Rage Online

slappy wrote: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?

Which is why supporters should continue to fight, in whatever way they choose, against B-Teams.

If the PL decides it wants something, it will not stop and how much money do you think it would take club owners (worth bearing in mind that some of them are utter morons) to vote for something that fans are firmly against?

NB - B-Teams are not even off the agenda yet as there are no guarantees that they won't be included in next year's trophy. Another reason to keep fighting.

slappy wrote:
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.

Well what better way of showing how how strong the bottom two divisions are by selling out Wembley - couldn't think of a stronger message to say we don't need B teams in the lower leagues.

ty cobb wrote:The EFL won't give a monkeys whether you go or not.

ty cobb wrote:Well what better way of showing how how strong the bottom two divisions are by selling out Wembley - couldn't think of a stronger message to say we don't need B teams in the lower leagues.

Not wishing to bring pedantry back to this forum (!) but I'm confused as to how these two statements are compatible?

In any event, it is not about 'needing' B-Teams, it's about the EPL wanting them and the EFL wanting the EPL's money.

theox wrote:

ty cobb wrote:The EFL won't give a monkeys whether you go or not.

ty cobb wrote:Well what better way of showing how how strong the bottom two divisions are by selling out Wembley - couldn't think of a stronger message to say we don't need B teams in the lower leagues.

Not wishing to bring pedantry back to this forum (!) but I'm confused as to how these two statements are compatible?

In any event, it is not about 'needing' B-Teams, it's about the EPL wanting them and the EFL wanting the EPL's money.

The first quote relates to the EFL. The second to the EPL and the likes of Pep who obviously doesn't realise how strong the support of clubs down the pyramid is.

Hmm, I suspect a few hundred at Wembley would give the powers that be more pause for thought than ten of thousands at Wembley.

YF Dan wrote: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.

This. All of it.

Also, the LDV Windscreens JPCheckatrade Trophy has always been a tinpot irrelevance, ignored by most fans. There have been countless threads on this board and its previous incarnations about how we should put out our weakest possible teams and get knocked out of the unwanted distraction of a tournament. Before Wembley, the last three fixtures I attended in it were probably Plymouth (a) in 2012, Brentford (a) in 2000 and god knows before that. Something in the Simod Cup in the early 90s probably.

Do I like the changes to the tournament? No. Did I care about the tournament before? No. Is it still an irrelevance? Yes. If it were just me I probably wouldn't bother with Wembley this time, having had the jolly day out (and all the attendant travel hassles and absolute plasticness of the experience) last year, But my kids are desperate to go, and I'm going to take them.

My #bteamboycott meant exactly that - boycotting the B Teams. Absolutely and without exception. Not particularly because of any supposed threat they pose to our existence, but because who the f*ck wants to watch us play a B Team in an empty stadium and be in any way excited by the prospect? [More people than I thought, evidently, but that's another story]. But we're not playing a B Team in the final, and OUFC have already said that they wouldn't be in favour of a continuation of B Teams in the tournament, and that as far as they are concerned it is no way a foot in the door to the league structure for B Teams. That's good enough for me to go and get behind them.

I respect those that think differently, but I don't like the fact they seem to want to continue to try and persuade people like me not to attend by constantly posting the same arguments, as if somehow we can't have read them properly the first time. Debate is good, and on this board it has as always been healthy, but enough with the patronising and divisive stuff now eh?

Kernow Yellow wrote: I respect those that think differently, but I don't like the fact they seem to want to continue to try and persuade people like me not to attend by constantly posting the same arguments, as if somehow we can't have read them properly the first time. Debate is good, and on this board it has as always been healthy, but enough with the patronising and divisive stuff now eh?

Well I think that cuts both ways, KY! For my part, I accept that most fans will go. If they're comfortable with that decision, good for them. I would hope that most will join in with the pre-match protests being planned, and that once in the ground they will noisily make known their displeasure with the EFL before hopefully cheering us to victory. But I do resent the way that Ty and others are trying to belittle the boycott/protests - they don't have to agree with them, but I would hope that they'd respect that those engaging with them are doing so in good faith and with the right motivations.

Realistically, I think the only thing left to say is that, whether or not you are going to Wembley, it seems clear that we all agree B Teams are a shit idea so hopefully they won't be involved in the Trophy next season so we can all go back to basing our decisions on whether to attend the games simply on whether we can actually be arsed to go!

We won't be able to defend our trophy next season anyway. ;-)

That's what I'm hoping - save the Wembley trip this season for when it really matters!

So much is wrong with the modern game, stolen from its roots for immoral purposes, run by an incompetent association. If I were to take a protest stance, I'd boycott football for keeps. It's lost itself.

However, I support our team despite all the shite around it. For me, it still represents a part of me and the place I come from, my community. Whatever shitty little trophy it may be, we get the chance to celebrate us, our club, our fans. A reminder of what we are and what we represent. I'm in. Tickets purchased.

neilw wrote:So much is wrong with the modern game, stolen from its roots for immoral purposes, run by an incompetent association. If I were to take a protest stance, I'd boycott football for keeps. It's lost itself.

However, I support our team despite all the shite around it. For me, it still represents a part of me and the place I come from, my community. Whatever shitty little trophy it may be, we get the chance to celebrate us, our club, our fans. A reminder of what we are and what we represent. I'm in. Tickets purchased.

Agree 100%.

Jimski wrote:That's what I'm hoping - save the Wembley trip this season for when it really matters!

Nonsense. We're going straight up. Enjoy the Wembley day out. We won't have another one for at least another year when we win the FA Cup.

Well, perhaps if injuries in the unmentionable trophy didn't screw up our side for league matches...

The Chairman Speaks (or rather writes):

"[...]Michael Appleton and the players are relishing the opportunity to play at Wembley again and are determined to go one step further than last year’s runner-up status.

With this in mind, and that fact that Coventry are expecting to take 40,000 fans, I would like to reiterate my comments made on the radio on Friday.

The club is a big supporter of the competition and values Checkatrade’s sponsorship. It gives lower-league sides both a chance to play at Wembley and of winning silverware.

The competition this year did see a one-year experiment whereby Premier League U23 teams were included.

So, let me be unequivocal about both my personal view and the view of the entire Oxford United board as to the future of the competition:

1) The experience with U23 teams has been unsuccessful
2) The competition should be retained, but should revert to being for only League 1 and League 2 and the format should be reviewed
3) Our submission to the Football League will reflect this, ahead of the Football League meeting on 11th April.

On a separate but related issue, and to reconfirm my previous public comment, I am against an introduction of ‘B’ teams into the league structure. This view is endorsed by the entire OUFC board and, indeed, the vast majority of fans with whom I speak.

My hope is that all of us can now unite at Wembley to support the team and enjoy a fantastic day out. We have so much more that unites us than divides us, and on the issue of ‘B’ teams, I truly believe we speak with one voice![...]"