I want to see us win something but not at any cost. I don't think it is a matter of choosing which competition to compete in really. Sure, there may be a time where the manager needs to make a decision as to whether he plays his strongest team in one game when another game is only a couple of days away, but that is no different if we were to have two league games a couple of days apart. When I look back on a season, what makes me happy are the good memories. The more of them (and typically these will be victories!) there are, the happier I am with the season.
Would I swap the season we have just had with Man United's? Hell no. They played turgid, boring football, and even their victories were hard work and not very pleasing on the eye. We had a number of games where we simply blew the opposition away, including some memorable victories against Emirates Marketing Project, United and Stoke. What do I remember of this season just gone? Simple:
1. The title fight. We were never favourites, but I was genuinely excited. I would wake up on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday excited and sick with fear/anticipation for what would happen to my team. Would we win, would I see a magical bit of skill or team play? My emotions were all over the place because of what this team made me believe;
2. Our youngsters. I mean if the fact that we are the backbone of the new look England team and the Belgium team is not enough, we have witnessed our players show a huge amount of development. They went from a bunch of individuals into an effective team. Who would have guessed that Dier would establish himself as the best english defensive midfielder? Who would have guessed that Alli would be compared to Gerrard, nutmeg nearly every team and score goals including that goal;
3. Our manager - The way he conducted himself throughout the season endeared him to me. I was proud to have such a man as our manager;
4. Dembele and Lamela proving the doubters wrong and just becoming immense;
5. There were a number of moments this season where WHL literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It made me feel like a kid again.
All those reasons are why I love this team. Would I have traded all of that for an FA Cup? No. Would winning an FA Cup have made this season a lot better. Hell yes. Would it have meant more than finishing above that lot down the road? Absolutely.
