Angell Delight
Life President
...but for me its come as no surprise that these 3 straight defeats have come immediately after the Barnet FA Cup tie. I said to Draft Shrimper and statski that I'd be quite happy this season to go out at the first hurdle as having been a Shrimper for 18+ years I've seen many a promising season (5 or 6 I can think of) either wrecked or nearly ruined by cup competitions. I predicted that there was a possibility the wheels could come off after Barnet cos I've seen it and I'm sure many others have seen it many times before (remember this coming after a great run of form and a fine win at Bristol City) and unfortunately thats whats happened. There is no doubt in my mind that the FA cup is a most unwelcome distraction this season, no matter how much players try to put it out of their heads it does occasionally upset the rhythm of a side going well in league competition. Yes 2 out of the three sides we've played (well Swansea at least) are very strong opposition but its the manner of the defeats that worries me - for the players we have we have been diabolical in those 3 games and whilst it is inevitable that even the best sides can have a bad day at the office to perform like that in 3 consecutive games is far too coincidental with the quality we have in our starting X1. You can argue the fact we've missed Guttridge for 2 of these games but at the end of the day we have Benno who was one of the most physical box-to-box players in League Two last season and is certainly capable of filling Gutts boots without any problems whatsoever, infact we've missed his ability to drive the side on while he was out injured. For me also he was excellent on the right during most of our run and much of that was built on our solidity in midfield and when Guttridge returns I'd love to see Benno back on the right with JCR on the left side. Infact I'd like to see that now with Jay in the middle, Tilly MUST do this now to make us more solid in the middle of the park.
In my opinion it is quite possible that the rhythm has been upset by the FA Cup, particularly as we have been given a home tie which we should win. Me personally I think the worst possible scenario could be if we were to get through the 2nd Round and get a big Premier$hite tie which could hamper our league form even further until the 3rd Round in January - should this happen it could quite easily wreck our season. To some (probably younger) posters on here that may sound like a crazy statement to make but looking at the bigger picture I would quite easily swap a Premier$hite tie and one single day to remember for a (possible) place in the Championship come May where we would be guaranteed a 3rd Round spot each year we stay in there and more importantly to play top sides and see quality football week-in-week-out. To some sides who are struggling cup football can kickstart their campaigns, for us I fear it COULD cost us this year should we progress further. I said to Draft and statski before Barnet that I thought there was a possibility we could hit a wobble after Barnet for this reason and was laughed at, I only hope that come the New Year I'm not able to say "I told you so" cos believe me I don't want to.
Was discussing this with my Uncle this afternoon who has been a Shrimper for 40 years and he agrees with me, I'm guessing many on here will have their own opinions. I did hear Peter Beagrie talking about Swansea's great form briefly in response to an e-mail on You're On Sky Sports last week also saying "I'm quite sure Kenny Jackett won't be too displeased about going out of the cup at the 1st hurdle, they don't need any distractions this season" and I obviously share the same opinion, infact he and Steve Claridge seem to be the only ones that talk any sense on that programme!!
P.S. Its inevitable some people are gonna come back with the financial factor should we get a Premier$hite tie and thats fair enough in itself but the real money is getting into the Championship (which this side is DEFINITELY good enough to achieve). IF - and its a big if - what I am saying proves accurate that one potential pay-day could ruin our hopes of getting back into the 2nd tier and in my honest opinion this is the best chance we're likely to have to get back there in the near future as lets face it this division is a poor one this year, certainly poorer than when we were relegated from it. Also anyone who thinks Freddy will be here next season if we're still in League One is kidding themselves
In my opinion it is quite possible that the rhythm has been upset by the FA Cup, particularly as we have been given a home tie which we should win. Me personally I think the worst possible scenario could be if we were to get through the 2nd Round and get a big Premier$hite tie which could hamper our league form even further until the 3rd Round in January - should this happen it could quite easily wreck our season. To some (probably younger) posters on here that may sound like a crazy statement to make but looking at the bigger picture I would quite easily swap a Premier$hite tie and one single day to remember for a (possible) place in the Championship come May where we would be guaranteed a 3rd Round spot each year we stay in there and more importantly to play top sides and see quality football week-in-week-out. To some sides who are struggling cup football can kickstart their campaigns, for us I fear it COULD cost us this year should we progress further. I said to Draft and statski before Barnet that I thought there was a possibility we could hit a wobble after Barnet for this reason and was laughed at, I only hope that come the New Year I'm not able to say "I told you so" cos believe me I don't want to.
Was discussing this with my Uncle this afternoon who has been a Shrimper for 40 years and he agrees with me, I'm guessing many on here will have their own opinions. I did hear Peter Beagrie talking about Swansea's great form briefly in response to an e-mail on You're On Sky Sports last week also saying "I'm quite sure Kenny Jackett won't be too displeased about going out of the cup at the 1st hurdle, they don't need any distractions this season" and I obviously share the same opinion, infact he and Steve Claridge seem to be the only ones that talk any sense on that programme!!
P.S. Its inevitable some people are gonna come back with the financial factor should we get a Premier$hite tie and thats fair enough in itself but the real money is getting into the Championship (which this side is DEFINITELY good enough to achieve). IF - and its a big if - what I am saying proves accurate that one potential pay-day could ruin our hopes of getting back into the 2nd tier and in my honest opinion this is the best chance we're likely to have to get back there in the near future as lets face it this division is a poor one this year, certainly poorer than when we were relegated from it. Also anyone who thinks Freddy will be here next season if we're still in League One is kidding themselves
