EFL Trophy 22/23

[Huntsman94]

May as well get this thread going for next season. A competition that no one really enjoys (with the addition of U21 teams) until they get to the latter stages. That said, some good money to be won with £10k a win in each group stage game. Groups have been drawn with the U21 sides to be added on Thursday:

Northern Groups

Group A Harrogate Town Hartlepool United Morecambe	Group B Bolton Wanderers Crewe Alexandra Tranmere Rovers	Group C Port Vale Shrewsbury Town Stockport County	Group D Accrington Stanley Rochdale Salford City
Group E Barnsley Doncaster Rovers Lincoln City	Group F Derby County Grimsby Town Mansfield Town	Group G Barrow Carlisle United Fleetwood Town	Group H Bradford City Burton Albion Sheffield Wednesday

The U21 sides to be added are: Everton U21, Leeds United U21, Leicester City U21, Liverpool U21, Man City U21, Man Utd U21, Newcastle United U21 and Wolverhampton U21

Southern Groups

Group A Charlton Athletic Colchester United Gillingham	Group B AFC Wimbledon Crawley Town Portsmouth	Group C Cheltenham Town Milton Keynes Dons Walsall	Group D Peterborough United Stevenage Wycombe Wanderers
Group E Bristol Rovers Plymouth Argyle Swindon Town	Group F Exeter City Forest Green Rovers Newport County	Group G Oxford United Leyton Orient Sutton United	Group H Cambridge United Ipswich Town Northampton Town

The U21 sides to be added are: Arsenal U21, Aston Villa U21, Brighton U21, Chelsea U21, Crystal Palace U21, Southampton U21, Tottenham U21 and West Ham U21

 

[PuB]

Couldn’t care less about this competition but Aston Villa are in the south and Wolverhampton are in the north?

 

[Conker]

Kick out the prem teams.

 

[valefan16]

Couldn’t care less about this competition but Aston Villa are in the south and Wolverhampton are in the north?

That's the split, Wolverhampton is actually a couple of miles further north than Aston.

That said I would prefer the top 16 National League teams enter!

 

[maverick34]

Couldn’t care less about this competition but Aston Villa are in the south and Wolverhampton are in the north?

Can only assume thats where the divide line is based for this year with the split of U21 teams? Geographically Villa are further south...

Edit* - seems I was beaten to it

 

[chipmunx]

Barrow and Carlisle in the same group might actually mean there is interest in the group stages this year - finishing 3rd above Carlisle would be perfect,

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We’ll probably get hammered in all the games but I really couldn’t careless, I had little interest in it before the U21 teams were allowed in, now I just feel they are extra games that already small squads and stretched budgets could do without. Scrap it, take the prem clubs out of the League Cup and recreate that as the EFL Cup, job done. The only other option for this pointless thing to work is make it the pre season games like they do in Scotland

 

[cookiemonster]

As if this competition wasn't great enough already, at Walsall away last season the first prize in the spot the ball competition was free pizza for a year.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

I’m not sure when we actually won one of these games let alone got through the group, I didn’t used to mind it in the old format and even got to a few games. We used to get around 3/4,000 which was more than the FA Cup first round this season but now are lucky if 1,000 go. Don’t know if Hughes will take it serious, when McCall was in charge his assistant used to take the games…

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Why do Brentford get a reprieve?

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Barrow and Carlisle in the same group might actually mean there is interest in the group stages this year - finishing 3rd above Carlisle would be perfect,

A win against Carlisle in this competition would probably rank above the win over Tranmere in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round that year.

 

[JaredSUFC]

I think we’ll be taking it seriously again this season, the financial rewards make it worth our while.

Hopefully it’ll be Orient at home and Oxford away.

 

[Conker]

It’s definitely good financially, but it’s a sham in its current format.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

The worry with Simpson unless he has changed is he will go for this clap trap worthless trinket.

He played most of first team in most competitions if I remember when manager last time even the conference league cup or whatever it was (we had 4 cup competitions when last in conference)

Stronger squad back then and 3-4 back up players as good as the first eleven (Glenn Murray was our 4-5th choice striker then) but overall he used to be of the view winning teams keep runs going

Hopefully not, used to be the biggest defender of this competition for years but it’s just a premiership sideshow now.

