TOPIC: EFL Trophy (Formerly JPT) changes for next season - Group Format & Prem Academies

As feared, Premier League Academy/U21 sides will be involved in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy next season.

www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/10...ll-league-trophy-efl

It's switching back to the "group" format that was such a *huge* success in the 1990s, with sixteen groups of four (I presume they'll place each other once?) before going to a straight knock-out.

The 48 teams from L1 and L2 will take part as usual, but also sixteen Premier League "academy sides" (again, I'd presume U21 sides) will also take part.

Disgraceful decision, whatever money offered. Whole point of this comp is to give the lower league teams a chance of getting to Wembley, not give Premier League youth products some experience. I couldn't give a flying [censored] about whether they develop as players - I'm more concerned about Carlisle United developing their own.

What's everyone elses thoughts? Will you go to games against Stoke or Sunderland U21s? Chances of a mass boycott?

The 16 teams will be the clubs with Category 1 Academies:



Most likely northern teams:

Middlesborough
Sunderland
Man United
Man City
Liverpool
Blackburn
Bolton
Stoke

The comp needed a shake up but not this. i do like the group idea

Do we just play the prem side at home?

Surely its regionalised still so we'd get 3 a north west sides first off.

TheLazyLewisGuy wrote:
The group format was used in the 90s and was sacked off because the attendances were even worse than they are now, especially for the final game if it was a dead rubber.

Load of absolute bollocks.

So will Bolton have both their first team and development team in the competition? double chance of success!!

empty wrote:
Good spot that! I took the graphic off Twitter from a BoroStats account, could be the wrong list. Will check again.

The Football League have published an article on the changes....

www.efl.com/news/article/2016/premier-le...-trophy-3140598.aspx

And shock horror, it's incredibly vague! First paragraph leaves me a bit sick in the mouth:

"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."

Except most of those players will be at Premier League clubs, does sod all to benefit league clubs. And where's the presumption that they're home grown coming from? A lot of those sides have U21 teams packed with foreingers!

Having had a look on Twitter, no-one seems to know who the Premier League Development League teams will be. Bit of a shambles really, poor engagement all round from the league.

Absolute evidence that the Ar*seholes who voted this in should not be allowed anywhere near the game Never mind be in a position to bring in decisions like this.

Supporters made absolutely clear they did not want this and yet its now foisted on them and should now be looking at ways to destroy whats now a shambles of a competition.

You can bet your life Nixon will have been one of the Tw*ats supporting it.

I will not be attending any games against B teams. I hope others follow.

Empty stadiums will send out a message to the FL about this. If we fill the stadiums for these games, the next thing you know they'll be in the actual leagues.

That's the "hidden agenda" let's shaft the lower leagues yet again"

Absolute garbage. All on their jolly over in Portugal of course. ( Why not use Wembley facilities anyway? )

Completely out of touch with lower league football and the chance of lower league sides to get to Wembley.

Absolute disgrace.

If we finish 3rd in the group do we drop into the FA Trophy?

Is Michael Raynes (Example) kicking you up in the air really good for development?

Apalling decision. I won't be attending any of these games either. Take your B/U21 teams and sod off into your own reserve league/tournament.

Attendances have always been so low anyway, they'd never notice a boycott

Have added a poll to the top of the thread - this will be open until two weeks time (when they said they'll confirm more details of the competition for next season).

Someone has started a petition, for those interested:

www.change.org/p/the-head-of-the-efl-aba...efl-trophy-proposals

Signed.

I won't be going to these games either. An utter disgrace. How do we find out if Nixon voted for this?

Shockingly bad decision but then again nowt suprises me when you've got blokes like Nixon on FL boards

The League Trophy is for the League 1 and 2 Clubs only Leave it alone

Bruntonpasty wrote:
Not sure - maybe best to tweet the club and ask them. Accrington Stanley have tweeted to confirm they voted against the plans.

Signed

Glory hunting b*st*rds

MerseysideBlue wrote:
Unbelievable that 18 out of the 24 league 2 clubs voted in favour of this. Sooner people like Andy Holt get themselves in to positions of power the better

Signed.

We won't he'll use the confidentially get out yet again unless the league publish the full details

MerseysideBlue wrote:
Hartlepool also voted against it.

