AFC Bournemouth v ROVERS

[Gav]

On 26/09/2018 at 16:52, DaveyB said:

Do you honestly believe that we had a chance of winning the competition this season, even if we played our first 11 in every round??

I’ll be honest and say I don’t. We potentially could have beaten Bournemouth, maybe even gone on a couple more rounds, but eventually we’d have drawn a Man City, a Liverpool, a Spurs etc and we’d have gone out - having played a number of extra games and possibly damaged our (already slim) chances of reaching the playoffs.

If I felt that we genuinely had a chance - say like Leicester, Bournemouth, Southampton - hell even the Dingles - then I’d be right there with you in being disappointed in the manager playing a weakened team - but I just don’t think that it applies in our situation 

We probably wouldn't have won the league cup no, nor the FA Cup, but anyone who thinks resting players for a promotion push is living in cloud cuckoo land in my opinion.

So what's left Davey? What reason have we rested key players? So they can run around Marbella until 4am on the next International break? 

Doesn't make any sense to me, you play your best players at our level, no excuses.

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by Gav

[Mattyblue]

But middling Championship clubs don’t, they make just as many changes as PL clubs now.

Totally get your point Gav, the modern game often makes me ask ‘what’s the point?’ What do clubs exist for now, if not to try and win things or even enjoy a cup run? Mid table Premier League clubs, say Everton, for example, will make 10 changes, get beat, for what? So they can still finish 9th?

The authorities are trying, getting rid of extra time, replays etc. But it’s just ingrained with clubs now, so you just get on with it and enjoy seeing some fringe players, though the collapse in FA Cup crowds over the past 15 years says the fans aren’t mugs.