[Albion] For the love of God...

[Simster]

Come on! We were Champions of England in 1910 - what can match that?

I'm also forgetting out glorious JPT run to the regional final at Luton Town under Adams.

(Well, trying to anyway)

 

[oldboyroy]

There is no reason why we don't have a go at it......dream come true to win a trophy

 

[Brovion]

...can we please have a proper crack at the FA Cup now?

We are safe as houses now, and this is the best squad we've ever had. If we can't give it a real go starting at the Hawthorns, when exactly IS the right season to do so?

Please Mr Potter - you're a fine manager with your head screwed on - please please please don't put out a second string next week. Play to win, and keep the momentum you've generated.

Couldn't agree more. Every season, every single season, people say we need to 'concentrate on the League'. They often start by saying "Of course I'd like to see us win a trophy, but ..." and then say why it's vital 'this season' that the Cups are sacrificed so that we can get promoted / avoid relegation / consolidate our position.

But we're not going to get relegated, we can't get promoted and we're not going to win the League. (And if we qualify for Europe that'll just be another competition to detract from the all-important League programme!). So unless we want the 1910 Charity Shield to remain the only bit of silverware we've ever won we need to take the FA Cup very seriously this season - and hopefully the next few as well.

People moan about how 'boring' the PL is, with some even saying they prefer the Championship, and yet when push comes to shove all they want to do is concentrate on the next league game and another chance to get three 'vital' points. Well bollocks to that attitude. Live a little! This season, more than any other, FA Cup games are more important than League games and should be prioritised as such.

 

[Justice]

The FA cup is bad luck to teams who aren't top 6. Teams who get to the semi finals have a bad season, finalists have a terrible season the year after as do the winners. Portsmouth had financial troubles, Wigan got relegated that year. Stoke had to be Stoke. Hull went down the season after, Villa went down the season after, Palace had to have Pardew. Watford went down the season after.

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Surely your not still nervous about relegation

 

[Washie]

Surely your not still nervous about relegation

Next season definitely

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[Commander]

I might be in a minority here, in fact I’m sure I am but the magic of the FA cup has gone for me. I used to love drawing one of the big guns but these days I’d rather avoid them

The OP does have a point though, I think we can afford to field a strong if not full strength side

'The magic of the FA cup' is about the early rounds. Giant killings. David v Goliath. That's not us anymore.

People who can't see the difference between Potter and Hughton should think about how they'd feel if we got to the semis against a top 6 club this year. When that happened before, everybody I knew assumed we had no chance whatsoever. If that happened now, we'd be thinking we have a genuine shot at this. The 'magic of the FA cup' for us now should be about semi-finals and finals.

 

[drew]

All this talk of 'having a crack at the cup' and fielding our strongest team etc etc. Have you all forgotten who we play next in the League

 

[drew]

'The magic of the FA cup' is about the early rounds. Giant killings. David v Goliath. That's not us anymore.

People who can't see the difference between Potter and Hughton should think about how they'd feel if we got to the semis against a top 6 club this year. When that happened before, everybody I knew assumed we had no chance whatsoever. If that happened now, we'd be thinking we have a genuine shot at this. The 'magic of the FA cup' for us now should be about semi-finals and finals.

There is of course a difference between CH and GP. However, last semi, we (and I include CH in that) went in thinking we didn't have a chance yet only lost 1-0 and Walker should have been sent off.

GP will go into any game thinking we have a chance and will plan accordingly.

 

[Saladpack Seagull]

Come on! We were Champions of England in 1910 - what can match that?

Much as I glory in that fact, and proudly repeat it often, there is nobody left alive who remembers that happening. OK, we came within a fag paper's thickness of Cup glory in '83, but even that is pretty much Ancient History to most of our supporters today. Maybe now is the time to have a proper go. GP and the boys keep breaking long-standing records, so who is to say they cannot add to that Charity Shield victory? After all, if we DO win the FA Cup, we'll have another crack at the Charity Shield as a bonus!

