daftasfxxx wrote:league three would never happen anyway

Maybe not immediately, but B Teams were the canary in the coalmine and we've crossed that rubicon (to mix my metaphors). Do you really think the Premiership don't want to push the idea further?

GSB, the only real like-for-like figure on attendances is for each year's competition as a whole, as the attendances for the finals are skewed by the size of the teams who qualify. The year-on-year trend is down consistently since the new format was established. And I believe I'm also right in saying that the majority of teams in Div 3 and Div 4 have recorded their record lowest attendances since the new format was imposed.

I'm sure I paid about £30 for a ticket for the 2 Checkatrade finals I attended, so not cut-price tickets but not stupidly expensive for a day at Wembley.

If County got to the final I reckon we'd take 15-18K fans.

Attendances for group stage games like we've played so far are probably higher than the number who would watch an equivalent match eg Leicester U23 v County Reserves, or as per the first few rounds, County Reserves v Cheltenham Reserves. Gotta put this competition into some sort of context -

Are County ever going to get a better chance of silverware and a trip to Wembley? Answer is no, except for occasional play-off finals.

Is there another type of game where we, Salford, Leicester etc can play our young players, fringe squad members, players needing 90mins after an injury and where it will be played competitively? No.

Most important for me (but I accept I'm in a minority here) Is there a better way for, say, a 19yo 'Leicester star of the future' to make his debut, prove he's good enough for the first team and catch Southgate's eye? Answer sadly is no - Premiership managers all work on thin ice knowing a sacking is just a few games away, given the choice of replacing an injured Jamie Vardy do they (a) play the 19yo prospect or (b) get the chequebook out and sign proven star Johnny Foreigner? It's almost always (b), Man Utd a possible exception. Therefore the future for the English, Welsh etc international teams looks bleak if new homegrown talent isn't given a chance.

Just my views.....

DeePeeNCAFC wrote:Attendances for group stage games like we've played so far are probably higher than the number who would watch an equivalent match eg Leicester U23 v County Reserves, or as per the first few rounds, County Reserves v Cheltenham Reserves.

If I may say so, that's a false comparison. Better surely to compare what we used to attract for Football League Trophy games prior to the changed format.

For example, just to look at our first season back in the Football League (2013/14), we had crowds of 2,849 (v Portsmouth) and 1,765 (v Plymouth). The following season (2014/15), we had 1,822 (v Sw*ndon), and had 1,434 against the same team a year later (2015/16).

In the 2016/17 season, after the format changed, we managed 807 (v Swansea B) and 368 (v Wimbledon). In 2017/18, it was 750 (v Swansea B) and 540 (v Cheltenham).

Again, we can all pick and choose statistics, but I think your comparison is the wrong one to make. I don't think even Shaun Harvey himself could claim that the new format has been a hit with fans, even if people still turn up for a Wembley final.

I'm all for B teams on the condition that the A teams of those clubs disappear out of the English league and into a European league.

Real fans can then make an informed choice as to which entity they would prefer to support.

You're right, of course, but how else can we judge the pulling power of a cup competition originally designed for just Lge1-2 clubs with the added 'attraction' of Premiership U23 teams?

I suppose we could compare attendances in the old Reserve league or Sherpa Van Trophy, when they existed.

As an aside, if this format was taken a step further and County's U18 academy side were allowed to enter the FA Trophy (currently just for non-league teams) or the Scottish Cup (which now invites 2 English National League sides) I think as a club and fanbase we'd be in support.

One adjustment I would like to see would be that under 21 should be just that. Five (?) overage players in a starting lineup means that a team could use the competition as an opportunity for fringe players and those recovering from injury and actually denying their age qualified players a chance to play. A strict U21 rule would test their genuine interest in the competition.

