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Blessing in Disguise

I have always been fond of the Europa League, even more so now that they have attached a champions league place. However never been a fan of trekking around Europe on Thursday nights to play away on a Sunday. I did say at the end of last week when we beat Fulham we should focus on FA cup and Premier League (Top 4 that is)

I had hoped MoPo had played a weakened side as we play Stoke on Sunday and as much as people will say its a 3 pointer, we have now played 3 games in the time Stoke have had time to rest. He went with a strong team (the strongest he could in my opinion) and it just wasnt meant to be. I dont understand why a)Eriksen takes corners and b) Why we cant defend them, its definitely the weakest part of our game. That, Alli's red card and a shocking performance in Belgium were the down fall.

We look to play roughly the same ammount of games as Chelsea and Arsenal now, a few more than Liverpool and a few less than City and Utd. In a year where it will be the hardest to get the top 4 i think we have only increased our chances. We have a strong chance in the FA cup to atleast get to a final and in all honestly we looked better tonight now that Jan and Toby are in defence.

Of course there will be WUMing it wouldnt be football without it but i genuinely believe tonight was a blessing in disguise

Onwards and Upwards
#COYS

posted on 24/2/17

comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 4 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
We are three games - one against a league one side at home - away from winning a trophy. The FA Cup

If we got through last night we would still be 7 games away from winning that one.

Make no mistake, if we do not qualify for the CL next season the vultures will be circling for our best players. It is essential we qualify for it.

This result, as annoying as it was, gives us the best chance of both winning the FA cup and finishing in the top 4.

Which would be a marvellous season
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree a Top 4 and cup would be brilliant, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

The chance of achieving that is slim.

Beating say, Chelsea in the semi then City in the final is a big ask. If we stand a 40% chance of winning each game, then winning the Cup is about a 20% probability.

Finishing Top 4 is also lottery - I'd say we have a 60% chance of finishing Top 4 given our current standing and fixture list.

So to win a Cup and finish Top 4 is about a 15% probability, when you combine the two events.

There's every chance we could finish 5th with no Cup win. Would crashing out the Europa to a medicore Belgian side still be viewed as a blessing?

We need to realise we're not too big for the Europa, or League Cup and take these competitions seriously. Sevilla have won the Europa 5 times in 10 seasons - they're now a big fish in Europe. Atelicto used it as a springboard to becoming a great side by winning it twice in recent years. Even Chelsea won it a few seaons back - they loved every minute, especially when the lifted the trophy, which is something we can only dream of.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Finishing top 4 is not a lottery. We have 13 games left and plenty against bottom half sides. We are in a great position. 3rd favourites in fact, best priced at 4/9. Which is a 70% chance.

That is our bread and butter, as sorry as it is.

Continued participation in the Europa would only decrease our chances of an FA cup win or a top 4 finish. More than likely it would spread us too thin and we would fall short in all three.

Now we can go strong in every single game from here to May. Only a couple of midweek matches to worry about

We do not deserve to even be in the Europa anyway, we failed in the CL. Karma
----------------------------------------------------------------------



Fact of the matter is that we don't have the squad to contend with league and Europa. If we played a strong Europa team and progressed far everyone would complain when the league form fell off or players were tired

Proper transfer activity in the summer can rectify this. Buying players who can legitimately challenge our starting XI for their place rather than playing it nice and safe by replacing one lot of subs (Chadli, Mason, Carroll and N'Jie) with another batch (N'Koudou, Onomah, Winks and Janssen).

posted on 24/2/17

Popular opinion that we need to be in the Champions League to grow as a club.

Popular opinion that we need to start winning trophies.

Popular opinion that people would "prefer"(!...like it's a choice ) to win the FA Cup over the Europa (I personally "prefer" the Europa but I know from experience that I'm in the minority).

Popular opinion that our squad isn't good enough / deep enough to compete for all 4 trophies.

Popular opinion that we need to rotate the (limited) squad.

Popular opinion that the Thursday - Sunday schedule is detrimental to domestic success.

