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| The new Football League Trophy; Reading to enter a team | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 11 Jun 2016, 11:41 AM (716 Views) | |
| daib0 | 11 Jun 2016, 11:41 AM Post #1 |
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U21 Teams Welcomed To The FL Trophy The Football League, or as it now wants to be called, the English Football League (EFL), have held their Summer Conference and confirmed that member clubs have agreed that from the 2016/17 season, 16 Category One Premier League/Under 21 sides will be welcomed into a new and fresh format for the Football League Trophy. Most will know it as the (old) Johnstone's Paint Trophy, but their sponsorship expired this summer, and with already plenty of talk of format changes to the domestic cups and even the suggestion of introducing a new League Three to the football pyramid in the future - and the idea of introducing Under 21 sides to the Trophy competition is (supposedly) a logical first step with it also being suggested that Under 21 sides could also fill a spot in the speculation League Three introduction. Whilst it's tagged as an 'ongoing commitment to creating more and better home grown players' any potential boost in reality that this might give to the next generation is offset by the fact that the emergency loan window has now been abolished, so youngsters will miss out on that chance to gain professional league football under their belts in that manner. In any event, it's no great surprise to see this idea come to fruition as it has been spoken about for a while, but it is only an agreement to trial it for a season at this stage. With changes to the Trophy now agreed, it will see 64 sides from League One and Two, plus the 16 Under 21 set ups, and the competition itself will now include a group stage format with 16 regional groups of four sides competing against each other. Each side will play the other once, but the Under 21 side will have only one home game. The top two sides in each group will progress through to the knockout stages of the competition, which will continue to be North/South based, and the Final will be, as usual, at Wembley Stadium in April. The full details are expected within the next fortnight, and by then probably the 16 competing Under 21 sides will also be confirmed - but it's very much expected they will be Premier League based and any Championship Category One sides will miss out. As part of the agreement, it's also being said the Premier League are contributing £1million to the competitions prize fund to take it to £1.95million, and bonuses will be spread based on victories. It's also reported the vote itself wasn't straight forward with a number of clubs voicing their displeasure - but the vote count hasn't been released either from what I tell. But not every club being on board with this would've been expected to be honest. With wider changes up for discussion as well, such as the introduction of a new division to allow the Championship, League One and League Two to reduce to a 20 side make up, chief executive Shaun Harvey said of the Summer Conference: 'I would like to commend clubs for engaging in an open-minded and thought provoking discussion of these important matters. As outlined at outset, any decisions can only be made by clubs themselves and it was therefore essential that they had the opportunity to hear more about the thinking that has underpinned the Board's approach and were able to debate all the relevant issues. Clubs have asked for more information, further consultation and the opportunity to discuss additional matters at subsequent meetings during 2016/17. In parallel, we will develop discussions with the FA and Premier League alongside other stakeholders across football, as we look to find what is best for the English game.' For the wholescale changes that are up for discussion, no vote or final decisions will be taken prior to the Summer Conference in June 2017. The current list of possible U21 teams - Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Reading, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Other clubs could achieve that status at the next audit, and equally some clubs also don't highlight their rank. Whilst some will no doubt welcome this, namely the Premier League sides looking to boost the experience of their youngsters, plenty of fans will see it as the start to a slippery slope where wider football is again and further marginalised for Premier League priority. Many will of course see it as a first step towards B teams, and again the advantages or disadvantages of that depend on where you sit in the pyramid and how much cash you have behind you. And with mixed views already about the Trophy, the regulations surrounding squad changes and the like, many will also wonder if increasing the game schedule - given all the talk of reducing fixture schedules of late - will see the competition quickly lose more of its potential shine with weaker sides being picked, which defeats its purpose of being a better opportunity for a day out at Wembley for clubs at that level. Are you happy to see U21 as the first sign of "B" sides entering English football cup competitions, and who knows, league status in the future? Edited by daib0, 11 Jun 2016, 12:04 PM.
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| Madejski | 11 Jun 2016, 11:49 AM Post #2 |
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Terrible terrible idea in the first place. Early stages of Prem teams getting their B teams into the system. What I find strange is that a majority of FL clubs would have voted this in, when there is hardly any benefit to them. The price pot for the competition is only going up by £1m. And if we're stuck with it, it's stupid that the U21 teams will only come from Premier league teams. We had the 9th best U21 team in the country last season, but many other academies will get to play these games (which will be better for the development of the kids than normal U21 league games) despite not being as good as ours. So I hate that it is being introduced, and hate how it is being introduced. |
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| Owlish52 | 11 Jun 2016, 03:13 PM Post #3 |
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That £1m slightly more than doubles the pot. As for the 16 'B' clubs, seems reasonable (which of course does not mean it is how it will be done - this is football, after all... ) that they would be the top 16 from the previous year's U-21 Premier League, which would include Reading's U-21 side. This may be the intent - the wording here could get a bit tricky and easily confused.
