EFL Trophy

The thoroughly nice chaps will be out in force for these games.
Didn’t they set off to Cheltenham a few years back only for it to be called off. Lol

 

Are you for real? Most on here were absolutely buzzing with the League Cup just over 6yrs ago. And I’m sure you were included.....!

 

But yet "It would be great if this was a League Cup draw and proper first XIs"
"the League Cup has lost the magic"

 

What are you? The invisible man?

 

For as long as I can remember, fans have never taken much interest in the Sherpa, Johnstone Paints, Micky Mouse cup until the semi final stage. I'm sure if we got within a whiff of Wembley we'll be out in force.
It interesting that domestic cup competitions are sold not so much as the prestige or the possibilty of glory. But on the cash the club receives for winning. a round.
It seems monet rules football and fans have become accountants. Sold dreams not based on glory but on a balance sheets.

 

Are you buzzing for the Preston game?

Most sides see it as a side show and a burden. It has no prestige.

 

The format. Group stages. It was a suggestion to improve the competition but it was obviously lost on you

 

Obviously, I'll use google translate next time

 

All the potential away games are ideal for me.

My boycott of the competition appears not to have had much influence so I'll probably pop along to one this season.

 

Is there going to be half and half scarfs and Preston fans in the kop?

 

Guess they'll be in the North End

 

Going on what Rochdale have said about their fixtures we'll start with Bolton (A) early Sept then Man City u21's (H) in October finally Rochdale (H) in November. https://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/news/2019/july/efl-trophy_u21-invited-team_2019/

 

Would make it interesting if we played the four first teamers required then did an auction amongst the City fans to buy the other seven places in the team. I 'd definitely watch those games.

 

Won't Armley give you a day pass?

 

No, I’m not buzzing, just as I wouldn’t have been if we’d drawn a tier 2 side in the 80s or 90s. The buzz is no different now than it was then

 

There was a massive gate for the final last season. Whatever anybody says the lure of Wembley and a final is strong

 

We keep talking about burning our players out, why not scrap this god awful competition and combine it with the league cup. Increase the prize money for early rounds.

First couple of rounds start September and it’s league one and two only. If it’s 50k a round for winner or so, you’d be laughing.


Add a couple of rounds later on and don’t bring premiership sides into it until round 4 or 5 and that way lower league clubs will target it.

 

Not sure where you think 50k a round would come from, just from the opening round you'd be 6 times the total prize money of the current competition. Only prize money in the league cup is 100k to the winners, 50k runner up and 25k for semi final losers. Only reason EFL Trophy gets the prize money it does at the moment is due to the fee the premier league clubs pay to the EFL. At the moment lower league clubs only have to get past 1 round in the league cup for a change of playing a premier league side but plenty will play a weakened squad.
For me the league cup is fine as it is but the EFL Trophy could be changed. The amount of teams and the way it's run i like with the group stages but the teams need to change from the invited teams being conference teams not Premier League B teams. I'd follow a similar set up to the Scottish League Cup and have the group stage at the end of Pre-season so you have matches that mean something in pre-season and teams are more likely to play strong teams. Also if the final was earlier in the season then it gets it out of the way and keeps the interest and away from the end of the season when fixtures start to pile up.