SD giving not much away, but I get the feeling that we will not going for it tomorrow. City will make wholesale changes, maybe would be an ideal time to have a real go at them and give the 7,600 clarets a day to remember. I do realise that it is a squad game, and players have to be 'game fit' but I do think we could turn them over if we stayed with a strong team. Opinions please. UTC

You say weak but we are hardly going to go with the development squad players.

The possibles..........

Lowton for Bardsley
Long for Mee
Walters for Arfield
Westwood for Cork
Marney for Defour
Vokes for Hendrick (but goes up top with Barnes in Hendrick's place)

They're all have Premier League experience.

Palace game far far more important - take the development squad

Vegas Claret wrote:Palace game far far more important - take the development squad

Said someone who doesn't have a ticket for City.

Difficult one. From what I read, it seems like some of our players are very tired after the Christmas and New Year games and need a rest before the remainder of the league fixtures. On the other hand, this is a big cup game and it would be great to win it. Whether we go weak or strong, the decision will be right in some ways, wrong in others.

Dev squad have played today, so none of them will be involved tomorrow

I agree, take the Development team. Pointless exercise really.

I concur with the view expressed in this article:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... SApp_Other" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bin Ont Turf wrote:Said someone who doesn't have a ticket for City.

would you rather have one for the league game next season
ps: not saying for one second we are going down but we earn FAR more money if we finish in the top ten than if we win the FA Cup. Thus, the FA Cup is irrelevant imho at this stage in our PL life

I'm sure some decisions have been made for him with not wanting to risk some players, some needing match time, some 'tired'. Mix that all up and I'm sure a lot of positions will have picked themself.

Vegas Claret wrote:would you rather have one for the league game next season
ps: not saying for one second we are going down but we earn FAR more money if we finish in the top ten than if we win the FA Cup. Thus, the FA Cup is irrelevant imho at this stage in our PL life

I’d happily finish 11th and have a day out at Wembley and see us lifting a major trophy - It’d be the first major trophy I would have seen us lift and it’d be a bigger buzz than the trophy we get for finishing in the top half.

I posted this on Monday evening on the Burnley v L'pool player ratings thread:

10 games in 37 days from Sunday 26 Nov (Arsenal) thru to today - not surprised some legs are a little tired.

Injuries picked up through this period can't have helped.

12 points from 10 games - a reasonable return, probably, given includes 4 games against "big 6."

Now, given we've got a big away following for FA Cup, what team do we put out on Saturday? And, do the tired legs get a few days away in the sun?

UTC

I'm sure Sean Dyche is making the right decision. If City are putting out a reserve team, maybe our reserves can do what Lincoln did at t;Turf last season.

Premier League success is a lot more important than progressing in the cup. We can get into Europe with Premier League position at the end of the season. I don't think we qualify for Europe by coming 2nd in the FA Cup and slipping down the Prem.

UTC

And Arfield did his hamstring in training today, only a tweak but unlikely to be risked.

Vegas Claret wrote:would you rather have one for the league game next season
ps: not saying for one second we are going down but we earn FAR more money if we finish in the top ten than if we win the FA Cup. Thus, the FA Cup is irrelevant imho at this stage in our PL life

There in a nutshell is what's wrong with modern football attitudes.

What is the point of football? To earn money or to win things? If,ultimately, you aren't aiming to win things, what is the point of making money?

And another thing- If Dyche needs rotate the squad, why didn't he do it against Liverpool?

If we win tomorrow it will be celebrated far bigger and better than any result of this season.

Thankfully all the fans that don't like the FA cup will still be at home.

UTC

We can rest players and still win and still do well in the league.

A rest will do cork, defour, jbg the world of good.

Westwood, walters and marney need the games and are no mugs.

Utc

bfccrazy wrote:I’d happily finish 11th and have a day out at Wembley and see us lifting a major trophy - It’d be the first major trophy I would have seen us lift and it’d be a bigger buzz than the trophy we get for finishing in the top half.

See us lifting a major trophy? Nah, they,d send it to Middlesborough

Don't understand why anyone would want us to play anything other than the strongest possible team tomorrow.

bfccrazy wrote:I’d happily finish 11th and have a day out at Wembley and see us lifting a major trophy - It’d be the first major trophy I would have seen us lift and it’d be a bigger buzz than the trophy we get for finishing in the top half.

