EFL Trophy News

[bobjimwilly]

Stop harping on and making excuses or pretend you are on your own crusade,get down and back the team.

you gonna get down of that horse soon selby?

[glosterred]

I'm hoping for fair weather, it may encourage some more of our supporters to turn up and support their team.

COYR

[selby]

B.J. I am glued to the horse. The competition is what it is,and I do respect others opinions.
   We have used the competition the right way,our manager has been great with his selections, and has used the rules to our advantage.
   That's all the club can do this season, and has to get on with an unpopular situation.
   The supporters who have not attended have missed out on some good performances by our youngsters,who have mostly rubbished the early season thoughts that our squad lacked depth.
  The competition is far from perfect,but I feel has been good for the Rovers by giving the younger players an opportunity.

[IDM]

Can't argue with that, Selby..

[bobjimwilly]

Agree with the sentiment selby, honestly I do, but you just can't expect those supporters who take serious issue with the way the EFL have mishandled this competition to just shut up and back the team, and I also take issue with you suggesting those that choose to boycott are "pretending to be on a crusade"?
It's unfortunate but the only way to make the EFL consider their decisions more seriously in future, and maybe even listen to us fans, is to boycott the competition. I'm sure those fans that do boycott feel bad for not supporting the team and still want them to do well.

[Lincoln Rover]

Selby ( Dawse ) I agree with you. The comp itself is ridiculed and the reason for the 23/21 is at best flawed.
However if Donny Rovers were playing a comptetive game then I will try my level headed best to get there. The two home games in this comp have been good to watch and get me out of the house.
Mrs Lincoln Rover can ( quite rightly) question my sanity for a three hour round trip for an EFL trophy game, but when it's Donny or watching catch up to on Neighbours, I know why I'll rather be.

[The Red Baron]

Living 100 miles away I tend not to go to EFL Trophy games at the best of times, certainly unless they are local to me (I went to the one at Burton a couple of years ago).

This season's fiasco has been another reason not to bother, but I have followed the team's efforts and I do think we've derived some benefits from it.

Would I go to the Final if we got there? Probably, but I'd think long and hard if we were playing a B Team.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Won't be going but really hope we win...

[selby]

B.J. I accept your point about their feelings about the competition,but why get the hump when people express their displeasure in public and do not accept any disagreement on publicising it on the forum,I do not see why,other than to encourage other people not to go to these matches.
     I dont think that is right,in seven pages of this subject nobody has posted that supporters should go to the matches,so why give credence to those not supporting the club and wanting everyone to know.
     They should be contacting the F.L.the only people that will change the format,and yes I have by the way,and admittedly have had no reply as yet.

   

[Colin C No.3]

I'm still very skeptical about the benefits of this new format, but I'm prepared to give it a chance over the course of the season.

I think everyone is acutely aware of where it's leading in the long-term (or where the Premier League wants it to lead), but I hope '20,000 turning up at Tottenham' or wherever else, doesn't get blurred with the actual player development.

If they want to develop their precious darlings through competitive game time, why don't they just set up their own league/cup competitions?

I think their point is that they want to test them in a different age group (i.e. mens football and not Under 21s/18s or whatever).

For me, the best policy is still to loan the young players out (just on six-month deals now to get around FIFAs new rules) and let them learn that way.

We'll see how it works out. I have my reservations...

Don't get splinters up your arse sitting on that fence.

This competition makes The Anglo Scottish Cup look like the Champions League!

[IDM]

No it was a bad idea in principle.  This competition is a cup for lower division sides, for a realistic chance to reach a national cup final like we did 10 seasons ago..

If the top leagues want to have a tournament for their development squads - for all the right reasons and to develop young english players - then so be it.  Just not this one.

[Muttley]

As I've said before on here, PL teams have squads of 40+ players including up and coming youngsters and aging has-beens as well as the first team regulars.

If they want to have a cup competition to give their starlets a bit of experience, then why don't they just devise their own cup competition? The EFL were incredibly conceited to think that fans of lower league teams would bow down to worship the glory of these PL kids, and even more misguided in the belief that this farce would help the England team improve.

[IDM]

No it was a bad idea in principle.  This competition is a cup for lower division sides, for a realistic chance to reach a national cup final like we did 10 seasons ago..

If the top leagues want to have a tournament for their development squads - for all the right reasons and to develop young english players - then so be it.  Just not this one.

