Debate: Early Rounds of League Cup & Football League Trophy

[fan_of_mulligan]

One thing I find really interesting is that clubs in Europe (especially in Scandinavian Countries) double up there domestic cup competitions as pre-season friendlies, so not only are players preparing themselves for the up and coming season, but your also playing competitive matches where the result has something on the line.

Why not move Round's One and Two of The Football League Trophy to July and have The Group Stage Format the competition used to have in the 1980's where two team's from each three team group progressed to The Last Sixteen, by playing these games before the season start's you free up three mid-week's during The Football League Season which can be used for local mid-week league games, and you could have two or even three additional Saturday's for longer away trips.

You then play The Last Sixteen Match in July and the competition will resume in November for The Area Quarter Finals.

The attendances for The Football League Trophy would be better in the summer, as the early round's get attendance's barely over 1,000, team selection's would be stronger, and you will get the opening round's out of the way very quickly so that when the tournament resume's in November, you are left with eight team's in The Northern Section and eight team's in The Southern Section.

I also think that Gillingham should be playing Plymouth Argyle in The First Round of The League Cup tomorrow, more supporters are more likely to go if the match is on a Saturday, the squad selected would be stronger as there would be a week's break between The Plymouth Argyle Game and The Sheffield United game, and your not playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday in the first two weeks of The Football League Season.

I suggest this idea because, trying to fit 46 League Games, FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Trophy and Kent Senior Cup Games between August and May is challenging, if playing the early rounds of The Football League Trophy and The First Round of The League Cup free's up a few mid-week's for league games, then that can only be a good thing.

What does everyone on here think about my idea ???

[Garawa]

Personally nothing has changed. We have played 46 games for decades now and have actually lost games due to the abolishing of endless FA cup replays and any second legs / replays in the league cup. Sides also have bigger squads so I don't think time is an issue. I have felt that the league cup has been of little interest to many larger clubs and merging it with the Scottish / Welsh version would be interesting. Split clubs into local regions which are played in pre-season guaranteeing high attendance local derbies before the season starts. The winners then go into the knockout rounds. Could be fun!

[Robpthegills]

I do not want us merging with the scottish or the welsh cup teams.

We are england, we have enough teams to compete in the cup, why involve the welsh and the scots, they are countries in their own right with their own clubs.

[Garawa]

Because we have the FA Cup and the trophy which are all similar to the League Cup. 3 cups all involving virtually the same teams leads to apathy towards some. The FLT is too small and the FA Cup is sacred and mustn't be touched so if the big clubs aren't that bothered this might big it up a little. They all have a league cup so it could be a British league cup, Celtic v Liverpool and Man Utd v Rangers (in a few years) in a semi-final could be interesting. Lower cups have changed guises often in the past and have often had early rounds either at the end of the season or in pre-season.

It has long been noted that early rounds barely make clubs any money unless they get a good draw. Regional qualifying groups would generate decent income. It would guarantee local competitive derbies when there wouldn't been any previously. Leyton Orient v West Ham, Southampton v Portsmouth, Hartlepool v Newcastle to name but a few.

I don't for one minute think it will happen or would be accepted but I bet the matches would be popular.

[Rimshot]

Does sound as if this idea would make the competition different and potentially more interesting to fans of smaller clubs. Two reasons why the football authorities will never agree to it.

[Garawa]

Absolutely! But then I don't think we are too far off the big clubs pulling out entirely as its a "Football League competition" and then you have a slightly bigger trophy tournament. After all, it does add extra fixture pressure on them that might hinder more lucrative matches played in Thailand for example! If that were to happen this might work.

[fan_of_mulligan]

Maybe you could have a comprimise to that idea and the teams from the final and semi finals of each League Cup participates in a British League Cup involving sixteen teams, four from England, four from Scotland, four from Northern Ireland and four from Wales.

The British League Cup could be played in pre-season so players get tjemselves fit for the new football season

[gillsfan1066]

OK Scotland could find 4 teams but Wales and Ireland, lol,lol, yeah right. Airbus UK who qualified for The UEFA L. Cup played recently at home against Lokomotive Zagred and drew a crowd 504 , and that was the biggest thing to happen in Broughton in the last 504 years. As for Ireland ,Shamrock Rovers manager a big 4000 gate for their chance at European glory, most home gates are around the 3,500 mark so what would be the point of playing matches against second class teams like these UNLESS you made the games PRE SEASON matches, then there might be something to play for ??

[Rimshot]

True, but then the Faroe Islands get to play in the WC...

[gillsfan1066]

There ranked 76 in FIFA's list ,above such teams as China, Montenegro,Finland,Canada and New Zealand, watch out for the Faroe Islands, I hear the guy that runs the post office in Torshaven is playing in goal this year,there going to be a force to be reconed with.