Steve Clarke & the reserves next year.....

[coco]

Ok 100 years ago this years FA Cup would of been a difficult draw, but in 2008 this draw looks more like the FA vase trophy, not the FA Cup itself.

Chelsea v QPR

Wigan v Chelsea

Chelsea v Huddersfield

Barnsley v Chelsea

Cardiff v Chelsea

Chelsea v Pompey/WBA

We had the easiest FA cup draw to the final you could ever wish for.

Next year i suggest playing the reserves in every round of the FA CUP, even the final if we can make it.

This way we can give our reserves competitive football, rest the so called first team, and let Steve Clarke manage the bench, Avram can have a rest as well then.

Good idea ? Or cracking idea ?

[Tim W]

sh*t idea really because you've left out the main component of the reserves i.e. Brendan Rogers, without the leadership of big Bren these kids wouldn't be nearly as good.

Other than that where do I sign

[coco]

sh*t idea really because you've left out the main component of the reserves i.e. Brendan Rogers, without the leadership of big Bren these kids wouldn't be nearly as good.

Other than that where do I sign

Ok point taken, Rogers manages.

[blizeH]

Good idea, but I'd rather use fringe players as opposed to the actual reserve side - basically, players like Shevchenko who we know ooze potential but are still struggling to find a little bit of form, and a few youngsters trying to break into the first team.

[cassiya]

we should do the same for the carling cup also

[Tea Bar Boy]

Ok 100 years ago this years FA Cup would of been a difficult draw, but in 2008 this draw looks more like the FA vase trophy, not the FA Cup itself.

Chelsea v QPR

Wigan v Chelsea

Chelsea v Huddersfield

Barnsley v Chelsea

Cardiff v Chelsea

Chelsea v Pompey/WBA

We had the easiest FA cup draw to the final you could ever wish for.

Next year i suggest playing the reserves in every round of the FA CUP, even the final if we can make it.

This way we can give our reserves competitive football, rest the so called first team, and let Steve Clarke manage the bench, Avram can have a rest as well then.

Good idea ? Or cracking idea ?

I really hate the way people devalue the FA Cup. It is the highlight of the football calendar for many. It is the oldest and most unique Cup Competition in the world and should be cherished and valued as such. The qualifying rounds start in September and finish in May what other cup competition runs that long.

It was THE export of the English game for many years watched by a world wide audience. How many generations of foreign footballers/fans grew up watching the Final? You ask any Chelsea fan who has attended a final with Chelsea playing and I bet they all got a lump in there throat when Abide With Me is sung?

It is a very very special day for Football fans in this country. You ask Kitson at Reading how he feels about the FA cup now bet he would bite your hand off to still be in the competition. You ask a Reading fan would they prefer to be sat in mid table doing jack for years or have a decent cup run and a relegation scrap ?

I would hate it if we used it for the reserves . You are just saying that the Premiership and European football are more important.They might be to the money men football fans are a different, better class and breed . We will still be here when they are f**king up some other cash cow and milking it for all it is worth.

Really really hate your idea

[coco]

Ok 100 years ago this years FA Cup would of been a difficult draw, but in 2008 this draw looks more like the FA vase trophy, not the FA Cup itself.

Chelsea v QPR

Wigan v Chelsea

Chelsea v Huddersfield

Barnsley v Chelsea

Cardiff v Chelsea

Chelsea v Pompey/WBA

We had the easiest FA cup draw to the final you could ever wish for.

Next year i suggest playing the reserves in every round of the FA CUP, even the final if we can make it.

This way we can give our reserves competitive football, rest the so called first team, and let Steve Clarke manage the bench, Avram can have a rest as well then.

Good idea ? Or cracking idea ?

I really hate the way people devalue the FA Cup. It is the highlight of the football calendar for many. It is the oldest and most unique Cup Competition in the world and should be cherished and valued as such. The qualifying rounds start in September and finish in May what other cup competition runs that long.

It was THE export of the English game for many years watched by a world wide audience. How many generations of foreign footballers/fans grew up watching the Final? You ask any Chelsea fan who has attended a final with Chelsea playing and I bet they all got a lump in there throat when Abide With Me is sung?

It is a very very special day for Football fans in this country. You ask Kitson at Reading how he feels about the FA cup now bet he would bite your hand off to still be in the competition. You ask a Reading fan would they prefer to be sat in mid table doing jack for years or have a decent cup run and a relegation scrap ?

I would hate it if we used it for the reserves . You are just saying that the Premiership and European football are more important.They might be to the money men football fans are a different, better class and breed . We will still be here when they are f*****g up some other cash cow and milking it for all it is worth.

Really really hate your idea

Were Chelsea, not Reading, our aspirations are on a totally different scale to Readings.

So you would like to see our first team turn out in all the domestic cup competetions ? No matter how detrimental it would be towards our chances of success in Europe and the EP ?

What about the injuries incurred to our first team players during these 'all important' cup games ?

Weather you like it or not, ask the average fan at the start of the season, the FA cup comes third in nearly every fans list of trophies they want there club to win.

99.9% of fans would rather win the CL or EP before the FA cup.

The new Wembley has breathed some extra life into the old girl, but as time goes by, the less important the FA cup becomes, to club and fans, especially the big 3 clubs (I dont include Liverpool, as they would love to win something/anything i'm sure).

The romance of the FA cup is still there, as proven this weekend. But its nots romantic to the foreign players, no matter what they blurt out in some interview.

If they FA cup had a first prize of £20million, do you think Chelsea, Manure, Ars and liver would ALL be out of the competition before the semi's ? Seriously !

Funny how the 4 big English teams all got through to the last 8 of the CL, but none made the FA semis. Shape of things to come if you ask me.

[coco]

It is the highlight of the football calendar for many.

I'm sorry but that just isnt true any more, certainly not for ALL the premiership clubs.

[blizeH]

I agree that the FA Cup is important, but you shouldn't underrate our second string team.

Let's assume for a second our first team would consist of:

Cech,

Ferreria, Terry, Carvalho, Bridge,

SWP, Makelele, Lampard, Cole,

Anelka, Drogba.

Then leave out a couple of important players such as Essien and Ballack who could very easily be interchangeable with some of the above, and you'd have:

Cudicini,

Belletti, Alex, Ben Haim, Cole,

Kalou, Mikel, Pizarro, Sidwell, Malouda,

Shevchenko.

And that's omitting Hilario, Ivanovic, Sinclair, Saha etc, all of which could be in with a shout.

There is absolutely nothing that should stop our second string side from doing incredibly well in either cup as far as I'm concerned.