 2-3(R), Arsenal 0-3, Birmingham 2-1(R)

Isn't a bad series of results and I doubt very much we'd have got a better result with the first choice 11 on the pitch in any of them. Even the 04/05 season whilst disappointing, were sides in our division.

If we don't play our best team, then we aren't trying our utmost to win it. There can still be exciting moments in it, but it makes the competition as a whole and our involvement in it much less entertaining than it used to be.

[PEARCEY]

The cup has lost its lustre partly because of the big 4s interest in the Champions League. Its more than that though.
There are so many live televised games that 3rd round day, ie Saturday is diluted because many games are being played on the Sunday, Monday and even the Friday before.
Its also lost some of the romance that came with never ending replays between sides that just could not beat each other at the third time of asking let alone the second time.
The League has also become more important to many clubs who see far greater financial rewards rising through the divisions instead of one off cup runs.
For all of these reasons I see the FA Cup as a distraction and not much more.

[Royal With Cheese]

The FA Cup died after the formation of the Premiership and the Champions League.

It has roughly the same status that the League Cup used to have 20 years ago.

[Ian Royal]

I find it no less entertaining Baines. And I suspect many share my view.

[Baines]

^ What's your frame of reference? When did you start going to football?

[Mary Hinge]

Will be going by train Which station is closest to ninian park? And is there any chance it could get moved?

I don't think the station that is closest to Ninian Park will be moved. HTH

[Aly Murty]

Ninian Park is closest (funnily enough), can also walk or get the bus from central station. Take your pick.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ninian+park+cardiff&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=12.918331,39.375&ie=UTF8&ll=51.4716,-3.191957&spn=0.012644,0.038452&z=15

[Ian Royal]

Sadly Post Pre-Prem.

Can't remember which season was my first cup game, may have been as late as '97, but I started going in '95.

I've certainly seen us field "full strength" sides and go for the cup runs and the only reason it is possibly less exciting now, is because we've played the big teams at least 4 times in the last couple of years so the excitement at possibly getting to see a big draw team is much less important now.

[Royal With Cheese]

Sadly Post Pre-Prem.

Is that a double negative?