I'd rather us earn another 20 million and sign a better player for next season when we go for the double

Vegas Claret wrote:I'd rather us earn another 20 million and sign a better player for next season when we go for the double

Would love your teamtalk prematch tomorrow - Dont care what happens lads, just think .... We'll be here again next season anyway so just save yourselves for Palace.

Winning cup games gets fans excited - i'd argue that the cup run Coyle led us on went some way to laying the foudations to the good vibes around the club to help us push for promotion.

We will not be weak. SD doesn't do weak.
We'll be a bit different, that's all.

I wouldn't have called the team we played at Accy Stanley strong.

mickleoverclaret wrote:Don't understand why anyone would want us to play anything other than the strongest possible team tomorrow.

Can’t see it being that weak as we don’t have too many players available at minute.

I’d say

Lindegaard
Lowton Tarkowski Long Taylor
JBG Westwood Cork Walters
Vokes Wells

The last few matches have shown that some players need, and deserve a rest. It's a shame it's against City, who will probably make lots of changes as well, but the depth of their squad will leave us in an all but impossible task.
IF those players get a rest, and those coming back get some needed game time, then it can't be a bad thing regardless of the result.

I'd start Pope, no point in giving Lindegaard and Legzdins games.

colne-claret wrote:Can’t see it being that weak as we don’t have too many players available at minute.

I’d say

Lindegaard
Lowton Tarkowski Long Taylor
JBG Westwood Cork Walters
Vokes Wells

Cork is one of those who has looked jaded recently but out of him and Defour,dyche will protect Defour more,good if Lowton gets some game time,this is knockout football so we may be more attacking then the league games we have nothing to lose so might as well have a go.

bfccrazy wrote:Would love your teamtalk prematch tomorrow - Dont care what happens lads, just think .... We'll be here again next season anyway so just save yourselves for Palace.

Winning cup games gets fans excited - i'd argue that the cup run Coyle led us on went some way to laying the foudations to the good vibes around the club to help us push for promotion.

You see that's where you don't get what I'm saying. Whichever team we put out I would expect the team talk to be exactly the same from Dyche (or any manager)
I'd argue that Coyle was the luckiest manager we've ever had

colne-claret wrote:Can’t see it being that weak as we don’t have too many players available at minute.

I’d say

Lindegaard
Lowton Tarkowski Long Taylor
JBG Westwood Cork Walters
Vokes Wells

Your 5 at the back I agree, but my midfield, if nothing other than for game time, would be :
Wells, Westwood, Marney, Ulvestad, Walters,
Vokes.

It makes a nice change that we are in a position to play a “2nd eleven”

It wasn’t that long ago that “going weak” would have been changing 2 players at the most

When I look at any of the suggested lineups in this thread it gives me a warm feeling that we have such strength in depth to be able to put out a competitive team.

When squad rotation means bringing lowton and westwood in you know how far we have come.

Lowton should start and hopefully stay in for next week.

colne-claret wrote:Can’t see it being that weak as we don’t have too many players available at minute.

I’d say

Lindegaard
Lowton Tarkowski Long Taylor
JBG Westwood Cork Walters
Vokes Wells

I was thinking about this last night in bed (like you do), and I couldn't decide whether I'd have Pope or Lindegaard in goal. I think that depends on how soon Heaton is expected to be back. Playing Pope risks having to play our 3rd choice keeper in league games, but playing Pope increases our defence.

The back 4 are the same back 4 you've selected. Lowton, because Bardsley has played consecutively for a few games and it'll be good for Lowton to get some match time. The same with Tarks, missed 3 games, so get him in back in the action. I wouldn't want both Mee and Tarks playing incase of injury, so Long comes in. Ward isn't back yet, so Taylor's position picks itself really.

It was midfield that I was unsure of. I'd start JBG because I feel without JBG, Defour and Brady, we'd lack a hell of a lot of creativity, so I'd have started JBG too. But at the same time, I wondered whether 4-5-1 would be better, as even though City will rest a few of their big guns, they'll still have some superb players in midfield. Will Westwood and Cork be enough?

If we went with 4-4-2, the front 2 I'd also go with, as Wells is better upfront with a big man, and think Barnes is ahead of them both in the pecking order, so a chance to not risk him and an opportunity for Wells to shine.