Steve Coppell and the FA Cup

[MattRFC]

There is a real incentive to stay in the prem this year as any team that stays up gets £40 mill, whereas previous seasons it was £20mill, and the teams that get relagated this season only recieve £20mill parachute payment, so imo there's a £20mill incentive to stay up whereas maybe gettin to the 1/4 finals of the FA cup might only bring £1mill maybe £2mill. I'm pretty sure we'd be stupid to put out our full strength squad for the likes of burnley in the FA cup and lose concerntration on the league!

Besides how else are fringe/youth team players gonna get a chance if they cant break into the first team! Might as well let em show us wat they can produce on a football pitch against teams from the championship etc otherwise wats the point in having them at the club!

[Platypuss]

The Adam Federici who has played 90 mins at the MadStad against Akin-bad-buy etc will be a much better player when Marcus picks up an injury in a Premeier League game.

But what will you really learn about a goalie when he's playing behind a makeshift defence? What do you learn about a fringe defender playing in front of a rookie goalie?

What if we have a disaster at the back - not all experience is positive.

[londinium]

It's all about priorities. We are with the big boys now but we are the small fish in the big pond.

Ask any manager, player or supporter of a premiership team how they rate the 3 domestic trophies and you get the same answer:

Premiership
F.A. Cup
League Cup

Obviously the big 4 want to win the league, the next 6/8 want to aim for Europe and the remainder want to be in this position next year and not settle for being happy with getting a home draw against Villa in the cup as they had been relegated the previous year.

You have to remember that the higher up the league you finish then the more dosh you get and one or two places higher is a lot of money that can well be used to strenghten our position as a premiership club in the fututre.

[Huntley & Palmer]

What if one of our valuable key players were lost for the season in one of these FA Cup matches ?

Would be happy playing the first team then?

FA Cup does not generate enough money to risk our players on.

If we had a better, stronger squad then maybe..................but not yet!!

What if he broke his leg in training? Or a reserve match? You can't go around smothering them in cotton wool, it's what these lads are trained to do.

With regards to money, if you get to the quarter finals then you are well on your way to over £1.5 million if you total up the money from the FA, TV and radio coverage and gate receipts. I had not realised that a club like Reading could turn it's nose up at that amount now

[Huntley & Palmer]

AP I admire your stout refusal to adopt any sort of negative stance in this situation, but unfortunately the circumstances really dictate that we CAN take this seriously without any adverse effects. Hell, we got through eight games in December and the Xmas period without any adverse effects. What else are the players going to do on the allotted FA Cup weekends that we aren't playing in, sit there and play with their arse? No, they'll be training most likely which is quite ironic really.

We have a small squad. What happens if a lower-league team decide to kick 10 bells of sh*ie out of us and Sidwell, Sonko and Doyle are all out for 3 months. Would you still say there are no adverse effects when we end up in a relegation dog-fight?

That's their choice, what if Sheff U decide to kick seven shades of shit out of us in a couple of weeks? The arguement of players being at more risk of injury is utter bollocks. They could injure themselves walking around the house at home

[weybridgewanderer]

Hell, we got through eight games in December and the Xmas period without any adverse effects.

I would beg to differ

Sonko got injured

Murty got injured

Bryn got injured

Little's carrying an injury

[9165]

As has been stated, lets use some of "our" (ie academy) boys for this one. How else are we going to find out what they`re like ? There definately seems to be a thing about homegrown players not being picked, even for games like this. Also, SC seems to have changed his stance dramtically in the last 2 years - check the teams for the 2 Swansea games in R3.

[higher]

Confident that Reading "B" string can win the FA cup.I would like to see Coppell put Doyle,Sonko,Sid,Marcus and Murts on the bench for the final as a bit of added insurance.Murts to come on after 87 mins and grab the winning pen.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Hell, we got through eight games in December and the Xmas period without any adverse effects.

I would beg to differ

Sonko got injured

Murty got injured

Bryn got injured

Little's carrying an injury

How many games have they missed between them this season?

[Stranded]

The Adam Federici who has played 90 mins at the MadStad against Akin-bad-buy etc will be a much better player when Marcus picks up an injury in a Premeier League game.

But what will you really learn about a goalie when he's playing behind a makeshift defence? What do you learn about a fringe defender playing in front of a rookie goalie?

What if we have a disaster at the back - not all experience is positive.

That's a point I will agree with. What do we actually learn about our fringe players and their readyness for Prem action by playing them all together against lower league opposition.

A back of De La Cruz/Bikey/Gunnarsson/Golbourne for example aren't going to play against Sheff Utd in two weeks time. I've nothing against resting a few first team players but to use the excuse that a opportunity for the fringe players is almost laughable.

If Long gets 3 tomorrow, will we know anything new about him? The same if Oster plays well in centre midfield? No, we won't.

[weybridgewanderer]

As a side issue I think Coppell has always been scarred by what happened when he managed Crystal palace one year. With 3 games to go they were 8 points clear of Sheffield Wednesday. They lose there last 3 games, Sheff Wednesday won all of them and relegated palace. He always quotes this as an example fo the worst happening.

