90291Spur
Paul Walsh
Of course. And some would also be complaining about fixture congestion.People moaning now, would still be moaning if we put out the first XI against Spam, who then got injured/tired and messed up the next two matches.
Of course. And some would also be complaining about fixture congestion.People moaning now, would still be moaning if we put out the first XI against Spam, who then got injured/tired and messed up the next two matches.
Time is precious, they say. Time off will be even more precious to Mauricio Pochettino as he tries to navigate the most hectic part of the calendar. To call the next two months congested is a huge understatement. Even without domestic cup games, it's heavy sledding and squad depth will be crucial.
From the end of the loss to West Ham until just after the CL round of 16 in mid-Feb (FA Cup 5th rnd), here are the number of days Spurs will have off to train or recuperate between games. Green numbers indicate gap to a CL game:
2-3-3-(12 - int'l break, n.b. Eng. plays Ger & Braz)-3-2-4-2-3-3-2-3-2-6-2-3-1-4-6-6-6*-3-2-6-3-2*-3
The bolded, underlined #6 indicates the gap Spurs receive between Dec. 16 @ Emirates Marketing Project and Dec. 23 @ Burnley for NOT having to play the league cup QF. It can hardly come quick enough.
The mauve #6s indicates gaps where the two midweek league cup SF's take place in January, when the other four clubs currently in the top five meet to knock lumps out of one another. The asterisks on the #6 and #2 indicate dates where Spurs might receive 9-day breaks should they not advance past the 3rd or 4th rounds of the FA Cup.
To court further controversy, losing in the 3rd round of the FA Cup would give the team from Sunday, Jan. 21 until Tuesday, Jan 30 to prepare for this demanding stretch of games:
Wed. Jan 31 - Man U
Sat. Feb. 3 - @ Liverpool
Sat. Feb 10 - Arsenal
Tue/Wed. Feb 13/14 - CL round of 16 first leg
And after that is the FA Cup 5th round and the possibility of another 9-10 day gap. There'll be 11 league fixtures remaining, plus any CL action we might advance toward.
So if we're leading the PL standings at the time of the FA Cup ties, would you reconsider? Because I would. If we're up there, I would focus everything on the PL and CL. We can win a cup in a year when we're not challenging for anything else.I appreciate the effort that went into this.
Really, I do.
But I will absolutely not accept us throwing the FA Cup under *any* circumstances. None whatsoever.
So I'm 400% fine with assuming that we won't have those nine-day gaps - in fact, anything else would be a massive disappointment for me.
So if we're leading the PL standings at the time of the FA Cup ties, would you reconsider? Because I would. If we're up there, I would focus everything on the PL and CL. We can win a cup in a year when we're not challenging for anything else.
But that's the thing: it's not a bird in hand. You say it as if we would walk it, if only we took it more seriously. Even if we played our strongest team, in a one-off game we could get eliminated. Whereas in the league we will have many chances to make up for a bad result.No. We can't 'win a cup in a year when we're not challenging for anything else', because we've challenged for the square root of f*ck all for most of the 26 years since our last FA Cup win - and still haven't managed another FA Cup in all that time. I don't quite think it works that way, unfortunately.
Bird in the hand, not two in the bush. If we're leading the PL standings, we have a *fantastic* chance of winning the FA Cup, while the league itself may still slip from our grasp in a hundred different ways. No sense dropping the cup given that reality - especially since doing so might well lead to another trophyless season anyway, and then all we'll have to point to is our great 'challenged for the league' medal.
But that's the thing: it's not a bird in hand. You say it as if we would walk it, if only we took it more seriously. Even if we played our strongest team, in a one-off game we could get eliminated. Whereas in the league we will have many chances to make up for a bad result.
We will see on Saturday.
I believed we could Sunday night. By Wednesday night I had doubts.
Maybe thats the true cost of the lackluster second half yesterday night, belief?
I'm they can survive having flaky supporters who lose belief in them after a single defeat
Aren't third (and fourth?) round games weekend games without much fixture congestion around them?We'll almost certainly play heavily rotated sides in the early rounds of the FA Cup anyway, so the point is moot imo. The big hitters will get the rest they need.
We have modern football - Nothing shiny. No proper, grand day out at Wemberly. No seeing Lloris hoist a trophy and the lads taking a lap of honour. Just more CL football and more CL money for our first season at New White Hart Lane aka Corporate Sponsor Stadium.I love Poch but saying that the Carabao and FA Cup aren't important, well isn't that kind of an out for not winning those? If we finish 2nd in the PL and make the CL semis what do we have to show for that?
I love Poch but saying that the Carabao and FA Cup aren't important, well isn't that kind of an out for not winning those? If we finish 2nd in the PL and make the CL semis what do we have to show for that?
Aren't third (and fourth?) round games weekend games without much fixture congestion around them?
Of course. And some would also be complaining about fixture congestion.