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Post by CountyGroundHotel on Mar 29, 2017 8:44:22 GMT
Shaun Harvey still believes the changes have been a success. I truly hope that clubs come to their senses & vote against this monstrosity and then vote to get rid of Shaun Harvey. EFL Trophy 'Success;
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Igitur
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Post by Igitur on Mar 29, 2017 9:13:41 GMT
Harvey, in his ivory tower, will feel that he has been vindicated as two L1 teams made it to the final, I bet he was worried two U21s would get through. Either the U21 set up is full of poor players or the teams chosen were weakened. This revamp has done a huge amount of damage to relationships with the EFL from both fans and clubs, especially the fined ones. In the junket in Portugal I am sure he will put on some face saving act. Sponsorship money is up as there were more games, and of course there were fines. Clubs will not want to run games at a loss which was going on in the early table stage and fans voted with their feet - we should not have been made to boycott games out of conscience.
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Post by matealotblue on Mar 29, 2017 10:24:32 GMT
From a Corporate point of view they may well consider it a success. For fans - well they showed with their feet what they thought of it. I, for one, will continue to withhold my attendance at this joke of a competition unless there are (unlikely) changes for next season. But then we are only fans many f whom who travel, stand and spend money - we count for nothing in this (and other) corporate bean counting, prawn sandwich arrangement. All we can do is vote with our feet. They dodged a bullet this year in that two League teams got through, but I bet in their Ivory Tower their Pampers were full over an u21 side (or two) getting to the final. Just a shame that didn't happen.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Mar 29, 2017 13:28:02 GMT
Oh well - if he wants to continue to dig his own grave I guess that's his business. This seems to very much be the hill he wants to die on though. All he's really doing is setting up an easy win for his successor when he eventually moves on - ie. the first thing they'll do is either scrap the thing or go back to how it was and everyone will immediately be pleased with them.
There's some proper frontier management gibberish in his statement there though, not to mention the ridiculous idea that the change in the tournament has somehow made teams more committed to getting through the early rounds! I mush have missed the red-hot excitement that was the group stages of the EFL Trophy. The idea that this is going to make the difference in developing a world class England side is comical - I'm sure when we beat Brazil to lift the 2026 World Cup all our players will be discussing the importance of those critical formative moments playing in front of 300 people on a cold November Tuesday night in Walsall......
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Mar 29, 2017 14:07:51 GMT
Harvey, in his ivory tower, will feel that he has been vindicated as two L1 teams made it to the final, I bet he was worried two U21s would get through. Either the U21 set up is full of poor players or the teams chosen were weakened. This revamp has done a huge amount of damage to relationships with the EFL from both fans and clubs, especially the fined ones. In the junket in Portugal I am sure he will put on some face saving act. Sponsorship money is up as there were more games, and of course there were fines. Clubs will not want to run games at a loss which was going on in the early table stage and fans voted with their feet - we should not have been made to boycott games out of conscience. We should not have been MADE to boycott games ? No one made me doing anything. I just didn't want to go and watch what has become a meaningless match or matches. This is a farce and to try to dress it up any other way is just wrong. I'm sure fans will continue to not go, not out of reasons of boycott but due to finances and picking the games that we feel offer more entertainment and are more important to us. The JPT was already looked down upon with many calling it the tinpot cup but at least it gave real competition and I don't think any of us didn't enjoy Wembley
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Igitur
Joined: June 2014
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Post by Igitur on Mar 29, 2017 16:03:22 GMT
Harvey, in his ivory tower, will feel that he has been vindicated as two L1 teams made it to the final, I bet he was worried two U21s would get through. Either the U21 set up is full of poor players or the teams chosen were weakened. This revamp has done a huge amount of damage to relationships with the EFL from both fans and clubs, especially the fined ones. In the junket in Portugal I am sure he will put on some face saving act. Sponsorship money is up as there were more games, and of course there were fines. Clubs will not want to run games at a loss which was going on in the early table stage and fans voted with their feet - we should not have been made to boycott games out of conscience. We should not have been MADE to boycott games ? No one made me doing anything. I just didn't want to go and watch what has become a meaningless match or matches. This is a farce and to try to dress it up any other way is just wrong. I'm sure fans will continue to not go, not out of reasons of boycott but due to finances and picking the games that we feel offer more entertainment and are more important to us. The JPT was already looked down upon with many calling it the tinpot cup but at least it gave real competition and I don't think any of us didn't enjoy Wembley Needs to be read as only for those who chose not to go as a way of demonstrating, yet felt they should be supporting the team. The final we were in was at Cardiff.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Mar 29, 2017 16:09:05 GMT
