Graham Potter is a decent coach and sides with a new manager often have a bounce, so tonight is going to be interesting. Me, and I’ll get into trouble for this, don’t mind that much about tonight and if we lost, I’d very quickly move on.
It’s not that I don’t want us to win or think we can and football is all about winning and this is something we can win. But the chances of us winning the actual FA Cup are so slim, if we lost tonight and gave ourselves more time to focus on the League and Champions League, I’d be okay with that.
And I know, that’s not my job, but this isn’t the game I signed up for nearly 50 years ago, so if the game changes, my role can change. It’s just how it is. All that said, I think we should win tonight, mostly because West Ham do have a new head coach.
I’ve written coach and manager above and I think there is a difference. Brighton and Brentford for example, are Clubs that a coach will do well in. Try to put a manager in either of those sides and he’ll struggle and by association, the side will too. West Ham need a manager and they’ve hired a coach.
The reason why Potter did well at Brighton and Östersund was because he was a good coach and those clubs are designed to have a coach in place. It’s not to say he isn’t going to be a decent manager and do well at West Ham, but West Ham need a manager because the owners of West Ham are clueless. And the difference between coach and manager is big.
That’s wrong, Sullivan isn’t clueless, but West Ham need a manager, not a coach. Sullivan is as close to football people as I am and most of you are, he’s just got a lot more money in the bank. But West Ham need a manager and they’re a long way from needing a coach.
All that written, there could be a bounce for West Ham and because everyone and their dog would agree that our chances of actually winning the FA Cup are about as likely as me not having a glass of wine tonight, it might mean we don’t put as much into it and would that really be that bad?
I know it’s wrong, but what’s more important, not winning the FA Cup or trying to finish fifth? I’ll be back in a few hours. Need to get to the off license!
Match facts from the BBC
-
This is the first FA Cup meeting between Aston Villa and West Ham since March 1980, with the Hammers winning a quarter-final tie 1-0 en route to winning the trophy.
-
Aston Villa beat West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League in August – they’ve not won consecutive meetings with the Hammers in all competitions since completing the league double over them in 2010-11.
-
Having lost seven consecutive FA Cup third round matches between 2016-17 and 2022-23, Aston Villa beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at this stage of the competition last season. They last reached the fourth round in consecutive campaigns in 2014-15/2015-16.
-
West Ham were eliminated by Bristol City in the FA Cup third round last season. They’ve not gone at this stage of the competition in consecutive campaigns since a run of three between 2011-12 and 2013-14.
-
Aston Villa have lost each of their six home games in the FA Cup – excluding non-league sides, only Rotherham United have ever lost more in a row in the competition’s history (7 between 2002 and 2008).
