• All - as you will understand, the forum is exceptionally busy at this time. The admins and moderators simply don't have time to read every post in every thread. Could you PLEASE use the "Report" option below a post to flag any content that you feel we need to be aware of. We'll review everything reported as a priority and deal with it accordingly. Thank you.

FA Cup, Round Three, Official Matchday Thread; Forest v Luton; K.O. 15:00 Saturday 11th January

Forest v Luton - the magic of the Cup!

  • Total voters
    67
  • Poll closed .
Captain Sinister

Captain Sinister

Senior doom Monger
I've been in super no doom optimistic mode all season, and have a definite feeling in my water that this year's FA Cup will have our name on it!
OK, we struggled to get 2 draws when Luton had their season in the top flight last year, but we are now Nuno-compliant with a load of world football stars, and we are flying high.
Come on you Might Cup-chasing Reds!

Where did my 2 option mutually exclusive option poll disappear to?
 
bono1975

bono1975

Viv Anderson
Captain Sinister said:
I've been in super no doom optimistic mode all season, and have a definite feeling in my water that this year's FA Cup will have our name on it!
OK, we struggled to get 2 draws when Luton had their season in the top flight last year, but we are now Nuno-compliant with a load of world football stars, and we are flying high.
Come on you Might Cup-chasing Reds!

Where did my 2 option mutually exclusive option poll disappear to?
Click to expand...

I hope you take us all the way to Wembley Captain. I’ve still never got over 1991. That was a painful journey home after.

Forest to win comfortably 3-0.
 
Mcbeth99

Mcbeth99

Grenville Morris
With our first 11 we would win comfortably. However we are probably going to be resting players. I know our backups are also good but there is a difference to dropping a couple into a well working team and changing over half the team who will not have played together in that combination..

So for me it totally depends on how many and who Nuno rests because Luton will be well up for it...
 
Rzar

Rzar

Bob McKinlay
Mcbeth99 said:
With our first 11 we would win comfortably. However we are probably going to be resting players. I know our backups are also good but there is a difference to dropping a couple into a well working team and changing over half the team who will not have played together in that combination..

So for me it totally depends on how many and who Nuno rests because Luton will be well up for it...
Click to expand...
I think it's about rewarding players that have consistently made good impacts from the bench

View it as playing a weakend team if you want but for me you have to respect the work everyone is putting in this season & reward them for it. We know a second XI is good enough to beat Luton.

I am also not risking losing someone like Murillo, Milenkovic, MGW or Wood to absolute cloggers like Luton.
 
Captain Sinister

Captain Sinister

Senior doom Monger
Rzar said:
Miguel
Moreira Boly Morato Moreno
Yates Dom
Jota JWP Sosa
Taiwo​
Click to expand...
Are we allowed to "cup-tie" JWP and Moreno?
Given we have a fairly important home league game on Tuesday 14th, I think your team selection is probably spot on.
Mind you, I have a feeling Nuno wants to go all the way to Wembley, and he might still be tempted to play Milenovich, Murillo, MGW, Anderson, Elanga, and CHO.
 
Captain Sinister

Captain Sinister

Senior doom Monger
Mcbeth99 said:
With our first 11 we would win comfortably. However we are probably going to be resting players. I know our backups are also good but there is a difference to dropping a couple into a well working team and changing over half the team who will not have played together in that combination..

So for me it totally depends on how many and who Nuno rests because Luton will be well up for it...
Click to expand...
It is the magic of the Cup!
Of course Luton will be up for.
Their season has precious little else to look forward to.
 
C

Cloughie1975

John Robertson
Mcbeth99 said:
With our first 11 we would win comfortably. However we are probably going to be resting players. I know our backups are also good but there is a difference to dropping a couple into a well working team and changing over half the team who will not have played together in that combination..

So for me it totally depends on how many and who Nuno rests because Luton will be well up for it...
Click to expand...
There were some on here who wanted Steve Cooper to put a weakened side out in the FA Cup 3 years ago.
Fortunately,Steve stuck to his guns and we managed to beat Arsenal,Leicester and Huddersfield before unluckily
bowing out to Liverpool-I believe this boosted our promotion push rather than hindered it.
I expect a few changes on Saturday but will be surprised/disappointed if we put an entire second string out.
 
Le Juif Rouge

Le Juif Rouge

Senior Mass Debater
It's an ideal opportunity to let those knocking on the door of a starting place and some lad from the Academy to make a name for themselves.

