I do get it Then we need to be serious about having a team to seriously challenge for the 2 remaining trophies We seem to think we are too good for the 2 domestic cups yet not serious enough about the other 2. No man's land/wool over our eyes
Not sure about that. Isn't it just as likely that Poch realises we're not good enough to challenge on all fronts. After all Citeh's B team is nearly as good as any first XI in the PL, so it's no problem for them to field a team full of excellent players for these competitions. We (and just about any other team) don't have that luxury). Plus of course Citeh don't usually get drawn against PL teams (see Carabao Cup last season) and when they need "assistance" against Swansea they had plenty from the 12th man.
28 years since you were last in the FA Cup final, are you telling me you have been so far behind all these other teams for so long? 1990–91 Tottenham Hotspur * 2–1 * Nottingham Forest Wembley Stadium (original) 80,000 1991–92 Liverpool 2–0 Sunderland Wembley Stadium (original) 80,000 1992–93 Arsenal * 1–1 * Sheffield Wednesday Wembley Stadium (original) 79,347 1992–93 (R) Arsenal * 2–1 * Sheffield Wednesday Wembley Stadium (original) 62,267 1993–94 Manchester United please log in to view this image 4–0 Chelsea Wembley Stadium (original) 79,634 1994–95 Everton 1–0 Manchester United Wembley Stadium (original) 79,592 1995–96 Manchester United please log in to view this image 1–0 Liverpool Wembley Stadium (original) 79,007 1996–97 Chelsea 2–0 Middlesbrough Wembley Stadium (original) 79,160 1997–98 Arsenal please log in to view this image 2–0 Newcastle United Wembley Stadium (original) 79,183 1998–99 Manchester United please log in to view this image 2–0 Newcastle United Wembley Stadium (original) 79,101 1999–2000 Chelsea 1–0 Aston Villa Wembley Stadium (original) 78,217 2000–01 Liverpool 2–1 Arsenal Millennium Stadium 72,500 2001–02 Arsenal please log in to view this image 2–0 Chelsea Millennium Stadium 73,963 2002–03 Arsenal 1–0 Southampton Millennium Stadium 73,726 2003–04 Manchester United 3–0 Millwall Millennium Stadium 71,350 2004–05 Arsenal please log in to view this image 0–0 please log in to view this image Manchester United Millennium Stadium 71,876 2005–06 Liverpool please log in to view this image 3–3 please log in to view this image West Ham United Millennium Stadium 71,140 2006–07 Chelsea * 1–0 * Manchester United Wembley Stadium (new) 89,826 2007–08 Portsmouth 1–0 please log in to view this image Cardiff City Wembley Stadium (new) 89,874 2008–09 Chelsea 2–1 Everton Wembley Stadium (new) 89,391 2009–10 Chelsea please log in to view this image 1–0 Portsmouth Wembley Stadium (new) 88,335 2010–11 Manchester City 1–0 Stoke City Wembley Stadium (new) 88,643 2011–12 Chelsea 2–1 Liverpool Wembley Stadium (new) 89,041 2012–13 Wigan Athletic 1–0 Manchester City Wembley Stadium (new) 86,254 2013–14 Arsenal * 3–2 * Hull City Wembley Stadium (new) 89,345 2014–15 Arsenal 4–0 Aston Villa Wembley Stadium (new) 89,283 2015–16 Manchester United * 2–1 * Crystal Palace Wembley Stadium (new) 88,619 2016–17 Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea Wembley Stadium (new) 89,472 2017–18 Chelsea 1–0 Manchester United Wembley Stadium (new) 87,647 2018–19 Manchester City please log in to view this image 6–0 Watford Wembley Stadium (new) 85,854
Good luck trying to convince any of us that our first team for most of the 90s was on a level with any of those teams you just listed...
