ExiledAjax

In terms of the consequences that stem from the result yes. Lose tonight and we're knocked out of the competition for good, it's gone, any chance of replicating 2017, or of going better than that, is gone. Lose last Sunday and it's just some points dropped/not won. We get another chance to win three points on Saturday, and then another 40-odd chances to do so over the next 9 months. As I said, I appreciate that the ultimate prize available in the league is greater than the one at the end of the League Cup run. However, the significance of a single league game within the league competition is much less that the significance of a single cup game within that competition. Interesting that you've brought the memory of games, wins, promotions etc into this. Personally I'd say I remember the 2017/18 cup run with as much clarity and perhaps even fondness as I do the 2014/15 promotion. I've heard from many fans that the trip to the Etihad, and leading at HT, is one of their very fondest memories as a City fan. Of course we also had the JPT victory in 2015, and that in itself is a great memory of mine - seeing my team win at Wembley was brilliant, and that isn't something every football fan gets to see. That was a cup run, in a competition even more minor than the won in which wee play tonight. I'd be gutted if I didn't have that memory.

Those penalties were atrocious.

Personally I can't get my head around this. I understand that overall the League is our primary competition. However, when it comes to an individual game a Cup game is surely more significant. If we lose a league game then so what? We stay on the same points and get another opportunity to gain points in a few days time. If we lose tonight that's it. That's our annual opportunity to win a Cup gone for another year. I know the EFL Cup may not be the most prestigious competition going, but it's a Cup. As you say each to their own, but I feel more nerves for a cup game than one of 46 league games we play every year.

Nope. Love a Cup run. It was a treat for me to see us beat Coventry at Burton, and selfishly I think it's quite fun that these games aren't available on 4 different streams and 7 TV channels. I'm looking forward to an audio-only follow mixed with updates from the few who are there. If this leads to a tasty 3rd round draw, or an extended run, then all the better. I think it's also always exciting to see a different batch of players to the ones we see in the league every week. Love the Cups.

Hopefully @IAmNick is prepped and ready to give us the goals as they go in.

Oh come on. It's 2022. If a young man wants to enjoy a lifestyle different to that of his father then that's fine! A shame this guy can't love his son regardless of who he is. He should be supported and loved and helped to be happy with who he is.

Yeh it's a list of young men who've gone through or are still in our a academy and are now playing professional football. I mentioned Wollacott as well in an earlier post. Each one is a success for our academy.

Round 3 is where the really big Prem teams come in right? The ones also playing in Europe?

Towler, O'Leary, Morrell, Sam Pearson, Bell, Edwards, Benarous, Lemonheigh-Evans, others that I cannot recall right not.

Tomorrow.

Nice easy one for London based fans. Comfortably possible to finish work at 5 and make KO from central London. Given we've only got QPR and Millwall actually in London this season I know that were I still living there I'd be straight out for this game. Nice draw for more 'casual' non-Bristol based fans.

Sure, and my view of that is that the Glazers are running Utd as a business/brand rather than a sports team. Their attitude to the stadium is to operate it cheaply, whilst keeping it looking, from a distance, good for the cameras. That's the attitude. Don't invest in the long term but keep it limping along with enough costume dressing to keep people happy. You see that same attitude in signing Ronaldo (or Falcao, or Di Maria, or Martial etc), in appointing Solskjaer, etc. It's appearances, and PR, and it's the "Show". Forgetting that in this business all of that crumbles if you lose football matches.

I have a personal view, formed from my experience of helping companies change hands, and from speaking to many CEOs and owners. That view is that ultimately a company's outlook, and success, and attitude, is set by that of its ultimate owner. This applies to all companies of all sizes. Manchester United's failure on the pitch may not be directly linked to decisions by the Glazers, but it is their attitude that sets the course. From them so all appointments, policies, and procedures flow. They may not be explicitly at fault, but the gradual decay, the attitude of hubris, the mismanagement, that stems from them. Just my anecdotal view.

Depends on the dividend policy. Which won't be hard to find. It's a Cayman plc listed on the NYSE. The investor website will have the details of which shareholders get what dividends.

And giving them careers that they otherwise would not have had. Producing players for our teams and for sale for big fees may be a primary aim, but in my opinion the club and academy should get some credit as well for those young people who go on to have good careers at other teams and in other divisions. JoJo Wollacott never played for our first team (although was on the bench a few times iirc) and left on a free. Perhaps a failure of the academy? I don't think so. He's gone on to a solid career, including 10 appearances for Ghana. So there's a 25 year old making a living that he might not otherwise have done, and it's down to our system plus his obvious hard work. Just one example, but there are others.

Ours is bloody lovely. Average xG value per shot for 0.132 Average xG value per shot against 0.088

I'd say that's exactly what we saw previously! Did he not seem to be permanently frustrated for the first 12 months of his tenure? I'd agree with him. I think last season we tried attack as the better form of defence and it kind of worked, but was rough and ready and not balanced correctly. A little out of control. This season feels better balanced and more controlled, both going forward and at the back. If this was his concept or vision all along then I can see why he's happier now than he he was back in March. As for it continuing, well I think we've played some fairly lacklustre opponents so far. I'll be surprised if any of the five we've played finish in the top 10. We've some big tests coming soon, and it will be exciting and interesting to see our style go up against some better teams.

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/12678534/nigel-pearson-very-positive-day-for-us

Yeh, in general the scoring and conceding rates are at their best for a while. I'm encouraged as well that neither are wildly out of kilter with the xG numbers. We're outperforming our own xG slightly, but xGA is 5.6, and we've conceded 6 (one of which was Hull's non-penalty). So we're likely in a relatively fair position. Personally I'm keeping my feet on the ground a little, as I don't think any of the teams we've played so far will finish in the top 10 at the end of the season. I think we've lost 2, drawn 1 and won 2 against mid and lower table teams. That's ok, and we've largely played well and it's finally enjoyable and entertaining to watch us. But there are tougher tests to come. I'm still reckoning on mid-table as a fair finish bar any huge changes in personnel (either injury or transfer related).

This was the starting XI from round 1 at Coventry (Burton). It produced some of our best football this season, and playing it arguably set up the fine league performances we've seen since. I think we'll see Pring, Wilson and King back in place of Dasilva, Williams and perhaps Scott. Klose could get a start...really any of the three CBs could have earned a rest. Up front I think he'll stick with Weimann, Wells and Conway in the hope of another early blitz to kill the game and then bring them off.

*1.6

Currently scoring at a higher rate than last season. We're on 1.4 goals per game right now. Last season's total was 1.35.

We have to bear in mind as well that Weimann is in the deeper role that we saw on Tuesday and against Coventry. In those games we see his role is not only to support the strikers, but also to fill in when the wing backs push forwards. So it's not just Scott (or Dasilva if COD goes right) v COD, it's Scott + Weimann. I'd back Weimann to outrun, outlast, and outmuscle COD today, tomorrow, yesterday and every other day of every other week.

Tanner will get a chance. Suspect he'll get some minutes at Wycombe. Has to make his claim when he can. If Scott is instructed to play RWB in the style of Sykes, then it's a very high RWB. Much more of the 'Wing" than the "Back". As such I think we'll have his dynamism and passing in midfield anyway, just offset to the side. He'll link well with Weimann and Conway, I've no real issue with his selection there. If it doesn't work, then we've 5 subs and two right sided players to change things with.

Unchanged bar Scott to RWB and Williams in for Sykes. A penny for Wilson's thoughts.