If West Ham and Leeds United werenāt going to take todayās FA Cup quarter-final at the London Stadium seriously, yesterdayās results will certainly have refocused minds.
Arsenalās defeat to Southampton has sent shockwaves not only through North London but the competition itself. Naturally, there will be the usual conspiracy theories suggesting Manchester City and Chelsea will be kept apart in the semi-finals. Personally, Iām not buying into that ā and thereās every chance the winner of todayās tie could be drawn against Southampton.
If that happens, and West Ham get the job done, then suddenly a route to the final opens up in a very real way.
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is desperate to lead his team out at Wembley
Wembley Within Reach for West Ham
In truth, too much is often made of simply reaching Wembley for a semi-final. Hosting the last four at the national stadium does take something away from the final itself, and Iāve always felt semi-finals should be played at neutral venues.
That said, it clearly still means a lot to the players. Jarrod Bowen admitted yesterday he would love to lead his West Ham side out at Wembley ā and you canāt underestimate what that kind of motivation can do.
West Ham have done brilliantly to reach this stage. While there may have been a favourable draw along the way, that hasnāt always been the case in previous seasons.
Thereās no reason at all why the luck canāt continue ā but Leeds will be thinking exactly the same.
For that reason, expect both Nuno EspĆrito Santo and Daniel Farke to go strong. Thereās simply too much at stake not to.
Short term glory in a competition that is built around the “luck of the draw” versus long term financial stability and at least being in a position to build something better than a cup win every 50 years, no contest. West Ham are in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup because they have had an easy path. Today they have another reasonable chance and who knows, they may draw Southampton as their semi final opponents, but overall, their chances of winning the whole thing are still remote. If it turns out that the price for three more cup game wins is relegation and the associated struggles, that price is definitely not worth it.
I’m not sure I would agree with “West Ham have done brilliantly to reach this stage” as I thought we were unconvincing against QPR and second best against Burton. Ok, we were good against Brentford and our penalty takers were magnificent.
I definitely agree with “Thereās no reason at all why the luck canāt continue”. It seems to be a 50/50 game against Leeds. Team selections will be eagerly scrutinised for this one after each coach has been, unsurprisingly, cagey regarding who might or might not play. Anyway, it should be a great gameš¤. Come on you āļø
If we win the cup and get relegated, will we be the first team outside of the top flight to win the cup since….er…..West Ham? Or would we still be classed as a Premier League club?
Oh Donny, you ” crazy horse”.