We should not have been MADE to boycott games ? No one made me doing anything. I just didn't want to go and watch what has become a meaningless match or matches. This is a farce and to try to dress it up any other way is just wrong. I'm sure fans will continue to not go, not out of reasons of boycott but due to finances and picking the games that we feel offer more entertainment and are more important to us. The JPT was already looked down upon with many calling it the tinpot cup but at least it gave real competition and I don't think any of us didn't enjoy Wembley Needs to be read as only for those who chose not to go as a way of demonstrating, yet felt they should be supporting the team. The final we were in was at Cardiff. I'm pretty sure we were in a final at Wembley V Tranmere just that it was called the Leyland Daf trophy, no ?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 17:21:11 GMT
Saw this earlier and thought "NO" Cheltenham Town's return to the EFL this season, after promotion from the National League, saw them re-enter a new-look League Trophy, and it's fair to say they embraced the change. On the pitch, group stage victories over Everton Under-21s and Bolton Wanderers were followed by a 6-1 triumph over Leicester City U21s in the second round, before a narrow third round exit at the hands of Bradford City. Off the pitch, the club looked at competition-specific pricing strategies, promoted the matches accordingly, and enjoyed what chairman Paul Baker describes as “reasonable crowds”. “We as a club find it to be a really positive competition,” Baker said. “It’s nice to be playing different teams and going to different grounds. “To be seeing players that may be featuring in future Premier League teams. It’s a good opportunity for our younger players to be playing against the high quality players we see from those teams. That’s been really encouraging and the quality of football is better in those games, I feel. “Financially, it’s been a very good competition for us. The prize money is attractive and critical for clubs of our stature, and the opportunity to play at Wembley is something not to be sniffed at. It’s a great experience for the town. It’s a very important fixture in our calendar.” As well as an enhanced prize fund, the 2016/17 Checkatrade Trophy included 16 invited teams from clubs with Category One Academies, and featured a new group stage format in the first round. The format was introduced with the intention of rejuvenating the competition and assisting in the development of the very best young players in English football, by exposing them to first-team football against more experienced professionals. “I think what the competition is trying to do is a really good thing,” the Robins chairman added. “It’s also a reason why Premier League and Championship clubs loan a lot of their younger players to clubs like us – it’s really good for player development. “In terms of our players, they’ve enjoyed the distraction away from the normal league activity, but also playing against teams and players they haven’t played against before. “I’ve got a few highlights from this season’s tournament, including beating a very strong Bolton team 1-0 and also beating Everton 2-1 with two late goals. Plus, entertaining the Bradford chairman and directors. They were a really great bunch. Even though they won, we really enjoyed meeting people we hadn’t seen for a few years. “Overall, this is a really important competition for us.” Read more at www.efl.com/news/article/2016/checkatrade-trophy-an-important-competition-for-us-paul-baker-3648215.aspx#jc5Zzuj3kOi7uzhT.99
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Igitur
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Post by Igitur on Mar 29, 2017 17:28:07 GMT
Needs to be read as only for those who chose not to go as a way of demonstrating, yet felt they should be supporting the team. The final we were in was at Cardiff. I'm pretty sure we were in a final at Wembley V Tranmere just that it was called the Leyland Daf trophy, no ? Indeed, but the JPT final we were in was at the then Millennium. Anyway semantics and best left there. I remember a tough mean looking bouncer at one of the Doncaster designated pubs asking us, "Are you Rovers?" to which we replied confidently, "Yes" and he let us in.
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Post by fatherjackhackett on Mar 29, 2017 17:39:25 GMT
Some top scabbing going on for the Wembley day trippers. 40,000 Cov fans going to Wembley is all the ammo Harvey needs to carry on forcing this abomination of a competition on us.