Absolutely, I don't think this is a side issue it is the crux of the matter

That sheffield team were mid table and "safe" at christmas, picked up 1 injury and their season fell apart

and coppell himself picked up one bad injury that finished his career

hence his attitude "you never know whats around the corner, no point taking unnecesary risks"

[readingbedding]

The Adam Federici who has played 90 mins at the MadStad against Akin-bad-buy etc will be a much better player when Marcus picks up an injury in a Premeier League game.

But what will you really learn about a goalie when he's playing behind a makeshift defence? What do you learn about a fringe defender playing in front of a rookie goalie?

What if we have a disaster at the back - not all experience is positive.

That's a point I will agree with. What do we actually learn about our fringe players and their readyness for Prem action by playing them all together against lower league opposition.

A back of De La Cruz/Bikey/Gunnarsson/Golbourne for example aren't going to play against Sheff Utd in two weeks time. I've nothing against resting a few first team players but to use the excuse that a opportunity for the fringe players is almost laughable.

If Long gets 3 tomorrow, will we know anything new about him? The same if Oster plays well in centre midfield? No, we won't.

Why are people talking about EXCUSES and LAUGHABLE?
Where are these excuses, he's not lying is he?

If these fringe players play in a first team atmosphere, Coppell will be able to see how they react to that.

It's obvious that Coppell wants to keep the first team as fresh as possible and it's also obvious that he's willing to forgo a 'Cup adventure' to give us the best chance possible to finish as high as we can in the League.

This is certainly something that I agree with too, a good cup run is great, but finishing as far and as strongly as we can in the Prem is vital in improving our squad in the close season.

Football keeps on coming and should we enrich our squad over pre-season 07/08, we'll have a better chance of progressing on all fronts, not only the Prem.

At the moment, we're playing like a top 10 side, and Coppell is not prepared to gamble that for the sake of a Cup run.

Like it or lump it, you don't have to go.

[weybridgewanderer]

The Adam Federici who has played 90 mins at the MadStad against Akin-bad-buy etc will be a much better player when Marcus picks up an injury in a Premeier League game.

But what will you really learn about a goalie when he's playing behind a makeshift defence? What do you learn about a fringe defender playing in front of a rookie goalie?

What if we have a disaster at the back - not all experience is positive.

That's a point I will agree with. What do we actually learn about our fringe players and their readyness for Prem action by playing them all together against lower league opposition.

A back of De La Cruz/Bikey/Gunnarsson/Golbourne for example aren't going to play against Sheff Utd in two weeks time. I've nothing against resting a few first team players but to use the excuse that a opportunity for the fringe players is almost laughable.

If Long gets 3 tomorrow, will we know anything new about him? The same if Oster plays well in centre midfield? No, we won't.

DE La cruz will not play

DE la cruz will never kick a ball for reading again

inetersting too that Bobby and Kiston are fringe players

Personally 1 expect about 6 changes from saturday

I see

federici

gunnarson bikey ingamarson shorey

soel oster sidwell convey

lita long


bench

hunt harper sonko little kitson hahnemann

[Gordons Cumming]

6 on the bench and Convey starting?

[weybridgewanderer]

ok bench from :

hunt harper sonko little kitson hahnemann

[SpaceCruiser]

DE La cruz will not play

DE la cruz will never kick a ball for reading again

How do you know? Are you the Reading manager?

[Huntley & Palmer]

OK, the mass consensus of opinion is that no-one particularly minds Coppell playing a scratch reserve side through any round of the FA Cup. Unless we get to the latter stages and have secured Premiership safety.

What would you feel about Reading rejecting an application to enter the Intertoto Cup based on the same viewpoint. It starts in June, offers no financial incentive in the early stages, puts extra strain on an already small squad. Would you stand by Coppell's decision to not enter it if elligible? Would you not want the opportunity to watch Reading in Europe?

[weybridgewanderer]

and lets not forgot this "fringe team" - (note fringe not reserve!!) last season beat west brom and took birmingham to a replay

[rg6royal]

and lets not forgot this "fringe team" - (note fringe not reserve!!) last season beat west brom and took birmingham to a replay

yeah they did very well and we didn't deserve to lose away at birmingham.

[Stranded]

The Adam Federici who has played 90 mins at the MadStad against Akin-bad-buy etc will be a much better player when Marcus picks up an injury in a Premeier League game.

But what will you really learn about a goalie when he's playing behind a makeshift defence? What do you learn about a fringe defender playing in front of a rookie goalie?

What if we have a disaster at the back - not all experience is positive.

That's a point I will agree with. What do we actually learn about our fringe players and their readyness for Prem action by playing them all together against lower league opposition.

A back of De La Cruz/Bikey/Gunnarsson/Golbourne for example aren't going to play against Sheff Utd in two weeks time. I've nothing against resting a few first team players but to use the excuse that a opportunity for the fringe players is almost laughable.

If Long gets 3 tomorrow, will we know anything new about him? The same if Oster plays well in centre midfield? No, we won't.

DE La cruz will not play

DE la cruz will never kick a ball for reading again

inetersting too that Bobby and Kiston are fringe players

Personally 1 expect about 6 changes from saturday

I see

federici

gunnarson bikey ingamarson shorey

soel oster sidwell convey

lita long


bench

hunt harper sonko little kitson hahnemann

De La Cruz was just an example of the top of my head.

If the starting 11 is as you predict tomorrow I can see merit it that as it gives some players a run out along side established players ie. Bikey in a back four that could conceivably start against Everton and Convey a 90 minute run.