Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Alex McLeish vows to show FA Cup respect
Saturday 7th January 2012, 10:59AM GMT.
Alex McLeish today pledged to treat the FA Cup with the respect it deserves and not incur the wrath of the Villa fans by fielding a weakened team.
Villa travel to Bristol Rovers this evening for a tricky third-round tie and, despite a gruelling festive period, McLeish will resist the temptation to rest some of his tired legs.
Former Villa manager Gerard Houllier was heavily criticised by supporters last season as a below-strength side crashed out of the Cup against Manchester City.
And with McLeish keen to build bridges with the fans, his stars will remain in the starting line-up for the televised clash at the Memorial Stadium this evening.
“I’ve got to play the strongest team I can. We seriously want to do well in the FA Cup,” said McLeish.
“I’ve not really got the capacity to change the side that much unless I was to go carte blanche with the young players. I don’t want to do that because I know from my own experience with Rangers and Celtic that if you throw in a lot of youngsters, or rotate the squad, you lose a bit of momentum and damage the telepathy between players.
“There’s still definitely some people sacrificing a wee bit to make sure their Premier League campaign goes according to plan.
“The FA Cup will always be a romantic competition to many, many people. The competition, like any other one deserves the utmost respect.”
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