Be female clubs invited in next for the bbc

 

[The Terminator]

I think we’ll be taking it seriously again this season, the financial rewards make it worth our while.

Hopefully it’ll be Orient at home and Oxford away.

Yes please, I CBA going to the Kassam on a midweek. Already done that in this competition back when we played them in the second round in 2005.

 

[Casey]

I dont think we have ever taken this seriously and most of the matches the manager wasn't there or sat in the stands. However, rumour is we are starting a b team this season so maybe we will try a little.

We have Aston Villa as the u23 which is a bit meh but Pompey could be interesting. Enjoyed a couple of visits there (apart from the games). Made very welcome in the rifle club the last time but that may have been because our keeper that day forgot how play.

Casey

 

[BlackHaddock]

Our official site has this statement after the fixtures are advertised:

We are, of course, very aware that many of our supporters have strong views about the Club’s participation in this competition and we, like the Mariners Trust, believe fans should be free to choose how they want to support their team.

Although the Club will face Premier League U21 teams in the competition this season, we wanted to reassure supporters that our Board is united in their opposition to the inclusion of any Under 21 or U23 teams joining the Football League, in any way.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Our official site has this statement after the fixtures are advertised:

We are, of course, very aware that many of our supporters have strong views about the Club’s participation in this competition and we, like the Mariners Trust, believe fans should be free to choose how they want to support their team.

Although the Club will face Premier League U21 teams in the competition this season, we wanted to reassure supporters that our Board is united in their opposition to the inclusion of any Under 21 or U23 teams joining the Football League, in any way.

But we wouldn,t mind loaning 1 or 2 of thier players, lol

We made some serious Dosh out of this comp last season.
Never bite the hand that feeds.

 

[BlackHaddock]

But we wouldn,t mind loaning 1 or 2 of thier players, lol

We made some serious Dosh out of this comp last season.
Never bite the hand that feeds.

Us Grimsby lot are miserable sods at the best of times and we always look for the negatives first. We have always seen this as a back door attempt to get Prem sides reserves/U23/U21 sides into the league. Hence most do not bother to go and watch the games, it's our little bit of a boycott to those with power and money.

 

[GTFCfish]

But we wouldn,t mind loaning 1 or 2 of thier players, lol

We made some serious Dosh out of this comp last season.
Never bite the hand that feeds.

Really?

The whole point of the boycott is to try and stop any possibility of Premier League B teams joining the Football League.

So would you be happy for that to happen just because you made some ‘serious dosh’ from this absolute sham of a competition?

 

[Chief Rocka]

Really?

The whole point of the boycott is to try and stop any possibility of Premier League B teams joining the Football League.

So would you be happy for that to happen just because you made some ‘serious dosh’ from this absolute sham of a competition?

I wanted us to go out in every round, but we kept winning and kept getting paid, not exactly going to hand it back are we.

Our attendances were well down across the board until we crept closer and closer to the final stages and of course the interest sky rocketed and we had a sell out in the semi final, I never went to a single game but bet your mother I'd of went to the final, the same would happen to every club in this league, fans attending or not won't have a single bearing on what the people in charge of football want to do with it.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Really?

The whole point of the boycott is to try and stop any possibility of Premier League B teams joining the Football League.

So would you be happy for that to happen just because you made some ‘serious dosh’ from this absolute sham of a competition?

Unlikely Prem u21s will be operating on the efl., Would water down the integrity of the efl.
I doubt Grimsby or ourselves would turn down a "highlyrated" loan.

 

[BarraMatt]

We'll have a few in for the Man Utd U21s game I'd expect, as some of the United plastics in the town will probably want to go.

 

[BlackHaddock]

We'll have a few in for the Man Utd U21s game I'd expect, as some of the United plastics in the town will probably want to go.

I have a feeling that when Man City send their youngsters a larger than wanted crowd might turn up at Blundell Park.

 

[hellogregory]

Be female clubs invited in next for the bbc

Now that would be better

 

[hellogregory]

Barrow and Carlisle in the same group might actually mean there is interest in the group stages this year - finishing 3rd above Carlisle would be perfect,

That would suit me fine.