 

[GT49er]

Steele
Roberts Webster Duffy March
Gross Mwepu Richards Locadia
Welbeck Ferguson

No way!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I might be in a minority here, in fact I’m sure I am but the magic of the FA cup has gone for me. I used to love drawing one of the big guns but these days I’d rather avoid them

The OP does have a point though, I think we can afford to field a strong if not full strength side

I too remember when we would fight, fight, fight for The Albion till we win Division 3. Getting a big money draw away to a first division side (or even a second division side, to be fair) was every schoolboy's dream.

But, our aspirations in the cup since we joined the EPL have been to do well while avoiding having our gifted players kicked into next week by lower league thugs.

When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child. I didn't know better. But now I'm a man.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPmBXP33xCQ

 

[dwayne]

All this talk of 'having a crack at the cup' and fielding our strongest team etc etc. Have you all forgotten who we play next in the League

Rest the brittle players like lamptey, trossard,lallana... Cucc and Sanchez deserve a break as does maupay on a booking before suspension.

Other than that lets go for it and also give Richards , gross , Solly , Ferguson , wellbz some minutes.

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[Harry Wilson's tackle]

All this talk of 'having a crack at the cup' and fielding our strongest team etc etc. Have you all forgotten who we play next in the League

Was it the thought of 'crack' that made the words 'Crystal Palace' pop into your head?

 

[Swansman]

All this talk of 'having a crack at the cup' and fielding our strongest team etc etc. Have you all forgotten who we play next in the League

There's like six days or something between the games.. no problems.

 

[zefarelly]

I might be in a minority here, in fact I’m sure I am but the magic of the FA cup has gone for me. I used to love drawing one of the big guns but these days I’d rather avoid them

The OP does have a point though, I think we can afford to field a strong if not full strength side

Agreed, all the domestic cups, like the PL have been sold to the devil, it's only a good competition until the 3rd, sometimes 4th round, then it becomes very predictable, who can get to the 1/4s or semis without breaking out the big guns, then doing so just to make sure.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I might be in a minority here, in fact I’m sure I am but the magic of the FA cup has gone for me. I used to love drawing one of the big guns but these days I’d rather avoid them

The OP does have a point though, I think we can afford to field a strong if not full strength side

I thought we are a big gun these days.

 

[zefarelly]

Rest the brittle players like lamptey, trossard,lallana... Cucc and Sanchez deserve a break as does maupay on a booking before suspension.

Other than that lets go for it and also give Richardz , grozz , Sollz , Fergz , wellbz some minzz.

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Agreed

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

We're slowly getting rid of all the small club markers, for example, only ever been in a PL relegation battle, not won at Everton, not scored at Chelsea.

There are a few others to go, of course. But being without a major trophy, (that anyone else can remember) is the big one.

I want us to properly go for it. We don't even really have a fixture pile up, (Sunday, Saturday, Friday, Sunday is pretty friendly). We only have two injuries, Dunk and Sarmiento. We have the option of pulling back some squad cover if we feel we need it.

We have a tough, but winnable 3rd round tie

As the OP says, if not now then when?

 

[Eric the meek]

I see the OP's point of view, but there are a several more choices between fielding our strongest team, and putting a team of kids on.

We want to win the tie, but at the least cost to us.
We don't want our best players picking up an injury.
This isn't a training game, but....
It's a free game, in that it doesn't affect our league position. Let's use it.
It's an ideal opportunity to see how one or two fringe players will fare against good second tier opposition. It would be excellent experience for them.
If we reach say, the quarter finals, then the dream becomes real, and we can put in the big boys like Lamptey and Cucurella.

I just hope Potter is listening to this solid NSC common sense. I'm available for consultancy on team selection by zoom appointment.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Sanchez, Lamptey, Lallana, Biss & Dunk will only play in the final - if we get there ....