Lose next week and we may as well have the 'end of season' awards ceremony as the season will drag along until May with nothing for us to play for. Amond for message boards MOM ???
Players probably already know who has been / or who will be offered new contracts and the same few will hold out signing them waiting to see if they can get a better deal elsewhere before getting a new two year deal off us.
MF will offer two year deals to a bunch of 'up an coming promising players' from the National League who will leave us by October on loan to somewhere is the London area . Journeymen players from other League two sides will also get two year deals offered to them and he will try to get a young kid on loan from Bristol City in the hope we get another Semenyo
Management team know they wont be replaced . Given this seasons form / displays MF wont get offered a deal anywhere else so will have to stay put
The season will just fizzle out with a whimper whilst we all start dreaming of better things from August onwards.
Harps / Frank will come up with a list of players he has heard we will be signing in the summer and we wont sign any of them and the pre season fixtures will come out with the usual suspects as opposition ( Undy , Weston ,Chippenham and a Championship U23 team thrown in as our 'Glamour home friendly' and many will say its the right blend to get us up to speed for the forthcoming season.
The fixture list will come out and we will be away for the first game of the season against Mansfield ...as usual and so it goes on.

the life of a battle hardened County fan eh ?????

neilcork68 wrote:Lose next week and we may as well have the 'end of season' awards ceremony as the season will drag along until May with nothing for us to play for. Amond for message boards MOM ???
Players probably already know who has been / or who will be offered new contracts and the same few will hold out signing them waiting to see if they can get a better deal elsewhere before getting a new two year deal off us.
MF will offer two year deals to a bunch of 'up an coming promising players' from the National League who will leave us by October on loan to somewhere is the London area . Journeymen players from other League two sides will also get two year deals offered to them and he will try to get a young kid on loan from Bristol City in the hope we get another Semenyo
Management team know they wont be replaced . Given this seasons form / displays MF wont get offered a deal anywhere else so will have to stay put
The season will just fizzle out with a whimper whilst we all start dreaming of better things from August onwards.
Harps / Frank will come up with a list of players he has heard we will be signing in the summer and we wont sign any of them and the pre season fixtures will come out with the usual suspects as opposition ( Undy , Weston ,Chippenham and a Championship U23 team thrown in as our 'Glamour home friendly' and many will say its the right blend to get us up to speed for the forthcoming season.
The fixture list will come out and we will be away for the first game of the season against Mansfield ...as usual and so it goes on.

the life of a battle hardened County fan eh ?????

This made me laugh.

Corky.
What a good read.
Apart from myself sending in a list of signings.
Its very rare but nearly always correct.
Knew it was a Pools striker for a fee but guessed wrong.
Knew we had a total crock for a full back but guessed the wrong one.
All good fun.
Cannot fault any other comments you make.
Guarantee grief coming for you though.

Addendum

Holding out for a better deal.
Turned us down for a few shillings more?

Shop Now Hereford
Mary Chucked out by Gloucester
Boden Failed at Inverness now Chesterfield possible relegation
Elito On bench for Barnet
Holmes Top flight in North Wales
Ayina Somewhere in Europe for a club nobody has ever heard of
Randall Somewhere in Ireland. Stan can watch him.
We wanted to keep all these

Albeit

Hughes/ Byrne/ Jackson/Nouble/Rodman/Butler/Day/Tozer have done okay for themselves

Can’t blame Boden for moving on, he was offered a 3yr deal by a Scottish Premiership team, he would have been crackers to turn it down despite how it turned out for him.

newgroundrodney wrote:Are the prices set by the EFL or the clubs? Does anyone else think £5 is a bit too cheap?

Depends on what services you're providing

Must wear my glasses more....I read £5 for a semi without them....Good deal that

Neil, humour tinged with pessimism as usual. Your views are similar to my own except, even when the chips are down (injuries, lack of goals, lack of recent entertaining football) it's always better to look on the bright side. Reasons to be cheerful -

Good recent cup runs and increased club profile.
A couple of trips to Wembley in recent years.
Reasonable success and sustainability on and off the pitch for a club which went out of business.
We're hard to beat, with more depth to the squad. Except for shots on target stats, we're playing some good football at present.
For the second season running, we're approaching the 'business end of the season' with something to play for.

Chin up.