A difficult balancing act - and a choice

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<font face="Arial">You have a dodgy situation looming.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">On the horizon just a few days away is a potentially difficult but extremely important fixture, against a local derby side, that you need to win. Your side is 6^th in the table and needs to keep the momentum going to ensure the gap that is just beginning to show under the top 5 is kept as narrow as possible.</font></p>

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<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">Between now and then there is an away fixture in a rather unglamorous cup competition, against a side in a higher division, that will not attract a great deal of revenue to the club, and if you do go all out for a win and manage it, you could get dragged into extra time, extra injuries and bookings, all for the possibility of getting kicked out in the next exhausting round.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">An added feature is that the local derby side has to play its own cup fixture 24 hours later, against a tough Premiership side, and will undoubtedly fight hard, with possibly a decent level of firepower. On paper then, you have a 24 hour “rest and prepare” advantage over the opposition.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You have two choices, </font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font face="Arial">1)</font><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-VARIANT: normal" roman??="" new="" times="">     </span></span></span><font face="Arial">Turn out your strongest squad for the cup game, who are decent for this league but possibly not up to the standard of the Championship, run them ragged, wear them out, pick up a couple of injuries and a few more damaging bookings – before launching them into the weekend debacle with the local derby 3 days later - or</font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font face="Arial">2)</font><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 7pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-VARIANT: normal" roman??="" new="" times="">     </span></span></span><font face="Arial">Rest some of the more needed members of the squad, so that you can stand a better chance of keeping up with the leaders this weekend, and hopefully upping your gates and revenue as the team continues to do well.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You know that if Tuesday night goes a bit pear shaped, there will be some flack, but you will be vindicated if Saturday turns out alright.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You are also well aware that league games tossed to the wind will be remembered far longer than cup matches, because they leave an indelible mark on the season, especially if they are crucial, and particularly when they have derby status.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You also know that what fans ultimately want is respect in the league at all times, and promotion from it wherever possible.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You also note how lucky you were to move up two places by attaining one point last weekend, but that kind of thing won’t last forever.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">And lastly, you are aware that yellow cards at the rate they have been teeming in lately will inevitably reach saturation point very soon, causing their own casualties just when we need them least.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" />

<font face="Arial"> </font><font face="Arial">You have now to make your choice – which will it be?</font></p>

 

i'd take the blue pill

 

Fair point well made...

If we win on Sat! If not further questions will be asked.

Here's to 3...

 

Hahahaha

Thats the funniest thing I've ever heard. Aye, cos you've the squad to be chopping and changing. It was only Burnley and you're only Baaaaaarnsley.

Baaaaaaaaaaa-rnsley in team rotation policy. Lol.

You'll be telling me you've got schools next.

 

I've got it.

You're a lass aren't you?