They should be up for it as much as Luton are.
 
Rzar

Rzar

Bob McKinlay
Cloughie1975 said:
There were some on here who wanted Steve Cooper to put a weakened side out in the FA Cup 3 years ago.
Fortunately,Steve stuck to his guns and we managed to beat Arsenal,Leicester and Huddersfield before unluckily
bowing out to Liverpool-I believe this boosted our promotion push rather than hindered it.
I expect a few changes on Saturday but will be surprised/disappointed if we put an entire second string out.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but incomparable situations.

Our 2nd XI was shit back then & we were facing Premier League teams.

We have to respect the players that will be chomping at the bit to play at the moment.
 
Rzar

Rzar

Bob McKinlay
Cloughie1975 said:
Not in the case of Huddersfield-we still put a good side out.
In my view you are either serious about the competition or you’re not.
Click to expand...
Huddersfield were 2nd or 3rd in the Championship at that time.

But it is back to my original point, our 2nd XI was shit then, now it isn't. You think the side I put out up there isn't good enough to beat Luton?
 
little_donkey_congo_red

little_donkey_congo_red

Ale Ape
Mcbeth99 said:
With our first 11 we would win comfortably. However we are probably going to be resting players. I know our backups are also good but there is a difference to dropping a couple into a well working team and changing over half the team who will not have played together in that combination..
Click to expand...
Based on past experience, I'd agree.

Based on the culture that Nuno has created, where a number of players have really done a job when they've had limited opportunities and always look like they're chomping at the bit for another chance? Well, I'd like to think we could change all 11 and still get a committed performance.
 
Rzar

Rzar

Bob McKinlay
little_donkey_congo_red said:
Based on past experience, I'd agree.

Based on the culture that Nuno has created, where a number of players have really done a job when they've had limited opportunities and always look like they're chomping at the bit for another chance? Well, I'd like to think we could change all 11 and still get a committed performance.
Click to expand...
Exactly

You ain't changing for the sake of it.

You are changing to reward the impact the squad players have made this season, the bench players have been absolutely brilliant for us all season. They have earnt their start & we need to know they will be ready to jump straight in if required in terms of match fitness.
 
C

Cloughie1975

John Robertson
Rzar said:
Huddersfield were 2nd or 3rd in the Championship at that time.

But it is back to my original point, our 2nd XI was shit then, now it isn't. You think the side I put out up there isn't good enough to beat Luton?
Click to expand...
That smacks of arrogance,I remember Steve Cooper made changes at 2-0 up against Luton last season-a decision
which backfired and was the beginning of the end for him.
 
Browser79

Browser79

First Team Squad
Nuno has already said it’s an opportunity to give some players minutes. So I’d expect at least 6 changes, and it could be 11. I don’t think that’s arrogance. I think that’s giving good players a chance to get meaningfully involved in the good vibes they’re feeling all around them from their first XI teammates, proving to themselves and to Nuno that they’re good enough, keeping their fitness up and directly benefitting us for the rest of the season. And on top of that resting legs for the biggest game we’ve had all year on Tuesday.

It would be a shame if that strategy didn’t prove enough to beat Luton, but there are too many upsides to do it any other way.

I think the 2nd XI is itching to get involved, so I doubt we’ll see the sort of mess you get from disaffected fringe players when this kind of approach backfires.
 
ColwickReds

ColwickReds

Youth Team
I'm usually a massive fan of the FA Cup and we go to all the games we can but.... It might be a long while before we have another opportunity to finish this high up the league table.. With that in mind I wouldn't be risking ANY of our key players with Liverpool a few days later in the league. We should still have enough to see off Luton at home while resting up the likes of Murillo, Milenkovic, MGW, Anderson, CHO, Elanga and Wood.
 
Mr. Blonde

Mr. Blonde

TWO-NIL! 👀
We need to put our best strength team out for this

The unstoppable force of Amarii Bell and Marvelous Nakamba would surely be too much for the likes of Moreno and Boly to handle...
 
C

Cloughie1975

John Robertson
little_donkey_congo_red said:
I don't think it'll be all 11, unless we change formation, just because there aren't enough bodies to change the whole midfield in a like-for-like lineup, unless we throw in a youngster or two.
Click to expand...
I don’t mind making a few changes but would be against rotating the whole team.
I remember Arsenal fielding a greatly weakened side in 2018 (presumably because ‘we’re only playing Forest’).
They lost 4-2.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom