murphy

Villa weren't a newly promoted side in October 22 though.

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Absolutely. We knew this wouldn't be pretty, we know our extended squad is weak, so what do you expect? There are lots of reasons to question Steve Cooper but this team selection isn't one of them in imo. Its a nothing game, no pressure, just a fixture we need to fulfil so lets rest the first team. I'm sure he would have been battered if he went full strength tonight.

Did you have to go with her?

He's not even the worst transfer in this XI

I never thought I'd be sticking up for Danny Ward but you could argue that he deserves to keep his place after the previous round.

Agree. The only thing worse than playing this team would be to go full strength, risking injury and fatigue, so I'm not going to lay into Cooper for that. I would like Edouard to get minutes and also Alves, otherwise, who cares about this cup? We don't have the luxury of fighting on multiple fronts this year. I just hope we can keep ot semi-respectable.

Can we just declare?

You've spelt manager wrong.

He couldn't because Brighton wouldn't offer an acceptable fee.

Nobody wants to dwell on that shit.... The match that is, not the analysis.

Sickener for ipswich

Looking at this team selection that we all wanted, it strikes me that we have only got two new arrivals that actually strengthen the Championship team (skipp V winks debatable), yet we signed seven players.

Playing our strongest team gives us a better chance than a bus parking XI but neither actually guarantee victory. Some people seem a bit confused.

Good one! Let me write that down for later..

To be fair it is only the XI that has been generally accepted as our strongest for the last year or so with new arrivals added, which is why so many of us have been baffled by the line ups we've seen up to now. It's not exactly something bonkers out of left field or something.

Ahem... 'Westley'... Plastic

I think the comparisons with yourselves and our recent past are obvious. 'Doing a Leicester' used to be what newly promoted and smaller clubs would aspire to, but we should also be a salutary lesson in how quickly it can go wrong. I guess 'doing a Leicester' means something different these days. You're right, this is Brighton's time in the sun. I am grateful that at least we made our time pay with an fa cup and that miraculous title. I would like to see Brighton win something. They're a likeable club but moreover, it gives hope to smaller clubs (by Premiership standards) of what can be achieved in a way that we used to and aspiration is what it is all about for fans everywhere.

Fair enough, I mean I guess Arthur Cox hadn't really got the pox (one for the kids there), but didn't it make you cringe when we sang 'champions of England, you'll never sing that' to clubs that had won it more times than us? Just makes us look simple I reckon.

There's no time limit on the honours list. I'm sure I will be still banging on about the title win in the care home. In the bank forever.

I note the 'not fully accurate' disclaimer there. I'm sure you know they won 2 fa cups pre clough. Maybe we could disregard those if we had half a dozen ourselves but it took us 140 years to get one. Any chant along the lines you're suggesting would not be funny, it would just make us look daft.

Is that you in the corner?

I get the arguments but I think you need to retain some threat of which ayew poses little. We saw against Bournemouth how they could afford to replace their full backs and pour forward with impunity because we offered no threat. Personally, I think if you're going to park the bus, you need some pace in your forward line.

Why do I keep reading that Ayew is the man to bring on to see out a game? Makes no sense to me. If you are defending a lead, you need wingers with pace that can counter, potentially nick a goal and force the opposition to hold players back to counter that. Not veterans that fall over a bit.

To be fair, lots of people voiced their misgivings about seeing Vestergaard back in the prem at the time the new contract was given and especially at the length of it.