PL B Teams allowed in the EFL TROPHY (Johnstone Paint Trophy)

[davieG]

EFL Clubs have agreed, at their 2016 summer conference, to pilot a new format for the EFL Trophy as part of their ongoing commitment to creating more and better home grown players.

The one season trial for season 2016/17 will include 64 teams made up of EFL League One and Two clubs, plus an additional 16 category 1 Premier League academy/under-21 sides.

Central to the competition will be the introduction of a new group stage format with 16 regional groups of four teams. The top two teams will progress to the knockout stages of the competition with the final staged at Wembley Stadium in April 2017.

Full details for 2016/17’s competition will be finalised within the next 14 days.

Read more at http://www.efl.com/news/article/2016/premier-league-trial-for-the-trophy-3140598.aspx#tPxt338g73hJ2igV.99

[filbertstreet]

trying to warm everyone to the idea of premier league b teams, don't like this

[AKCJ]

Uh oh.

Good for promoting youth, shit for small clubs trying to get two pennies to rub together.

[StanSP]

Uh oh.

Good for promoting youth, shit for small clubs trying to get two pennies to rub together.

 

yeah if we were still in the Football League I'd not be a fan. 

 

Now that we're in Premier League and have a somewhat alright U21 team, it's great for our youngsters to go up against sides of a higher standard. 

 

Can see why many FL clubs would hate this though.

[Guest Bilo]

Me no likey.

 

It's OK for clubs like ours giving the kids a chance to get a run out in meaningful competition, but terrible for League One and Two clubs who see this competition as a chance to go to Wembley.

 

Let's face it, we'd have been spitting feathers if the big boys had done this when we were in League One.

[ramadaone]

Will be surprised if we enter

[MrSpaM]

Surely this just means b teams are going to win it every year

[Raw Dykes]

I don't like this idea. It's definitely a good thing to get u-21 sides into more competitive games, but this is some smaller clubs only chance of silverware. Shouldn't be taking that away from them. More needs to be done to share the money more evenly down the divisions. This is just making it even worse than it already is.

[davieG]

I assume a majority of EFL clubs agreed to this

[Thracian]

Seems a positive step in terms of giving our Academy graduates some competitively worthwhile football - which has been far too long in coming - and without such a move I'd begin to see little point in running Academies.

 

Loaning players out isn't really satisfactory for all sorts of reasons and very few managers have the nerve or the job stability to risk youngsters in preference to the seasoned internationals who are likely to be wearing the shirts at our level.

 

Agree that it won't help the smaller clubs but sporting finances have always supported those who are most successful and been damned tight for those who aren't. As I've said many times, everyone isn't equal and never will be. The big or successful clubs generate the money that they get the bigger share of.

 

Smaller clubs need to develop players themselves by plucking them from non-league or coaching their own cheaply and/or they need to generate imaginative ways to generate money. But nothing will ever be easy with a small fan base or in a footballing outpost. And money - lots of it or a little - can  just as easily be wasted at a small club as a big one.  

 

And the nature of football is that, in any league, only a few will finish the season being successful,  some will tread water and the others will falter. It will always be survival of the strongest  -   like shops in the high street, pubs in the villages or bands in the music industry.  

 

No-one has a right to their status. .   

[Poznan34]

EFL 

[PAULCFC]

Where did EFL come from?Have they done a rebrand as well as the PL and used the same company to do the badge?

[DJ Barry Hammond]

How does this prevent big clubs stock piling talented youth players?

[Tuna]

So the JPT final could be between Arsenal B and Chelsea B? No thanks.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

Key question - would you go to see our 'B side, play? Especially in the early rounds?

[Russell sprout]

If we had/have a b team,who would attend our home game on here,and possible a day out at Wembley

[dylanlegend]

I think many of us would be surprised just how badly our teams would perform vs league one opposition. If be surprised if 1 B team made the final, many just aren't tough enoygh

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Regional groups of four teams in a group

Who would be on in ours?

Notts County

Posh

Mansfield

Something like that would be good.

[Kitchandro]

Absolute disgrace. No two ways about it.

 

That's what the loan system is for. Lower league clubs are just as important as the top ones. The JPT is for clubs who can't compete at the top of the football ladder to have some sort of glory. It is not a platform for the big boys to use.

 

This is every kind of wrong.

Key question - would you go to see our 'B side, play? Especially in the early rounds?

 

No.

[weller54]

We'd brush any team aside in this tournament.

[Kitchandro]

In fact I'm shocked there's actually some acceptance or even support for this on here.

[Vlad the Fox]

I'm suprised the league clubs have agreed to it, must have financial benefits for them. I'm totally against It though as said its disrupting the chance of league clubs having some glory and the lower leagues shouldn't be used to benefit the elite. If it goes ahead I hope the trainee prima donnas get the rough end of some league 1 and 2 defending.

The situation that has brought this to be is the fault of our academy systems and the struggling lower league clubs shouldn't be cheapened and disrespected because of it.

[Aus Fox]

Look at it from another point of view for. The FL clubs, just looking at the attendances for the first two rounds last year, not a single game went above 2,500 in the first round and only 4 in the second round; Notts County v Sheffield United,(2 big clubs at that level) Plymouyh v Exeter ( a big local derby) Oxford v Swindon (local derby) and Bradford v Barnsley (local derby).

Not a single game got a 5 figure crowd, until the regional final.

So in putting together regional groups, we should see bigger crowds at games- more revenue for clubs.

Also if Leyton Orient (average attendance a little over 5,000) were to be drawn against Arsenal B, the likelyhood is they would attract a crowd in excess of their average.

Anyone remember getting 21,000 at Filbert St. For a reserve game v Man Utd.

Next point is would the big teams young sides be a certainty to get to the final?

Look at Man Utd v MKDons last season when United put out a B team they got done 4-0.

I don't like the idea of B teams in the football league, but I think this idea could be a win for everyone.

[ThaiFox]

Not in favour of it at all.

 

However, Aus Fox has hit the nail on the head about the money and attendance issues. No question if Oldham played Man Utd B, they would pull in a lot more than Oldham v Rochdale.

 

But I can see lots of potential problems with talented, skillful kids playing some of the hackers from Div 2 teams.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Not in favour of this at all, but a chance to visit some crappy grounds again if we enter.