Wake me up before you MoPo suggests that the silver lining to going out last night was that our small squad have an improved chance of winning the FA Cup and securing the top 4. Not doing it, but now a greater chance - and everybody jumps on him for it

FYI - I was gutted we went out last night and would very happily finish 6th and win one or other (or both ) of the FA Cup or Europa. The Champs League is certianly not the be all and end all for me...we're not at that level yet as a club.

posted on 24/2/17

Exactly that. The squad is not up to it right now, by virtue of quality and/or players not being trusted by Poch.

If we went strong in all comps, relying on 14 players or so, if it hit the fan come Spring and we hit the wall, there would be moans about Poch for over-working players.

As it stands now, Poch has no excuse for us tailing off. No blaming the squad. We should have a real go at top 3 and the FA Cup now

The FA Cup semis (if we qualify) also fall the weekend after the European QF games, so if we face either of the Manc clubs we may well have that advantage too.

posted on 24/2/17

If we go on to win the FA Cup and finish top 4 I don't think any Spurs fan in the world would be bemoaning last night's result.

Last night's result clearly means we have a greater chance of doing the above.

Inspite of that - I did not want to go out last night, I want to see how far we can go in that comp, BUT I do accept that getting to quarter finals, semi finals...would inevitably mean the above scenario is highly unlikely.

Don't want to put words in Wake me up's mouth, but that's how I took is article and comments and can totally see his thinking. Those saying "we shouldn't sniff at any cup comp etc" have missed the / his point I think.

posted on 24/2/17

Yeah, fans are highly strung though.

Hows this for twisted?

I would happily have 'sacrificed' Europa by playing fringe players to concentrate on the FA cup and League.

Yet when I saw the strong line up I was happy, when thinking logically I should have been peed off.

I watched the game and was desperate to win.

After the game, I was very peed off.

Today I am back to thinking it is a good thing for us.

posted on 24/2/17

comment by hounslows-finest (U6180)
posted 19 hours, 21 minutes ago
comment by ♤WengersNearlyMen♤ (U5041)
posted 1 minute ago
Poch out time
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No khunts with manager out banners at our place boyo
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There will be if u continue to bottle finishing above us :

posted on 24/2/17

comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
Exactly that. The squad is not up to it right now, by virtue of quality and/or players not being trusted by Poch.

If we went strong in all comps, relying on 14 players or so, if it hit the fan come Spring and we hit the wall, there would be moans about Poch for over-working players.

As it stands now, Poch has no excuse for us tailing off. No blaming the squad. We should have a real go at top 3 and the FA Cup now

The FA Cup semis (if we qualify) also fall the weekend after the European QF games, so if we face either of the Manc clubs we may well have that advantage too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nail on the head again

13 league games and a maximum of 4 cup-ties.

All FA cup games are on scheduled PL gameweeks so there's the possibility of 2 midweek league games before the weekend league game for the 'squad' to handle - when I say squad I'm referring to the 15 or so outfield players we can realistically expect to get the job done.

Destiny is in our hands and we're just about at a level playing field with Arsenal and Liverpool in terms of the number of remaining fixtures - as well as Chelsea who are likely to be out of reach.

Let's see what Poch and the players are made of

posted on 24/2/17

comment by Ledders The King - Football Manager Icon (U20121)
posted 3 hours, 6 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 4 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
We are three games - one against a league one side at home - away from winning a trophy. The FA Cup

If we got through last night we would still be 7 games away from winning that one.

Make no mistake, if we do not qualify for the CL next season the vultures will be circling for our best players. It is essential we qualify for it.

This result, as annoying as it was, gives us the best chance of both winning the FA cup and finishing in the top 4.

Which would be a marvellous season
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree a Top 4 and cup would be brilliant, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

The chance of achieving that is slim.

Beating say, Chelsea in the semi then City in the final is a big ask. If we stand a 40% chance of winning each game, then winning the Cup is about a 20% probability.

Finishing Top 4 is also lottery - I'd say we have a 60% chance of finishing Top 4 given our current standing and fixture list.

So to win a Cup and finish Top 4 is about a 15% probability, when you combine the two events.

There's every chance we could finish 5th with no Cup win. Would crashing out the Europa to a medicore Belgian side still be viewed as a blessing?

We need to realise we're not too big for the Europa, or League Cup and take these competitions seriously. Sevilla have won the Europa 5 times in 10 seasons - they're now a big fish in Europe. Atelicto used it as a springboard to becoming a great side by winning it twice in recent years. Even Chelsea won it a few seaons back - they loved every minute, especially when the lifted the trophy, which is something we can only dream of.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Finishing top 4 is not a lottery. We have 13 games left and plenty against bottom half sides. We are in a great position. 3rd favourites in fact, best priced at 4/9. Which is a 70% chance.

That is our bread and butter, as sorry as it is.

Continued participation in the Europa would only decrease our chances of an FA cup win or a top 4 finish. More than likely it would spread us too thin and we would fall short in all three.

Now we can go strong in every single game from here to May. Only a couple of midweek matches to worry about

We do not deserve to even be in the Europa anyway, we failed in the CL. Karma
----------------------------------------------------------------------



Fact of the matter is that we don't have the squad to contend with league and Europa. If we played a strong Europa team and progressed far everyone would complain when the league form fell off or players were tired

Proper transfer activity in the summer can rectify this. Buying players who can legitimately challenge our starting XI for their place rather than playing it nice and safe by replacing one lot of subs (Chadli, Mason, Carroll and N'Jie) with another batch (N'Koudou, Onomah, Winks and Janssen).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our squad isnt up to Europe, the league and a domestic cup?! Seriously? Thats a cop out, we must be the only club in europe that uses this excuse season after season.

The best teams compete on 3 or 4 fronts every season. We can barely focus on 2. Theres no excuse for that.

posted on 24/2/17

comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Ledders The King - Football Manager Icon (U20121)
posted 3 hours, 6 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 4 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
We are three games - one against a league one side at home - away from winning a trophy. The FA Cup

If we got through last night we would still be 7 games away from winning that one.

Make no mistake, if we do not qualify for the CL next season the vultures will be circling for our best players. It is essential we qualify for it.

This result, as annoying as it was, gives us the best chance of both winning the FA cup and finishing in the top 4.

Which would be a marvellous season
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree a Top 4 and cup would be brilliant, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

The chance of achieving that is slim.

Beating say, Chelsea in the semi then City in the final is a big ask. If we stand a 40% chance of winning each game, then winning the Cup is about a 20% probability.

Finishing Top 4 is also lottery - I'd say we have a 60% chance of finishing Top 4 given our current standing and fixture list.

So to win a Cup and finish Top 4 is about a 15% probability, when you combine the two events.

There's every chance we could finish 5th with no Cup win. Would crashing out the Europa to a medicore Belgian side still be viewed as a blessing?

We need to realise we're not too big for the Europa, or League Cup and take these competitions seriously. Sevilla have won the Europa 5 times in 10 seasons - they're now a big fish in Europe. Atelicto used it as a springboard to becoming a great side by winning it twice in recent years. Even Chelsea won it a few seaons back - they loved every minute, especially when the lifted the trophy, which is something we can only dream of.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Finishing top 4 is not a lottery. We have 13 games left and plenty against bottom half sides. We are in a great position. 3rd favourites in fact, best priced at 4/9. Which is a 70% chance.

That is our bread and butter, as sorry as it is.

Continued participation in the Europa would only decrease our chances of an FA cup win or a top 4 finish. More than likely it would spread us too thin and we would fall short in all three.

Now we can go strong in every single game from here to May. Only a couple of midweek matches to worry about

We do not deserve to even be in the Europa anyway, we failed in the CL. Karma
----------------------------------------------------------------------



Fact of the matter is that we don't have the squad to contend with league and Europa. If we played a strong Europa team and progressed far everyone would complain when the league form fell off or players were tired

Proper transfer activity in the summer can rectify this. Buying players who can legitimately challenge our starting XI for their place rather than playing it nice and safe by replacing one lot of subs (Chadli, Mason, Carroll and N'Jie) with another batch (N'Koudou, Onomah, Winks and Janssen).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our squad isnt up to Europe, the league and a domestic cup?! Seriously? Thats a cop out, we must be the only club in europe that uses this excuse season after season.

