Quote Originally Posted by the other bob wilson View Post
What I don't get is why it has to be one out of a good cup run or staying up, I'm sure there have been some teams that managed both in the past.

The only thing I would have traded for those two Cup Finals was promotion to the Premier League and, given the way that worked out, I think I might take another Cup Final appearance (provided we won!) over another promotion.
I like your last bit... cake and eating

Yes, we had a bad experience in the PL and I'm sure a lot of people share your view, myself included.
However we are not talking about promotion to the PL here are we, we are talking about risking our Championship status and the very real possibility of demotion to the 3rd tier.

You mention that teams in the past have managed a good cup run and staying up. Yes there have been I have no doubt about that, but I doubt many have been in the precarious, uncertain position of ourselves.

I still remember one of the best and worse feelings I've ever had watching the City... winning in the playoff semi against Stoke away, and the loss at home a couple of days later.
Looking back, I don't think it was the twist of fate that hurt the most, having done the hard bit away from home after playing champagne football and the way we gifted them their very late goal at NP, or that we missed out on a play off final, or even the fact that it was horrible Stoke we lost to.
It was the thought that we just missed out on playing the Big Boys, the teams who would come down from the premiership and the teams that were premier teams in waiting with fantastic grounds and traditions. Playing these guys week in week out with the real dream of playing in the big time.
It took quite a few years to get over that awful night, until rhe night of the QPR play off final in fact.