For the second time in two years and three seasons, a Premier League club has won a cup and been relegated – Birmingham won the League Cup for the first time two years ago and were relegated, and now Wigan have won the FA Cup for the first time, and have been relegated – finally.
The FA Cup – we can win it
Of course that’s the beauty of the knockout cups in England, and Championship side Cardiff reached the final of the League Cup last year, before being beaten by Liverpool.
As we said it’s always happened with the cups in England, but things are now a little different.
With the Premier League worth a lot of money these days, and that will increase by around 70% for three seasons starting next season, the top clubs field their second teams in the competition, and always prioritize the Premier League and Europe.
But teams like Birmingham and Wigan field their first team – which explains a little bit why poor Premier League sides are winning the cups recently – and remember Bradford City reached the final of the League Cup this year before being beaten 5-0 by Swansea.
Newcastle always field a weakened side, and certainly this season in the FA Cup at Brighton in January, we fielded a strange side indeed, mainly due to injuries.
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Rob Elliot; James Tavernier, Mike Williamson, James Perch (Paul Dummett 46), Davide Santon; Gael Bigirimana, Vurnon Anita; Sammy Ameobi, Mehdi Abeid (Nile Ranger 46), Gabriel Obertan (Sylvain Marveaux 71); Shola Ameobi (c)
And for the second season in a row we were beaten by Brighton – a Championship side.
Newcastle will have played 54 games this season – 38 in the league, 14 in the Europa League and one game in each of the local Cup competitions – we lost in the first round we competed in the FA Cup and League Cup – you cannot do worse than that.
We have to start playing our top side in both Cup competitions next season, and we’ll play a lot fewer games too, and we should have a much stronger squad.
And the FA Cup rounds are on weekends so it’s not like we are even playing two games a week at that time.
If we can play 14 games in Europe on Thursday nights, we should be able to play top sides in both the local Cup competitions this coming season.
So surely a decent target for this coming season is a top six position in the league and win the FA (Budweiser) Cup and/or League (Capital One) Cup.
If Wigan and Birmingham can win a Cup surely Newcastle United can, and of course that will also get us back into Europe.
We need to think like a small club next season, and maybe we can win something for the first time in 45 years.
What do you think?
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35 comments so far
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:30 AM
Comment #1http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/spieler/vertragsende/basics_ES1_2013.html
Primera liga out of contracts
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:31 AM
Comment #2http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/spieler/vertragsende/basics_IT1_2013.html
Serie A out of contracts
Indian Magpie
May 15, 2013 at 9:33 AM
Comment #3Ed
You forgot to mention Stevenage
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
May 15, 2013 at 9:33 AM
Comment #4Here in lies the problem though. How do we give our youth a chance if not in the cups? I suppose a player or two here and there shouldn’t impact too greatly and that can be done in the cups and even some PL fixtures.
Pardew needs to learn to balance it out a bit better.
Rainrix
May 15, 2013 at 9:33 AM
Comment #5Well at least we wont have europa and injuries, we can attack one of these cups! Provided we dont get brighton. Pardew is weak against brighton for some reason 😉
Transfer Sage
May 15, 2013 at 9:35 AM
Comment #6one tony
Yeh we should be more professional, but dortmund narrowly beat madrid over 2 legs, not totally blown away but i know what you mean.
Barca are one of the fittest teams, they have struggled all season against big clubs.
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:35 AM
Comment #7Indian
I pick the one that good and want to come here
I could pick Ambrossini, but I don’t think he wants to come here
discrepancia
May 15, 2013 at 9:36 AM
Comment #8we will never win cup under pardew
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:36 AM
Comment #9Flamini contract maybe extended since he is scoring almost every game lately.
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Comment #10http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/spieler/vertragsende/basics.html
EPL put of contracts
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Comment #11EPL out of contracts*
Transfer Sage
May 15, 2013 at 9:38 AM
Comment #12ibiza
I think the key with youth, in my view anyway, is to try to select them when they themselves are in good form and when the team is in decent form too…give them every chance to show what they can do.
Putting too many into a struggling side won’t help them or the team. This season it was partly forced on pardew but sometimes he also got it wrong i think.
My issue is playing campbell on the left side, he was way too deep in the games he featured….then bigi on the right in that game. Other than that not much more he can do with them, most of them aren’t very good.
Indian Magpie
May 15, 2013 at 9:38 AM
Comment #13Repost
Any one heard this
Alan pardew over the next 2 weeks will be releasing a book, the title is still undecided but the chronicle has been giiven the task to conduct a survey with following options.
