B teams rears its ugly head again

[DonnyOsmond]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12098304/efl-not-sustainable-and-should-introduce-b-teams-says-man-city-chief-ferran-soriano

Talk of the PL asking for it to be put on the table if they're to provide a rescue package.

https://twitter.com/d3d4football/status/1313789365223645184?s=19

[drfchound]

The last time this was discussed I said that the B Teams will eventually play in the EFL.
I have no doubt that it will happen.
What the EPL wants the EPL gets.

[dknward2]

Well if that happens then I can see most of the b team matches being poorly attended

[silent majority]

It won’t happen, trust me.

[drfchound]

To be fair Martin, you can’t really say it won’t happen.
It might not be in the next season or two but none of us know what will happen in a few years time, especially now that some clubs may well go bust.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It won’t happen, trust me.

I hope not. I haven't attended one efl trophy game since b teams were admitted and I 100% do not want to watch us play against other clubs' reserves.  The pyrid in this country is the best thing about English football, that beauty of a Yeovil getting to the championship on merit and the big clubs tumbling down.

Nobody wants to watch Doncaster Vs Brighton B, nobody does.

[silent majority]

To be fair Martin, you can’t really say it won’t happen.
It might not be in the next season or two but none of us know what will happen in a few years time, especially now that some clubs may well go bust.

I understand your concerns, but B teams are a nonsense. I’ve lost count of the times it’s been discussed between the FSA/FSF and EPL/EFL and there is absolutely no appetite for it anywhere.

It won’t happen. If clubs do go to the wall there are enough clubs in the National game to fill those slots, that’s the beauty of a pyramid.

[GazLaz]

To be fair Martin, you can’t really say it won’t happen.
It might not be in the next season or two but none of us know what will happen in a few years time, especially now that some clubs may well go bust.

I understand your concerns, but B teams are a nonsense. I’ve lost count of the times it’s been discussed between the FSA/FSF and EPL/EFL and there is absolutely no appetite for it anywhere.

It won’t happen. If clubs do go to the wall there are enough clubs in the National game to fill those slots, that’s the beauty of a pyramid.

I don’t think it will happen... BUT the EFL clubs are in a weaker position now than ever. They are desperate for cash and anything can happen when people are desperate. The big boys have the cash the EFL clubs need.

[silent majority]

To be fair Martin, you can’t really say it won’t happen.
It might not be in the next season or two but none of us know what will happen in a few years time, especially now that some clubs may well go bust.

I understand your concerns, but B teams are a nonsense. I’ve lost count of the times it’s been discussed between the FSA/FSF and EPL/EFL and there is absolutely no appetite for it anywhere.

It won’t happen. If clubs do go to the wall there are enough clubs in the National game to fill those slots, that’s the beauty of a pyramid.

I don’t think it will happen... BUT the EFL clubs are in a weaker position now than ever. They are desperate for cash and anything can happen when people are desperate. The big boys have the cash the EFL clubs need.

Yes that's right, but B teams are not one of the concessions the EPL are asking for.

[drfchound]

Not YET, is probably more accurate.
The statement by the Man City person in that link indicates that someone from one of the big clubs has it in mind.

[silent majority]

You scaremonger if you want to hound, but take it from someone who has discussed this at all levels of the game, it won’t happen.

[drfchound]

I sincerely hope you are right and that it doesn’t happen Martin.
I totally oppose the B teams being in the FL Trophy competition so you can imagine what I think about them entering the actual Football League.
 I haven’t attended one game where Rovers have played against a PL under 21 team and would continue to do that if fans were allowed into stadiums.
I’m not trying to scaremonger anything but I do think that the PL clubs eventually make the decisions or at least influence what happens further down the track.

[silent majority]

I haven’t attended any of those games either, and have no intention of doing so. But we must remember this wasn’t really forced on the EFL, they were party to it under the guidance of Shaun Harvey.

B teams are different. For the EFL to even begin to think of this as a viable option it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. And it would also be the thin end of a very large wedge. EFL clubs would be out of business very quickly due to the incredible financial clout of EPL clubs.

You must remember this Man City fella doesn’t really understand what he’s talking about, he’s entitled to an opinion, it’s just that his opinion is just hot air.

[Wiltshire Exile]

I haven’t attended any of those games either, and have no intention of doing so. But we must remember this wasn’t really forced on the EFL, they were party to it under the guidance of Shaun Harvey.

B teams are different. For the EFL to even begin to think of this as a viable option it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. And it would also be the thin end of a very large wedge. EFL clubs would be out of business very quickly due to the incredible financial clout of EPL clubs.

You must remember this Man City fella doesn’t really understand what he’s talking about, he’s entitled to an opinion, it’s just that his opinion is just hot air.

Too true, Martin. 

A really well-thought-out article by another Martin, (M Samuels), on this very subject, is published today in the Mail. See this link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8821087/MARTIN-SAMUEL-B-teams-breakaways-bad-ideas-Covid-19-are.html

[DonnyNoel]

Firstly, I'm against this for the reasons we all state above.