The words of a decent club owner

Andyh ‏@AndyhHolt 1h1 hour ago
Now you know why I gave Portugal a wide birth. Two days in the sun to vote on this proposal?
Rather be doing something useful round the club

TheLazyLewisGuy wrote:
I'm trying to find an upside or a point of view that provides a good reason to involve the EPL sides but it's beyond me. Dreadful idea.

On the other matter, I had no idea that Michael Raynes was Example but it at least explains his tuneless output over the years.

Luton have now confirmed that they voted against it

How big was the bribe???

This is the beginning of the end of the EFL. This will not develop new young talent, it's just a way for the top clubs to blood youth/talent at the expense of our uniquely well supported pyramid system. It's all about the money and s*d all to do with supporters.

Very disappointed and depressed.

The fact our Chief Exec has retweeted the news suggests to me that CUFC are in favour of this.

Nigel Clibbins has confirmed the club will be putting out a statement on Monday regarding the EFL Trophy.

I've always thought that instead of JPT there should be two separate competitions - a Division One cup and a Division Two cup.

24 teams in each division. 8 get byes and the other 16 play off to join the 8 teams with byes in the 2nd round. Straight knock out ( semis over two legs ) Division One and Two finals played at Wembley in a double header around March.

Might pass this on to powers that be and see if I get any response.

Signed the petition, Terrible idea

BaggersBlue wrote:
They even reneged on paying the previously offered bribes.

Andyh ‏@AndyhHolt 2h2 hours ago
It also gets a bit dispiriting trying to do your best in the face of these changes.
There was talk about compensation bit all's gone quiet.

Premier league gave extra £1million to prize fund to make it £1.95million prize fund. Not a lot is it

Arabblue wrote:
It'll be a lot for a bunch of 19 year old Liverpool Academy players...

Thought this had been knocked on the heead!!

Arabblue wrote:
What world do you live in where nearly £2m isn't a lot for a league 2 club ?

DeckchairBlue wrote:
Is that for winning it? or just the prize fund to cover all rounds? You never got a lot of coin for winning the early round games.

Disgusting.

Would be more than happy if there was some sort of boycott from league 1 and 2 fans

Bruntonpasty wrote:
It's for all the rounds.

Doubling the prize fund sounds great, but then you have to remember there will be more games than previous seasons anyway!

I don't get the hysteria, I suspect it is being driven by the fact Nixon has had the temerity of taking a decision without consulting this messageboard!

I've voted yes because I would like to have the opportunity to see the best young players from the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd enjoy the honour of playing on our hallowed turf and being kicked by Russell Penn. If the big boys are going to pay for this privilege; even better!

In the absence of a reserve league it'll give our squad players a few, much needed run outs.

This competition needs some spark, the gates are already really poor. If it is a trial and proves unpopular then so be it, we can look forward to the excitement of playing Port Vale again in a one-
off high stakes showdown!

The Archer wrote:
The gates are only poor because the competition is run by bungling idiots like Nixon who havnt a clue what the real fans want.

Simple answer to low gates is you make every game a local derby the draw is determined by you playing against the georaphically nearest team left in the competition.

And if you want extra teams get some conference clubs back in. I.m bloody certain CUFC away to Barrow would draw a bigger crowd than any game against Sunderlands U20.s

If B and youth teams are allowed to enter, can they ditch the rules about playing a certain number of "regulars" or players who played in the last game?
I always think that makes it more difficult to give squad players game time.

Waltero wrote:
The Accy chairman is going to publish the names of the clubs in each division who voted against the proposal on Twitter tomorrow

NORTHERNSOUL wrote:
You want local games against non-leaguers? Try the Cumberland Cup.

Games against the likes of Southport would be even worse than Port Vale away on a wet winter Tuesday night.

Nixon should be applauded for voting yes to this along with his approach to tackling racism in the appointment of coaching staff...

The Archer wrote:
Let's get this cleared up. Your saying he's useless as he said he didn't even know Curle was black?

bejustandfearprokas wrote:
There has to be a boycott. If fans attend these matches as normal, the trial will be deemed a success and the next step will be introducing B teams to the league structure which would be 1000 times worse.

Dancingbear wrote:
CUFC one of the few to pilot new black and Asian coaching recruitment policy. Despite his shortcomings in the role, it is good to see Nicon play a leading role in trying to change discriminatory cultures like this

crunchblue wrote: Hopefully there will be a boycott from the fans, and L1 & 2 managers should do exactly what the Premier League teams will be doing and play only young and reserve team players. That would kill the idea off pretty quickly.