Case For The Kids

I'm wondering if I'm going to regret missing the game today. There's rumours that Pardew's selection will have a whiff of a 'run out' for some of the younger fringe players, and I for one would wholeheartedly support this approach.

This may aggravate some fans who feel the cup is special and should be respected, but let's be honest – in the last few games has anyone really deserved to keep their place? We're always screaming to give the young blood a chance, and today is the ideal opportunity. Change it up and see what happens.

The reality is that the league is more important to us this season than the last few years. We've always done enough recently to cling to mid-table or thereabouts in the Prem and looked forward to the prospect of cup glory, which sadly always ended in miserable failure.

Things are different now. We're in real danger of going stale at the moment, and are playing like a dull mid-table team a league lower than we're comfortable with. The opportunity of playing a team like West Brom with a changed line-up is a gift right now, and one that should be taken.

If we were playing a team from another division, higher or lower, we'd simply be playing to avoid embarrassment. We'd try hard to grind out a result and learn nothing from it. Playing the best team in our league totally removes the pressure – we've an idea of what we're up against, and can try out some different tactics.

In fact I'm kicking myself right now that my day will consist of 2 trips to Essex and back in the car (which passed with flying colours by the way!), rather than an afternoon out at The Valley casting an eye over a youthful side hungry to stake a place in the first team.

Today could possibly see any of Viewtoakill, Racon, Dickson, Christiansen, Arter, Youga, Sankofa and Basey, some of which are players I won't get a chance to see normally unless I get off my lazy arse and finally attend a reserves match. Varney could get a chance to shine in a standard 4-4-2, and McLeod may have a shot at showing his goal at The Hawthorns wasn't just a fluke.

Having said all that, Pardew might still opt for the same boring toss we've been subjected to for the last few games. I urge you Pards – take a risk today! No-one's expecting us to win, you've seen what happens when the Woolwich Rejects play the kids! Be a devil...

There's 4½ hours til kick-off as I write this Pards, you've still got time...