Speak for yourself - we’d never been before 97/98 but since then, we’ve attended 7 times, 8 if you include a Cardiff playoff final.My 2 cents worth, because I know everyone was wondering what I thought...
Lets be honest, the JPT was always a joke of a competition before the B teams came in, most managers made as many changes as possible anyway and wanted out of it as quickly as possible. Plus we all treated it like garbage and rightly so, but as soon as Wembley came along, everyone sat up and took notice. We had 1,800 for our 2nd round game against Doncaster back in 12-13, but then 8,300 for the Area Final with Coventry(although 2,300 were away fans).
I don't begrudge Lincoln fans their day out, their club is on a high with a great manager and a good team. Why wouldn't fans attend? I don't go to any games in this competition in protest and I wouldn't go to Wembley, but would I be so steadfast if I hadn't seen my team there twice in the last 6 years, plus seen my team win this competition? Possibly not. Wembley, whether you think its overrated or not, is not somewhere your team gets to visit all that often, as Lincoln have shown. You can't pass up this chance, you might not get another for decades.
I admire the Lincoln board for voting against B teams, but then they can because they have money in the bank. A lot of lower league teams can't afford to turn down £30k of prize money before they've even gotten out of the groups. But still, at least they are taking a stand, unlike a lot of others.
This debate though isn't Lincoln fans fault. The argument is with Shaun Harvey/FL and this bullshit idea in the first place. Even if Lincoln had got 500 home fans for every game and took 2,000 to Wembley, would that stop him doing it again next year? Nope. All he'll do to force teams into agreeing is increasing the prize money again no doubt. Or find some other way of making teams take it seriously.
Harvey is seriously clutching at straws if he wants to use Lincoln as an example of this competition working in its current format though. He lucked out on Coventry v Oxford last season as the final, 2 teams with big catchment areas and Coventry who's hard up fanbase didn't need an excuse to flock to Wembley in the droves. He's also got lucky this year with Lincoln getting through. What would an Accrington v Yeovil/Shrewsbury final have got? They wouldn't have sold 25,000 between them, let alone one end. It'll eventually happen, where 2 small ish teams or 2 reserve sides get through. Lets see Harvey talk up the competition when they are getting less than 10,000 through the doors for the final.
He shouldn't use Lincoln as an example, nor should they be blamed for any ongoing protest with this competition. Look at the sides these PL/Championship teams are fielding. Full of imported players or senior players trying to get fitness. Look at the attendances on the whole, bar the odd exception. Nobody(with the odd exception) gives a shit, where at least there was some interest when it was the JPT.
I get the point that other fans are trying to make, I just think Lincoln taking a big crowd will have little to no bearing on whether this format continues or is expanded on if that debate/decision ever comes around. What all clubs need to do is stop being so weak and caving into these demands. Only when there is mass protest from the decision makers involved in the vote will this die.
Long and short of it is, lets ease up on Lincoln fans. Whether you agree with their decisions to go or not, they have earned the right to make it. They won't be the reason B teams get put into the league if it comes to that. Enjoy the day Lincoln, but I think you should hope to go back for the play off finals, because they are so much better. The tension, the drama, the stakes, it's way better/worse in the play offs than it is in the JPT/Checkatrade.
We've been to Cardiff twice in three years, we were just unlucky how things fell for us.
The season we won it 97/98 we were quite lucky attendance wise as we had Hull at home in one round and then Scunny away in the quarter final so plenty were attending because of that and then before you knew it it was the Semi final where of course the attendance rose. Burnley away in the area final second leg was an awesome night, never forget that one, Kevin Donovan with a fantastic swerving volley in front of the away end, absolute scenes.My 2 cents worth, because I know everyone was wondering what I thought...
Lets be honest, the JPT was always a joke of a competition before the B teams came in, most managers made as many changes as possible anyway and wanted out of it as quickly as possible. Plus we all treated it like garbage and rightly so, but as soon as Wembley came along, everyone sat up and took notice. We had 1,800 for our 2nd round game against Doncaster back in 12-13, but then 8,300 for the Area Final with Coventry(although 2,300 were away fans).
I don't begrudge Lincoln fans their day out, their club is on a high with a great manager and a good team. Why wouldn't fans attend? I don't go to any games in this competition in protest and I wouldn't go to Wembley, but would I be so steadfast if I hadn't seen my team there twice in the last 6 years, plus seen my team win this competition? Possibly not. Wembley, whether you think its overrated or not, is not somewhere your team gets to visit all that often, as Lincoln have shown. You can't pass up this chance, you might not get another for decades.
I admire the Lincoln board for voting against B teams, but then they can because they have money in the bank. A lot of lower league teams can't afford to turn down £30k of prize money before they've even gotten out of the groups. But still, at least they are taking a stand, unlike a lot of others.
This debate though isn't Lincoln fans fault. The argument is with Shaun Harvey/FL and this bullshit idea in the first place. Even if Lincoln had got 500 home fans for every game and took 2,000 to Wembley, would that stop him doing it again next year? Nope. All he'll do to force teams into agreeing is increasing the prize money again no doubt. Or find some other way of making teams take it seriously.
Harvey is seriously clutching at straws if he wants to use Lincoln as an example of this competition working in its current format though. He lucked out on Coventry v Oxford last season as the final, 2 teams with big catchment areas and Coventry who's hard up fanbase didn't need an excuse to flock to Wembley in the droves. He's also got lucky this year with Lincoln getting through. What would an Accrington v Yeovil/Shrewsbury final have got? They wouldn't have sold 25,000 between them, let alone one end. It'll eventually happen, where 2 small ish teams or 2 reserve sides get through. Lets see Harvey talk up the competition when they are getting less than 10,000 through the doors for the final.
He shouldn't use Lincoln as an example, nor should they be blamed for any ongoing protest with this competition. Look at the sides these PL/Championship teams are fielding. Full of imported players or senior players trying to get fitness. Look at the attendances on the whole, bar the odd exception. Nobody(with the odd exception) gives a shit, where at least there was some interest when it was the JPT.
I get the point that other fans are trying to make, I just think Lincoln taking a big crowd will have little to no bearing on whether this format continues or is expanded on if that debate/decision ever comes around. What all clubs need to do is stop being so weak and caving into these demands. Only when there is mass protest from the decision makers involved in the vote will this die.
Long and short of it is, lets ease up on Lincoln fans. Whether you agree with their decisions to go or not, they have earned the right to make it. They won't be the reason B teams get put into the league if it comes to that. Enjoy the day Lincoln, but I think you should hope to go back for the play off finals, because they are so much better. The tension, the drama, the stakes, it's way better/worse in the play offs than it is in the JPT/Checkatrade.
Would be a tough call for most fans I imagine. I am totally against this competition and haven't been to a game in it yet and won't do whilst the B Teams are around but if we got to Wembley it would be a huge moral dilemma to not go.
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