Bees in the Cup

[Southdownswolf]

We haven't got the squad for a cup run....it's threadbare at the minute.....

We have two weeks off after this match. They are just as likely to get injured in some training "friendly" match in the sun as they are against Brentford.

 

[lets all have a disco]

We have two weeks off after this match. They are just as likely to get injured in some training "friendly" match in the sun as they are against Brentford.

We will have to agree to disagree...but if Cunha got injured tomorrow and was out for a couple of months I would be disappointed.... especially as we are missing hwang as well....

It would also make us a bit more desperate in the transfer window and stick the price up on any player we was trying to recruit...

We will probably go strong and we should but we are desperate at the minute in some key areas...he can't do a lot because we are short ...

With the players missing I wouldn't have let say Fabio go till after the cup game...as we was always going to be short ...

 

[S G Wolves]

We haven't got the squad for a cup run....it's threadbare at the minute.....

Disagree mate, got to play our strongest team possible. Give it a go at least.

I thought I'd never see Wolves play in Europe. Ticked that box.

Winning a cup would be unreal. You just never know.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Disagree mate, got to play our strongest team possible. Give it a go at least.

I thought I'd never see Wolves play in Europe. Ticked that box.

Winning a cup would be unreal. You just never know.

Agree strong team ...but we have 1 forward...

 

[JadeWolf]

We haven't got the squad for a cup run....it's threadbare at the minute.....

Take it round by round. As it stands we can play as strong a team as possible tomorrow. If we win but that changes before the next round, we might need to do it differently.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Take it round by round. As it stands we can play as strong a team as possible tomorrow. If we win but that changes before the next round, we might need to do it differently.

Agree....I'm just concerned we have Cunha as our only forward at the minute....we may have plans in place to change that in January.....but that might go out the window if we get an injury to him as we become desperate then....

The same could probably be said for Sa.....who has had his own injury concerns lately.....,.

 

[Southdownswolf]

We will have to agree to disagree...but if Cunha got injured tomorrow and was out for a couple of months I wouldn't be disappointed.... especially as we are missing hwang as well....

It would also make us a bit more desperate in the transfer window and stick the price up on any player we was trying to recruit...

We will probably go strong and we should but we are desperate at the minute in some key areas...he can do a lot because we are short ...

With the players missing I wouldn't have let say Fabio go till after the cup game...as we was always going to be short ...

I think we'd all be disappointed if any player got injured, but you shouldn't wrap them in cotton wool for any match.
We are pretty much safe in the league - I realise places mean more money - but a run like we had 5? years ago could turn out to be even better.
As for Silva, GON obviously is not going to play him, so there is no point having him waste a squad place if we can get someone else in.

 

[woop woop barmy army]

Massive if. But if GON won the FA cup this season with us in a cup run similar to nuno but don’t concede in 90th min in semi.

Would he the rank above nuno.


It is unlikely that we win it. But only 6 wins away from greatness.

 

[Minimalist]

I think playing our strongest team tomorrow (given we will already be missing Hwang, RAN and Lemina) would be the best possible preparation for our the next league game. And a 4th round match will be great preparation for the Utd game, which otherwise will have too longer gap from the Brighton game.

Remember how poor Brentford were when we last played them? Well I think their reasonably long rest before it compared to our quick turnaround actually worked against them.

If we go into the cup game half ****ed and lose, I can imagine us then losing the next 2 league games, despite being well rested.

 

[lets all have a disco]

I think we'd all be disappointed if any player got injured, but you shouldn't wrap them in cotton wool for any match.
We are pretty much safe in the league - I realise places mean more money - but a run like we had 5? years ago could turn out to be even better.
As for Silva, GON obviously is not going to play him, so there is no point having him waste a squad place if we can get someone else in.

Rangers could of had Silva Monday .....we knew hwang was off....Saza wasn't gonna be risked cause we have e been wrapping him in cotton wool for months as not to wreck our transfer plans....

