FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

[Marc]

Home to AFC Bournemouth

[surreychad]

Traffic, my head office is opposite their ground and half of my staff support Bournemout. If we lose I am going to avoid talking to them for a few months or going to send them all an email with the scoreline one minutes after we win :-)

[surreychad]

I love the FA cup, Come on Eastleigh!!!

[kerrins]

Bournemouth reserves at home! I can hardly contain my excitement at the prospect

Don't expect us to play a full strength team either

[robindubois]

It will be interesting if Marti shows a different attitude to the FA cup than previous managers. Maybe depends on fitness injuries suspensions weather etc. Could turn out to be an interesting game but then again can we afford to pick up injuries and cards in a cup we are hardly likely to win - but every round brings increasingly more cash in the door as well. Winning 2 or 3 games will pay a strikers salary for the rest of the season

[rickyqpr]

I do think managers outside of the Prem are on a hiding to nothing now with the cups.
For the bottom half of the Prem, it is a real chance to progress against weakened teams at the top.
But for everyone else, it is asking fans to turn up and watch squad players play squad players.
If a key player gets injured the manager gets pelters for playing him.
Lose and the manager gets pelters, win and it diverts resource away from promotion / relegation battles - especially when they eventually get knocked out and the inevitable games in hand get wasted away, playing every 4 days.
Warnock has always swerved the cups. Warburton only played lip service.
Most clubs say how this time it will be different, and we want a cup run for the fans and the extra revenue, but it then doesn't happen.
But if i were Bournemouth, I would play a strong team to see if they can have a cup run. They are not out of the woods in the relegation battle, but this year should be easier for them to survive than most with the Blades in disarray, Burnley and Luton struggling with the step up, and Everton 10 points deducted. Add to that Forest talking of sacking Cooper....but hey-ho!

[robindubois]

Dec 5, 2023 10:28:07 GMT rickyqpr said:

I do think managers outside of the Prem are on a hiding to nothing now with the cups.
For the bottom half of the Prem, it is a real chance to progress against weakened teams at the top.
But for everyone else, it is asking fans to turn up and watch squad players play squad players.
If a key player gets injured the manager gets pelters for playing him.
Lose and the manager gets pelters, win and it diverts resource away from promotion / relegation battles - especially when they eventually get knocked out and the inevitable games in hand get wasted away, playing every 4 days.
Warnock has always swerved the cups. Warburton only played lip service.
Most clubs say how this time it will be different, and we want a cup run for the fans and the extra revenue, but it then doesn't happen.
But if i were Bournemouth, I would play a strong team to see if they can have a cup run. They are not out of the woods in the relegation battle, but this year should be easier for them to survive than most with the Blades in disarray, Burnley and Luton struggling with the step up, and Everton 10 points deducted. Add to that Forest talking of sacking Cooper....but hey-ho!

Forest sacking Cooper - what is the world coming to? Wonder what they will do with all those players he signed - maybe we could pick up a cheap loan or signing if any of them are good enough  

[kerrins]

Good comment Robindubois and Ricky.

We will go with the flow as per all Premiership and Championship teams in the third round of this years FA Cup and field second string teams. This has been happening for nearly 20 years and it will not change now.

Only the bottom 2 Divisions and non league sides will treat it seriously and play maximum strength teams and give the fading event some respect.

Half price tickets at Loftus Rd for this fixture?...Perhaps likely. A crowd less than 10,000..... more than likely. That just about sums it up I reckon

[surreychad]

For me it isn't about the big teams, although I always want QPR to go for it as its a cup where anything can happen. The FA cup has always been about the small teams having a go. Loved watching the games on ITV of the early rounds.