NUFC Fans Forum - No interest in winning cups

[Mick]

 

Wey, what did you mean by 'I have seen nothing to suggest that we tried to win it', then? Winning games is usually the key indicator of your intentions in a cup.

 

We started the season with one first team signing and had got rid of 3 players who had played a lot of games the season before.  We didn't invest in a team who had potentially 17 extra games to play.

[Guest icemanblue]

 

Wey, what did you mean by 'I have seen nothing to suggest that we tried to win it', then? Winning games is usually the key indicator of your intentions in a cup.

 

We started the season with one first team signing and had got rid of 3 players who had played a lot of games the season before.  We didn't invest in a team who had potentially 17 extra games to play.

 

Okay. That's true, but not exactly relevant to our playing intentions. Once we were actually playing games in the cup, we weren't trying to win them?

[Mick]

 

 

Okay. That's true, but not exactly relevant to our playing intentions. Once we were actually playing games in the cup, we weren't trying to win them?

 

I didn't say that we weren't trying to win individual games although I could have highlighted games in the UEFA which I don't think we tried to win, especially against Benfica.

[BottledDog]

 

 

"we tried to go as far as we could"

 

Well, in a cup competition, that is pretty much all I ask.

 

We could have won it, we tried, we failed.

 

We took on more games without investing in the squad because we wanted to win it, aye, right.

 

That's a whole different arguement. If you go down that route (one that we all agree on), we also didn't invest to do well in the Premiership, which is our priority.

 

All I was taking umbrage with was the suggestion we don't try in the cups. We generally do.

 

We might have had a more comfortable season if we'd sacked it off and not bothered in the Euro Cup. But we didn't, we gave it a go.

[Guest neesy111]

I didn't say that we weren't trying to win individual games although I could have highlighted games in the UEFA which I don't think we tried to win, especially against Benfica.

 

 

We did try to win v Benfica.

[Mick]

 

 

That's a whole different arguement. If you go down that route (one that we all agree on), we also didn't invest to win the Premiership, which is our priority.

 

All I was taking umbrage with was the suggestion we don't try in the cups. We do.

 

We might have had a more comfortable season if we'd sacked it off and not bothered in the Euro Cup. But we didn't.

 

Ok, I'll re-phrase what I was getting at.

 

I don't think we set out to win a cup but we'll take it if we manage to win it.

[Mick]

 

 

 

We did try to win v Benfica.

 

Bollocks did we.

[Hanshithispantz]

We did for about 20 minutes in the home leg, the other 70 was fucking pathetic.

 

[Guest icemanblue]

 

 

Okay. That's true, but not exactly relevant to our playing intentions. Once we were actually playing games in the cup, we weren't trying to win them?

 

I didn't say that we weren't trying to win individual games although I could have highlighted games in the UEFA which I don't think we tried to win, especially against Benfica.

 

You said you saw no evidence of us trying to win a cup, man. Qualifying from your group, and winning knockout games is about the only evidence you need.

 

It was a daft statement.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We definitely didn't give the manager/players/club enough credit for the Europa run. We did a more than respectable job.

 

The problem was how they kept talking about it as a reason for poor league performance.

[Mick]

 

You said you saw no evidence of us trying to win a cup, man. Qualifying from your group, and winning knockout games is about the only evidence you need.

 

It was a daft statement.

 

We were playing mostly inferior teams, it's not as if we had to do a lot to get out of the group.

[Guest firetotheworks]

I could understand Pardew's idea with the home leg vs Benfica. Attcking them when they wouldn't have time to respond. It was risky and obviously didn't work out, but it was preferable to us going for the kill early on and then sitting back on the lead and losing it, which is his usual shite.

[Guest icemanblue]

 

You said you saw no evidence of us trying to win a cup, man. Qualifying from your group, and winning knockout games is about the only evidence you need.

 

It was a daft statement.

 

We were playing mostly inferior teams, it's not as if we had to do a lot to get out of the group.