The best teams compete on 3 or 4 fronts every season. We can barely focus on 2. Theres no excuse for that.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

So who are these 20 or so outfield players that we have that are genuinely capable of competing for 60 games per season? (I'm talking top 4 finish, all cup quarter-finals) Please feel free to list them below:


posted on 25/2/17

comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 13 hours, 13 minutes ago
comment by Ledders The King - Football Manager Icon (U20121)
posted 3 hours, 6 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
comment by The Rising Son (U6965)
posted 4 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by HRH King Ledley (U20095)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
We are three games - one against a league one side at home - away from winning a trophy. The FA Cup

If we got through last night we would still be 7 games away from winning that one.

Make no mistake, if we do not qualify for the CL next season the vultures will be circling for our best players. It is essential we qualify for it.

This result, as annoying as it was, gives us the best chance of both winning the FA cup and finishing in the top 4.

Which would be a marvellous season
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree a Top 4 and cup would be brilliant, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

The chance of achieving that is slim.

Beating say, Chelsea in the semi then City in the final is a big ask. If we stand a 40% chance of winning each game, then winning the Cup is about a 20% probability.

Finishing Top 4 is also lottery - I'd say we have a 60% chance of finishing Top 4 given our current standing and fixture list.

So to win a Cup and finish Top 4 is about a 15% probability, when you combine the two events.

There's every chance we could finish 5th with no Cup win. Would crashing out the Europa to a medicore Belgian side still be viewed as a blessing?

We need to realise we're not too big for the Europa, or League Cup and take these competitions seriously. Sevilla have won the Europa 5 times in 10 seasons - they're now a big fish in Europe. Atelicto used it as a springboard to becoming a great side by winning it twice in recent years. Even Chelsea won it a few seaons back - they loved every minute, especially when the lifted the trophy, which is something we can only dream of.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Finishing top 4 is not a lottery. We have 13 games left and plenty against bottom half sides. We are in a great position. 3rd favourites in fact, best priced at 4/9. Which is a 70% chance.

That is our bread and butter, as sorry as it is.

Continued participation in the Europa would only decrease our chances of an FA cup win or a top 4 finish. More than likely it would spread us too thin and we would fall short in all three.

Now we can go strong in every single game from here to May. Only a couple of midweek matches to worry about

We do not deserve to even be in the Europa anyway, we failed in the CL. Karma
----------------------------------------------------------------------



Fact of the matter is that we don't have the squad to contend with league and Europa. If we played a strong Europa team and progressed far everyone would complain when the league form fell off or players were tired

Proper transfer activity in the summer can rectify this. Buying players who can legitimately challenge our starting XI for their place rather than playing it nice and safe by replacing one lot of subs (Chadli, Mason, Carroll and N'Jie) with another batch (N'Koudou, Onomah, Winks and Janssen).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our squad isnt up to Europe, the league and a domestic cup?! Seriously? Thats a cop out, we must be the only club in europe that uses this excuse season after season.

The best teams compete on 3 or 4 fronts every season. We can barely focus on 2. Theres no excuse for that.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

No it certainly is not up to three competitions.

Rose and Walker are not going to be able to play every game, at such a high intensity.. That is without taking injuries in to account. The two who come in for them are nowhere near their level.

Wimmer is not trusted by Poch now. CCV is nowhere near first team regular quality yet. Dier only looks top notch in a three. We are light at the back.

Our midfield options are next to none. Dembele and Wanyama are quality. Dier is having to be our third CB rather than a midfield option. Winks is the next man, who is promising but not quite there yet. After that we are looking at Onomah.

Eriksen, Alli, Lamela and Son are good options for the forward positions. Although we have only had three available since November. Past that, Sissoko and GKN are not trusted by Poch.

Janssen is not an option to replace Kane yet. Not close. Not writing him off, but that is the situation right now.


So no, we do not have the sqaud for a challenge on three fronts.

Potentially the same group could be able to, but I feel Poch has missed his chance to get the squad players up to speed

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