EFL Oldham

I think its ticket only, by doing it that way City will know whether to bring in 1 steward or 2. But bollocks, I'm going anyway, spirits lifted by yesterday's performance.

 

Yes agreed.

It is no coincidence that many of the past few winners/finalists of the competition have been relegated in the same season.

 

Have they

 

Well Barnsley got promoted the year they won it.

 

Off the top of my head:

2012 - Chesterfield won it and got relegated.
2017 - Coventry won it and got relegated.

 

New low attendance record?

 

2017/18 winners = lincoln city vs shrewsbury - final position 7th (league 2) + 3rd (league 1); both in play-offs. one promoted.
2016/17 winners = coventry city vs oxford united - final position 23rd + 8th; one relegated.
2015/16 winners = barnsley vs oxford united - final position 6th (league 1) + 2nd (league 2); both promoted.
2014/15 winners = bristol city vs walsall - final position 1st (league 1) + 14th (league 1); one promoted.
2013/14 winners = p'borough vs chesterfield - final position 6th (league 1) + 1st (league 2) play-offs and promotion.
2012/13 winners = crewe alexandra vs southend united - final position 13th (league 1) + 11th (league 2).
2011/12 winners = chesterfield vs swindon - final position 22nd (league 1) + 1st (league 2); one relegated, one promoted.
2010/11 winners = carlisle united vs brentford - final position 12th (league 1) + 11th (league 1).
2009/10 winners = southampton vs carlisle united - final position 7th (league 1) + 14th (league 1).
2008/09 winners = luton town vs scunthorpe - final position 24th (league 2) + 6th (league 1); one relegated, one promoted.

out of the 20 teams to compete in the football league trophy final over the last 10 years;

- champions = 3 - bristol city, chesterfield, swindon town.
- promoted = 4 - lincoln city, barnsley, oxford, scunthorpe utd.
- play-offs = 2 - shrewsbury, peterborough utd.
- mid table = 8 - oxford, walsall, crewe, southend, carlisle x 2, brentford, southampton.
- relegated = 3 - coventry city, chesterfield, luton town.

personally, i don't think 3 of out 20 clubs (15%) being relegated in the same season as being in the football league trophy final can classify as 'many'. in fact 45% of the clubs that have been involved have had successful seasons, i.e. getting promotion or reaching the play-off final.

 

Stats can be manipulated to suit anybody’s point.

3 of the past 10 winners have been relegated from their league (30%)

That’s practically a third of winners are relagated. Considering only 2 or 4 teams go down from the leagues that teams compete in, that is well above the laws of probability and therefore as my original post suggested, it is no coincidence.

 

clutching at straws there fella.. your post clearly states "many of the past few winners/finalists of the competition have been relegated in the same season" and then you could only name 2, who were winners 5 years apart. dependant on what timeframe you are looking at, you could say only 1 of the last 6 years finalists (12 teams) has been relegated in the same season as they reached the final - whereas 5 of those 12 got promoted and others reached the play-offs. so infact, it can be argued that many clubs used the football league trophy as a springboard for further success in that season. you weren't talking about just winners either as your post clearly states.

the stats don't lie and over the past 10 years, 20 teams have played in the final and 3 have been relegated in the same season. that's not many, that's 15% - 17/20 have either had good seasons or average seasons.. but let's just stick to going over the negatives.. good ol' bradfordians.

 

Really. You are serious?

 

If this game can't capture the imagination, I don't know what will.

 

I went to the EFL Trophy game last year at home to Oldham and they brought over 100.

 

Lancastrians for you

 

I remember when we took 6,000 to Leeds in this competition!

 

I mentioned Lancastrians. Tis Yorkshire.

On a serious note, irrespective of modern day problems, would we or any other club take such fantastic numbers. Damaged by Mr Harvey, redeemable?

 

Yes, your facts dispel my theory there.

However, I do think the competition is detrimental to our season.

We have the FA Cup which is a meaningful, financially rewarding competition. We don’t need this crap.

 

I don't really see how this is better than a behind-closed-doors friendly.