I'd sacrifice short term success F.A cup wins and League Cup wins for long terms success and for long term success you need Champions League football.
I truly understand the logic behind what you say Blood (I think), in that, to sustain continued success you need Champions League football which attracts and maybe pays for that extra top player every season. In turn, the top players have more chance of delivering more trophies. In particular the League title. Although, it must be said; that didn't exactly pan out before now.
However, although I'm still not sold on the idea that we can
only get the players we need if we finish say fourth, I can buy into that notion. Just not this season.
So whilst the cups are nice for the history records
They aren't just nice for the history records Blood - they
are the history records. They're the things which go to make a club 'big'.
We are a club in transition (a transition I, wrongly, hoped would happen this season) and until we can make the next step; progress in domestic trophies has to be welcome. Whilst others may disagree; I honestly don't believe, for one minute, that progress to two Cup finals stymied our quest for fourth. There are many factors behind that particular 'failing' but the Cups weren't one.
We've blamed... bad finishing/post/crossbar/missed penalties/injuries to Gerrard, Lucas, Agger & Johnson/poor signings... Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing & Andy Carroll/Comolli/ F.S.G. AND Kenny... but 'we've' never blamed the Cups. (Although I'm sure that, after reading this, some will
)
If we'd pissed the Cups off and concentrated on 'top four' what we'd have is both a trophy-less season
and a finish outside fourth.
sh*t, as JD points out in the OP; we could well have finished fourth and still have had no Champions League football next season. The real benefits, to progress in the cups; togetherness, experience in winning as a
team and the hunger for glory will reap it's own rewards (in my opinion). What better way to build proper confidence as a team than winning a medal or lifting a Cup?
I thought we were ready to challenge this season - I was wrong... but I'm long enough in the tooth to see that these cups are sowing the real seeds towards sustainable success. Oh and deny it if you want but you will
all be shaking like a shitting dog with excitement and anticipation next Saturday morning... unlike the fans of the (perennial top four finishers) Arsenal. Oh yeah...