If We Could Only Beat The Baggies Once This Week...

[RussellC]

League, definitely. If I thought we had a genuine chance of wining the cup it'd be a tougher question, but we don't and relegation would be an unmitigated disaster, so it's a no-brainer in my opinion.

Like Wigan didn't have a chance of winning it?

That Wigan side carried a decent attacking threat (they scored 47 goals in the league). They were dangerous from set-pieces (Shaun Maloney for example) and showed some genuine fight towards the end of a season that they started very poorly. I'm afraid they were completely different to this Villa team.

[PeterWithesShin]

They were still shit enough to get relegated. And yet still won the FA Cup. I just disagree that we have no chance.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Cup, I know it would be disastrous if we go down, but frankly I'll still support us in the lower divisions.

We've never won the Cup in my lifetime (and only just about in my parent's lifetime) and there is an outside chance this year. Beat the Baggies and we could be playing Reading or Bradford in the Semi-Finals and Citeh and Chavski are out.

Will be very depressed on Saturday if we get knocked out of the Cup.

[RussellC]

They were still shit enough to get relegated. And yet still won the FA Cup. I just disagree that we have no chance.

This is the most characterless and unintelligent and least creative Villa side I've ever seen. We're in a Cup quarter final because we've had 2 home draws against Championship sides (one of whom made 8 changes) and 1 against the only team lower than us in the Premiership. I find it hard to believe that anyone's really entertaining the chance of us winning the FA Cup, regardless of whether they think we'll stay-up.

[oldhill_avfc]

The way I see it there are 2 reasons why you'd want to be in the premiership.

Firstly to win the league and if you can't do that then to at least assemble a decent enough group of players to win cups.

Given our recent form of not quite challenging for the top spot then our reason for existing ought to be to win cups, ideally the FA Cup.

If we don't see the priority as winning a game that would take us a step close to winning our realistic highest honour then what is the point?

I'd also go as far as to say that watching Villa play in the championship next season isn't going to adversely affect my life and how much I enjoy the games.  On the other hand watching us win the FA Cup at Wembley might just be one the of the great days of my Villa supporting life. 

To me that makes it a total no brainer.

[PeterWithesShin]

Wigan got to the QF because they beat League 2 Bournemouth (after a replay), non league Macclesfield (by a whopping 1-0) and Championship Huddersfield.

[RussellC]

The question though, is which game do you want to win. It is isn't as straight forward as "Win the FA Cup and get relegated or stay up". For me, the depressing reality is that if we lose tomorrow but win on Saturday, we're likely to end-up getting relegated AND lose a cup semi final (or, best case, Final) at Wembley.

No thanks.

[RussellC]

Wigan got to the QF because they beat League 2 Bournemouth (after a replay), non league Macclesfield (by a whopping 1-0) and Championship Huddersfield.

And then beat Everton away. Like I said they were a team that carried a decent attacking threat, but just had a poor defence. Teams like that can prosper in knockout competitions. I really, really, really don't rate this Villa side's chances of doing that and I'm very surprised that anyone who's watched them this season does.

[German James]

I don't think we're going to avoid relegation whether we win against them in the league or not so, it would have to be beating them in the cup and having something (however unlikely) to look forward to, for me.

[PeterWithesShin]

Wigan got to the QF because they beat League 2 Bournemouth (after a replay), non league Macclesfield (by a whopping 1-0) and Championship Huddersfield.

And then beat Everton away. Like I said they were a team that carried a decent attacking threat, but just had a poor defence. Teams like that can prosper in knockout competitions. I really, really, really don't rate this Villa side's chances of doing that and I'm very surprised that anyone who's watched them this season does.

We've already prospered in it by reaching the QF. And my point was that you made it sound like the only reason we are in the QF is because we got lucky draws. Well so did Wigan as they played worse sides than we have. And no one is saying we will definitely win the FA Cup, but it's ridiculous to say we have no chance when we are in the QF and have a home draw against a side we've lost at home to once in 30 years. And that was only because we had a player wrongly sent off.

[supertom]

Wigan got to the QF because they beat League 2 Bournemouth (after a replay), non league Macclesfield (by a whopping 1-0) and Championship Huddersfield.

And then beat Everton away. Like I said they were a team that carried a decent attacking threat, but just had a poor defence. Teams like that can prosper in knockout competitions. I really, really, really don't rate this Villa side's chances of doing that and I'm very surprised that anyone who's watched them this season does.

We've already prospered in it by reaching the QF. And my point was that you made it sound like the only reason we are in the QF is because we got lucky draws. Well so did Wigan as they played worse sides than we have. And no one is saying we will definitely win the FA Cup, but it's ridiculous to say we have no chance when we are in the QF and have a home draw against a side we've lost at home to once in 30 years. And that was only because we had a player wrongly sent off.

Indeed. We've got a chance. Get through and essentially we keep our fingers crossed we avoid the winner of Arsenal vs Utd.

Every now and again a lower entity goes all the way in this cup. Portsmouth a few years back, Wigan the other year. Ordinarily it's the usual suspects like Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool etc.
The way the cup has gone so far, this could be one of the anomaly years, so we've definitely got to go all out. Everyone left has a chance. I wouldn't even bet against Bradford at this point given their recent track record.

[Drummond]

I'm not sure I wouldn't mind going down and staying.

The only downside I see to that is the size of the ground and that it will be half-empty.

[Malandro]

I'm not sure I wouldn't mind going down and staying.

The only downside I see to that is the size of the ground and that it will be half-empty.

half full man, half full

[ADVILLAFAN]

I'm not sure I wouldn't mind going down and staying.

The only downside I see to that is the size of the ground and that it will be half-empty.

And would half of the grounds be death traps like Burnley's Turf Moor?

[dave.woodhall]

I'm not sure I wouldn't mind going down and staying.

The only downside I see to that is the size of the ground and that it will be half-empty.

And would half of the grounds be death traps like Burnley's Turf Moor?

Hopefully.

And the answer to the original question is

... it wouldn't be enough.