Win the Cup or stay up?

[andrew1957]

Shame Bikey won't be at the Cup game. Deserves a good reception from us.

Really hoping we tonk Burnley now & I do think we can. Viva la cup. The dream is still alive!

The priority for Burnley will be PL survival so cannot see them being too bothered if they lose. If we play like we can we may well go through.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Shame Bikey won't be at the Cup game. Deserves a good reception from us.

Really hoping we tonk Burnley now & I do think we can. Viva la cup. The dream is still alive!

The priority for Burnley will be PL survival so cannot see them being too bothered if they lose. If we play like we can we may well go through.

I also think they may be deflated about Coyle leaving, plus they are crap away from home, so I'd say we have a very good chance of progressing. If we can beat Liverpool then why the hell not?

Come on Reading get to Wembley!

[AthleticoSpizz]

As crap as they are away from home.......we are crap at home

Seriously, no reason for the club not to give this a go now. Rescue something out of the ashes of this poor season.......and the chance for the players to mix it with the big guns

[MmmMonsterMunch]

As crap as they are away from home.......we are crap at home

Seriously, no reason for the club not to give this a go now. Rescue something out of the ashes of this poor season.......and the chance for the players to mix it with the big guns

Couldn't agree more. I think that was our best 11 + inspired subs in the 2 ties so I would hope the same applies against Burnley. Need something to smile about.

Screw the league lets win the cup! I'm glad Cisse is featuring regularly as well - always been a Cisse fan. I expect to get slated but hey!

[Royal With Cheese]

Easy question.

Even in '88 winning the Simod cup and going down was >>>> not winning the Simod cup and staying up.

^^^
This

Although I was so drunk I have very little recollection of the entire day, let alone the match.

[PEARCEY]

Winning the cup would be infinitely greater than staying up.

Cannot believe that any long term football fan would not exchange a couple of seasons in League 1 for a FA Cup Final Win - what a day out that would be - beating Chelsea 3-0 at Wembley in May!!!

What makes you think it would be "a couple of seasons in League 1?". Got a crystal ball have you?

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Agree with all the points so far, would give my right nut for a cup win!!

Re Burnley: Agree with all the points so far, they are there for the taking at present. Been poor away all season, plus Brian Laws is an appauling appointment in my opinion. They could've done better with Rodger's!!

A good performance and hopefully result tomorrow will set us up perfectly for next weekend.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

I would just like to add how much the day at Wembley in the Simod Cup, YES The Simod cup was one of my highlights in nearly 40 years of following this club.
The play offs at Wembley and Cardiff were memorable but imagine getting to the FA Cup final, a competition watched by millions worldwide and the envy of virtually every other footballing nation in the universe!

I have seen a number of promotions, relegation's, near misses, escape from relegation, play offs etc. Give me an FA Cup final every time.

[Sun Tzu]

Shame Bikey won't be at the Cup game. Deserves a good reception from us.

To be honest of all the players who moved on Bikey has to be the one who least 'deserves' a good reception.

Totally failed to establish himself, pretty much cost us a playoff place last season single handed, utterly frustrating in amost every game he played, will be known for all time as the man who got sent off in preseason while on trial, attacked a stretcher bearer in a major international and lost the plot in the dying seconds of a key playoff game. Not a great legacy - especially when he clearly has so much ability.

[Royal We]

Do you think anyone else will start a thread on this subject?

[NR_Royal]

I love how ridiculously pointless this thread is. We all know we'll get knocked out of the cup on Saturday AND we'll get relegated.

Then we'll all be sad.

[rhroyal]

Reading this changed my mind - I'd take the cup. Already voted though.

[leww_rfc]

We're 400/1 to win the cup, get in

Others:
A.Stanley 2000/1
Brighton 1000/1
N.County 1000/1
Scunthorpe 750/1
Preston 300/1
Derby 250/1
Doncaster 250/1
Southampton 250/1
Palace 175/1
Leicester 150/1
S.Utd 150/1
Leeds 150/1
Portsmouth 125/1
Ipswich 125/1
Cardiff 100/1
Burnley 100/1
WBA 80/1
Stoke 66/1
Wolves 66/1
Wigan 50/1
Bolton 50/1
Brum 33/1
Sunderland 28/1
Fulham 22/1
Everton 14/1
Villa 8/1
Spurs 11/2
MCity 5/1
Arsenal 9/2
Chelsea 3/1

[JimmyQuinn'sQuiff]

Blimey. Love the arguments for winning the cup....but I'm definitely for staying-up.

You're all totally right: once you've won the cup, it cant be taken away. We'd be the envy of millions of non-top-four teams. We'd get to go where few others have been for a decade. It would be simply amazing. I'm almost swayed.

And yet, there's the fear of what relegation could mean. It fills me with dread. More years of "rebuilding". No certainty of returning. A return to years of a few thousand fans ratling around an empty stadium. Months with few highlights or dates to look forward to.

So yes, the bright lights and magnetism of winning the cup is alluring. But the pragmatist in me would rather see us stay up and give ourselves the chance to be better next year in this league, rather than run the risk of sliding any further down.

[The whole year inn]

I'm sure most Pompey fans laugh off their current predicament as they won the FA cup

[Rex]

Yeah but that club is run like the lead up to the Wall street crash, ulike out fastidiously tight arsed approach to staying afloat.

[bobby m's syrup]

Heart says the Cup, but head thinks that relegation would have a disastrous effect on the club.

In the course of normal conversation, only football brains can name the Cup winners of say...11 years ago. I wouldn't like that to be the case in 2021 if Reading were propping up the 92 clubs from the basement.


And...

I'm sure most Pompey fans laugh off their current predicament as they won the FA cup

[Platypuss]

The Pompey fans are more worried about their club not existing than relegation.

I'd have thought that us, as one of the best run clubs in the country we would be robust enough to cope with a relegation.

[Platypuss]

In the course of normal conversation, only football brains can name the Cup winners of say...11 years ago.

But a lot can remember the last non top flight club to win it.

[Comfortably Numb]

The Pompey fans are more worried about their club not existing than relegation.

I'd have thought that us, as one of the best run clubs in the country we would be robust enough to cope with a relegation.

yes, but we would head for another one to boot best run finacnially, but best run nope