Fulham vs Saints - Sunday 8/3 1200

[Chez]

4 hours ago, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

Agree - got to go for it. Will be really pissed off if he puts out all the youngsters and then our League form takes a dive. That would be a wasted opportunity.

Once minute they're producing the 50th anniversary shirts promoting the Cup and the next they put out a weakened team like for Leicester. Doesn't make sense.

I'm a huge fan of the FA Cup and it still narks me us losing the game at Sunderland when Poch rested players (all be it not quite as many as I first thought), so I'd always want to see us pick our strongest side, even if we are in the championship. It's not that long ago that Cardiff made the final and Millwall before them. We've seen Wigan win it and get relegated, so there is always aa glimmer of hope despite the big boys dominating in the last decade. 

The counter will be, at this moment in time, promotion is still on and therefore you have to really consider the league game three days later. Can professionals play to their maximum with that recovery time? I have no idea.

Play your best side, lose a couple through injury and you really regret it. But fearing the worst is not the way to live.

For me, picking a mishmash of some first team and some reserves is not ideal. You want continuity. We have some depth in midfield, but I'd prefer we kept the back four the same. Selection up front will be dictated by Stewart's fitness.

[Saint86]

Whilst Fulham have an outside chance of getting into the european spaces, the reality is that their season is over aside from the cup... You'd therefore expect them to go all in on a cup run this season.

For us, promotion via the playoffs is our cup final, and we are unlikely to win the cup anyway... so the expectation is that we will rotate. Even though this will be largely unpalatable to many of the fans.

We also have Eckert as manager, and as good as we are doing post the switch to a back 4... he's still very inexperienced and walks into every pitfall trap with his eyes wide open.

I would therefore expect this to be a dead rubber from our side, with eckert fielding a grossly under strength side, and Fulham knowing it and winning easily (provided they actually raise their game - rather than do what we did vs wedensday). Possibly pissing off the fans and damaging our momentum as well... Sorry to be so bleak.

If it were me, i would go for it and try to do something special - Promotion through the league is still a long way off (even if we believe we can do it) and a cup run and some upsets may well set us up for better next year (like the JPT, and like 76 as well).

Edited 3 hours ago by Saint86

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

Whilst Fulham have an outside chance of getting into the european spaces, the reality is that their season is over aside from the cup... You'd therefore expect them to go all in on a cup run this season.

For us, promotion via the playoffs is our cup final, and we are unlikely to win the cup anyway... so the expectation is that we will rotate. Even though this will be largely unpalatable to many of the fans.

We also have Eckert as manager, and as good as we are doing post the switch to a back 4... he's still very inexperienced and walks into every pitfall trap with his eyes wide open.

I would therefore expect this to be a dead rubber from our side, with eckert fielding a grossly under strength side, and Fulham knowing it and winning easily (provided they actually raise their game - rather than do what we did vs wedensday). Possibly pissing off the fans and damaging our momentum as well... Sorry to be so bleak.

If it were me, i would go for it and try to do something special - Promotion through the league is still a long way off (even if we believe we can do it) and a cup run and some upsets may well set us up for better next year (like the JPT, and like 76 as well).

"walking into pitfall traps with eyes open" - what are you talking about here?

Not sure losing to Fulham would "damage our momentum". They are a different level to us right now. I think if we play well, you can take something from the game no matter what he result. 

I agree fans will be pissed off if the side is weakened, and we lose. You want to see us go for it. However, I think its more annoying to play a weakened team in the cup when you are a PL side. That is when you have you best team and best chance, so that's when you should really go for it.

[benjii]

Think I'd go with:

Macca (if fit, otherwise Peretz)

Jelert THB Stevo Manning

-----Downes--Charles--

Fellows---Azaz---Scienza

-----------Larin------------

 

Keep the back 4 together but give Bree a rest / chance to look at Jelert. Don't want to make wholesale changes there and potentially get hammered.

Downes to play, but not to start midweek, as a yellow card then will see him miss the Cov match. Scienza to come off around 60, as per.

Fellows to see if he can respond to being dropped.

Larin to protect Stewart.

[benjii]

P.s. is Brooks cup-tied?!

[saintstowin]

5 minutes ago, benjii said:

P.s. is Brooks cup-tied?!

I've heard he's ok to play under the new rules, but I've emailed Fulham to remind them Maik Taylor cannot take the field of play.

[benjii]

24 minutes ago, saintstowin said:

I've heard he's ok to play under the new rules, but I've emailed Fulham to remind them Maik Taylor cannot take the field of play.

Good! Al Fayed is a slimey bastard. Probably trying to bend the rules.

[Barton Saint]

Tickets arrived today 8 Bells here we come! Roll on Super Sunday!