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Igitur
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Post by Igitur on Mar 29, 2017 17:55:37 GMT
Off the pitch, the club looked at competition-specific pricing strategies, promoted the matches accordingly, and enjoyed what chairman Paul Baker describes as “reasonable crowds”... Got to admire the PR dept and Baker sounds like he's been given a jolly good lunch. It does not take long to drive a coach and horses through the crowd statement: 1 023 and 1 038 in November, the two lowest gates of the month with other gates of 2 000+, 3 000+ and two over 4 000, and again the two lowest gates in January of 1 028 and 1 081 against the rest being between 2 854 and 6 708! No interviews with DC about the fines are there?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 18:26:56 GMT
Off the pitch, the club looked at competition-specific pricing strategies, promoted the matches accordingly, and enjoyed what chairman Paul Baker describes as “reasonable crowds”... Got to admire the PR dept and Baker sounds like he's been given a jolly good lunch. It does not take long to drive a coach and horses through the crowd statement: 1 023 and 1 038 in November, the two lowest gates of the month with other gates of 2 000+, 3 000+ and two over 4 000, and again the two lowest gates in January of 1 028 and 1 081 against the rest being between 2 854 and 6 708! No interviews with DC about the fines are there? That was from Cheltenham not Rovers.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 18:30:46 GMT
It's not been all bad. We had the gem of a quote from the Bradford manager when substituting a keeper after about 2 minutes, what was it, 'he had a poor first 45 seconds'
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Igitur
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Posts: 2,293
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Post by Igitur on Mar 29, 2017 19:50:49 GMT
Got to admire the PR dept and Baker sounds like he's been given a jolly good lunch. It does not take long to drive a coach and horses through the crowd statement: 1 023 and 1 038 in November, the two lowest gates of the month with other gates of 2 000+, 3 000+ and two over 4 000, and again the two lowest gates in January of 1 028 and 1 081 against the rest being between 2 854 and 6 708! No interviews with DC about the fines are there? That was from Cheltenham not Rovers. Aware of that: www.ctfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures-list/DC comment was a throwaway piece of irony.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Mar 29, 2017 21:06:23 GMT
It's not been all bad. We had the gem of a quote from the Bradford manager when substituting a keeper after about 2 minutes, what was it, 'he had a poor first 45 seconds' Agreed - that was actually such a fantastic moment that it almost made the whole farce worthwhile.
I was hoping it might lead to a domino effect of experimental tactics with manager's showing the competition the middle finger - playing the goalie up front for a bit a-la David James, reprising the WM formation, stationing all 11 players on the goal line etc.
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Igitur
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Post by Igitur on Mar 30, 2017 8:42:48 GMT
It's not been all bad. We had the gem of a quote from the Bradford manager when substituting a keeper after about 2 minutes, what was it, 'he had a poor first 45 seconds' Agreed - that was actually such a fantastic moment that it almost made the whole farce worthwhile.
I was hoping it might lead to a domino effect of experimental tactics with manager's showing the competition the middle finger - playing the goalie up front for a bit a-la David James, reprising the WM formation, stationing all 11 players on the goal line etc.
WM won the World Cup for us (the formation, although GH was good.) TB helped: www.goal.com/en/news/11522/baku-2015/2015/01/29/8338942/tofiq-bahramov-the-story-of-footballs-most-famous-linesmanright no more, back to the thread.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Mar 30, 2017 17:31:57 GMT
Some top scabbing going on for the Wembley day trippers. 40,000 Cov fans going to Wembley is all the ammo Harvey needs to carry on forcing this abomination of a competition on us. I am gutted to hear this. I know it's each to their own but had we got to the final, I wouldn't have gone. I don't use the hate word very much now as I've matured & try not to hate but I hate this competition & all that it stands for. It really upsets me that the clubs have taken their 20 pieces of silver. I didn't know teams could get fined though and am not sure on the reasons for a fine. Surely the fines can only be for fielding weakened sides as it's not any clubs fault that the games were not attracting them
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 18:26:16 GMT
Living in Oxfordshire looking forward to a quite Sunday, in seriousness read the local news this morning and a local company has paid for a few coaches for school children, hate to say it but it looks like it will be a good attendance.
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Igitur
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Post by Igitur on Mar 30, 2017 19:22:42 GMT
Sadly Harvey is so delusional he'll think it's from the success of the competition not the yearly 1000s that turn up for a Wembley final every year who have never been anywhere near the team. Obviously there's some positioning going on to keep the present format - aghhhhhhh!
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Mar 30, 2017 23:35:33 GMT
Some top scabbing going on for the Wembley day trippers. 40,000 Cov fans going to Wembley is all the ammo Harvey needs to carry on forcing this abomination of a competition on us. I am gutted to hear this. I know it's each to their own but had we got to the final, I wouldn't have gone. I don't use the hate word very much now as I've matured & try not to hate but I hate this competition & all that it stands for. It really upsets me that the clubs have taken their 20 pieces of silver. I didn't know teams could get fined though and am not sure on the reasons for a fine. Surely the fines can only be for fielding weakened sides as it's not any clubs fault that the games were not attracting them I'm not sure I can bring myself to begrudge Coventry - I'm not sure any fanbase in the country has suffered such a complete run of mediocrity and decline as them. I mean they really have had bugger all to get excited about for donkey's years. In fairness Coventry v Oxford is a serious result in that sense for the organisers. Shame it wasn't Accrington vs Stevenage....
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