Will Roberto help us win a trophy?

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

It is a way of getting players injured and being relegated, as is the Europa Cup.

Lol So applying your logic we should withdraw from the FA Cup immediately

 

In terms of the League we need to avoid the top 4 because that would mean Champion League and even more games and therefore increasing the chances of injuries and relegation

 

We don't want to finish anywhere between 5-8 just in case we get sucked into Europa League

 

Obviously we don't want to get embroiled in a relegation battle so 14 - 20 is out

 

So the perfect scenario is finishing anywhere between 9 - 13

 

Maybe we should get rid of all our International players as well because we don't want them risking themselves when there not even playing for us

[Sideliner]

Most teams seem to play fringe players in this competition -

for clubs with thin squads winning the CO Cup could be very risky - stretching a thin squad further - negatively influencing league position -

Martinez certainly did not go all out to win this one - he played a circumstantial squad taking into account all our other objectives -

maybe squad building and increasing experience weighed more than winning at all costs -

i just don't like losing, especially if i know we could have and should have won

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

I think people are losing sight of the fact that it is a long season which requires a squad...That team was more than good enough to beat fulham as the first half clearly proved. Name a prem team that fielded a full strength first 11 in the round just gone?

 

The league is bread and butter. To supplement the first 11 we need to ensure we have a squad of players who we know what they can do... you cant get that from reserve team football and training alone. There was not one player who started who will not have to feature for a few games in the league this year. We had just played a tough 90 minutes against chelsea and some players need a rest, barkley for one.

 

The answer to the question is - yes we will win a trophy under martinez, it will involve using a squad of players and not relying on the best 11 every game. Otherwise Martin O'Neill would have a bag full of trophies.

 

 

Would an extra 4 games really have hurt us?

[Guest]

Can't see why people are moaning about the team we had out. It was a good team and should have been out of sight at half time. What's the point of having a squad? Let's just have the same players playing every week and the others getting paid for nothing. I am right behind Roberto and think it gives the players who haven't featured a chance, if not in the cup then when? Yes it hurts getting knocked out but the goals conceded were very poor and we have to cut these mistakes out as its happened against Norwich and west ham. All of them could have been avoided

[Guest John Burns]

As long as we are in the top half of the table. Shiny pots do not matter. Being in the top half gives space for new owners t come in and give us a high revenue stadium, the one we have been waiting for, for 20 years, then we can think of winning shiny pots to show off on the top of chars-bancs.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

Can't see why people are moaning about the team we had out. It was a good team and should have been out of sight at half time. What's the point of having a squad? Let's just have the same players playing every week and the others getting paid for nothing. I am right behind Roberto and think it gives the players who haven't featured a chance, if not in the cup then when? Yes it hurts getting knocked out but the goals conceded were very poor and we have to cut these mistakes out as its happened against Norwich and west ham. All of them could have been avoided

 

 

I cant speak for everyone else but Im moaning about the team selection because I would like us to win a trophy and the League Cup would have been our best opportunity to do so

 

You may think the starting XI that's was picked was a good side but I think a team with the likes of Baines, Barkley and Mirallas would have been an even better one and would have given us a much better chance of progressing. Why cant we start with a strong side and get the tie won before we start worrying about getting the fringe players a run out

 

If we treat the Cup competitions as pre season frendlies we will never win a trophy again

[Matt]

It is a way of getting players injured and being relegated, as is the Europa Cup.

[Brett Angel]

Listen up everyone, wr had most of the play against Fulham and dominated them for most of the game. The luck just wasn't there...the team that was picked was good enough to beat them.....

 

On another day we would be meeting Leicester in the next round now and this thread wouldn't be open....

 

So, what I am trying to say is STOP FUCKING MOANING!!!!!

[bluenosetoffee]

Listen up everyone, wr had most of the play against Fulham and dominated them for most of the game. The luck just wasn't there...the team that was picked was good enough to beat them.....

 

On another day we would be meeting Leicester in the next round now and this thread wouldn't be open....

 

So, what I am trying to say is STOP FUCKING MOANING!!!!!

 

Come on Brett the team wasn't good enough.

 

Joel - Everyone disagrees with me but 2nd goal should have done better and what I can see doesn't lead his team like Howard does, Howard shouts at the defense if they f0ok up.

Stones - Not proven enough yet, good player but needs game time.

Oviedo - Quick on the ball but is weak in other areas and generally needs to bulk up a bit.

Heitinga - Who? Hasn't played a game this season and gets put on against Fulham who had there full strength squad out.

Gerry - He just does not pass. Great to set up the first goal but did anyone else notice that whenever Gerry had the ball Lukaku just stayed outside the box because he knew he wouldn't pass.

Gibson - Just got back from injury and was rushed into the game when he should have been eased.

Even McCarthy, I think it will take him a while to get into it again....

 

I think what point everyone is trying to make is we are not playing Newcastle till Monday. Why did we need to play a weakened team when the next is a week away!?

[Hafnia]

 

Come on Brett the team wasn't good enough.