But I'm also against it as I actually don't think it will work. Look at the top 6. Who in recent years have they loaned out to L1/L2 that has gone on to become a regular first teamer for them? And even then, would they have done it amongst a team of 18/19/20/21/22 year olds or have they also benefitted from being around seasoned pros like Copps, Wellens, Stock or Sulli? Any hot prospect they have is either in the championship, abroad, or kept around for 5 cup games a season. Plus the game "down here" is very different - would they benefit from that?

Also, lets not get bogged down by it happening in Spain. Spain massively underachieved for decades despite having sporadic instances of talented players, maybe even to the extent you can compare them with us. Then, they went and made the absolute most of their Golden Generation for a decade before going back to mediocrity in WC14, Euro16, WC18.

Putting aside the argument of them signing too many young players anyway, I do think the loan system is better than the B Team proposition.

EDIT - In fact I'd add to that players like Dele Alli, Harry Maguire and John Stones who progressed from L1 to the England team naturally (ie without loans or a B team) show that there's plenty of ways for a player to delevop.

[eadiee73]

Gashead here.

Not many forums talking about this too much so when I saw you were talking about it on here I thought I’d post.
I suspect most of us on Gaschat and all over the country who support clubs outside the PL hark back to a “golden age” when football was far more equal, when there were 92 FL clubs not 72 EFL clubs. Fans will look back to the time when they were at their best whenever that was. For us it may be the late 50s through to the 90s depending on your vintage. Foreign owners or even younger, British based owners will have a completely different view of football.

They will look to “grow the brand” similar to what Lansdowne has done to the the other lot (Bristol City). Just as Lansdowne has adopted a strategy to diminish his rivals (us) and establish his brand in Bristol so the different clubs in the PL will do their best to grow their clubs and support by diminishing others. Of course no one will come out and admit that but that is effectively what will happen and what they are trying to do. The PL is a completely different entity from the EFL and have gone in different directions since 1992. The PL will have few thoughts about the EFL except what they can get out of it. I’m afraid the EFL clubs appear to be hanging on by their/our fingernails to any kind of progress.

Once the PL agree to help the EFL clubs financially we all know there will be a price to pay for that and I’m afraid that B clubs will be that ultimate price. It may take a few years but it will happen for all the reasons that many have said. I don’t like it but I’m not important and I don’t think there are any answers for most of the EFL clubs that they like or find acceptable.

I’d say they need to secure their futures by becoming sustainable and matching income to expenditure but that’s unlikely to happen. Once they compromised by accepting U23 teams into the Checkatrade or whatever it’s called for the money they were offered, it showed that most of the owners of lower league clubs will do anything for extra income. It was a financial decision and whilst I dont like it I’d rather they admitted what it was and stop trying to bull**** me about it helping young players and helping the England team or making it a better competition. They fooled themselves if they thought that was it, it wasn’t.

Once they accepted payments for that other compromises will follow.

UTG!

[silent majority]

Great opinion piece here;


https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-city-ferran-soriano-b-team-player-development-premier-league-695359

[eadiee73]

Great opinion piece here;


https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-city-ferran-soriano-b-team-player-development-premier-league-695359

It is a good article and sums up the worries of many of us lower league fans. My worries remain that many club owners will take a short term view and agree anything that gives them money. Blimey, sorry if this offends anyone, but it really annoys me that these owners of PL clubs come from overseas and have known English football for less than 10 years yet feel they can blow away a century of the English Football League just because they have money.
I hope the owners of EFL clubs can see beyond the greed and look to the long term good of the game. But I’m not confident that they will.
UTG!

[DonnyOsmond]

https://twitter.com/TeleFootball/status/1315242246594322432?s=19

https://twitter.com/TeleFootball/status/1315252263355658242?s=19

[albie]

Latest from David Conn about Greg Clarke and his carrying on;
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/oct/23/revealed-greg-clarke-real-role-in-controversial-project-big-picture-talks-fa-chairman

Looking after the future of the game then!

[the vicar]

If we see this big picture then we will see b teams in our leagues as no one will be able to stop it

[Jimmydee]

I would stubbornly boycott football altogether if we had to play the B teams as a league fixture.
I wouldn’t even watch any games on T.V

[Draytonian III]

If B teams came into Leagues 1 & 2 which clubs would be involved ? There is now way that Liverpool ,Man Utd, Tottenham, Arsenal etc would play their 2nd string players, teams like that aren’t going to send their 2nd choice left full back to the likes of Carlisle, Southend on a freezing cold Tuesday night in February when they’ve got an important European match the following day or a fixture against another one of the top six at the weekend in case they get injured.
  Would suspensions count from these fixtures, of course, what you end up with is the 3rd of 4th choice left back, right midfielder etc playing.

[NickDRFC]

The B team model in Spain has two entirely different squads. You wouldn’t see players in the 25 man PL squad potentially being on the bench for the first team one week and then turning out for the B team the following week - they would be entirely separate squads.

Regardless, hope it never happens.

[silent majority]

It won’t happen.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

No way not ever. B teams should never ever be allowed to replace Harrogate Town, Barrow, Aldershot, Forest Green etc, etc, etc. The sheer greed clouds the principle on which community football clubs are built on and the reason Liverpool and Newton Heath were founded and exist today.

They can stick their funding right up where the sun don't shine.