FA Cup

[shortagain]

There has been much talk of the quadruple in recent weeks, with all the reasons why it can't be done being trotted out. One of which is now coming to haunt us, which if we continue with this pursuit may well end up with us winning NOTHING.

We have another game on Wednesday, which our reserves should be able to win & then the cup V Chelsky which we will need our best players for if we are going to try & win. But some of our best players are injured & can't play, some of our best players are injured but still playing & a lot of our players are facing fatigue issues.

Personally I wouldn't mind if we got beat on Saturday playing a weakened team giving some key players rest time for Barca next Tuesday. Also, if we didn't win, it would have the added bonus of increasing Chelsky's fixtures if they progress further, perhaps impacting on their PL form, giving us chance to recover that situation over the remaining 13 games. The worst case would be a draw, meaning another game to fit in at what cost.

Whatever we are told, we have not got the biggest & best squad around as we seem to be running out of strikers & DM's at the moment, having run out of defenders earlier in the season.

Just an opinion & I'll put my tin hat on

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Will people ever learn abut the arrogance of thinking we can play reserves?

Fuck I'm not even talking ancient history. I'm not even talking Brighton and Forrest in the same season. I'm talking two days ago for fuck sake. No team is an easy beat.

[london blue 2]

I REALLY wanna beat borinhos Chelsea. More so than barca. Just my opinion.

[Hazy2]

We have a cup final in the bag, We are getting beat Saturday deal with it, and be ready for Beating Barca,that for me is fine.

[zuricity]

I REALLY wanna beat borinhos Chelsea. More so than barca. Just my opinion.

I think we will. Now the 'Bad overcoated one' thinks he's won the mind games.

They are so cocky at the moment. I reckon wba will get something on wednesday too.

[Hazy2]

I REALLY wanna beat borinhos Chelsea. More so than barca. Just my opinion.

I think we will. Now the 'Bad overcoated one' thinks he's won the mind games.

They are so cocky at the moment. I reckon wba will get something on wednesday too.

We will lose the battle but with the war, rst the team and accept 1 domestic cup final is ok,Barca is our priority over the 5 days.
we dont want a draw or defeat and an exit in a tie we can win if we are fit and fresh.

[Sparklehorse]

With our players on more money per week than I will earn in 10 years, I would expect our strongest team in all three games and all of them playing their hearts out. A game every three days is not too much to ask.
The mere notion of throwing games i.e. not caring if we lose, i find distasteful to say the least. I expect a strong team against all opposition with a tweak here and there as necessary. I know we're stretched at the moment and I truly believe that the Norwich performance was a hangover from the Chelsea game.

A strong selection against Sunderland to hopefully get three points and steady the ship, a strong line up against Chelsea (I personally would love to see Lopes in the starting line up) and a win in this game would really fire us up for the Barcelona game, especially if any of the three notable absentees are fit by then.

We have been in the habit of winning games in recent times and i say lets keep it that way. We, at times this season, have played some of the best football ever seen in the Premiership and I believe no one comes near us when we're on song. Of course we have played a couple of stinkers, everyone does, but overall we are the best and everyone knows it.

Maureen is a very very good manager who knows how to cross the winning line in front, he also knows a thing or two about mind games. MP needs to bite his tongue and not get involved. The only way to get our confidence back is to win on the pitch, its as simple as that and throwing games is not the way i would approach it. Anyway rant over !!

3-0 against Sunderland
3-2 against Chelsea
3-1 against Barca

[Douglas Higginbottom]

No way will we or should we treat the FA Cup game as unimportant. I am sure Pellers won't and will play his strongest available team.What will be of real interest is how he will set the team up to play against a Chelsea team that will play the same way as it did when they beat us 1 nil.

If he goes in just the same I expect we will lose but so far he does seem to have learned things the hard way and I hope he has learned from that defeat.

[Blue Since 76]

With our players on more money per week than I will earn in 10 years, I would expect our strongest team in all three games and all of them playing their hearts out. A game every three days is not too much to ask.

What's salary got to do with injuries, fitness and being prepared for the hardest game of the three six days after the first?

[DoomMerchant]

No way will we or should we treat the FA Cup game as unimportant. I am sure Pellers won't and will play his strongest available team.What will be of real interest is how he will set the team up to play against a Chelsea team that will play the same way as it did when they beat us 1 nil.

If he goes in just the same I expect we will lose but so far he does seem to have learned things the hard way and I hope he has learned from that defeat.

What would you do differently Dougie?

I ask because we score first and the game could have been a 4-2 cracker to us.

Worth a punt perhaps.

[Saul Goodman]

Anybody watch the City Today vid of Nasri? Does he look fit enough to feature in this?

[RodneyRodney]

I really can't see how fatigue can be an excuse ; to me , it's not.
The Marines, the Paras, the SAS,SBS and so on routinely have to meet physical and mental/emotional demands like a 15-20 hr non-stop, cross country march in sub-zero or desert heat temperatures, lugging 40-odd kg of gear, THEN be prepared to fight real/simulated battles making clear-headed split second decisions which can affect life/death or the outcome of an engagement , campaign, or conflict.

THEN clean their weapons thoroughly, read maps , assess intel reports, assess supplies/ammo ; it's too dark, I'm too hot, I'm too cold, I'm too knackered - tough shit - mistakes not allowed.

THEN march another 15-20 hrs , and do it all again.