 

Joel - Everyone disagrees with me but 2nd goal should have done better and what I can see doesn't lead his team like Howard does, Howard shouts at the defense if they f0ok up.

Stones - Not proven enough yet, good player but needs game time.

Oviedo - Quick on the ball but is weak in other areas and generally needs to bulk up a bit.

Heitinga - Who? Hasn't played a game this season and gets put on against Fulham who had there full strength squad out.

Gerry - He just does not pass. Great to set up the first goal but did anyone else notice that whenever Gerry had the ball Lukaku just stayed outside the box because he knew he wouldn't pass.

Gibson - Just got back from injury and was rushed into the game when he should have been eased.

Even McCarthy, I think it will take him a while to get into it again....

 

I think what point everyone is trying to make is we are not playing Newcastle till Monday. Why did we need to play a weakened team when the next is a week away!?

 

I see you didn't mention Lukaku who I thought had a very quiet ineffective game...

 

Its a squad... lets use it. The players who you question were responsible for some of the best football we've seen this season. We didn't have the run of the luck and a bad decision led to their winner. It happens, we will have the likes of Baines and Barkley back for Newcastle

[Brett Angel]

If we would have played the strongest side we had, then it defeats the object of having a big squad at all...

They are played to do a job when asked of them

The few that have been singled out is the dame amount i could also count had a poor game against west ham. But we won that so everything was still rosey in there eyes.

If we cant rotate against Fulham they will never get a chance in cup competitions and it was fucking pointless buying them in the first place.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Brett Angel

[Hafnia]

People have been moaning that we don't see enough of Oviedo - when I have seen him he's looked bright - so when he has a less effective game we shouldn't have picked him? Unfortunately we don't have a crystal ball. John Stones was MOTM against Juve - i'm sure he's up to playing Fulham. Robles had a blinder in the FA Cup final shutting out Man city... Heitinga is a dutch international world cup finalist, Gibson has been out just a few weeks not a few months.

 

I think some are looking for more reason to criticise than they should.

[Brett Angel]

Here here haf, well said.

[Bailey]

 

Come on Brett the team wasn't good enough.

 

Joel - Everyone disagrees with me but 2nd goal should have done better and what I can see doesn't lead his team like Howard does, Howard shouts at the defense if they f0ok up.

Stones - Not proven enough yet, good player but needs game time.

Oviedo - Quick on the ball but is weak in other areas and generally needs to bulk up a bit.

Heitinga - Who? Hasn't played a game this season and gets put on against Fulham who had there full strength squad out.

Gerry - He just does not pass. Great to set up the first goal but did anyone else notice that whenever Gerry had the ball Lukaku just stayed outside the box because he knew he wouldn't pass.

Gibson - Just got back from injury and was rushed into the game when he should have been eased.

Even McCarthy, I think it will take him a while to get into it again....

 

I think what point everyone is trying to make is we are not playing Newcastle till Monday. Why did we need to play a weakened team when the next is a week away!?

 

Robles should have done better for the 2nd goal but generally he did quite well. He is very quick off his line. I dont know how much you have seen of Howard but his command of his area is probably one of his weaker points.

 

Stones had a good game on the whole, he certainly did better than Jags did the weekend before.

 

Oviedo did alright tbh. Got caught out once but still did well enough going forward.

 

Heitinga for me also didnt have a bad game. I dont think his positioning throughout the game was that good and I thought him and Gibson got caught doing the same thing too often.

 

Lets just ignore all the good things Gerard brought to the team and pick up on his weaknesses shall we. He without doubt should have played in others at certain times but he set up one and was only a whisker away from scoring a couple more. He had the beating of Riise all day long and eventually they started doubling up on him.

 

Gibson wasnt rushed back, he has been training for a while. He wasnt at the same level but he needed game time and this was a good opportunity for that.

 

McCarthy grew as the game went on and he was very good at winning possession back late in the 2nd half. He needed more support from his other 2 midfielders in the first half.

 

My only issue would be the combination of Gibson and Heitinga in midfield. Neither are the greatest positionally and the combination of the two left gaps that Fulham exploited, especially as the former got tired. I didnt want to see us out of the Cup but the overall performance didnt deserve a defeat. The worst player on the pitch was probably Coleman and he is a regular so what is his excuse? If we played like that against Fulham 10 times we would batter them on 9 occasions. Unfortunately for us, it was that one anomaly.

 

People have been moaning that we don't see enough of Oviedo - when I have seen him he's looked bright - so when he has a less effective game we shouldn't have picked him? Unfortunately we don't have a crystal ball. John Stones was MOTM against Juve - i'm sure he's up to playing Fulham. Robles had a blinder in the FA Cup final shutting out Man city... Heitinga is a dutch international world cup finalist, Gibson has been out just a few weeks not a few months.

 

I think some are looking for more reason to criticise than they should.

 

Exactly. Yes I am sure Martinez himself would wish he could go back and change a couple of small things but we got a lot right on Tuesday that seems to have been ignored.