Sheffield United.

[FPT]

I think we're all expecting a probable banana skin here in the FA Cup. They've got some very decent players like Billy Paynter, Jamie Murphy and Jose Baxter, as well as promising youngster Harry Maguire and on-loan Conor Coady. I don't know how their ticket sales are going, but with the visit of a "struggling" Premier League side, you would think that Bramall Lane will be fairly atmospheric.

Now, how seriously do we take this match, considering a much more important game lies in store just two days later, providing just a days recovery?

We have a decent enough squad to play a decent standard of side, as well as save up for Swansea:

I'd go for:

Stockdale
Zverotic Hughes Amorebieta Riise
Duff Karagounis Kasami Plumain
Taarabt
Bent

Subs: Etheridge, Richardson, Burn, Kacaniklic, David, Dembele, Rodallega.

The whole starting eleven didn't start at Arsenal, and probably won't start at Swansea barring injury.

- Stekenlenburg has picked up a couple of injuries since being here, and I'd wrap him in cotton wool, his quality is missed when not in between the sticks.

-Obviously, Brede Hangeland has just come back from injury, another we need to look after, especially at his age.

- Ange-Freddy Plumain wasn't involved with the U21s yesterday, which suggests he may have been saved for the first team, as for Dembele, who I've put on the bench.

- Karagounis can help guide Kasami along in the sitting midfield role.

- Adel Taarabt and Darren Bent should be decent enough to bring some fire power to a weakened side.



I think that's a good enough side to win, but also save our first team regulars for the more important fixture in Wales two days later.

[Northern Cottager]

Taarabt, Kasami and Bent up top should provide enough to scare them witless for 90 mins. Let's hope they do!

[WhiteJC]

Sheffield Utd beat Aston Villa 1-2 away from home, I guess the reason BT Sport have the game live is they think it could be another cup upset?

Fulham winning away again this season would be a surprise  :Get Coat gif:

[Adi-ffc]

For such a big club they are in shocking form, villa result aside.
It would be very poor to not at least take them to a replay, whatever team we put out.
I don't think Rene will want to lose this one at all.

[MasterHaynes]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

[Bassey the warrior]

Burn has to play, the more he plays the more he'll be used to his team mates and vice versa. He's young, I'm sure he can cope with two games in quick succession.

[Northern Cottager]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

[epsomraver]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

Turned his ankle in training, nothing major, not surprised when you see the slippers they wear now days as boots

[Roberty]

Burn has to play, the more he plays the more he'll be used to his team mates and vice versa. He's young, I'm sure he can cope with two games in quick succession.

I have no evidence to give but I suspect that a centre backs do the next least amount of running in a match after the goal keeper - so I suspect that both Hangeland and Burn would play both matches because they need time to gel as a partnership and PL match are running out.

[Roberty]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

Turned his ankle in training, nothing major, not surprised when you see the slippers they wear now days as boots

I remember leather studs being hammered into the first pair of ankle-high leather football boots I had - after matches we had to clean them and rub in dubbing - they had rounded toe pieces and were blooming heavy.

Epsom - did you have a pair too?

[Craven Mad]

My team:

               Stek
Zver - Hughes - Burn - Riise
            Kara - Kas
   Duff   - David -    Kaca
               Bent


Stek/Burn can benefit from game time. Hughes will help teach Burn (although I can see benefit in Hangers starting too; he's just too bloody important to risk against L1 opponents). Bent needs match time. Adel/Sid should be our super subs (if needed), Plumain/Lasse on the bench for appearances if we're dominating (likely on for Duff+Kara, or to rest Kas+Kaca), the rest of the bench made up by Stock, Amore & Hugo.

[Northern Cottager]

Just had a mooch over on their forum... bit of an odd assessment of some of our players. Some of our players have been out of sorts most of the season but this fella reckons his League one outfit will find most of our team 'easy to beat' and 'easy to dealt with'

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/fulham.32776/

[RaySmith]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

Turned his ankle in training, nothing major, not surprised when you see the slippers they wear now days as boots

I remember leather studs being hammered into the first pair of ankle-high leather football boots I had - after matches we had to clean them and rub in dubbing - they had rounded toe pieces and were blooming heavy.

Epsom - did you have a pair too?

I remember them - sometimes nails came through from the studs into your foot. Remember the dubbin - to keep the leather preserved and waterproof- in those days things were intended to last. Not to clean and dubbin your boots was seen as a sin.

