If we are serious about promotion, resting around 5 or 6 players saturday is a must.

[Braders]

If we want to avoid a replay we need to play our best team and not go at this half-heartedly.

Or we COULD go at this half heartedly , put out the drunkest fans we can find - then we'll have an excuse for going out and another distraction out the way

 

[leigull]

Expecting a couple of changes but nothing dramatic.

Tommy K

Calderon Upson EL-Abd Chicksen

Bridcutt Andrews

Kemy

Lua Lua/Dave Barnes Orlandi

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Or we COULD go at this half heartedly , put out the drunkest fans we can find - then we'll have an excuse for going out and another distraction out the way

We'd probably win!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Or we COULD go at this half heartedly , put out the drunkest fans we can find - then we'll have an excuse for going out and another distraction out the way

Or it is a welcome distraction. Our win against Newcastle, and a fine performance against Arsenal last season were arguably sandwiched into our best run of results. I don't think you can underestimate that for the players having the pressure of the league lifted and just enjoying a game of football without the worry of dropping points, can be a real boost for their confidence.

 

[Soulman]

Or it is a welcome distraction. Our win against Newcastle, and a fine performance against Arsenal last season were arguably sandwiched into our best run of results. I don't think you can underestimate that for the players having the pressure of the league lifted and just enjoying a game of football without the worry of dropping points, can be a real boost for their confidence.

Yep.
There is the possibility of us getting a plum draw in the next round. Either way, a decent cup run and the excitement it would generate, plus beating a side managed by Adkins, makes it worthwhile going for it.
Just as a side, i would think that most of the players that are first choice would want to play as well.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I don't think we'll input KLL into the team considering his fame for not being able to play 2 games in a week. And Orlandi had 10 minutes of football to test his fragile knee and won't, i don't think, get much time on the field in a game that really doesn't mean all that much to most. Maybe the last 20 minutes. No need to rush him back and have him collapse again. I'd be happy to see the likes of Barnes starting and Kemi getting a full run out and Chicksen having another chance and even Dunk starting. A reserve side with Andrews and Bridcutt at the core and perhaps the likes of Solly coming in and getting gametime.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yep.
There is the possibility of us getting a plum draw in the next round. Either way, a decent cup run and the excitement it would generate, plus beating a side managed by Adkins, makes it worthwhile going for it.
Just as a side, i would think that most of the players that are first choice would want to play as well.

The other side of the coin, is that if supporters don't 'believe' in the romance of the cups, then they are as guilty as the PL, Sky and the money men of football for the death of romance in the game.

The league isn't and shouldn't be the be all and end of all of a football league season. Cup competitions should remain an exciting prospect, especially the FA cup. If we treat it as the OP has suggested, then it will be us, the supporters who will be consigning one of the most famous cup competitions in the world to a mere footnote. I dread that happening.

For all of complaints regarding the price of football (and rightly so), £10 for an FA Cup fixture at the Amex is brilliant value, cheaper than a Conference South match, and one which I hope generates a lot of enthusiasm on Saturday.

The day every team bar the top few of the PL field weakened teams for FA Cup 3rd rnd will be a very sad one for me, and one which I hope we resist on Saturday.

 

[Luke93]

He'd be useless if it went to a shoot out.

I would be amazed if he even gets on the pitch

 

[fleet]

I really want us to beat Reading in the cup - has to be a good thing for us, so as long as we put out a team to do that (and we do achieve that) then I will be content. I don't want to drive down to Brighton in dreadful weather to see a reserve team get taken out.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

The other side of the coin, is that if supporters don't 'believe' in the romance of the cups, then they are as guilty as the PL, Sky and the money men of football for the death of romance in the game.

The league isn't and shouldn't be the be all and end of all of a football league season. Cup competitions should remain an exciting prospect, especially the FA cup. If we treat it as the OP has suggested, then it will be us, the supporters who will be consigning one of the most famous cup competitions in the world to a mere footnote. I dread that happening.

For all of complaints regarding the price of football (and rightly so), £10 for an FA Cup fixture at the Amex is brilliant value, cheaper than a Conference South match, and one which I hope generates a lot of enthusiasm on Saturday.

The day every team bar the top few of the PL field weakened teams for FA Cup 3rd rnd will be a very sad one for me, and one which I hope we resist on Saturday.

Well said.

 

[Machiavelli]

I really want us to beat Reading in the cup - has to be a good thing for us, so as long as we put out a team to do that (and we do achieve that) then I will be content. I don't want to drive down to Brighton in dreadful weather to see a reserve team get taken out.

I particularly want to see Reading beaten, because there's something about that Atkins, that's rivalled in the Championship only by Billy Davies.

 

[B.W.]

I really want us to beat Reading in the cup - has to be a good thing for us, so as long as we put out a team to do that (and we do achieve that) then I will be content. I don't want to drive down to Brighton in dreadful weather to see a reserve team get taken out.

