[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Jeff Astle scores Albion's opener in the FA Cup quarter-final decider against Liverpool, 18th April 1968

Our FA Cup adventure continues (though perhaps not for much too much longer) at Anfield on Saturday night, as we take on Liverpool in the hope of finding a way into the hat for the fifth round.

Leaving aside the deeply unpopular kick-off time and the needless disrespect of Liverpool electing not to wear armbands in their match on Monday night - both issues which leave Albion fans feeling a bit more of a grudge about this tie than usual - there's probably no better point to come face to face with the likes of Liverpool, having held them to a goalless draw in the league before Christmas and seen them slip up at Swansea at the start of the week, while Albion in contrast have been getting some momentum together and fully deserved three points from our Merseyside trip last Saturday.

Pardew put out a strong team against Exeter in the third round, and there's no reason why he shouldn't do the same at Anfield this weekend. Fifty years since our last cup win - en route to which we overcame Bill Shankly's great Liverpool side - is it possible Albion can get one step closer to a long-overdue repeat of '68?

[Baggiebob(BBB)]

WE CAN WIN THIS ON A PENALTY 

[BaggieMan]

Given our league position, do we really want to win this?
Concentrate on staying up is the priority.

[talkSAFT]

Given our league position, do we really want to win this?
Concentrate on staying up is the priority.

Win the Cup and go down? Mmmmmmm................

OK!

[silverbaggie]

Given our league position, do we really want to win this?
Concentrate on staying up is the priority.

Win the Cup and go down? Mmmmmmm................

OK!

Didn't Wigan and Birmingham win cups and get relegated in the same season.

Have they come back up yet?.......................Oh wait!!!

[talkSAFT]

It was this morning's marginal decision, Silver, and I change my mind a couple of times a day. But......

a) I'm not in love with the Prem. (The old 1st Division YES - before it became Big Business).
b) I live miles away from bitter WM rivalry (so it's not a case of prestige down here. Although there are a good few ex West Midlanders where I live).
c) The quality of the football is not over-important to me. The standard in the Championship is on a par with 1st Division football when we last won the Cup, say.
d) If I'm honest, I actually enjoyed coming away from Championship promotion battles with a great big smile on my face. OK, I'll still have those under Pardew (but definitely not under Pulis, even when we occasionally won 3 or 4 nil).
e) Most importantly, I've written-off ever having an interesting fight for the Title (I don't hold on to the "what about Leicester?" hope.)
So, my days of ecstasy are going to have to come from winning the (FA) Cup; Promotion (such as v Crystal Palace, which was as great an experience as '68); avoiding The Drop (as v Pompey).

I know we aren't guaranteed a return if we do drop (see Wigan & Blues), but I do like something to get excited about, and getting the 40pts on board by April doesn't get my champagne out of the cupboard.


Hang on.......just changed my mind.

[Onetruebaggie]

I had this argument the year we lost to Pompey in the semi in 2008, I had the pleasure at the time of an evening with Bomber Brown and my old man which in itself was a wonderful evening and very nostalgic! My point being, I was on the table with a number of old crusties who were reminiscing about our past, the great sides and in particular the 68 cup win, my point was at least you had that memory! I am 41 and the best it gets for me is Wembley in 1992, promotion to the Prem in 2001, yo-yo years, great escape and many more years of reaching the 40 point tidemark!!

My point was I would rather win the cup and have the history and memories that it brings and get relegated, when your name is on the cup you have to go and get it, that said, I don't know/think it is this year but history has a strange way of throwing up superstitions and fate like Liverpool on route. I like saft have grown tired of the Prem and the extorbiant amounts of money and it's whole grasp over football, why the f*** are we playing at Liverpool on a Saturday night at 7.45pm, thankfully I have BT but that's a side note.

Basically, I preferred battling in the Championship and have fonder memories playing towards something that had purpose and meaning unlike treading water as 10-12 teams do now. So go for it Albion, Swansea did it, throw the shackles off and have a go, who knows, a good cup run and survival, we dare to dream!!!!

COYB

[Foxman_WBA]

Turns out this argument is moot, half of the squad has come down with flu and so we are going to Anfield with a really weak squad :/

[Onetruebaggie]

Is that our excuse early !!!!

COYB

[Foxman_WBA]

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