It seems  incredible now that players like Haynes could show such skill and finesse with the ball, in those clodhoppers, apart from playing in thick mud, or ice hard pitches.

[Northern Cottager]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

Turned his ankle in training, nothing major, not surprised when you see the slippers they wear now days as boots

I remember leather studs being hammered into the first pair of ankle-high leather football boots I had - after matches we had to clean them and rub in dubbing - they had rounded toe pieces and were blooming heavy.

Epsom - did you have a pair too?

I remember them - sometimes nails came through from the studs into your foot. Remember the dubbin - to keep the leather preserved and waterproof- in those days things were intended to last. Not to clean and dubbin your boots was seen as a sin.

It seems  incredible now that players like Haynes could show such skill and finesse with the ball, in those clodhoppers, apart from playing in thick mud, or ice hard pitches.

Aaah, I used to use dubbin about 9 years back. Didn't know many other 14 year olds that did to keep their boots looking good!

[Craven Mad]

Just had a mooch over on their forum... bit of an odd assessment of some of our players. Some of our players have been out of sorts most of the season but this fella reckons his League one outfit will find most of our team 'easy to beat' and 'easy to dealt with'

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/fulham.32776/

Thanks for finding that.

They seem a fairly switched on bunch. Can't really disagree with anything their OP said, but I think he may be slightly overestimating the talent they have. Plus, his assessment was made after watching us play Arsenal - so we weren't exactly able to play at our best.

I'm really not fussed about this result to be honest. Swansea matters a million times more.

[epsomraver]

Dembele is injured so unlikely to play, I'd like to see Richards (left back) and Minkwitz on the bench so they might get a chance to play and show what they can do for 15 -20 minutes. If you put Riise in then we need a left back with pace for the last 15 minutes as Riise is easily caught out when a game gets stretched. Richards did Ok against Jenkinson and Ox chamberlain in the U21 cup. If you played Duff in front of him i would have no issue with him starting with Riise coming on later to shore things up.

Dembele is injured again?! He seems pretty injury prone for a young lad.

Turned his ankle in training, nothing major, not surprised when you see the slippers they wear now days as boots

I remember leather studs being hammered into the first pair of ankle-high leather football boots I had - after matches we had to clean them and rub in dubbing - they had rounded toe pieces and were blooming heavy.

Epsom - did you have a pair too?

Yes first pair wooden cork like  studs  with nails and support  up to ankle bone with hard toe caps and a leather strap like going across the laces, remember sitting in the kitchen cleaning them with a kitchen knife, ( woe betide if Mum found out ) and rubbing dubbin in to waterproof them, there was a boot inspection when I played for Battersea boys( like getting in the England team to me ) if your boots were not clean you did not play.

[gmosullivan]

In my opinion, Rene should take the top 6 talents from our under 21 team and say to them, if you wanna play in the 1st team and potentially in Europe next year, go out there and rip them to shreds. If you put us through this round you can play the remainder of the FA Cup matches which will be your opportunity to get in to Europe next year. After that, buffer the team with experienced players around them to help keep them calm on the ball and let them do what they have been doing for the last 2 years together and that´s winning games.

[Julius Geezer]

Nigel Clough will have them up for this one make no mistake.

It will be a tough, gritty, typical FA Cup tie so not sure the younger talents will have what it takes to win it.

Having said that, realistically the FA Cup is something we could do without so I say use first team fringe players with the odd U21 player.

[Northern Cottager]

I think we're going to go with

--------Stockdale
Zverotic - Senderos - Hughes - Riise

Duff  -     Kasami ---- Boateng - Kaca

Taarabt and Bent

May play Plumain and David should they both be fit? Apart from that we have at least 11 players who are hardly in the starting 11 in the Prem so I can see these playing.

[Bassey the warrior]

Just had a mooch over on their forum... bit of an odd assessment of some of our players. Some of our players have been out of sorts most of the season but this fella reckons his League one outfit will find most of our team 'easy to beat' and 'easy to dealt with'

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/fulham.32776/

Thanks for finding that.

They seem a fairly switched on bunch. Can't really disagree with anything their OP said, but I think he may be slightly overestimating the talent they have. Plus, his assessment was made after watching us play Arsenal - so we weren't exactly able to play at our best.

I'm really not fussed about this result to be honest. Swansea matters a million times more.

Difficult to take seriously someone who describes Berba as easy to deal with.