Harvey Barnes

[cruzFOX]

Also looking on the bright side and if last season is any kind of barometer it will be good to have all our best players back and fit for one last charge towards the end of the season.

last season we fizzled out but maybe other teams will now fizzle out like manu or west ham. Same token we are seeing teams like the spuds, Liverpool and Chelski start to get some traction. As long as our foxes fight hard till the end that’s all we can ask for. For the sake of next season we must finish 4th or the disappointment could be soul crushing and problems spill over into other areas.

on the FA cup although it’s a nuisance with the predicament we are in we can use it build confidence. COYF we don’t quit! 

[Charl91]

4 hours ago, Dahnsouff said:

Yeah I am sure people will be very reasonable when we do not field a strong team in the FA cup...

At this point I'd play the weakest squad I possibly could, just to give what few players we have left a bit of a rest.

[KrefelderFox666]

1 hour ago, Charl91 said:

At this point I'd play the weakest squad I possibly could, just to give what few players we have left a bit of a rest.

3 games from winning a trophy with a real chance? Followed by 2 weeks off for most players? Play full strength. We can't keep throwing the chance to win a trophy away when so close. The FA Cup is the missing piece in our trophy cabinet.

[ajthefox]

6 hours ago, Ross 'LCFC' Turner said:

To try and stay positive I'm pinning all my hopes on us being able to accumulate enough points in the next 3 to stumble across the line to the International Break.

 

After the International Break in 5 weeks time, we should have Morgan, Evans, Fofana, Praet, Perez & Maddison back fit with Barnes only a couple of weeks away and all of a sudden things look different again, these next 3 are season defining for me! 

I agree with what you've said, but also after the last couple of games it's important to bounce back and prove that this year is different, as much in terms of mentality as anything.

[Dahnsouff]

15 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

3 games from winning a trophy with a real chance? Followed by 2 weeks off for most players? Play full strength. We can't keep throwing the chance to win a trophy away when so close. The FA Cup is the missing piece in our trophy cabinet.

Short sighted in my opinion, we need to continue to build more than we need the FA cup, give us a chance of more trophies in the longer term. Not great for the moment, but this is the sensible approach, not exciting, I would agree, but pragmatically boring and prudent 

 

2 weeks off after breaking, Youri, Wilf, Soyuncu, etc,  would be scant consolation.

[Sampson]

7 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Short sighted in my opinion, we need to continue to build more than we need the FA cup, give us a chance of more trophies in the longer term. 

We've been saying that for 137 years.

[Dahnsouff]

4 minutes ago, Sampson said:

We've been saying that for 137 years.

Well, one more will hardly hurt then will it?

[Charl91]

36 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

3 games from winning a trophy with a real chance? Followed by 2 weeks off for most players? Play full strength. We can't keep throwing the chance to win a trophy away when so close. The FA Cup is the missing piece in our trophy cabinet.

With the state our squad is in, and the way we've performed in recent games, I have seen nothing to suggest we have a realistic chance of winning it. The chance of our youngsters winning it probably isn't much slimmer than our main squad, at is currently stands.

 

Call me a boring old pessimist (I like to think pragmatist) but I think we're far more likely to injure players and ruin our already slim top 4 chance than we are to win the FA cup. And not many great players are going to join you just 'cus you won the FA cup.

[Dahnsouff]

5 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

With the state our squad is in, and the way we've performed in recent games, I have seen nothing to suggest we have a realistic chance of winning it. The chance of our youngsters winning it probably isn't much slimmer than our main squad, at is currently stands.

 

Call me a boring old pessimist (I like to think pragmatist) but I think we're far more likely to injure players and ruin our already slim top 4 chance than we are to win the FA cup. And not many great players are going to join you just 'cus you won the FA cup.

Glad I am not only boring pragmatic fart on here. 

[KrefelderFox666]

58 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

With the state our squad is in, and the way we've performed in recent games, I have seen nothing to suggest we have a realistic chance of winning it. The chance of our youngsters winning it probably isn't much slimmer than our main squad, at is currently stands.

 

Call me a boring old pessimist (I like to think pragmatist) but I think we're far more likely to injure players and ruin our already slim top 4 chance than we are to win the FA cup. And not many great players are going to join you just 'cus you won the FA cup.

On that basis we are not good enough to hold onto Top 4 either because we are 2 losses away from dropping to 7th if results go against us.

 

We may as well just quit the season now and get ready for 2021/22. Better preparation. Maybe we can win something then?

[KrefelderFox666]

55 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Glad I am not only boring pragmatic fart on here. 

Don't get me wrong, the EL I was happy to let go to allow a better push for Top 4 but also to do something in the FA Cup this year. Forever reaching QF's and not going anywhere.

[Charl91]

11 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

Don't get me wrong, the EL I was happy to let go to allow a better push for Top 4 but also to do something in the FA Cup this year. Forever reaching QF's and not going anywhere.

Guess that's where we differ. Would've like to go far in the EL, but not particularly bothered about the FA cup.

