Sadddle up for a Midland gallop. Away to Walsall, Sat Nov 2nd 3-0'clock.

[nicholaldo]

Yep the days of cup and league runs going hand in hand are done for this level. We’ll either have a free weekend or be able to rearrange that Rotherham game for the date of the second round. I have no idea how Rotherham have got on!

They're also out.

[TANGODANCER]

I think we should win everything.

If you're not going to try to do that, why bother playing? The F.A.Cup was, not too long ago, after the league championship, the most important event in the English football calendar. Now, in this era of corporation-owned T.V money and stocks and shares world it' s hardly recognisable from the "jumpers for goalpost" love pastime of our youth and almost dismissed in importance as a sport. I take losing occasionally with an inevitable grimace, but unless you're giving 110% effort, take up following horse-racing on the box. To be honest (that old chestnut) I hardly even recognise dancing anymore.

Go on and win it Walsall, good luck to you.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think we should win everything.

If you're not going to try to do that, why bother playing? The F.A.Cup was, not too long ago, after the league championship, the most important event in the English football calendar. Now, in this era of corporation-owned T.V money and stocks and shares world it' s hardly recognisable from the "jumpers for goalpost" love pastime of our youth and almost dismissed in importance as a sport. I take losing occasionally with an inevitable grimace, but unless you're giving 110% effort, take up following horse-racing on the box. To be honest (that old chestnut) I hardly even recognise dancing anymore.

Go on and win it Walsall, good luck to you.

I agree except that it is what it is. The FA cup for us is an irrelevance right now. We aren’t winning it. And whilst we could get a plum in third round draw the issue is the extra games for little reward and injuries to boot.

It’s not like we threw the game. We clearly went to try and win with a strong team. As I think we should, it’s not a Mickey Mouse cup. But it’s just having done that and given it our best and lost, there are much bigger more important games to come. If we go up this season, nobody will look back on an FA cup first round loss.

[Mar]

Have we been told to bow out of the cups?

If so, that's two out of three done and the other's in in our hands a week on Tuesday - if Fleetwood beat us they'll go through instead of us

I'd sort of put money on it as it stands. Weve done just enough to make it look like we've given it a good go without questioning that we've thrown any games.

[The_Gun]

Have we been told to bow out of the cups?

If so, that's two out of three done and the other's in in our hands a week on Tuesday - if Fleetwood beat us they'll go through instead of us

I'd sort of put money on it as it stands. Weve done just enough to make it look like we've given it a good go without questioning that we've thrown any games.

Mate, we’ve not thrown any games.

[Prufrock]

Aye. Honestly it's a stronger team than I'd have picked. We didn't throw it but we didn't risk anyone we didn't need to. Rightly so, IMO.

[officer_dibble]

Shame none of the fringe players made a name for themselves I guess. Lolos, Arfield, Williams.

[Mar]

Have we been told to bow out of the cups?

If so, that's two out of three done and the other's in in our hands a week on Tuesday - if Fleetwood beat us they'll go through instead of us

I'd sort of put money on it as it stands. Weve done just enough to make it look like we've given it a good go without questioning that we've thrown any games.

Mate, we’ve not thrown any games.

I don't think we have either. Professional pride and all that. Like I said I don't think they'll be disheartened by losing against Villa or Walsall. I think they'll be happy they've eased the fixture congestion.

The effort levels I don't think have been as high as they could have been as I think collectively they're prioritising the league. Not that I'm being critical, just more seeing this side leaning into Megson style of managing. Difference is we're aiming to go up the leagues not piss away the zenith of our club.

Evatt could've fielded a weakened team today. He didn't. He gave the fans as good a side as we could put out.

We shouldve won. We didn't and I suspect half of that is due to not wanting to overdo it. League first.

[Worthy4England]

World of difference, for me, between "thown a game," and "playing a different team." You may think you've rested a few vs we're playing a team in a lower league, without throwing it, but still hoping you're going to shade it on a reduced budget. Different than setting out to "make sure" you're going to win.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Yep the days of cup and league runs going hand in hand are done for this level. We’ll either have a free weekend or be able to rearrange that Rotherham game for the date of the second round. I have no idea how Rotherham have got on!

