[Archived] Efl Trophy

[Tom]

The EFL (new name for football league) have announced a new EFL trophy consisting of league 2 and league 1 teams plus 16 teams from category 1 academies from the premier league. It's just a trial for this season.

Not sure if this means no league cup early knockout for us this season

http://mobile.efl.com//news/article/2016/premier-league-trial-for-the-trophy-3140598.aspx

[perthblue02]

Its a different competition Tom, think it is /was the Johnstone Paints trophy, so you can still look forward to a no show against Shrewsbury or whoever.

Unfortunately its the Football League bending over to the Lion king league

[Tom]

Ah ok I just thought with it being the league cup, JPT makes more sense

[SoldierMo]

Will our academy be involved?

Edit i guess just premiership teams

[Rover_Shaun]

What crap rebranding. Why do they need to add English? What next, the English Football Association?

It's like Arsenal renaming themselves The English Arsenal

We are the inventors hence ours is THE Football League and THE Football Association.

[Parsonblue]

Unbelievable that the Football League are prepared to destroy the whole point of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to appease the Premier League. The competition was aimed at allowing clubs from League One and League Two to get to Wembley and give their fans the opportunity to see their club lift silverware at Wembley. Now we are just as likely to get Chelsea Under-21 and Manchester City Under-21 reaching the final. Yet another pathetic decision from an organisation which, as was seen with Financial Fair Play, is simply not fit for purpose - no matter how it might be rebranded and Americanized.

[old darwen blue]

Unbelievable that the Football League are prepared to destroy the whole point of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to appease the Premier League. The competition was aimed at allowing clubs from League One and League Two to get to Wembley and give their fans the opportunity to see their club lift silverware at Wembley. Now we are just as likely to get Chelsea Under-21 and Manchester City Under-21 reaching the final. Yet another pathetic decision from an organisation which, as was seen with Financial Fair Play, is simply not fit for purpose - no matter how it might be rebranded and Americanized.

Completely agree.

Ill have a tenner on Chelsea!

[bob fleming]

Unbelievable that the Football League are prepared to destroy the whole point of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to appease the Premier League. The competition was aimed at allowing clubs from League One and League Two to get to Wembley and give their fans the opportunity to see their club lift silverware at Wembley. Now we are just as likely to get Chelsea Under-21 and Manchester City Under-21 reaching the final. Yet another pathetic decision from an organisation which, as was seen with Financial Fair Play, is simply not fit for purpose - no matter how it might be rebranded and Americanized.

Well said PB.

The late Bill Fox was of course Chairman of The Football League. I remember him being on on the tele arguing against the formation of a Super League (before the Premier League) and receiving much derision as he kept reiterating that "the Football League will continue to act in the best interests of its 92 members" or words to that effect. It was quite harsh TV, he didn't come across very well unfortunately on the day. The FA of course got their way.

One of the reasons for the Premier Leagues formation was that it would benefit Engkand. Well, as a country we still haven't won anything. And I don't recall any club being better than Liverpool in the 70s and 80s.

The whole thing has been an exercise in hype and greed with a ridiculous amount of money swilling around and the wrong type of people profiting from it. As well we know. There are protests at clubs the length and breadth of the country, every other clubs fans appear to be unhappy with their owners. "Alienated", "No longer part of the town / community", "It doesn't feel like our club anymore". It's not just us is it?

And now this. Why not just get rid of all but 20 teams? Would make it a lot easier for people If choice was removed. Sky would like it anyway. Give it 40 years and the main game on Match of the Day could well be Man City D v Chelsea F. How tedious.

[Ozz]

Will they ever bring back The Watney Cup?

[LDRover]

Will they ever bring back The Watney Cup?

I've wondered, but I doubt it.

[Tom]

Actually not seeing any benefits to this for the league teams.

Are the likes of Wimbledon or Stanley excited about the prospect of playing Stoke Under 21s?

[Mike Graham]

wrong thread

[Tom]

So rovers are now participating in this

Could be in a group with Accy, Bolton and Blackpool

Any interest?

[JHRover]

I'd love someone to explain as to how Cheltenham and Cambridge can be in the Northern section whilst Coventry and Northampton are in the South.

