Cups/Europe

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

A good discussion on this on Facebook.
Falkirk reaching yet another Final,while Fourth place looks like it will guarantee European football.

Now Accies have the Mike Ashley approach to cup ties.We rarely play a full strength team while-like Newcastle concentrating on achieving mid table mediocrity.Like The Toon,we have a fan base desperate for cup runs,but the bean counters aren't interested.

Add talk of ethos,club policy and both clubs only make headlines trying to sell players.In our case from the puppy farm.

I have had 2 dreams supporting Accies.Firstly,a big day at Hampden and secondly getting to Europe.Both were achievable this season and I fear Hibernian will win a Scottish Cup before I see either.

Seeing Dundee United continually cock it up,it will be no surprise if St.Johnstone or- God forbid-Dundee catch them in the race for Europe.

It could all have been so different.An experienced Manager and some astute signings-not nobodies and cast offs- and it would have been so different.

The only Accies regime who appreciated the dreams of the fans were Duguid/Campbell, but we know what happened there.

Every other Accies Board from the 1970's to nowadays have no real attachment or feeling as to what these 2 achievable aims would mean to supporters.

The current lot take the Ashley approach.No interest in cups or getting to Europe.All about what they bring in with no exciting vision to achieve these aims.

[Todd_is_God]

I wish we did have the Astley approach; we'd never give those dreams up

As i'm sure you know, I agree with you YoH. Just getting in before the resident happy clapping roasters decide to point out the spelling error rather than have to focus on your very reasonable post.

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

Together forever Todd.

[Whiskeytown]

I feel your pain. Today was another "will it ever be us" moment. We beat Falkirk for fun last season but I'd swap places with them tonight. But I feel you're being a bit unfair on the regime. We play our best side in the cup ties that matter. Andreu missed Thistle which many, including myself, felt might be a bit suspicious if he ended up at Parkhead but maybe it was genuine enough. Can't remember us taking other cup ties lightly, we've just not been good enough - Dundee in 2006, Rangers in 2010. Did we possibly take last year's game lightly? Brophy started at Palmerston with Jon McShane with MAC on the bench. Can't remember the reasons.

Hopefully the longer we remain in the top flight the greater the likelihood of getting to at least a semi final. Let the powers that be know that any weakened cup teams will be looked on very dimly indeed.

[Willie Wastle]

There have been interesting debates in the past about the importance of the league - winning promotion or avoiding relegation - versus cup runs, and I must admit I've always been more in favour of the Big Day Out At Hampden.

I remember being gutted when our League Cup Semi Final v Dundee United in 1979 was switched to East End Park, and I've only ever seen Accies at Hampden playing Queens Park. And the closest we've come recently was the Scottish Cup Quarter Final replay extra time at Dens Park, when a handball cheated us out of a chance to play Gretna in the Semi Final.

I've seen us win the second tier title three times now, plus other promotions, and I've no doubt I'll see us win the Championship (or whatever other name it gets) again. But I'm not getting any younger, and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever see Accies in a cup final. I'd be willing to sacrifice league position - I'd even accept relegation - in return for a cup final place, even *just* the League Cup Final, even if we lost.

In the past this has been a minority viewpoint. Has this changed?

[DC United]

Challenge cup will need to do?

[redandwhite1874]

I don't see any evidence of the club willingly under performing or short changing the fans in cup ties.

I think it's also way off to say an experienced manager and some signings WOULD have been different. COULD yes and the inexperienced option hasn't worked, but no guarantees and perhaps this leads to the indifference to the people who get no credit for getting us close, but get the flak for not winning a cup or getting us into Europe - oh how our expectations have changed !

[glasgow accie]

Why don't you just let people have their dreams.....I would love a big day out at Hamden...something that's never happened at Accies .
As others have said , I have seen lots of promotion winning teams at Accies (and probably will again ) , but being in a national competition final would be the cream on the cake !!

[redandwhite1874]

Why don't you just let people have their dreams.....I would love a big day out at Hamden...something that's never happened at Accies .
As others have said , I have seen lots of promotion winning teams at Accies (and probably will again ) , but being in a national competition final would be the cream on the cake !!

Absolutely............ and it will happen............wont it? Eventually? Surely?

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

Why don't you just let people have their dreams.....I would love a big day out at Hamden...something that's never happened at Accies .
As others have said , I have seen lots of promotion winning teams at Accies (and probably will again ) , but being in a national competition final would be the cream on the cake !!

Absolutely............ and it will happen............wont it? Eventually? Surely?

It won't happen if we play squad teams in Scottish/League Cups as we have done the last 2 seasons and played in a half hearted manner.QOS,Partick and Aberdeen games as proof of that.

[glasgow accie]

Why don't you just let people have their dreams.....I would love a big day out at Hamden...something that's never happened at Accies .
As others have said , I have seen lots of promotion winning teams at Accies (and probably will again ) , but being in a national competition final would be the cream on the cake !!

Absolutely............ and it will happen............wont it? Eventually? Surely?

I would like to think so , but I won't hold my breath .....

[Gaspode]

I wasn't at the Partick cup tie but we played a full strength team against Aberdeen did we not? I don't buy the argument that the club undervalue cups, we are hardly a Chelsea with a squad rotation policy!

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

We never played full strength at Aberdeen.Guys coming back from injury like Routledge played.Those who travelled like myself were asking why travel all that way not to play a full strength side.

At QOS,we played a "squad team".The likes of a very young Brophy was playing.

[redandwhite1874]

At Aberdeen - McG, Gordon, Canning, Devlin, Gillespie, Imrie, McKinnon Andreu, Crawford, MAC, Longridge : Not exactly under strength for me.

Versus QotS: Cuthbert, Gordon, Canning, Devlin, Hendrie, Crawford, Andreu, Gillespie, Bropghy, McShane, MacKinnon - Not a squad team for me either?

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

At Aberdeen - McG, Gordon, Canning, Devlin, Gillespie, Imrie, McKinnon Andreu, Crawford, MAC, Longridge : Not exactly under strength for me.

Versus QotS: Cuthbert, Gordon, Canning, Devlin, Hendrie, Crawford, Andreu, Gillespie, Bropghy, McShane, MacKinnon - Not a squad team for me either?

Canning wasn't first choice then,neither was Longridge.Routledge on as a sub to give him game time.

QOS had McShane and Brophy but no MAC,so not a first choice team either-especially as Brophy missed a sitter and McShane was worse than a man short.

So,both games not Full strength sides as I said.Anyway,Inverness Caley a similar club to ourselves who don't pay big bucks and are a so called smaller,unfashionable side with low attendances have just reached the Cup Final.

If you join our youth policy with the scouting pedigree of Inverness that would be the way to go.Astute signings not costing a fortune.They signed that Nigerian who has done well up front whereas we all know what we have done.

[Willie Wastle]

I think YOH is stretching the evidence to suit his argument. I can't fault the selection for cup ties. But I can fault the commitment. I've seen Accies teams in years gone by contest cup ties as though they really mattered, but it's been a while since I've seen that. That replay at Dens Park might have been the last.

When we can have a Scottish Cup Final contested by Falkirk and ICT, is it too much to expect a decent run by Accies, to the semi finals, at least?

[Alfie Olek]

When we can have a Scottish Cup Final contested by Falkirk and ICT, is it too much to expect a decent run by Accies, to the semi finals, at least?

These 2 clubs should remember Les's 42 club pecking order and get back where they belong

[Park Materson]

I'm totally confident in Martin 'CANTzo' Cannings ability to lead the Club to a Hampden final next season.
Lol.