Win the scottish cup and qualify for CL

[Blutoe]

If we don't trust the regular first-teamers against Celtic, and there's every reason for this lack of trust, how would you feel about Clement giving some of the youngsters their first taste of an Old Firm and of a big atmosphere match at Hampden?

Sometimes younger players can play with a gallusness and lack of fear regardless of the occasion, which might be just what we need - no respect given, and take the game to them. Of course, there's the risk a young player wilts under the pressure, but could they really pull off a worse performance than, for example, Lundstram in the last OF match?

I'm not really interested in seeing whether our outgoing players can pull off a swansong performance on their way out the door; I'd rather look ahead, and see what some of the young guns have got, and if they are capable of entering into Clement's thoughts for next season.

I'd like to see one or two of them given the first 45 minutes, with another one or two in the second half if things are going our way, or even if the game is long gone.

Until we are 3-0 down and then you’d be screaming that the manager was clueless and should never have risked a cup final with untried youngsters

 

[Discombob]

Until we are 3-0 down and then you’d be screaming that the manager was clueless and should never have risked a cup final with untried youngsters

Maybe!

Although we're just as likely to concede stupid goals and be up against it playing our (uninjured) first-choice 11...

 

[HandsomeHead]

I don't think the Scottish cup has any relevance to next season. The reality is that Celtic are a much better team than us currently with their tails up so every chance we take a sore one in the final. Next season there are no excuses. Clement has had 7 months in post and should have everything in place to go into pre season with his own players. I just hope we don't do our usual of waiting until august to get half the new players in.

They’re better than us at this very point in time because they have the momentum, but I genuinely don’t think there’s much in it if both clubs had full squads to choose from.

We’ll likely go into the final still missing several key players while they’ll be more or less at full strength, and if our manager still hasn’t woken up to the need to change shape to curb their midfield dominance then we may very well take a sore one in the final (which really wouldn’t be a good look for Clement to end his first season with at all and spend the summer with a growing disillusionment behind him), but we shouldn’t feel that it’s an arduous task to catch them.

 

[Cambuslangger]

Single goal defeats and a draw, like it or not in an angry world of being glass half empty, we have every chance of winning the Cup even with injuries.

Haven't seen a thread but read the following the other day -
Leverkusen to win the Europa bumps Benfica to the CL groups and allows us to be seeded in CL Qualifiers, which would be huge.
We are automatically qualified for the Europa League group even if we lose our first qualifier.
First Qualifier opponents are the likes of Fenerbahce, FC Twente
IF seeded then it's the likes of Prague or Salzburg for CL riches.

All doable, let's win the Cup and let's go into the Summer with some optimism!
We are guaranteed Europa League, 8 games minimum, 4 full houses at Ibrox and chance to be competitive, win more prize money in the League and progress.
In a worst case scenario we should absolutely be looking to invest the EL financial guarantee into backing Clement to make the CL. If we don't, then there's no spending of money of we never had

We can win the cup. Every defeat to that mob this season bar new year has been a result of our own horrendous mistakes. If we can just cut out the ludicrous errros and track runners we most certainly have a chance. We do however need to take our chances. Cannot afford misses like Silvas header. Those need to go in.

 

[ecossebear]

We can’t win the cup with youngsters. I say that as someone that’s always calling to give youth a chance but Hampden against the filth is not the game. We also can’t win if we are playing players whose hearts are no longer in it because they are already away - so Lundstram, Roofe, Borna can’t be anywhere near the team. They will get a proper goodbye parading the pitch with a trophy if we win! Further compounding our problems is the fact we may only have one fit centre back!

For us to win it we need the team filled with players with something to prove. We need Tav, Butland, Dessers, Cantwell to have the games of their lives! We need a player or two back from injury ready to start.

I don’t know if we’re likely to have Souttar, Sterling, Sima or Matondo or any other injured player back but I do think if we set out a side of

Butland
Tav Souttar Davies Yilmaz
Sterling Diamonde Raskin
McAusland Cantwell Silva
Dessers

With Sima, Matondo etc coming on with fresh legs then we could just about take it!

 

[ecossebear]

We can’t win the cup with youngsters. I say that as someone that’s always calling to give youth a chance but Hampden against the filth is not the game. We also can’t win if we are playing players whose hearts are no longer in it because they are already away - so Lundstram, Roofe, Borna can’t be anywhere near the team. They will get a proper goodbye parading the pitch with a trophy if we win! Further compounding our problems is the fact we may only have one fit centre back!

For us to win it we need the team filled with players with something to prove. We need Tav, Butland, Dessers, Cantwell to have the games of their lives! We need a player or two back from injury ready to start.

I don’t know if we’re likely to have Souttar, Sterling, Sima or Matondo or any other injured player back but I do think if we set out a side of

Butland
Tav Souttar Davies Yilmaz
Sterling Diamonde Raskin
McAusland Cantwell Silva
Dessers

With Sima, Matondo etc coming on with fresh legs then we could just about take it!

And reading that back if we do manage to sneak 12 starting players on the pitch then we definitely have a change! Doh! (Silva was meant to have been dropped)

 

[albertz81]

Long term it benefits us far more to get CL qualification for the millions it brings.

You get a pittance for winning the Scottish cup.

I get the argument that we are a club that should be winning trophies but at the moment the financial gain is more pressing for our future than another Scottish cup IMO.

 

[Coplandfrontier]

We desperately need to qualify for champions league financially . The team that has most money available normally wins leagues.

 

[SM™]

Believe me m8, if anyone said CV was super awesome and a billion times better than Balogun you'd have a valid point.
Only as you know no one has said any such thing
Mega staunch though

I am not a Protestant

I wouldn't even be a unionist if a party like the Scottish Libertarians were the nationalist alternative.

And as much as I sympathise with the Ulster Prods, I'm more likely to order a box of Tayto Wuster Sauce than to ever set foot over there.

I just hate them, their fans, and their sort to a level that stops me from even wanting to see the bastards, unless I'm forced to, and I honestly couldn't post what I think of them without ending up with a hefty fine or a jail sentence.

I'm no Staunchius Maximus, I'm just a football supporter who really f*cking hates the other lot.

Nothing unhealthy about that, and I'll encourage my son to share these values, and to pass them on to his children.

Celtic? I wouldn't even wish them a safe journey in Europe.

But I won't give you any of that GSTK/FGAU/NS stuff to go with it.

 

[WarnbroTavernier]

The reality is that Celtic are a much better team than us currently with their tails up so every chance we take a sore one in the final.

Anyone other than those just clapping at anything knows we won't win the final. It's been a while since I went into a final with no hope.

 

[Blutoe]

Long term it benefits us far more to get CL qualification for the millions it brings.

You get a pittance for winning the Scottish cup.

I get the argument that we are a club that should be winning trophies but at the moment the financial gain is more pressing for our future than another Scottish cup IMO.

We can do both

 

[The Gooner]

If we can get Sima and Matondo back and Ridvan stays fit we will win the Scottish cup.