24 hours

2What a difference a day makes, that’s right a day, 24 hours! Not 7 days, like last Sunday when we gave United the runaround, had Fergie praying his side could hold out, and once we’d deservedly equalised even he wasn’t sure if he wanted some of his own famous “Fergie time” added on; I suspect in the end he was just pleased with his point, after all on another day had we worn our finishing boots his side would have been picking the ball out the net 3 4 or even 5 times. That’s how good we was last week, we had the lot, we had pace, power, flare, commitment and belief, all of which we had none this weekend up at “Dirty Leeds”, it’s funny how a name sticks “Dirty Leeds” I remember them being labelled that years ago. Mind you the tackle on Parker near the end by Brown was that crap it’s like he was trying his best to ensure that tag never leaves.
Brown? How he ever became a Spurs player is a joke in it’s self.. Very poor footballer! He’s certainly found his level up there!

Anyway how 2 performances can be so different god only knows. Is it a case of the modern day footballer just don’t fancy our domestic Cups? Nah I doubt it’s that, could it then be that the lower League sides can raise their own performances to such a high that for those 94 minutes are competing at a level of Premiership standard?

Just think about it, for the entire week in the build up to the coming fixture against the “big” boys it will be all they’re thinking off, whilst driving the car, taking the dog out, soaking in the bath, even laying in bed, it’s there with them all the time. The towns people will also be excited and having the same thoughts and dreams. So when the likes of the Mighty Tottenham Hotspur arrive everyone and I do mean “everyone” knows their job for that 1 match.

The fans will cheer louder, their songs more frequent, and their numbers bigger. The players some how become supermen, can run a yard faster, run on for longer, they can jump a foot higher and some how become tactically more aware, almost telepathic.

All this happens because the nature of the game, the competition they’re playing a part in, whether the League Cup or the F.A. Cup these players find a performance that most of them will never be able to recreate, people say there’s the “magic” of the F.A.Cup and maybe this is it? Because what ever it is, almost every year a big club will be up against it and if the Premier League side isn’t absolutely 100% on their A game then they’ll be on the end of the famous “giant killing”

In most cases these games tend to go the way of the bigger club, but like I said if they don’t turn up 100% believing they’ve got a game on their hands they “will” lose, yet on the other hand if turn up knowing this is gonna be hard “so I’m gonna go for this from the kick off” then the likely outcome is the Premier side will win comfortably.
So the real question I suppose is this, are the bigger sides really that arrogant to think it’s gonna be a walk in the park? or is it because unlike the smaller clubs these players can’t raise their game any higher because they’re already at their highest possible level? in these one off games ability alone isn’t enough, they will have to play a better game, a “tactically” better game!

As hard as it is to swallow and don’t get me wrong I’m not playing our defeat down, because I really want us to win a Cup, after all footballs about winning medals, trophies, going to Wembley and the memories that you’ll have for the rest of your life, but giant killing isn’t some thing new. It happens, like it or not it will always happen, you just hope it happens to the likes of arsenal, Chelsea, United and not ourselves.

The thing we all hate so much though is in the manner you get knocked out. It’s like you go out on a whimper, with out a fight, and that just gives you the right hump. Then again if you played we’ll and still went out then that’s an even bigger problem, play well and lose and that’s a real reason for concern!

The only saving grace is this seasons Cup competitions have caught out a lot of sides, arsenal in the League Cup, Liverpool, Norwich, Us and to an extent even the European Champions League winners (C’mon Brentford) and the fact that it will probably happen to someone next year and the year after that almost makes it acceptable.

Well no, not acceptable but you know what I mean.

I do sit a wonder what I’m missing though, what don’t I understand? Because ex players and the media will tell us “you have to rotate – coz it’s a long hard season with lots of games” yeah ok that part I get, but what I don’t get is this.. Why have top players sat on the bench only to bring them on when it’s going tits up, yet in turn these players then have to work “twice” as hard, run “twice” as much, get in more tackles and fire in more shots just to try and get you back in the game, but all the while putting themselves in danger of getting injured because of the extra work rate, Surely it’s got to be better to “start” these players, get a goal quick possibly even 2 “then” bring them off nice and early when your in control of the game? Yet all the managers seem to do it hence the question “what” am I missing?

At the beginning I said “what a difference” a day makes, and yep it does, because what happened 24 hours prior to our game ensured we would “not” win at Dirty Leeds, it wasn’t because we’d field a weaker side, it wasn’t because Defoe was out injured and we’re too light in the striker department, it wasn’t because of the already mentioned “Magic” of the F.A. Cup and the super human feats it can bring, it was however down to that little weasel FeeO, because the moment that ball left his foot and landed in the back of the Brighton net on 85 minutes that was us out!

The way the arsenal defence crumbles these days we all thought it would be them no good nomads going out the Cup, and that we’d all be able to laugh at them again, the fact that it wasn’t them this time meant only 1 thing…

So then, on to bigger and better things..

4 days until the transfer window ends and I’m hearing Lewis has now actually signed.

God I hope this boy can play up front!

COYS

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