Chelsea (H) - Sun 8th Jan, 16:30 - FA Cup | Pre-Match Thread

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Hopefully we will all join in..
Vialli was a fantastic player and by all accounts a lovely bloke

I have no doubt we will. We're class like that.

 

[chickaroon]

We need to get Walker, Cancelo, Philips, Bernardo, Foden & Alvarez up to speed ASAP. We've home advantage, & Walker/Cancelo will hopefully be seriously pissed they were withdrawn at half time on Thursday & feel they have something to prove. However I still maintain it was the system that was more at fault against Chelsea.

Rodri was fucked when withdrawn & Gundog/KDB weren't far behind. If we can get the aforementioned players back to their best level, we've no need to rinse those I've named on the bench in every match. Using our squad to its fullest extent will make the difference between success & failure in this odd & fragmented season.

Ortega
Walker
Akanji
Aké
Cancelo
Philips
Bernardo
Foden
Palmer
Alvarez
Grealish

Subs: Ederson, Lewis, Gomez, KDB, Haaland, Gundog, Rodri, Stones, Mahrez

Walker needs 90mins before the Utd game. We need him to handle Rashford.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

We've home advantage, & Walker/Cancelo will hopefully be seriously pissed they were withdrawn at half time on Thursday & feel they have something to prove.

Oh yeah, they'll be pissed off all right, and I'd find it odd if they weren't. Any top player worth his salt should be. That said, it was good thinking by Pep. He believes in getting players up to speed after quite a long layoff by increments, and I think for the long-term health of the players he's right.

 

[Newman Noggs]

It wasn't their choice. The PL wanted ManUre to represent them in Brazil (IIRC), so the FA Cup was sacrificed to allow this to happen.

To be fair, ManUre were left with the choice of huge fixture congestion, or being allowed non-participation in the FA Cup. For once this wasn't ManUre's fault...

Not necessarily so. At the time I wrote to David Davies, big red and head of the FA. I was writing an article on the subject and I asked him outright, who had approached who first. His first response was that it was a mutual decision. When I, then, pointed out that he hadn't answered the question, I got a brush-off letter. My conclusion was that united had dictated to the FA that they wouldn't play in the FA Cup and the rest was just the usual media pr exercise

 

[Dribble]

I don’t recall anything stopping them playing a youth team, it’s been done before.

I just recall huge pressure being put on ManUre to put out a full strength team in Brazil. Are clubs allowed to play 2 matches at the same time? This tournament took place in the January, the same time as the FA Cup. ManUre couldn't be in Brazil & the UK at the same time.

Ferguson started playing weakened sides in cup competitions because he prioritised the PL & CL. HOWEVER, at the time ManUre were the best team in the UK, & arguably their second team would probably have been the second best team in the league if allowed to compete, but even ManUre had to be aware of squad rotation.

I recall ManUre playing Boro away on the same week they had a huge CL match. They played a second string mixed with kids & if memory serves me right, they still won 0-5.

The one thing ManUre's 90s football prioritisation has done is elevate the CL to the first priority behind the PL. That's all they're guilty of imo...

 

[inchy14]

Went to that and Shrewsbury the year before. Then Wembley the year after and waited another 30 years to see City at Wembley in the FA Cup.
I'll be there today and will be gutted if we go out.

Think you should stay away!!

 

[Dribble]

Not necessarily so. At the time I wrote to David Davies, big red and head of the FA. I was writing an article on the subject and I asked him outright, who had approached who first. His first response was that it was a mutual decision. When I, then, pointed out that he hadn't answered the question, I got a brush-off letter. My conclusion was that united had dictated to the FA that they wouldn't play in the FA Cup and the rest was just the usual media pr exercise

I can only call it as I saw it, & what I can recall is Ferguson asking how could ManUre miss X amount of PL matches, play in this competition & the FA Cup & be expected to play in the CL too.

Something had to give & it's UK football who seemed to prioritise that tournament over the FA Cup. Don't blame ManUre. Blame the money-grabbing football authorities.

How many managers (including Pep) are constantly lamenting about the amount of football, players are expected to play. It's too much & too many players are suffering burnout & injuries as a result.

 

[Blueboy73]

Didn’t we play second string against the hammers away under Pellegrini?

It was Chelsea in 2016.
Our impartial national broadcaster chose our tie to be televised at 6pm Sunday evening when we had a European tie away in Ukraine on the Tuesday.
Shearer slated us on MOTD when Pellegrini did this to protect players from injuries and burnout, the same Shearer who turned his back on his country age 30 to prolong his own playing career.

 

[inchy14]

Didn’t we play second string against the hammers away under Pellegrini?

Chelsea just before CL quarter finals… And got slaughtered in the press for it.

 

[foggy1974]

Prospect of several NW teams in the 4th round. City could play Blackpool. Fleetwood, Burnley, Accrington, Stockport.

Or Wigan.

Got more chance of beating the dippers at Anfield than beating Wigan