These people who would rather we lose next week

in the belief that it would somehow help our league form.

I take it they aren't going to Wembley then!

I mean, why go to a game wanting to see your team lose?

 

Probably same people who ask which stand the west stand is!

 

what does it matter

what people want, whatever hapens happens simple as that.Can't believe anybody would sit there wanting us to lose but I can imagine folk trying to cheer themselves up if we did by hoping that the league situation would improve because of it.

 

So why does your original question matter???

 

Putting words into peoples' mouths

I've bought a ticket for Wembley. I'm driving to Wembley on Satdi. I want us to win and get to the FA Cup Final.

But do I <u>think</u> that the FA Cup is hurting our league form? <u>Definitely</u>. Some of the lacklustre performances, yellow-card-avoidance, tackle-shy matches have left us uncompetitive in many of the matches we should've won/drawn but didn't.

Would league form improve if we don't make the Final, I dunno. The prospect of travelling to Millwall, Hartlepoole, Carlisle, and our local bogey-team Donny Rovers should focus some players' minds on staying up... but I've not seen that much gumption from our players in any league matches recently.

 

Unfounded...No proof.

 

I take it you didn't hear Brian Howard saying in an interview after going AWOL for 85 minutes against QPR that he had to avoid a yellow card to make sure he could play against Chelsea?

There's little 'proof' in football, it's all opinions. For me though we've played <u>nothing</u> like our recent FA Cup form in recent league matches. When was the last time we played a Championship match as an 11-man unit?

 

Every player should enter every game with the intention of avoiding a yellow card.

So you are a leg breaker little tim?

 

Not at all, but I prefer not to see a 10-yard quarantine zone imposed around one of our best players cos he daren't get involved

So MDG are you unable to acknowledge that our league performances have been much worse than our FA Cup ones?

 

No, obviously we have over acheived ourselves in the FA Cup. However as a player or indeed the manager that should have no bearing on the league performances we have put in away this season. When did the 3rd round start and how many away matches had we won then????

 

Ooh, a test! That would be 5th Jan and 1 away win, although at least we were picking up the odd point away.

We were also winning far more home matches, and with much better performances than we're currently seeing... we were genuinely unlucky not to pick up more points from a number of matches. These are points you seem to have missed in your comparison of early & late season form.

 

Not at all. Luck counts for nothing and cannot be proven it even exists!

End of the day we have been crap away from Oakwell all this season.

 

And at home?

 

Not really if you compare to the rest of the division.

If we had even half decent away form we would not be in this position.

 

In full agreement about away form. But I'm also concerned that our home form has suffered and that was what had but us in an admittedly unrealistic playoff position earlier this season.

Ignoring our away matches (cos we're unlikely to get anything from them), our remaining matches are against Hull, Charlton and Leicester. Earlier this season I'd have thought 4-6 points from them, which would help our cause no end. Now I'm thinking 2-3.

It was home form that was propping us up, now it's dipped. That is a big change.

We were scoring more goals earlier in the season, albeit from midfield, now they've dried. That is a big change. The QPR match was a welcome exception though.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. You don't believe that the FA Cup run has affected our league form, whereas I do... although sadly there's little definitive proof either way.

But at the end of the day, I don't think either of us want anything but a win in the semi (dribble)

 

it has affected how we play in the league.

 

Ok will slightly agree but what about Ipswich 4-1????

Where did that come from?

 

Dunno. That was one game i missed cos i had to work. My mates said the margin was flattering & Ipswich hit the woodwork several times. I'm glad of the 3 points though and am glad of any proof that we can play better than in most of our recent matches. Nice to actually take chances for a change!

PS. When I said in the previous post "QPR was a welcome change", I actually meant Ipswich. Sorry, it was late