Fan's View by Paul Cooper

THIS was the most expensive reserve match I have been to this season and for many seasons in the past.

I knew that Sam wasn't going to field a full strength team and why should he? It was clear that the players were tiring when I went down to the Villa game.

But I do feel that the run up to the game could have been handled better. I thought that £21 was too much to pay considering what I had already forked out over the Christmas period. I thought it would have been much better to have charged a tenner and got a bigger crowd as result.

To look on a positive note it was nice to see the likes of Jeff Smith, Nicky Hunt, Danny Livesey and co get a run out.

The game itself was okay and the performances satisfactory, but it lacked atmosphere due to the low crowd.

I was pleased to see Smith and Delroy Facey who both played quite well.

At the end of the day nobody should have a go at Sam for trying new things. In the light of the situation it is much better to blood the youngsters in a cup game than in a bottom of the table relegation battle.

I am with you Sam all the way and so should everyone else be.

I am tired of people moaning about the manager sitting upstairs and not coming down to the dugout to shout the orders.

That doesn't always work. Take Strachan for example. He stands on the sidelines barking out his orders and although it is working at Southampton it didn't have much effect at Coventry.

All in all if resting players pays off at Fulham next week then it will be well worthwhile. If someone offers me cup success or Premiership survival then I'll take Premiership survival every time. If that means Wanderers playing their reserves in cup games for the next couple of season then so be it.

-m: Jeff Smith