Football League Trophy

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Kernow Yellow
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Kernow Yellow »

theox wrote:
ty cobb wrote:So am I right to assume that many of the people on this forum won't be watching the game on TV on Wed
Nice attempt at a wind-up Ty. Your assumption is correct though.

At some point you will get the hang of what a 'boycott' is.....
You think that most people who say they're boycotting wouldn't watch a potential final on telly? Even in the pub? I'd be surprised.

As Colin says, everyone's getting ahead of themselves anyway. I suspect Luton tonight will provide pretty tough opposition. Not that I'll be watching as I've got other things on (so my 100% Checkatrade 'boycott' will still be intact :lol: )
ty cobb
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by ty cobb »

Never in doubt - see you all at Wembley!
YF Dan
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by YF Dan »

If it was against a B-team, I wouldn't go.

But it's not. It's two clubs with a proud history, who have taken this competition seriously.

And this team deserve our support. I want us to win for them. Imagine how the players will feel walking out to a derisory support at Wembley. We need to be there to cheer them to victory.

It's not their fault the competition has been maligned by the shitty powers that be. I'm going, I'll take my kids, and I want us to win.
Werthers Original
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Werthers Original »

Wembley! Wembley! I can't go, actually, but I'm not boycotting it. That would be pointless in such a big crowd. Hope people have a great day
SmileyMan
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by SmileyMan »

It seems to me that a co-ordinated protest with the Coventry fans would be most effective. Hearing the whole of Wembley shout "No to B Teams" (hey, chants aren't my forté!) for five minutes after kickoff, loud enough to be unmissable on the telly, can't possibly be misconstrued by the FA as support.
tomoufc
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by tomoufc »

The boycott stands until B teams are removed from the competition. Good luck to OUFC at Wembley, and well done for getting there, but I'll feel no great sense of excitement for us winning a completely devalued competition in front of a bunch of fans who lack the gumption or discipline to see through a boycott for one season.
Last edited by tomoufc on Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:32 am, edited 2 times in total.
&quotI've been a slave to football. It follows you home, it follows you everywhere, and eats into your family life. But every working man misses out on some things because of his job. &quot
grandpont tom
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by grandpont tom »

I went last night (having boycotted the previous rounds) and it was a cracking game - and it didn't feel like a tainted competition
I will go to Wembley and whilst it's laudable to stick by principles I actually think it's turned out that two proper clubs with great sets of supporters have got to the final and I don't want to miss it.
I also think that this group of players management and directors thoroughly deserve our support... and it would be great to win.
theox
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by theox »

Worth a read whichever side of the fence you are on:

https://michaelappletonsmum.wordpress.c ... d-players/

Here's the text:

I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry that I won’t be there to watch you walk out at Wembley on what might well be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you.

I’m really sorry that I won’t be able to cheer you on and provide you with the support and backing you deserve so utterly and completely.

It filled us all with enormous pride to watch many of you do this last season, and it pains us even more to know many of us won’t be there to watch you do it this time around.

We’re all unbelievably proud of everything you have done so far this year – it really has been magnificent given the realistic expectations of what we might achieve this season. The past two years have given us an opportunity to hold our heads up high among other football supporters once again, and be fiercely proud of the hard-working, forward thinking, progressive and just downright excellent football club you have helped us become. Thank you for that. A thousand times, thank you.

But despite our enormous pride in what you guys are achieving, we hope you understand that this is so much bigger for us. We haven’t had it easy as football supporters over the past 25 years – we nearly lost our football club more than once during that time. We have to do everything we can to make sure we don’t let ourselves get into a similar position again, and to make sure the opportunities to grow and progress for a club the size of ours don’t go away.

Many of us firmly believe that the introduction of b-teams from the top two divisions into this tournament represents the start of a genuine creeping threat to the long term sustainability of clubs like ours.

The big clubs getting a platform – any platform – to develop their reserves in competitive fixtures provides them with an enormously unfair advantage in maintaining their place at the top of the game – and the odds are already massively tipped in their favour.