Exactly As much as I want us winning things It’s not because I think we are entitled but because I believe this is our best moment considering our squad and manager. I believe we are on a ‘decline’ in overall squad quality which for me was peaking 2 seasons ago. We didn’t quite build as we should if we were focused on creating a quality squad. However this situation can be rescued very well if we can get through this little internal storm at our club. People wanting to leave, rumours of personal stuff...all off field drama affecting on field. If the powers that be want us right up there again, they can if their focus aligns with Poch.
That 2007/08 Cup Final had the most bizarrely easy routes for the two teams that it barely sounds possible. Cardiff played Chasetown(?), Hereford, Wolves, Boro and Barnsley. Portsmouth played Ipswich, Plymouth, Preston, Man Utd (the exception) and West Brom. The only difficult game there on paper was at Old Trafford, but they played their reserves and the keeper got sent off and gave away a penalty.
Looking like a major rebuild is needed next summer, a whole new defence is needed and a replacement for Eriksen (not convinced that Lo Celso is the answer) That requires huge money and I just can’t see it happening. Especially if the club doesn’t finish top 4
So much for the conspiracy theories of the Twitter crowd... https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/fo...auricio-pochettino-rift-rumours-a4250206.html
Big time. Instead of 1-2 leaving and 1-2 being signed every window, next summer 5-6 will be needed or else the club will be relying on youngsters week in, week out.
Define behind - looking at that list of winners only Portsmouth and Wigan would have had a smaller income, budget, net spend and wage bill than us, so yes from a purely financial standpoint the answer is in the main yes. If you would rather base it on league position then the winners of the cup also finished higher than us in the league 25 times so yes we were frequently behind on that score too so your point was?
To anyone about to read this...sorry about the length but it is worth looking at the end result of clubs that have over spent in the hope of getting to and winning a final. Thats 28 finals since we won in 1991. Winners Arsenal x 8 Liverpool x 3 United x 5 City x 2 Chelsea x7 Everton ... 1 top 4 finish and 3 or 4 top 6 finishes Portsmouth...went bust and into freefall and have not recovered Wigan...went bust and into freefall and have not recovered Runners Up 1992 Sunderland remained inthe old 2nd division for 4 further years and have been relegated 5 times since. Have spent 12 years out of the premier league including the last 2 years in league 2. 1993 Sheffield Wednesday...have been a basket case of a club for 20 years. Have spent 18 years out of the premier league including spells in league 1. 1994...chelsea 1995...United 1996...Liverpool 1997...Middlesborough ... relegated that season. Have been relegated a further 2 times since. Have spent 11 seasons out of the Premier league. 1998 and 1999... Newcastle... 2 relegations since and at least 5 or 6 other relegation battles 2000 ... Villa...Relegated, 3 other relegation battles...nearly gone into receivership twice... 2 years out of premier league 2001 ...Arsenal 2002 ...Chelsea 2003...Southampton relegated 2 years later...8 seasons out of the premier league including 2 seasons in league 1. Club slso entered administration. 2004 Millwall...3 relegations, various financial difficulties snd zero seasons in premier league. 2005 man utd 2006 West Ham...nearly relegated tge following season , then relegated the next. Relegated twice in total. 2007 Man Utd 2008 Cardiff...relegated twice, only 2 seasons in premier league. 2009...Everton (see 1996) 2010...portsmouth...relegated that season. Went into administration. 9 seasons out of premier league including seasons in league one. 2011 Stoke...relegated and struggling in Championship 2012 Liverpool 2013 Man City 2014 Villa (see 2000) 2015 Hull...relegated that season...struggling in championship. 2016 Palace ... relegation battles ever since. 2017 Chelsea 2018 Man Utd 2019 Watford...a basket case this season
Not including Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea or City only 2 out 13 clubs who reached the final and lost in those 28 finals have not been relegated...Palace (who have had 2 relegation threatened seasons since their final) and Watford who are have s nightmare this season.
The last two times we won the Season Killer Cup, our form went off a cliff - and in the case of 2008, that form continued into the next season It's hardly the only case of this happening, either, as Liverpool, Swansea, Middlesbrough and Birmingham will all attest