And this is fair enough. Management, pay attention.

 

[brightonmark1234]

our record against reading is crap this is from the last 11 games
11 Feb 2002 Brighton and Hove Albion v Reading W 3-1 League Division 2
09 Mar 2002 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion D 0-0 League Division 2
30 Nov 2002 Brighton and Hove Albion v Reading L 0-1 League Division 1
04 Apr 2003 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion W 1-2 League Division 1
07 Aug 2004 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion L 3-2 League Championship
21 Mar 2005 Brighton and Hove Albion v Reading L 0-1 League Championship
09 Aug 2005 Brighton and Hove Albion v Reading L 0-2 League Championship
10 Dec 2005 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion L 5-1 League Championship
26 Dec 2011 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion L 3-0 League Championship
10 Apr 2012 Brighton and Hove Albion v Reading L 0-1 League Championship
15 Sep 2013 Reading v Brighton and Hove Albion D 0-0 League Championship

 

[perseus]

We are more likely to win the FA Cup than get automatic promotion.

Ideal game for Orlandi and Bridcutt to get match fitness and practice after a long break. Of course, they could get any injury reoccurence.

The trouble with winning the FA CUp is all the trips to Eatsern Europe to play teams with unpronouncable names.

If we win the FA Cup I am going to buy myself a large screen TV.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

I don't think we'll input KLL into the team considering his fame for not being able to play 2 games in a week. And Orlandi had 10 minutes of football to test his fragile knee and won't, i don't think, get much time on the field in a game that really doesn't mean all that much to most. Maybe the last 20 minutes. No need to rush him back and have him collapse again. I'd be happy to see the likes of Barnes starting and Kemi getting a full run out and Chicksen having another chance and even Dunk starting. A reserve side with Andrews and Bridcutt at the core and perhaps the likes of Solly coming in and getting gametime.

I'd go with this, but I'd also like to see Ulloa play 60 minutes as it seems like he needs match fitness/sharpenss and not to be rested completely.

 

[Geestar]

Strongest team every game!

 

[nicko31]

Really hate it when clubs snub the FA Cup, probably the best football competition in the world. Give me an FA cup final appearance over PL promotion any day.

 

[MICK PATCHAM]

Really hate it when clubs snub the FA Cup, probably the best football competition in the world. Give me an FA cup final appearance over PL promotion any day.

Yep

 

[MICK PATCHAM]

Do you EVER have anything intelligent and worthwhile to post?

wtf are you on about ? you think its unintelligent to point out the fa cup would be beneficial to us ?

 

[Brovion]

Listen to the wise words of Norman Wisdom

We're going up, and we'll win the Cup

For Sussex by the sea.

Strongest available team, por favor, Mr Oscar. Let the Reading manager boob with HIS team selection. He is quite good at it.

The other side of the coin, is that if supporters don't 'believe' in the romance of the cups, then they are as guilty as the PL, Sky and the money men of football for the death of romance in the game.

The league isn't and shouldn't be the be all and end of all of a football league season. Cup competitions should remain an exciting prospect, especially the FA cup. If we treat it as the OP has suggested, then it will be us, the supporters who will be consigning one of the most famous cup competitions in the world to a mere footnote. I dread that happening.

For all of complaints regarding the price of football (and rightly so), £10 for an FA Cup fixture at the Amex is brilliant value, cheaper than a Conference South match, and one which I hope generates a lot of enthusiasm on Saturday.

The day every team bar the top few of the PL field weakened teams for FA Cup 3rd rnd will be a very sad one for me, and one which I hope we resist on Saturday.

Best two posts on NSC this year. Years ago an FA Cup match between two sides in the same division would attract a far higher crowd than the corresponding League fixture, now it's all a bit 'meh'. If the FA Cup is dying then it's not the fault of Sky, the PL or any of the other bogeymen - it's the fault of disinterested fans of clubs like Brighton.

The result of this game really matters. As an individual match it is far more important than the Bournemouth game or whoever we've got next in the league. A league game is one forty-sixth of a season and it is an undeniable fact that teams win matches and get relegated, they also lose them and get promoted. Consequently a single league game is relatively unimportant. Lose an FA Cup game however and you're out, finished. 'Concentrate on the League' used to be said as a sop by defeated managers and fans to try and lessen the pain of a cup defeat and the closure of an avenue towards a possible trophy; now it's become a philosophy in its own right.

And we CAN win the Cup. We're not Accrington Stanley, clubs at our level have won it before and I do find it incredible that people think that winning the FA Cup at Wembley is less important than winning a single midweek away game at somewhere like Bolton in 2010.

There. That's my FA Cup rant finished for another year. I'll say the same thing next season when once again I'll be told that the league is the priority as every season we must do better than we did last time.