 

Shut up.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I could understand Pardew's idea with the home leg vs Benfica. Attcking them when they wouldn't have time to respond. It was risky and obviously didn't work out, but it was preferable to us going for the kill early on and then sitting back on the lead and losing it, which is his usual shite.

 

Me too, we had a very clear plan that almost got us through against the odds. Fairly unusual but not necessarily unacceptable.

[Mick]

 

Shut up.

 

If you say so.

[Guest icemanblue]

 

Shut up.

 

If you say so.

 

I'm saving you further embarrassment, man. You just completley flipped your argument there, when you ran into a dead end.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

We did for about 20 minutes in the home leg, the other 70 was f***ing pathetic.

 

We put out the full first team squad in Portugal, and then essentially put out the full first team with the exception of Ben Arfa (who came on late and was returning from injury) in the second one.

 

We played very admirably in the first leg until we collapsed after Santon gifted them a goal, and Pardew's strategy, however misguided, saw us attacking at home with a chance to win the tie in the final twenty minutes against a team that was superior.

 

People need to differentiate between not trying and simply not being good enough. Do you castigate dyslexic children for below average performance?

[Incognito]

We did for about 20 minutes in the home leg, the other 70 was fucking pathetic.

 

I particularly remember the superb tactical acumen of Pardew when he selected Bigi on the right hand side of midfield. 

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

You said you saw no evidence of us trying to win a cup, man. Qualifying from your group, and winning knockout games is about the only evidence you need.

 

It was a daft statement.

 

We were playing mostly inferior teams, it's not as if we had to do a lot to get out of the group.

 

Shut up.

 

What a mint argument.

[Mick]

 

 

I'm saving you further embarrassment, man. You just completley flipped your argument there, when you ran into a dead end.

 

I didn't flip anything, that's your trait.

[Hanshithispantz]

Do you castigate dyslexic children for below average performance?

All the time mate.

 

The home tie ended up looking OK for the closing stages of the game after we scored but we were lucky not to have conceded before then, we let them have the ball to attack us at will for nearly 3/4 of the match.

 

I never meantioned anything about the first game, I thought we looked great especially in the first half and were obviously unlucky not to have taken the lead a couple of times. I preferred that mentality much more than I did the one at home.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We did for about 20 minutes in the home leg, the other 70 was fucking pathetic.

 

I particularly remember the superb tactical acumen of Pardew when he selected Bigi on the right hand side of midfield. 

 

That was mental to be fair.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Do you castigate dyslexic children for below average performance?

All the time mate.

 

The home tie ended up looking OK for the closing stages of the game after we scored but we were lucky not to have conceded before then, we let them have the ball to attack us at will for nearly 3/4 of the match.

 

I never meantioned anything about the first game, I thought we looked great especially in the first half and were obviously unlucky not to have taken the lead a couple of times. I preferred that mentality much more than I did the one at home.

An all out attacking mentality at home when you are two goals down, but have the advantage of an away goal doesn't make much sense though. Especially if the team opposing has the quality of Benfica. I agree with Pardew's approach, but due to our personnel and his failings elsewhere, we didn't have ability or intelligence to play well enough on the counter while completely shutting them out. Still, it did work for all intents, and the introduction of a half-fit, slightly fat Hatem did change things.

[Guest icemanblue]

 

 

I'm saving you further embarrassment, man. You just completley flipped your argument there, when you ran into a dead end.

 

I didn't flip anything, that's your trait.

 

 

 

You didn't, eh?

 

From:

 

 

We do try in the cups though.

 

Last year we were bunkum again against Brighton, and went out against ManU, but to say we didn't try to win the Euro Cup is bullshit imho.

 

We didn't try to win the UEFA, we tried to go as far as we could but I have seen nothing to suggest that we tried to win it.

 

To:

 

 

You said you saw no evidence of us trying to win a cup, man. Qualifying from your group, and winning knockout games is about the only evidence you need.

 

It was a daft statement.

 

We were playing mostly inferior teams, it's not as if we had to do a lot to get out of the group.

[Robster]

I thought you said you had a girlfriend ?