FA Cup thread 2013/14

[GP]

I just downloaded Angry Birds.

Paid 30 quid to unlock all the levels.

I'm ever so good at Angry Birds.

[Letters]

I just downloaded Angry Birds.

Paid 30 quid to unlock all the levels.

I'm ever so good at Angry Birds.

Did I tell you about that time I bought a degree off the internet?
I'm ever so clever, me.

[GP]

Did I tell you about that time I bought a degree off the internet?
I'm ever so clever, me.

Well there's just no other way to get a degree these days.

[Özim]

No, it won't. But I'm not going to coo over what a good side they are.
Give me a billion quid and I'll build you a good side.

It's possible to compete to an extent but we will need to be lucky with injuries to sustain this challenge. Clubs like City and Chelsea can throw enough money around to build such big squads that injuries aren't really a factor. If your striker gets injured you can just pull enough £30m signing off the bench. For all our resources we can't do that.
Utd competed only because of the brilliance of Fergie - and they have plenty of money too of course. Without him...well, struggling would be pushing it but Spurs are above them, that's all you need to say about that.

It is just the way it is though and until any sensible measures are put in place to stop clubs living beyond their means and distribute the money through the game more evenly (something none of the top clubs will want as it will affect them most), that's the way it'll always be.

But from a purely football point of view they are a good side, they do play good football and win a lot of games, that's not solely down to money it takes good management as well otherwise any Tom, Dick or Harry would win with them and they don't. Let's not forget we use to play football like this and win (and did in the FA Cup against Spurs interestingly).

I think it's possible, IMO we have filled our squad with a lot of players who are very susceptible to injuries which doesn't help our cause, we also don't seem to be proactive enough, if we don't sign a striker this January it will be an example of this (though I hope we do and that things have changed).

I don't think you need 30 million pound signings on your bench, if you're clever you can pick up quality players for much less (Negredo being one example), it's not as simple as going out and spending 40 million on someone all the time, whilst it's great if you can there are other ways to skin a cat.

[Özim]

I just downloaded Angry Birds.

Paid 30 quid to unlock all the levels.

I'm ever so good at Angry Birds.

Well no because you haven't completed all the levels, what a strange analogy.

[Letters]

Well no because you haven't completed all the levels, what a strange analogy.

A better analogy would be getting through Candy Crush by buying boosters for every level to make it much easier.

[Letters]

But from a purely football point of view they are a good side, they do play good football and win a lot of games, that's not solely down to money it takes good management as well otherwise any Tom, Dick or Harry would win with them and they don't.

OK. And how do you get a top manager?
HINT: Big salary...

[GP]

Only losers play candy crush

[LDG]

No I'm realistic enough to realise it's not going to change (otherwise it would have by now), you seem to live up in the clouds where you think if you complain about it and belittle their achievements it will make the slightest bit of difference. It won't.

At some point you just have to accept it is what it is and get on with it, I'm not interested in the financial side, I'm interested in what happens on the pitch and how we develop our squad.

I'm not living up in the clouds at all. All I'm saying, quite rightly, is that any achievement is shallow, given that it is akin to steroids in athletics.

Yes, there has never been a level playing field, but at least we kicked ourselves up the table by playing football, and earnt our rewards that way, rather than having the money first and then buying the rewards.

I do accept that it is part of the game. I don't have to agree with it. And I can certainly complain about it if I feel it is corrupt (which it is). But I actually take pleasure in the fact that we're giving them a run for their money (pardon the pun), without those luxurys. Ultimately, we will never win though, because we can't have 100 million quids worth of strikers sat on the bench....

You can praise their achievements in that respect if you wish, but I think that's pretty shallow in itself.

[Özim]

A better analogy would be getting through Candy Crush by buying boosters for every level to make it much easier.

That's a better one yes, although you could argue that you're buying boosters because clubs before that were already cheating, you just found a better way of cheating.