[Mike Graham]

This competition should attract some massive gates down at Ewood.

If we get any away grounds I have not been to before I may travel.

When do we find out who our competition is?

[JHRover]

This competition should attract some massive gates down at Ewood.

If we get any away grounds I have not been to before I may travel.

When do we find out who our competition is?

Only Cheltenham in our side of the draw that I haven't been to.

Would have much preferred to have been in the other side - Shrewsbury, Port Vale and Walsall all possible new grounds there.

Fleetwood, Carlisle and Oldham are our opponents.....

[Tom]

So we have Fleetwood, Carlisle and Oldham in our group

[Mike Graham]

I have been to all of those grounds, I will give it a miss.

[McClarky]

What a farce. Our academy will be playing teams who our first team would struggle to beat. This is 1 of the worst ideas they have ever come up with. Such a bad idea it deserves to have 2 academies from the 2nd division playing each other in the final in front if a few hundred at Wembkey.

[JHRover]

I actually don't see any harm to our U21s of playing the likes of Oldham. If they struggle to compete then it will tell us how close to or far away from the standard they are. Perhaps some of these people who want us to fill our bench with untried and untested youth players might realise what a dangerous game it is if they get comprehensively outplayed against League One opposition.

Those who should be annoyed about this move are the League One/Two clubs, not the clubs entering U21 teams.

We only play each team once, so I'm not sure how it works, we could presumably have 2 away games and only 1 at home.

I expect this to only last a year as the driving force behind the move was with a view to getting the likes of City, United and Liverpool involved, who have all turned down their invitations. The 'EFL' certainly don't want the likes of Rovers, Reading and Wolves entering u21 teams to their precious tournament. Sky Sports won't be interested in covering those teams, and selling sponsorship packages will be more difficult without their big hitters being involved. Expect it to revert back to the old format next season, unless they can persuade the big boys to sign up.

[Iceman]

why couldnt they name this trophy The Champions League Trophy? So much better

[arbitro]

From the tone of Shaun Harvey it sounds like this could be a one season wonder. Surely it would have been beneficial to canvass all the PL clubs prior to introducing it. And another final at Wembley (the article mention Blackburn U21 v Reading U21 at Wembley in a disparaging manner).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36902612

[JHRover]

From the tone of Shaun Harvey it sounds like this could be a one season wonder. Surely it would have been beneficial to canvass all the PL clubs prior to introducing it. And another final at Wembley (the article mention Blackburn U21 v Reading U21 at Wembley in a disparaging manner).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36902612

Disgraceful from the BBC. No doubt they'd be enthusiastic about the prospect of a 'Manchester derby' at Wembley.

Perhaps someone needs to tell the numpty that wrote that article that Rovers's academy is the same standard as Man City and Man Utds. Just because their first team's are better doesn't necessarily mean their U21 set ups are more worthy or will provide a better 'experience' to the League One/Two clubs in the competition.

[Parsonblue]

I suspect that we will play all three group games away from home and there has been talk of clubs in Leagues One and Two putting out reserve teams in protest at the decision to allow Premier League Academies into the competition. I get the impression that this competition will not be what was originally planned by the Football League and the Premier League earlier in the summer.

[JHRover]

Ultimately its the money that talks. If League One/Two clubs fans boycott in protest then their clubs will not want it to continue. Likewise the absence of the big hitters will ensure lower gates and much less interest from the TV audiences. If Liverpool, United and Arsenal were involved then Sky Sports would be all over it and would be broadcasting all their games along with international tv. However if its Rovers U21s v Wolves U21s there will be very little interest worldwide in that.

They claim that this was done to improve the competition and help to develop home grown players, I don't believe that. I believe that the only motivating factor was to try and make more money out of a competition that historically has attracted smaller gates. The only reason they got so many clubs to agree to the proposals was by dangling the carrot of huge travelling support for the likes of United and Liverpool, live TV money and longer term better sponsorship deals for the competition.

It will fall at the first hurdle and be abandoned next season.

The really interesting part will be if two u21 teams reach the final or if the big boys want to join next season. Presumably if United and Liverpool want to join next year they will waste no time in booting the likes of Rovers out of the competition to make room for them.