I don't think anyone who went to "that" FA Cup Replay will ever forget it, but tomorrows game can definitely go some way to exorcising the demons of the game. However, I'm fearing the worst- you only have to look at the circumstances surrounding this game to see the similarities. At least the Tube Strike's been called off, but it's still most likely going to be absolutely belting it down tomorrow as it has done pretty much all day today and the simple fact is given Sheff. Utd's Cup pedigree in recent years and our poor form we're most likely going to lose.
I'm not sure how legitimate these numbers are, but I've seen a number going round for the attendance tomorrow and it really isn't pretty. 3000 Tickets sold for the game tomorrow is horrendous, but it also doesn't surprise me one bit. The fact is under Kit we've got nothing to get excited about, so I can see a lot of people looking out the window tomorrow and seeing it tipping down and going "nah". Now that the Tube Strike's off I do expect to see quite a few more people at the game tomorrow though and with the Sheff. Utd fans I reckon we'll get to around 7-8k. Which is by no means good, but it's a lot better than 3k and Craven Cottage being pretty much deserted.
EDIT: Lewis Dunk's signed a new deal at Brighton pretty much making reading this next paragraph pointless, and it also being thoroughly depressing on our part. All I can say is I hope Rigg had back-ups lined up, because we still need a top draw Centre-Back without a shadow of a doubt. The problem with that being, it's pretty much a week until the Window closes now- Given our obvious need for a Centre-Back any Centre-Back worth buying will have a stupid price tag on them now. We're just a complete mess, we spent pretty much the whole Summer with our eggs firmly in one basket and now with a week to go in the Window we have to scramble to find an alternative. Oh the joys of supporting Fulham.
Before jumping into the team Team Selection as pretty much standard in these at the moment, Lewis Dunk. Firstly, I don't think we're going to get him- nor should we to be honest given the rumoured 5 Million bid Brighton rejected. However, the story surfaced on I believe Saturday that Dunk had been fined two weeks wages for refusing to play in I think their League Cup game against Southend. The first thing that needs to be said is that the Southend game was nearly two weeks ago now, and in the mean time Brighton are of course rumoured to have rejected a bid at their apparent asking price for him, so if Dunk was trying to force a move it clearly didn't work. The problem/worry we've got now is we're in desperate need for a Centre-Back and with timing rapidly running out prices will be sky-high across the board now- because everyone knows we're desperate. I'm also pretty sure that's why Brighton rejected the bid, because they know we're desperate and the longer they string it out the more likely we are to come back with a stupid bid for Dunk that will be too good to turn down or if we give up they'll still have him come September.
I said during my Wycombe Preview/Review two weeks ago that the Carling Cup was low on the priority list this season. However, I also said in my Review for the Wycombe game that now we played the team we did against Wycombe I'm expecting us to take the competition seriously- so if we rotate the whole team I'll be even more annoyed with Kit. It's with all that in mind that we get down to the Team Selection.
I don't see any reason why Andy Lonergan shouldn't continue in goal tomorrow. As I'm desperately going over this erasing any mention of a Tube Strike and it being Deja Vu in that sense we've announced Joe Lewis. Firstly, I'm not sure if we signed him in time for him to be available for tomorrow and even if we did I'd be making it an absolute priority to give Lonergan as much game time as possible at this stage to really settle him into the role. Joe Lewis is perfectly fine as a 2nd Choice Keeper, I'll go back to what I was saying about Lonergan over the Summer- as far as 2nd choices go, he's better than Kiraly.
The Defence is so thin at the moment and we have so little options in terms of rotation that the Defence pretty much picks itself. I suppose the one of the main talking points is Tim Ream, and this is where no midweek Press Conferences really annoy me. On the one hand you can make the argument that a game in the Cup can be a good way to ease him back in, and on the other you can make the argument that Tuesday may be too soon. As I've said repeatedly I think Ream will come in at Left-Back in the immediate term- and just because I'm desperate for someone to come in for Voser and seeing as Kit rates Voser above Kavanagh, I'm going to say Ream should come in tomorrow.
When it comes to the Centre-Backs, and again without a Press-Conference it's flying blind- I'm going to say Hutchinson should be fine tomorrow as such should be coming back in. As far as the Defence goes that means we're sorted because a combination of lack of options and the options we have available being bad just means we can't really take out Burn or Richards.
As I've already said, given we went pretty much full strength against Wycombe I'm expecting us to go for it in every round until we either go out or win the thing. However, that doesn't mean that minor rotation isn't an option- and given how we're performing it should be encouraged.
Taking out Christensen is something I'm sure the vast majority of Fulham Fans have at least contemplated after his generally anonymous start, and with it being a Cup Game now's as good a chance as any to take him out and look at a different option. Hyndman's pretty much being buried in the U21's because of his Contract situation- so while I'd like to see him coming in I highly doubt he will. So with that in mind and given Christensen is at least meant to be a Box-to-Box player I'd bring in Tunnicliffe for his first action of the season next to O'Hara. When it comes to the Wings (term used loosely) I did actually think of having Tunnicliffe out on the right in place of Cairney who I'll get onto- but in a repeat of the selection for the last round I'd have Pringle and Kacaniklic starting.
The reason I wouldn't have Cairney out on the right tomorrow is in fact because of McCormack. He just needs to be taken out of the firing line for a game as much as anything else. You never know, tomorrow night may well be the night McCormack finally gets a goal and gets back on track as a result- he after all got his 1st goal for us in the 2nd Round last season. However, as already said he just needs to be taken out of the firing line for a game and given Cairney is more than capable of playing centrally it's a no-brainer for me. Who plays in front of Cairney is an interesting question. Woodrow of course got the equaliser so that may well have got him a place in the team for tomorrow, however I'd still be going for Dembele because he's just the more complete player and if needed we can bring Woodrow off the bench and use his undoubted energy in the latter stages to do some damage.
Team for Sheffield United
Kit's made his bed when it comes to the League Cup and the selection for the Wycombe game- as I've said repeatedly now he went all in against Wycombe anything less than a full-strength, or near full-strength as the team I've laid out isn't good enough in my book.
Tomorrows game isn't going to be pretty, we're a team on such a low ebb at the minute and we've got someone in Kit who either has no clue on how to pick the team up or is simply deluded enough to think we're fine. Especially with the how he's come across in his Press Conferences I think it's a mix of both. Either way I hope we go into the game tomorrow and exorcise the demons of the FA Cup Replay and we're in the 3rd Round Draw, I just have absolutely no faith in Kit to pick the team up and especially against a team like Sheff. Utd who while being League 1 definitely have players who can punish us I'm not at all confident we'll exorcise said demons.
Thanks for reading as always, now the Tube Strike's been called off barring Extra Time the Sheff. Utd Review will be up at Midnight tomorrow So stay tuned for the Review some time tomorrow, if you're not going pray for the hardened souls that are- although there won't be many of us seemingly. Thanks again for reading, and let's just hope it's a win- I just want a win- is that too much to ask for?
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