We got about 14 players for tomorrow...so wem short...

 

[WolfLing]

Why not Hugo Bueno at LWB? Otherwise I agree.

I would go with Hugo. But I think GON goes with Doherty there due to his recent comments about not being able to give him enough game time.

 

[Achilles Last Stand]

Brentford will missa Wissa, Ghoddos and some Onyeka bloke in midfield, so without Wissa their forward line will be wafer thin, based on our last match atleast.
Therefore we should have a good chance to progress to the fourth round, if we put out our best team.
And to keep up our momentum too now, while we still have it.

 

[Minimalist]

I would go with Hugo. But I think GON goes with Doherty there due to his recent comments about not being able to give him enough game time.

I hope you’re wrong.
If he’s desperate to play doc then rest Semedo.
Bueno should play lwb. Unless we go with a back 4 and Toti plays there.

 

[NothingButNeto]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1743037088252014855

 

[JohnB]

If we draw when is the replay?

4th round is 27th Jan so must be before then….but midweek break until 22nd (and Brentford playing on 20th). Would it be 17th and a shorter 10-11 day break?

FYI Everton Palace is currently showing as Mon 15th, one day after Everton play Villa! Interestingly Everton play 14th and Palace 20th so for both sides could reduce 2 week break down to 10 days.

 

[Sketchead]

If we draw when is the replay?

4th round is 27th Jan so must be before then….but midweek break until 22nd (and Brentford playing on 20th). Would it be 17th and a shorter 10-11 day break?

FYI Everton Palace is currently showing as Mon 15th, one day after Everton play Villa! Interestingly Everton play 14th and Palace 20th so for both sides could reduce 2 week break down to 10 days.

W/C 15th on a date to be agreed between the clubs (and the police and broadcasters having to approve as well of course!)

 

[Jamwolf]

Given our record against the big clubs, why wouldn't we have a chance of winning a one off Cup final at Wembley ?

OK, we won't get there if we keep getting away draws at Premier league clubs, but we can just as easily get a run of soft draws at home.

Anyway, after all the semi final heartache, just to get to a FA Cup final would be a piece of WWFC history.

 

[lets all have a disco]

So Everton will be without Calvert lewin for 3 games , Dwight McNeil out for a long time potentially....and a replay....

The beauty of the cup......I like the cup but for god sake at least ditch the replays ...

And Everton wasn't gonna win it , was they .... probably put them in the same category as us....at best hopeful.....

 

[Minimalist]

So Everton will be without Calvert lewin for 3 games , Dwight McNeil out for a long time potentially....and a replay....

The beauty of the cup......I like the cup but for god sake at least ditch the replays ...

And Everton wasn't gonna win it , was they .... probably put them in the same category as us....at best hopeful.....

I completely agree with you about ditching replays.
Also while I’m in favour of us playing a strong team, if we relied on a player like Calvert Lewin I’d be resting him due to his terrible injury record (I know it was ironically a red card rather than injury this time, but still…).

 

[Minimalist]

I think this season there are only 3 prem teams that are way ahead of everyone else: Manc city, Arsenal and Liverpool, one of these will be knocked out in the 3rd round!

 

[Big Saft Kid]

So Everton will be without Calvert lewin for 3 games , Dwight McNeil out for a long time potentially....and a replay....

The beauty of the cup......I like the cup but for god sake at least ditch the replays ...

And Everton wasn't gonna win it , was they .... probably put them in the same category as us....at best hopeful.....

Agree on replays -- play extra time then penalty shoot out. The season is so crowded now there is not the time for replays and it adds a lot of pressure on the players.

 

[Tipton Wolves]

You never know with the cup. If city get Liverpool or arsenal away next they will want their scalp. Remember if we go through, we have taken a premier league team out of the equation too.

 

[Golden Oldie]

Take it round by round. As it stands we can play as strong a team as possible tomorrow. If we win but that changes before the next round, we might need to do it differently.

Yes, always put out the best Cup side we can, knowing that at some stage PL realities may have to dictate.

 

[Carlos_75]

I was thinking play a weakened team , but like most say above , we are safe now and a cup run would be great , but I’d also like to get top 7 for Europe , I never got to any away games last time , this time I would

 

[Brixton Wanderer]

Apologies if already covered, but with GON saying he’ll start a strong side, and with Sa featuring on the below image, do we think he might go for our strongest 11 (no cup keeper)?

https://x.com/wolves/status/1742611784312422813?s=46

 

[A3wolf]

I think this season there are only 3 prem teams that are way ahead of everyone else: Manc city, Arsenal and Liverpool, one of these will be knocked out in the 3rd round!

Think there is a great opportunity this year. Plus in later rounds these teams are tied up with Europe / Carabao Cup as well.

Brentford without Wissa Toney & Mbuemo, their 3 best players, isn’t the horrible draw it felt initially and really hope we go full strength even at the outside risk of injury to a key player.

 

[JadeWolf]

Apologies if already covered, but with GON saying he’ll start a strong side, and with Sa featuring on the below image, do we think he might go for our strongest 11 (no cup keeper)?

https://x.com/wolves/status/1742611784312422813?s=46

If Gary says he’s going as strong as possible, that should mean Sa in goal.

 

[DanishWolf]

If Gary says he’s going as strong as possible, that should mean Sa in goal.

It should, but I can see the point in using Bentley in order to keep him mathcfit in case Sa's injuriy reoccures..

 

[lets all have a disco]

I completely agree with you about ditching replays.
Also while I’m in favour of us playing a strong team, if we relied on a player like Calvert Lewin I’d be resting him due to his terrible injury record (I know it was ironically a red card rather than injury this time, but still…).

But that's my argument with Cunha....at the minute he is our only forward...so really we are so relient on him in the next month or so....we have to treat the situation like treading in egg shells.....had we another option I would be fine with full team...

 

[Beastier]

We aren't relegation threatended (barring a disasterous run of form in the second half of the season) and we don't have any real interests or aspirsations to protect at the top end of the table.

Yes we're without some players on international duty but it seems so are most other teams.

If we don't give it a proper go this season then there's little point us entering the cup at all - even if we can't progress as far as the final let's enjoy the journey of it and maybe even more nights like the QF vs Manu a few years back.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

It should, but I can see the point in using Bentley in order to keep him mathcfit in case Sa's injuriy reoccures..

Thing for me is usually Bentley would only have had LC games by now, so might need a game, but this season he's just had nearly 3 games, so why would we need to play him for match sharpness? Likewise Dawson might need a rest, but has just had a couple of games out, assuming his knee is OK, stick him in.

 

[Minimalist]

But that's my argument with Cunha....at the minute he is our only forward...so really we are so relient on him in the next month or so....we have to treat the situation like treading in egg shells.....had we another option I would be fine with full team...

Cunha isn’t made of glass though. Plus I wouldn’t say he is our only forward, he’s actually been playing behind Hwang recently which is a position we have a few for (Sarabia, Bellegarde, Neto) . I know Cunha will probably now go back to playing the 9 role , but it’s only a couple of games till Hwang is back and we will either get a 9 in the window or we will keep Sasa and have to start using him.
I don’t believe we are as “threadbare” as is implied.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Cunha isn’t made of glass though. Plus I wouldn’t say he is our only forward, he’s actually been playing behind Hwang recently which is a position we have a few for (Sarabia, Bellegarde, Neto) . I know Cunha will probably now go back to playing the 9 role , but it’s only a couple of games till Hwang is back and we will either get a 9 in the window or we will keep Sasa and have to start using him.
I don’t believe we are as “threadbare” as is implied.

In certain positions we are... goalkeeper, right back and forward with Hwang missing....... goalkeeper n right back cover we have bodies but threadbare in terms of replacement quality...Sa Semedo and currently Cunha , cause we haven't got another forward....missing any of those 3 would drastically effect our premier league results...