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| daib0 | 11 Jun 2016, 04:01 PM Post #4 |
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Nope, I understand that any U21 team of ANY club outside the Premier would not be eligible to take part, as it'd be seen to being too close in level to other teams - and Reading U21 would look " bad " defeating the Derby first team, for example! |
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| Clyde1998 | 11 Jun 2016, 09:23 PM Post #5 |
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Heavily opposed to this. The Football League Trophy is supposed to give smaller sides the ability to win a trophy and have a day a Wembley. This will prevent that from happening, IMO. Overall, B teams will help the big clubs keep their dominance over English football and it will take up league spaces that should go to smaller clubs. |
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| Clyde1998 | 26 Jul 2016, 02:16 PM Post #6 |
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http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/reading-football-club-category-one-efl-trophy-2016-17-3207081.aspx Royals to take part in EFL Trophy Club accepts invitation to enter a Category One team into tournament Earlier this month, the EFL confirmed the format for this season’s EFL Trophy which, for the first time, will include 16 invited teams from clubs with Category One Academies. We can now announce that Reading Football Club will be one of the clubs entering the Trophy this season, following an invitation from the EFL. A total of 64 clubs will compete in the competition beginning with 16 groups of four teams, each of which will include at least one club from each of Leagues One and Two, along with one invited team. The top two sides in each group will then go into a knockout stage that will culminate in a showpiece final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 2nd April. The new look competition also has an enhanced prize fund with an expected £1.95m up for grabs, including £10,000 per win and £5,000 per draw during the Group Stage as well as £100,000 for the eventual winner. Reading Football Club last entered the Football League Trophy in 2001-2, when as a third tier side led by Alan Pardew we reached the quarter-finals thanks to a Second Round win over Colchester United nearly 15 years ago! Aptly, our last goal in the tournament was scored by an Academy product - Darius Henderson notching in a defeat to Barnet that year as the then-named LDV Vans Trophy was awarded to Blackpool. A number of our Academy stars will hope to make an impact of their own on the tournament in 2016-17; all Category One clubs are obliged to field a minimum of six U21 players (as at June 30) in their starting 11. In fact, a large number of our Academy stars will be featuring in a range of different competitions this season; Premier League 2 (U23s league), The Premier League Cup, The Premier League International Cup, the U18s Premier League, the FA Youth Cup and now the EFL Trophy. Not to mention any youngsters who might break into the first team and potentially play in the Sky Bet Championship, the FA Cup or the EFL Cup for Jaap Stam's side this season. EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey said: "The new format is intended to rejuvenate this competition and also assist the development of the very best young players in English football. This will help us deliver more and better home grown players which will deliver benefits to the national team and domestic league football at all levels. "I believe this is the right time to pilot these changes to the EFL Trophy, which we will review at the end of the 2016/17 season following discussions with our clubs and having consulted with the other football bodies and supporter organisations." A Premier League spokesman said: "The overriding aim of the Elite Player Performance Plan across the Premier League and English Football League is to produce more and better home grown players capable of performing at first team and international levels. "Participation for a selection of Premier League clubs' teams to take part in the EFL Trophy is an important part of a range developments that both we and the EFL believe will help young, talented players progress physically and mentally on top of the technical aspect of their game developed in the Academy system. It is a progressive move by both leagues; one that we welcome.” What you need to know about the EFL Trophy 2016-17
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| Bahamoth | 26 Jul 2016, 05:54 PM Post #7 |
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I'm not heavily opposed to this at all, however it will be interesting to see the impact the 16 youth teams have on the contest and do agree that if they just end up winning it always then it should be discontinued. I was a bit surprised to see the level of restrictions that have NOT been placed on the teams taking part. I would have thought there should be far more youth players in the team and not just 6. I think it would be better to say that there should be a maximum of 3 (or so) players 22 years old and up. |
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| Gwent Royal | 27 Jul 2016, 08:56 AM Post #8 |
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Strange one this. I too thought this trophy was townsite the smaller teams could win something sand go to Wembley. It has now changed to giving premier league teams fringe players the opportunity to prove themselves in "competitive" competition. |
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| Clyde1998 | 27 Jul 2016, 01:19 PM Post #9 |
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After playing around with who can feature in this competition, I've worked out that this is a valid team for us in this competition: Moore (21) Keown (21), Cooper (21), McShane (30), Obita (22) Beerens (28), Evans (21), Swift (21), Fosu (20) Mendes (25), Kermorgant (34) It's not really fair on the League One/Two sides that we can have practically a first team squad involved, which is more likely to happen than people may initially think, as the second/third group matches take place during international breaks... |
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| Tilehurstsouthbank | 27 Jul 2016, 03:20 PM Post #10 |
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Realistically though, with 46 Championship games and a minimum of at least two cup games, I can't see Jaap playing many senior pros. I reckon up to three. Can't see players like McShane being selected. |
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(which of course does not mean it is how it will be done - this is football, after all...
) that they would be the top 16 from the previous year's U-21 Premier League, which would include Reading's U-21 side. This may be the intent - the wording here could get a bit tricky and easily confused.




6:55 PM Jul 11