They're also out.

So we can play them on Sat 30 Nov, the second-round date. That would put it in the following run of fixtures immediately post-break:
Sat 23 Nov – Blackpool H
Tue 26 Nov – Cambridge A
(Sat 30 Nov – Rotherham A)
Tue 3 Dec - Mansfield H
Sat 7 Dec - Bristol Rovers A
....and then possibly a midweek off before hosting Wigan. (Although we may have the FLT second round game that midweek, unless....)

[knobpolisher]

It's a bit of a balancing act when it comes to cup selection and chasing trophies when you are in the third tier. Yes everyone wants that big 3rd round tie , a money spinner etc but not at the cost of promotion. Its a fact if we get up this season , as we should have last season tbh , we would be facing two less fa Cup games because we would be in the third round automatically and we wouldn't be competing in the efl trophy thing. So minimum 5 less fixtures.
That's a lot of potential injury opportunities.

[Mar]

It's a bit of a balancing act when it comes to cup selection and chasing trophies when you are in the third tier. Yes everyone wants that big 3rd round tie , a money spinner etc but not at the cost of promotion. Its a fact if we get up this season , as we should have last season tbh , we would be facing two less fa Cup games because we would be in the third round automatically and we wouldn't be competing in the efl trophy thing. So minimum 5 less fixtures.
That's a lot of potential injury opportunities.

Given Thomason got injured in training (and I suspect a few others). Perhaps we should be giving them less opportunities to train.

[TANGODANCER]

Given Thomason got injured in training (and I suspect a few others). Perhaps we should be giving them less opportunities to train.

When you realise we're talking professional footballers, that's a bit like saying " You're not paid to train, just play football". I find that a bit mind-blowing. You may scoff, but bottom line is that today's athletes are soft. In the days pre subs, Eric Bell limped his way through a Cup Final for Bolton even scored whilst hardly able to walk. Protecting assets/ saleable goods and market value seems to be the priority over all now. I find it all very sad. It's just not good enough to say "that's the way it is"

[Mar]

Given Thomason got injured in training (and I suspect a few others). Perhaps we should be giving them less opportunities to train.

When you realise we're talking professional footballers, that's a bit like saying " You're not paid to train, just play football". I find that a bit mind-blowing. You may scoff, but bottom line is that today's athletes are soft. In the days pre subs, Eric Bell limped his way through a Cup Final for Bolton even scored whilst hardly able to walk. Protecting assets/ saleable goods and market value seems to be the priority over all now. I find it all very sad. It's just not good enough to say "that's the way it is"

I wouldn't say that today's athlete's are soft, just that the intensity is greater than what was previously on offer. Not necessarily from an aggression standpoint (elbows, kicks, etc.) but from a demand on the body, running more, quicker pace, etc. Add to that the sports science side of things and players wanting to lengthen their careers and avoid the Holden effect, then you'll get more nursing of injuries than you'll get playing on with injuries.

Plenty are willing to play on, but not at the expense of their careers.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Plenty are willing to play on, but not at the expense of their careers.

Plenty *do* play on, at the expense of their careers.

[boltonboris]

Genuinely not arsed. The FA Cup has killed itself for me with the pandering to the Elite few at the expense of the rest of the football pyramid. Unless it's changed back to its previous format, it can be treated with the same disdain as the Papa Johns for all I care

[Mar]

Plenty are willing to play on, but not at the expense of their careers.

Plenty *do* play on, at the expense of their careers.

They play on, inadvertently at the expense of the careers. Dempsey esque back injury for example could have been one of them. I suspect them playing on would be playing on without realizing that they're putting their future at risk.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Plenty are willing to play on, but not at the expense of their careers.

Plenty *do* play on, at the expense of their careers.

They play on, inadvertently at the expense of the careers. Dempsey esque back injury for example could have been one of them. I suspect them playing on would be playing on without realizing that they're putting their future at risk.

Yep, some do. Others can fear being labelled as soft; after all, if they're not first-team regulars, it could end their employment.

Not saying this was an instance of the latter, but David Wheater once "soldiered on" after falling and hurting his knee. Turned out he'd ruptured a cruciate ligament and he was out for nine months.