We are ball 19 in tonight’s FA Cup draw and although manager Paul Lambert, like his predecessors, has not had much cup luck of late, this could turn our season.
The players apparently still ‘ believe’ and midfielder Cols Skuse says he can see the light at the end of the player’s tunnel and if this is indeed the case, then what a difference a good cup run could make!
It is a long time since we progressed in the oldest domestic knock-out competition in the world, and how fitting it would be if we could do it this time around. What we need tonight is a kind home draw and if we get that, we could finally get back into the winning habit because just like losing, winning is just the same.
Sadly, we have been in the losing habit for far too long this season and the gap between ourselves and the rest of the relegation pack is widening week on week. But unlike at the top, those struggling teams rarely pick up three points regularly so although things look bad, there is still some hope. We need a couple of wins on the bounce to renew hope however and ideally before we have kicked a ball in earnest in the third round of the F.A. Cup!
One win all season is a horrifying stat and in all honesty, it is difficult to see where our next win is coming from? Manager Paul Lambert has tried everything he knows and although our football is far superior to earlier in the season that results have not been.
Like everyone else I guess, I am seriously worried but as I have indicated here on a number of occasions before, it is only after those Christmas fixtures that we can start to take stock of where we are at and not before. The reason we love football so much is that it’s so unpredictable.
We can never assume anything in football as Arsenal learned yesterday when they threw away a one-goal lead in moments, only to eventually claw their way back to a convincing victory in the end.
In other words, folks to coin a theatrical phrase, it is not over until the fat lady sings.
F.W. – editor of Vital Ipswich