No nice cushy heated/aircon bus to ride home in . No smick 6 bedroom pad in Alderley Edge to go back to. No physios and ice baths and gentle warm-downs.

Some of these players make more in a WEEK than the above services make in a year . Fatigue my arse .

Now is the time to EARN IT !!

[Joeythelips]

I really can't see how fatigue can be an excuse ; to me , it's not. The Marines, the Paras, the SAS,SBS and so on routinely have to meet physical and mental/emotional demands like a 15-20 hr non-stop, cross country march in sub-zero or desert heat temperatures, lugging 40-odd kg of gear, THEN be prepared to fight real/simulated battles making clear-headed split second decisions which can affect life/death or the outcome of an engagement , campaign, or conflict. THEN clean their weapons thoroughly, read maps , assess intel reports, assess supplies/ammo ; it's too dark, I'm too hot, I'm too cold, I'm too knackered - tough shit - mistakes not allowed. THEN march another 15-20 hrs , and do it all again. No nice cushy heated/aircon bus to ride home in . No smick 6 bedroom pad in Alderley Edge to go back to. No physios and ice baths and gentle warm-downs. Some of these players make more in a WEEK than the above services make in a year . Fatigue my arse . Now is the time to EARN IT !!

Brilliant, "stop being tired immediately you overpaid pussies" that should do the trick.
You should be a fitness coach.
It's not an excuse, it's a factor, there's a difference.

Makes you proud to be British. *sniff*

[bayblue]

Brilliant, "stop being tired immediately you overpaid pussies" that should do the trick. You should be a fitness coach. It's not an excuse, it's a factor, there's a difference. Makes you proud to be British. *sniff*

Ok, maybe a bit over the top but there's a good point in there in that top players in their peak should be able to play a lot of games, given the care and support they get in between games. Xavi, not a spring chicken, played getting on 60 games last year.

Linked to this, do any football teams use in game technology like the rugby guys do (ie GPRS sewn into shirts, also taking heart rates etc)?

[sheblue]

First step is a must win tomorrow night so strongest side possible. After that the fa cup is secondary to the CL I am sure thats how the big wigs at the club se it, its all about the CL. Remember that season when we tried to get fourth and were so disapointed when we missed out?
Its all about raising profile in the CL, its where the money is.
The FA cup is a secondary concern to the owners, but not the fans. Fact of life.
Still we should paly a 'weakened' side on saturday, but give chelski a bit of their own medicine and dont leave midfield wide open. Keep it tight do what they do and nick a 1-0.

Wishful thinking.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Anybody watch the City Today vid of Nasri? Does he look fit enough to feature in this?

I guess Nasri's recovery is ahead of target but still think it would be a big risk to throw him into a game after maybe 2 days full training.When I saw him last week he looked really mobile/agile considering the injury and time since it happened but we surely must play Sunderland without him.

Saturday maybe on the bench.

[AG7]

I have a feeling Pelligrini all through out has stated the worst case scenario for injuries and all players have come back faster than we all first expected ... anyone remembers Zaba back in December?

So I think Pelligrini will pull these three out of his magic hat for the Barca game and that should give our whole side (the playing team, the full squad, the staff, the fans) a big boost just before kick off and will have a negative effect on Barca's camp, if e.g. they are not expecting Aguero to be leading the front line ...

I expect three strong line ups ... whatever's available now against Sunderland, then Nasri to be out for Chelsea and Ferdy on the bench ... and then all three for Barca ... just a hunch but I have a strong feeling about this one ...

Frankly Sunderland game is important as League takes priority no. 1 but isn't as big a game or let me say as big an opponent as the next two ... and whatever people say about Barca needs to be prioritised over Chelsea, I'd like us to stuff Chelsea for various reasons on Saturday. I hope Pelligrini doesn't give that one up even before the start ...

[Dunne's Half-Time Pint]

With our players on more money per week than I will earn in 10 years, I would expect our strongest team in all three games and all of them playing their hearts out. A game every three days is not too much to ask.

If someone offered you 100 million pounds (or the cure for world hunger) to run a marathon tomorrow in under 2 1/2 hours, could you do it?

[Joeythelips]

If someone offered you 100 million pounds (or the cure for world hunger) to run a marathon tomorrow in under 2 1/2 hours, could you do it?

This, exactly.

[littlebig]

I really can't see how fatigue can be an excuse ; to me , it's not.
The Marines, the Paras, the SAS,SBS and so on routinely have to meet physical and mental/emotional demands like a 15-20 hr non-stop, cross country march in sub-zero or desert heat temperatures, lugging 40-odd kg of gear, THEN be prepared to fight real/simulated battles making clear-headed split second decisions which can affect life/death or the outcome of an engagement , campaign, or conflict.

THEN clean their weapons thoroughly, read maps , assess intel reports, assess supplies/ammo ; it's too dark, I'm too hot, I'm too cold, I'm too knackered - tough shit - mistakes not allowed.

THEN march another 15-20 hrs , and do it all again.

No nice cushy heated/aircon bus to ride home in . No smick 6 bedroom pad in Alderley Edge to go back to. No physios and ice baths and gentle warm-downs.

Some of these players make more in a WEEK than the above services make in a year . Fatigue my arse .

Now is the time to EARN IT !!

Yes troops do this but with fatigue affecting their decision making etc.

The issue with top footballers is that a win can be defined by the slimmest margins. If you take 5% from a players performance that can translate as half a yard off the pace which at the very top level can make all the difference.