The trouble is, Allardyce won't give a toss about winning a piss pot, all he is focused on is staying in the Prem. So as with Aldershot and Sheffield Wednesday last season, he will select an under strength team and won't shed any tears if our cup run is derailed early. Sadly.
Pardew had a totally different attitude. He really went for it in our first season back, and was rewarded with that glorious FA Cup Final appearance.
The trouble is, Crewe could prove tricky even should we pick a full strength team. Indeed, the last time we met them in the League Cup they dumped us out of the competition over two legs! The team that shamed us in the second leg, which we lost 2-0, brings back fond memories:
1 Ludek Miklosko
2 Tim Breacker
3 Julian Dicks
4 Steve Potts
5 Alvin Martin
6 Martin Allen
7 Mark Robson
8 Peter Butler
9 Trevor Morley
10 Clive Allen
11 Kevin Keen
That looks pretty full strength to me, and a cut above the second string Allardyce is likely to pick! The same team, with the exception of Mitchell Thomas in place of Dicks, was held to a 0-0 draw at the Boleyn.
To be fair, we have won four of our five other meetings with Crewe and drew the remaining game. Our best ever result was a 3-0 win at The Alexandra Stadium when we fielded a team populated with easily forgettable journeymen, Defoe, James, Repka and Etherington apart. The side that day read:
1 David James
7 Christian Dailly
19 Ian Pearce
14 Wayne Quinn
2 Tomas Repka
20 Niclas Alexandersson
12 Matthew Etherington 1
16 Kevin Horlock
5 Robert Lee
8 David Connolly 2
9 Jermain Defoe
22 Matthew Kilgallon Subed #14
15 Anton Ferdinand Subed #12
28 David Noble
Not many players there to set the pulses racing are there? It's amazing to think that the game took place in September 2003 and Connolly, who wasn't a kid, was still playing for Southampton last season!
Anyway, enough with memory lane, sadly I suspect we will be keen to forget the up coming game as quickly as possible, because I predict a Crewe victory as Allardyce shrugs his shoulders and concentrates on the relegation battle ahead.
I want us to use our youngsters or players who don't get much match time in these games. Yes we do try the odd player but that's not enough...and we still end up crashing out so why not make 11 changes and tell them they're playing this tournament? Could learn a few things
ReplyDeleteYou boys dont win trophies though! Joking aside though winning the league cup would be a disaster as that would mean Europe and before you know it youre mid table with 3 games in hand on the teams above. Consequently you're always playing catch up and automatic promotion becomes out of the question which is what you should really be striving for.
ReplyDeleteYou mean like the team that started against Aldershot Stani?
ReplyDelete31 Ruud Boffin
3 George McCartney
18 Julien Faubert
2 Winston Reid
37 Callum McNaughton
4 Kevin Nolan
12 Pablo Barrera
25 Junior Stanislas 1
11 John Carew
30 Frederic Piquionne
19 Fred Sears
That worked well didn't it?
And how many people have commented here then. Three and one of them is you hf. So let's look at possible reasons why. 1) Poorly written drivel? 2) Nobody really gives a toss about your opinion? 3) They're all resigned to w,hams fate? 4) All of the above. You wrote that Killgallon and Ferdinand were " subed". What does that mean oh wise one?
ReplyDeleteClassy photo at the top hf. Are there any depths you won't plumb? You continually show yourself up for what you are,a total arsewipe.
ReplyDeleteWhat don't you like about the photo 2356? Very attractive bottoms don't you think?
ReplyDeleteNo HF, a proper 11 from the training ground. Not something stuck together in desperation. A team that is planned beforehand. Tired of hearing about signings like Montenegro and never seeing them play.
ReplyDelete