It allows the big clubs to continue hoarding young, talented players who could be out playing alongside you for clubs like ours, instead of rotting in reserve teams, occasionally being wheeled out in the Checkatrade Trophy.

The inclusion of b-teams in this tournament is bad for football on pretty much every level I can think of. I really believe it’s also bad for footballers.

I also feel we have a genuine responsibility to represent supporters of other League 1, League 2 and non-league clubs, who face similar threats to their future because of the financial dominance of the big clubs in the Premier League and the Championship.

So please understand how strongly we feel about this – we feel so strongly about it that we are prepared to go completely against every instinct we have as football supporters. Those instincts are to come and watch you play, to get behind you and to make loads of noise to reward you for the joy you bring us every bloody week at the moment.

It breaks our hearts, because you didn’t ask for this – it is not of your doing, and it feels so unfair on you. It makes us angry that you’ve ended up being caught up in this. But we don’t know any other way of making our voices heard other than by withdrawing our attendance – it’s the most powerful action we have as football fans so it’s with an incredibly heavy heart that we do so for the final at Wembley as we have throughout the tournament.

But that’s not to say we don’t want you to be able to go out and enjoy it – savour every moment, wear the yellow and blue with pride – you’ve earned it and you deserve it. Even though we won’t be there, we will be with you in spirit, and we know you will make us gut-bustingly proud like you always do. So get out there, kick their arses and bring back that trophy to show everybody just how good you truly are.

And then we can all do it together for the play off final in May x


I didn't write it but it sums up how I feel.

I won't hold it against anyone that does go to Wembley (not that you'd care anyway!!) but I just can't help but feel that you're missing the bigger picture. Or maybe it's just me...........
ty cobb
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by ty cobb »

I don't think any Oxford fan wanted B teams to be included with different rules applying. This is why so many stayed away from the earlier and later rounds. We'd have taken more to the Dump and Luton had some not been boycotting.

However, the point has been made. For those watching on dodgy streams last night you may have missed the fact that next season clubs are going to vote on whether to allow B teams again. The point I believe has been well made and I would be very surprised if the clubs, given the backlash they've had, will vote again for B teams. This won't be up to the EFL, this will be up to the clubs involved - Oxford have already said they won't vote for it again.

And let's be honest, how much difference has it really made this season, apart from winning some much needed money? We've played one B team. Everyone else we've knocked out has been from league 1 or 2. I get the fact that no-one wants B teams in the competition or in the league. But let's be honest again - the league and FA cup are now a B team competition when they play against lower league clubs.

Just ask yourself what will you missing the final achieve? The crowd will be up on last year so you can't point to a reduced attendance, Oxford have said they will not vote for the format again, so the point has been made to them and they have accepted it and taken action. The EFL won't give a monkeys whether you go or not.

As with last year it will be a great day out, not matter what the result, and it will be a very good chance to win some silverware (the first since 1986) in front of the largest crowd since 1986. The players, managers and club deserve our support and for me that trumps making a point that no-one is going to notice.

I think the club will come out with a statement to re-iterate they won't vote for it again, the fans will think of an effective way of protesting and making a point and for me that will be more effective than sitting at home listening to it on the radio which a small part of you will be wishing you were there - I certainly am annoyed about missing last night.

Each to their own though - just don't miss it because you're digging your heels in.
Myles Francis
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Myles Francis »

grandpont tom wrote:I went last night (having boycotted the previous rounds)
This is what I just don't get. If you actively boycotted the previous rounds (rather than simply couldn't be arsed to go), what changed that made you feel the boycott was no longer necessary?
Kairdiff Exile
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Kairdiff Exile »

ty cobb wrote: Just ask yourself what will you missing the final achieve? The crowd will be up on last year so you can't point to a reduced attendance
That surely depends on how many people boycott, no?
ty cobb
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by ty cobb »

Kairdiff Exile wrote:
ty cobb wrote: Just ask yourself what will you missing the final achieve? The crowd will be up on last year so you can't point to a reduced attendance
That surely depends on how many people boycott, no?
Coventry are not boycotting and are likely to sell around 40,000 tickets, I imagine we will take over 20,000 (I already know quite a few who didn't go and will go this time) so crowd will be larger than last time.