I completely disagree with the 'it's always been a competition for lower league sides, so it should stay that way' argument.

Most Under 18s (and 21s) need to develop as both individuals and players, as the gulf between senior/youth football is huge. For every Jack Grealish, who can probably handle himself in mens football straight away, there's plenty who can't.

So the two options are to either get out on loan (but that's become tougher with the emergency loan rules from this season), or compete in a tournament like this which was probably aimed to bridge that gap.

The problem is it's gone from Premier League academy teams to Category One Under 23 teams, to Derby County naming Jason Shackell and others, Stoke City naming Peter Crouch and Norwich City naming what can by and large be classed as reserve team players.

So, essentially, quite a lot of players in Under 21 academy teams have missed out on this opportunity which was presented to them when the concept first came to light, and the whole thing has become an even bigger farce than what it was when Premier League teams started withdrawing and attendances plummeted to just a few hundred at some games.

The quite simple conclusion, in my opinion, is that the format hasn't worked.

What is wrong with leaving well alone???

and no, it was not aimed to bridge any gap, the Associate Members Cup, in its subsequent guises, has been going since 1983/4 and apart from a little period involving Conference sides, has always been for lower league clubs..

By all means find a way to help develop the young players at top teams, so why not do that elsewhere?

You have concluded that this hasn't worked, so it was wrong in the first place??

[roversontheup]

I just don't understand why it can possibly be 'right' to have Premier or Championship players of any age involved in this cup unless they are on loan to L1/2 clubs. Sorry but it is crystal clear for me. It's the one competition that gives lower league clubs the chance to win some silverware and play a final in Wembley.

By all means come up with some plan for developing English under age players but NOT this competition!

[Dagenham Rover]

No it was a bad idea in principle.  This competition is a cup for lower division sides, for a realistic chance to reach a national cup final like we did 10 seasons ago..

If the top leagues want to have a tournament for their development squads - for all the right reasons and to develop young english players - then so be it.  Just not this one.

I completely disagree with the 'it's always been a competition for lower league sides, so it should stay that way' argument.

Most Under 18s (and 21s) need to develop as both individuals and players, as the gulf between senior/youth football is huge. For every Jack Grealish, who can probably handle himself in mens football straight away, there's plenty who can't.

So the two options are to either get out on loan (but that's become tougher with the emergency loan rules from this season), or compete in a tournament like this which was probably aimed to bridge that gap.

The problem is it's gone from Premier League academy teams to Category One Under 23 teams, to Derby County naming Jason Shackell and others, Stoke City naming Peter Crouch and Norwich City naming what can by and large be classed as reserve team players.

So, essentially, quite a lot of players in Under 21 academy teams have missed out on this opportunity which was presented to them when the concept first came to light, and the whole thing has become an even bigger farce than what it was when Premier League teams started withdrawing and attendances plummeted to just a few hundred at some games.

The quite simple conclusion, in my opinion, is that the format hasn't worked.

No it was a bad idea in principle.  This competition is a cup for lower division sides, for a realistic chance to reach a national cup final like we did 10 seasons ago..

If the top leagues want to have a tournament for their development squads - for all the right reasons and to develop young english players - then so be it.  Just not this one.

totally agree, however they aren't using it to to develop young English players if they were it might just have added a tiny little bit of credence to to the format but not much

[The Red Baron]

Doesn't look like the Trophy format will be changing next season.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AgainstLeague3/status/797072631069556736?p=v

[RedJ]

Pointless as the group stage is, I wouldn't mind it if not bas**rdised by the "Premier League youth teams".

[DonnyOsmond]

It won't carry on if it isn't voted in. A lot of teams will have been put off this season plus they expected Arsenal, Manchester Utd, etc in it. I doubt FL clubs will accept.

[albie]

Luton spanked with a £15k fine;
Luton furious as English Football League fines 12 clubs for breaching ‘full strength’ policy | Football News | Sky Sports

Others treated more leniently, but still punished.

[Superspy]

The rules are a joke, and the final paragraph in the article hammers it home for me:

"That is clearly disingenuous and by fining us this amount the EFL is effectively saying that promoting young talent is only acceptable if they're with an EPPP1 club, and they are depriving their own member clubs' young players access to first-team football."

[bobjimwilly]

Luton fans stump up £4000 to help pay for EFL Trophy fine