That's why I'm cautious.....do I want to win the cup YES.....but if Gary O'Neil decided not to pick Sa and Cunha because he was being cautious I wouldn't blame him...If Gary O'Neil struggles in the premier league in the next few months, the knives will be out....Win a few games in the league and continue our good form , we will all soon forget a cautious team in the cup...

 

[WolfLing]

Given our record against the big clubs, why wouldn't we have a chance of winning a one off Cup final at Wembley ?

OK, we won't get there if we keep getting away draws at Premier league clubs, but we can just as easily get a run of soft draws at home.

Anyway, after all the semi final heartache, just to get to a FA Cup final would be a piece of WWFC history.

If we'd have got past Watford, there's no way we lose that final 6-0 to City like they did. Like you say, we always had a chance in a one off game against a big club. It feels very much the same this season.

We'd beaten Liverpool and Man United in the FA Cup on route in 18/19, and drawn against City at Molineux.

Watford played the top 6 sides 14 times that season, losing 12 of them, winning 1 and drawing 1 We played the top 6 sides 14 times that season, winning 6, drawing 4 and losing 4.

 

[JohnB]

W/C 15th on a date to be agreed between the clubs (and the police and broadcasters having to approve as well of course!)

So if it is 1-1 in the 90th minute do both sides play 10 up front and ask ref to keep playing?

 

[Zico]

So Everton will be without Calvert lewin for 3 games , Dwight McNeil out for a long time potentially....and a replay....

The beauty of the cup......I like the cup but for god sake at least ditch the replays ...

And Everton wasn't gonna win it , was they .... probably put them in the same category as us....at best hopeful.....

You really don't sound as if you like the Cup!! A cup run is streets ahead finishing 9th instead of 13th in the League in terms of excitement.

 

[lets all have a disco]

You really don't sound as if you like the Cup!! A cup run is streets ahead finishing 9th instead of 13th in the League in terms of excitement.

I used to love the magic of the cup years ago...but since football became all about money and protection of the big sides , it went....

Hence why generally only the big teams win things...I would love nothing more than to win the cup , I'm just being realistic cause we haven't come close to doing it for so long....I actually see 9th in the league as a massive achievement for a club our size , with the financial FFP restraints chucked on us....

Football has changed , it's all about the elite and money...that's all ..

I see 9th as realistic and achievable...I don't see a cup win as achievable or realistic.

 

[Aurum Lupus]

I suspect the pitch will be worse than the last game as a lot of rain down there.

Will the short fast passing work or is it long ball game?

GON has shown we can play both, so it shouldn't matter

 

[WolfLing]

You really don't sound as if you like the Cup!! A cup run is streets ahead finishing 9th instead of 13th in the League in terms of excitement.

Completely.

I get that it's better for the club to finish higher in the league, but winning generally breeds winning.

It's not like we are fighting on 3 or 4 different fronts like a team like City. A cup run doesn't stop us competing in the PL, it probably helps.

£2m for winning the cup vs £2.2m extra per league position. Yes, financially we should always prioritise the league position. But the goodwill and mileage a cup win gives owners shouldn't be underestimated either.

Ask Portsmouth fans what their best moment of the last 20 years has been, they're not very likely to say their 8th place PL finish in 07/08.

Target both. Always go full strength in both.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Completely.

I get that it's better for the club to finish higher in the league, but winning generally breeds winning.

It's not like we are fighting on 3 or 4 different fronts like a team like City. A cup run doesn't stop us competing in the PL, it probably helps.

£2m for winning the cup vs £2.2m extra per league position. Yes, financially we should always prioritise the league position. But the goodwill and mileage a cup win gives owners shouldn't be underestimated either.

Ask Portsmouth fans what their best moment of the last 20 years has been, they're not very likely to say their 8th place PL finish in 07/08.

Target both. Always go full strength in both.

You won't find many Portsmouth fans who look back on Redknapp and that time with glee....after what happened in the following years...