[KrefelderFox666]

4 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

Guess that's where we differ. Would've like to go far in the EL, but not particularly bothered about the FA cup.

Could you imagine if we had two European games to fit in this month as well! Then we would have been past running on empty. It was a blessing in disguise. Hopefully it allows us to play CL next season. Or at least another shot at EL. Worst case the Conference League, how exciting!

[fox in the sox]

28 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

Could you imagine if we had two European games to fit in this month as well! Then we would have been past running on empty. It was a blessing in disguise. Hopefully it allows us to play CL next season. Or at least another shot at EL. Worst case the Conference League, how exciting!

What’s the point of keep getting in the Europa League if we can’t cope with it?

[KrefelderFox666]

10 hours ago, fox in the sox said:

What’s the point of keep getting in the Europa League if we can’t cope with it?

Can say the same about the FA Cup, why get past Round 3 if we're not going to bother to attempt to win it?

 

If we were in Arsenal's position, you would go all out for EL, or if we had a squad like Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool. When we are fighting for Top 4, EL takes a back seat. If we were fighting for 6th/7th then EL would be a higher priority.

 

I am sure priorities change in your life depending on the situation you find yourself in?

[Ric Flair]

We will go full strength vs Man Utd if we don't suffer any further injuries in these next few games. The concern we might then have a further 2 games and what that will do to our squad will be dealt with nearer the time.

 

We might negotiate this run of games coming up fairly well and come those final 3 games of the season the top 4 might already be sewn up. The quarter final and the international break afterwards is quite handy.

[KrefelderFox666]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

We will go full strength vs Man Utd if we don't suffer any further injuries in these next few games. The concern we might then have a further 2 games and what that will do to our squad will be dealt with nearer the time.

 

We might negotiate this run of games coming up fairly well and come those final 3 games of the season the top 4 might already be sewn up. The quarter final and the international break afterwards is quite handy.

Exactly, and it's Man CIty straight after the international break. In all honesty, that is a write off game so we may as well rest players in that. Of course we haven't lost the game in advance but out of all games remaining, that is the least likely for us to get anything. Concentrate on West Ham, West Brom and the other games in April (Southampton and Newcastle?).

 

March is a massive month to keep in the Top 4 and April is huge to establish ourselves in that position and keep a healthy gap before the final 3 games.

[HighPeakFox]

22 hours ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....it was sarcasm........!!!

It does not need an emoji to denote obvious flippancy.

It does when it isn't remotely obvious (as was clearly the case here)

[Steve Earle]

13 hours ago, fox in the sox said:

What’s the point of keep getting in the Europa League if we can’t cope with it?

I think the idea is that each year, European qualification enables us to strengthen the squad, so each year we'd be that little better at coping with the extra fixtures. It's been particularly unfortunate for the club having to compete in the Europa League in such a compressed season.

[Lineker's Left Foot]

6 minutes ago, Steve Earle said:

I think the idea is that each year, European qualification enables us to strengthen the squad, so each year we'd be that little better at coping with the extra fixtures. It's been particularly unfortunate for the club having to compete in the Europa League in such a compressed season.

[Lineker's Left Foot]

Barring a catastrophic collapse, like last season, I would still be happy with 5th or 6th.  For a club like ours it has proved to be quite detrimental to have a season in the Europa but league forms suffers, so if we were to make it again that would be a great achievement.

 

Would love CL football and I am not being defeatist but more of a realist; we could gradually improve our squad each season.  The only problem is if we lose BR or again a major player every summer.

 

Do think we need to spend in the summer though. 

 

 

 

[TJB-fox]

9 minutes ago, Steve Earle said:

I think the idea is that each year, European qualification enables us to strengthen the squad, so each year we'd be that little better at coping with the extra fixtures. It's been particularly unfortunate for the club having to compete in the Europa League in such a compressed season.

Pretty much. Is it not obvious by now? Cash status and power

[ARM1968]

43 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

It does when it isn't remotely obvious (as was clearly the case here)

Emotely obvious you say?

 

Anyhow, to those still bemoaning our limp EL exit, do you really believe with this squad in this condition we could have achieved anything except ruining our chances in ALL 3 competitions?  I fully expect us to duck out of the FA Cup next. 
 

 

[HighPeakFox]

2 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

Emotely obvious you say?

 

Anyhow, to those still bemoaning our limp EL exit, do you really believe with this squad in this condition we could have achieved anything except ruining our chances in ALL 3 competitions?  I fully expect us to duck out of the FA Cup next. 

There's still time for players to come back, not so sure.

[whoareyaaa]

3 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

Emotely obvious you say?

 

Anyhow, to those still bemoaning our limp EL exit, do you really believe with this squad in this condition we could have achieved anything except ruining our chances in ALL 3 competitions?  I fully expect us to duck out of the FA Cup next. 
 

 

fa cup is a one off game though so im sure we will go full strength winning the eruopa would have seen 2 legs, travelling etc