CAN ALL CLUBS TAKE THE CUP SERIOUSLY PLEASE???
Ok what I want to talk about is how some clubs are viewing the FA Cup !! Not the fans I hasten to add !!
Man City ...ok maybe they had the best case for fielding a weakened side but in my view all this does now is put even more pressure on Pellegrini and his players to do well on Tuesday against Dynamo Kiev ....but maybe with Pellegrini leaving in the summer maybe he just doesn't care?? And what about the fans , the fans that show up in double , triple amounts in ticket allocation compared with Premier League games, don't they deserve to see at least their side have a decent crack at getting a result??
The worst culprits were Bournemouth who I know think Premier League survival is everything but they didn't have a game until NEXT WEEKEND!! I bet the BBC were really happy they chose their game against Everton for one of their live games eh??
Roberto Martinez though puts out a strong team and they bossed the game from start to finish, no surprise there though eh? And finally how can you have an FA Cup draw when one of the games hasn't even been played yet??
The BBC are to blame here ....but at least they didn't show the draw live on The One Show ???.....JESUS what a big low that was for the cup's history!! And then there's talk of having no more replays???? What about the clubs outside the Premier League who need the money , do they not think of them? And don't even get me started on having the semis at Wembley ....Grrrr...
Rant over.... but I suppose my QUESTION OF THE WEEK is WHY DO SOME CLUBS JUST NOT TAKE THE FA CUP SERIOUSLY and WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT ???
Over to you Selectors....
RE: CAN ALL CLUBS TAKE THE CUP SERIOUSLY PLEASE???
Ok here goes:
I was at Chelsea on Saturday and there was little doubt what that game meant to the fans – there was banter a-plenty and Chelsea fans were as vocal as they get (which isn’t very vocal these days). What I say about all this is remember the really successful teams down the years and, Wenger's invincibles apart, they all played strong elevens in all games, especially through the centre of the team with the exception perhaps of the goalkeeper which was the token gesture in cup games to keep his interest up. In Mourinho's first spell we famously played a very strong team (the best 8 or 9 say) in all comps – his first trophy was the League Cup. As long as there are only 2 games per week players can play in both. Training need only be loosening up in prep for the next match and perhaps set-play stuff at this pivotal stage of the season. More important than all of that though is the humiliation of the fans who, cliche or not, spend a lot of their hard-earned cash travelling here and there only to get thumped 5-1 and it could have been six or seven . Its disrespectful not only to the Cup itself but to the fans, the club, and the history of a great team to be hammered in such a way. To be fair, City had a very lively French forward (no 51, name escapes me) who would have been great to see had he been backed up by a stronger team base. And therein lies the other crime – players waiting for their big chance have been given it and roundly thrashed which will do what for their confidence? The other dynamic in regard to Saturday's game is of course the announcement that Pellegrini is living with i.e. that he's not up to it and a younger, better version is replacing him at the end of the season. Therefore he sees the champs league as even more important and will at all costs give that a go so that the CV/epitaph looks as good as it can. Ultimately Pellegrini was wrong to do what her did. The best team to get a win against Kiev would be one that has just come off of a good result. Most of the players taking the field this week may not have been the ones playing at Chelsea but some did, and the club itself was listed on the score sheet not a Man city B . That gives Kiev, an average team from what I saw of them at Chelsea, a boost they didn't see coming....
Must go ...the missus has just told me she's ditching me for a younger man and wonders if I'll still be performing at my best while she awaits his arrival !...
RE: CAN ALL CLUBS TAKE THE CUP SERIOUSLY PLEASE???
Was Pellegrini Right? A riposte to Murray Smith
Whilst I hesitate to publicly contradict my good friend Murray Smith (Chelsea) regarding the Chelsea v City FA Cup match I think the events of the week, taken as a whole, fully vindicates Pellegrini's decision to play a weakened team. City were still fighting on 4 fronts and had a very important Champions League match away in Kiev, to be followed by a cup final at Wembley. No matter what Murray says, this part of the season is the most demanding, the hectic winter schedule, the upcoming International Break (and the consequent compression of fixtures), the re-commencement of the Champions League games and the start of the FA Cup for the teams in the top 2 divisions and squad rotation and wise prioritisation is exactly what successful teams need.
Pellegrini made a choice and subsequent events show he got it right. For City progress in Europe is crucial. In fact, it is crucial for the Premiership and the need to maintain our EUFA coefficient and keep the 4 qualifying spaces for future Champions League games. If anyone is to blame for forcing the decision, it is the FA and the TV companies. If they have the interest of English football at heart why would they move the game from Saturday to late Sunday, even though City faced the long trip to Kiev immediately after the match? If City were to crash out of the Champions League at this stage with Arsenal looking to have already gone then the impact in future years would be to limit our entries into the Champions League. Is that really what everyone wants? I bet the FA and the TV companies would be amongst the first to moan about the impact on their revenues!
And so, City are out of the FA Cup. But we are still in the Champions League“ I don't claim we will win it but the further we go the better it is for City and for English football, we won the League Cup and, with a reduction in fixtures and a fair wind we are still in to challenge for the Premiership. To paraphrase Meatloaf " 3 Out Of 4 Ain't Bad."
City fans disgruntled and embarrassed? No way Mr Smith!!!!!!