CHAPELALLMAN wrote: ↑Sat Apr 25, 2026 9:05 am
White - don't forget that the guy you responded to regards any player that Bielsa used to regularly pick as pretty well infallible. He still hasn't got over his immense trauma of Bielsa being shown the door - bless.
I wouldn't start Perri, as this is our biggest cup game since the 1996 league cup final. Darlow is an international keeper who has been playing in some big crunch games for Wales recently. Perri presumably has relatively little experience of big games.
I'm just nervous that the occasion might get to him and he reverts to what we saw earlier in the season when he was the first choice keeper. He was dropped because Farke lost confidence in him, and earlier FA Cup ties were probably regarded as free hits. Now there's much more at stake.
I just have this memory of Casilla in the vital Derby play off game and how the occasion got to him. IMO Darlow is less likely to do some kind of an embarrassing howler due to nerves. It's a difficult call for Farke though, because he will get a lot of flak if Perri is selected and then screws up in front of such a big audience.
Either one will do for me Chapel. Though I would prefer Perri. Darlow has had the odd mistake, but he got away with most of them, and he also seems to get a lot more leeway.
Essentially, Farke can only go with the tools he has. These are both competent, experienced goalkeepers, so either one should be able to perform, and if they c**k up on the big stage then that for me is down to them individually and not Farke's fault.
Same as DCL got his big chance for England and fluffed his lines, but at that level he won't be getting another chance, that's for sure.
One thing Jesse Marsch did get right about those players was when he said "They're scared" cos they were. In that semi against Derby, only Stuart Dallas turned up, and was the one player that day who believed and wanted it. Ostracizing Pontus was a big mistake, as for me he did the correct action against those cheating Villa tossers. The first concession was 50/50 between Kiko and Cooper, as a goalkeeper in the past I would shout and claim the ball and if Cooper got in the way he'd get cleaned out as well as the ball, cos he got his warning
Apart from the magnificent Stuart Dallas, who I'll always remember for what he did that night, we mentally folded like a pack of cards once that first goal went in, but Stuart Dallas wasn't having it. Mentally weak players, with a lack of technical skill imo.
ol: 
And another one bites the dust 