I also think that if we only sell 40,000 then Coventry will get more so the impact of you not going, will be that a Coventry fan goes instead. If so, you not going will have no impact on the crowd at all.

If Cov do sell out their allocation and we do sell 34,000 again, a couple of thousand neutrals, more free loaders, sponsors and the like and we won't be off a full house.

Two proper teams with proper support in a near sell out at Wembley - wouldn't miss it for the world.
Dr Bob
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Dr Bob »

If you want to talk about the damage being done to football, you cannot ignore the damage being done by bad owners (cf the thread currently discussing Orient's situation). What Coventry has been through - and continue to go through - under their owners is awful. If a set of fans have a case for boycotting on the basis of The Game being devalued, then it is the Sky Blues. And of course they did boycott their 'home' games when thy were played at Northampton. Yet they, quite clearly, do not see this as a game or a competition worth boycotting. There may well be some Cov fans who will boycott the game because of the B-team business, but the likely number of tickets they will sell will see those individuals' actions reduced to nothingness.
Isaac
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by Isaac »

I'm still boycotting, admittedly this is easier as we were there last year, but I think it's important if you say you're boycotting, you stick it out, as you either have principles or you don't, you shouldn't pick and choose.

I have sympathy with the Coventry fans, they've been on a long slow (but now possibly speeding up) decline and a trip to Wembley is the least they deserve.
slappy
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Re: Football League Trophy

Post by slappy »

I'm still trying to get my head around all of this.
Read this from March 2016, which discusses B teams, a Trophy revamp, being proposed for the June 2016 EFL AGM.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/201 ... the-ashes/

May 2016, the proposed "whole game solution" is announced by the EFL, the key point being expanding the league to 100 teams from 92 and removal of midweek league fixtures (by moving FA Cup games to midweek and doing away with replays).
http://www.efl.com/news/article/2016/a- ... 19809.aspx

The Trophy has been a minor distraction since we've been in the league, when fans only really get interested if there is a rivalry, or the club gets to the old area two legged semi-final being just two games from Wembley.

6th July 2016 : So it needed a revamp, and somehow the Premier League and Football League did a deal to increase prize money, and invite 16 Category 1 acadamies with this aim :- "Participation for a selection of Premier League clubs' teams to take part in the EFL Trophy is an important part of a range developments that both we and the EFL believe will help young, talented players progress physically and mentally on top of the technical aspect of their game developed in the Academy system."

However, within weeks (20 July 2016),the Premier League announced Premier League II, which replaced the old U-21 system, mostly negating the benefit of having the invited teams in the Trophy.
https://www.premierleague.com/news/58764

So then several of the invited teams decided not to take part in the Trophy, and the invited teams that did compete were hardly putting out an U-21 team, with several players being older squad players, or overseas players (whereas the whole game solution was to improve the prospects of young English players progressing to the national team).

The whole game solution was then dropped in November 2016 http://www.skysports.com/football/news/ ... iscussions
when the FA sold FA Cup rights forward internationally for I think six years on the basis of weekend fixtures.

So i think in summary, the EPL had already decided that B teams were a non-runner when they launched the Premier League II, backed up by the poor teams and drop outs from the Trophy, but had agreed to the Trophy revamp as a relatively low cost appeasement to the EFL.

Will B teams, come back on the agenda? The EPL could quite easily use the carrot / stick approach of offering to increase / decrease the solidarity payments below Championship level, and many clubs would perhaps welcome an extra million or two each year (us for instance). Perhaps the five leagues of 20 might come about, and B teams be allowed at non-league level? Pep Guardiola wants B teams, but he is used to Spanish leagues which has nowhere near the depth of support below the top division that we have in England, and B teams fit presumanly quite comfortably.
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