1000 down the line; 100 more to go – My excuses
My Excuses my life
An excuse a day
What that dosen’t kill you – an Excuse
My panacea – my excuses
Santon03
May 15, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Comment #14http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/spieler/vertragsende/basics_L1_2013.html
Bundesliga
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Comment #15Ibiza.. you don’t need you insult book for me. I usually agree with you. You’re only meant to insult people who do not share your veiws 😀
John Tudor
May 15, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Comment #16good small club managers blood youngsters in big un- winnable games
estechco
May 15, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Comment #17I wonder when the last time that one of the top 4/6 didn’t win either of the FA or League Cup?
The CL has been absent of these sides too in the latter stages.
stuart no9
May 15, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Comment #18anybody want to learn my new song,?
was up all night writing my new song to sing to pardew on sunday, so if any one would like to learn the words and sing along , it goes something like this . —— sack pardew , sack pardew ,sack pardew, sack pardew, sack pardew ,sack pardew,,sack pardew ,sack pardew, sack pardew ,sack pardew SACK PARDEW. ! – needs a bit titivating , but what you think lads ?
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:41 AM
Comment #19So, just to catch up. You’re all discussing youth players and some possible transfer news. Am i right?
JAMSHA
May 15, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Comment #20Juan Forlín, Vladimír Weiss on free , yes plzzzz
John Tudor
May 15, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Comment #21we wont be back till he’s gone to the tune of my old mans a dustman
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
May 15, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Comment #22TS…Spot on. They can’t be there to save the day, far too much pressure. One or two, in their correct positions, within a confident team will help them along nicely.
Markaccus…Are you trying to tell me who I agree with? Don’t tell me who to insult! Sorry, just disappointed I missed the “fun” last night 🙂
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Comment #23Stuart. The words are too complicated. I can’t possibly learn something like that
tom68
May 15, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Comment #24I’m looking at players allegedly up for sale in the papers today and there appears to be some real bargains out there. Bafe Gomis £4.5 million, Lamine Sane £4 million and Charlie Austin £4 million.
I wouldn’t mind any or all of them to be honest.
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Comment #25Don’t bully me, Ibiza! You bully! If you keep it up i will make a slightly dark joke about wigan in here which will still manage to offend someone! be warned.
Transfer Sage
May 15, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Comment #26markaccsu
you want to go back to discussing pardew? haha
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
May 15, 2013 at 9:47 AM
Comment #27Markaccus…Easy now, throwing the b word around like that 🙂
Youth players and transfers seems to be the general discussion so far, a few Pardew posts, but that is expected.
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:48 AM
Comment #28Apparently i can try a cougar for free. Do the mean the car? or do i get a shot on that hot older brunette in the picture?
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
May 15, 2013 at 9:49 AM
Comment #29All I will say is I wont be paying for a cougar, a free one? Well…..that’s perhaps a different story.
Have you tried adblocker?
Or should I expect a response along the lines of “why would I deprive myself of these lovely ladies?”
Novocastrian66
May 15, 2013 at 9:49 AM
Comment #30I don’t know Stu, I think it’s pretty good the way it is. You’ve obviously got a talent for writing catchy lyrics. Very John Lennon like. Or perhaps George Harrison.
Markaccus
May 15, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Comment #31Ibiza. Yeah i can accept the post themselves. I’m only likely to start if one of them decide to start calling me blind and stupid for not 100% agreeing with them. Apparently i am being childish when i call it bullying….. but hey, what do i know, i am blind and stupid 😀
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
May 15, 2013 at 9:52 AM
Comment #32Mark….Are you blind as well? Good to know I’m in familiar company 😉
Sav
May 15, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Comment #33I get the impression our glorious leaders believe its not ‘cool’ to go all out for the cups. As you say, the best sides play their 2nd string to concentrate on League and Europe – both of which they may have a chance of winning. For them, with several recent cups in the cabinet, the domestic trophies have lost some shine and there’s no big financial gain. Llambias and Ashley like to see themselves at the top table with the big boys, not lower down with the also-rans. We need a reality check and to focus on the value to this club of winning ANY trophy. The transforming effect would be wondrous. When we have won sommat, Then perhaps we can start to be blaze. The only cool we should be after is the breeze of an open-top bus.
Yorkgeordie
May 15, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Comment #34Ray Parlour on Talksport :’ Arsenal will be too good for Newcastle’. I get angry when we are dismissed out of hand these days and I just hope the players get angry enough to respond . The Manager?, well he doesn’t care if Arsenal win 4-0 now that his job has been assured
Owldman
May 15, 2013 at 5:40 PM
Comment #35Its logical to say Arsenal will be us, Wigan turned us over.Aesenal tanked us they tanked Wigan but not by as many goals, logical they will beat us.Ah but hang on this is Newcastle that we are talking about the most frustrating unpredictable football team I have ever watched can play like world beaters one game then nonleagers the next been like that in all 60 odd years of supporting them, nothing logical about the Toon.