EFL Trophy: 31st August

[FGR Stroud]

Okay a little loved tournament but one all our clubs play in.
On the bright side it offers the opportunity for teams to bring in some of their fringe players.
And of course a good result can influence subsequent team's performance:- a few years ago FGR were in the relegation doldrums when they won away at Cheltenham. That became their catalyst for EFL survival.

 

[kieran_vale]

This competition caused us a number of injury issues last season so as far as I’m concerned name a bunch of academy lads and one or two like Alex Hurst and James Gibbons who haven’t featured much yet. Sooner we are out the better.

I know DC will never say it out loud but I think it’s the right way to approach it.

 

[valefan16]

I’d like to see some of the lads who haven’t had much time get minutes.

Amoo, Cass, Johnson, Hurst, Stone plus give Conlon and Gibbons minutes on their return and Jake Taylor if fit.

Might be worth giving young Eden Bailey a game too.

Not sure if Politic would be allowed to play, would be an ideal game to get minutes into him but assume Bolton wouldn’t allow it even though it’s effectively a pointless game.

I’d go something like:

Stone

Gibbons
Johnson
Cass
Benning

Hurst
Conlon
Taylor (if fit)
Amoo

Rodney (or new striker if signed)
Bailey

 

[Chief Rocka]

DC has already said we're gonna mix it up a bit with the team, I'd change as much as possible and give everyone that's barely played this season a competitive run out, the sooner we're out of this garbage competition the better.

 

[AdamStag]

I don’t even know who we’ve got in our group, and i really couldn’t care less.

Whoever we play against well probably create loads of chances miss them all produce some random defensive howler and lose

 

[Fedora Dale]

Hopefully Dale will switch a few around, too. Assuming everyone's fit (apart from Matt Done) and plague free, I'd go with something like:
Coleman*
Graham-Taylor*-Dunne
O'Keefe*-Broadbent-Brierley-Grant*-White
Cashman*-Andrews
(*played in the previous game against Col Ewe)

Bench to include Kelly, Dorsett, Beesley plus Mlialkowski and Thomas from the Youth team, a goalie, and Swiss Army Jimmy Keohane (who can play anywhere)

 

[Uncle Pastuzo]

We traditionally put out very young sides but I wonder if it might be an idea to get some of those who played in our last two games the earliest possible opportunity to redeem themselves.

 

[EricSabin]

Shan’t be watching shan’t be listening couldn’t give a toss

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Shan’t be watching shan’t be listening couldn’t give a toss

But you will be looking out for the result...

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Very much in the "couldn't give a toss" camp about this cup. B-teams, no thanks.

Given that on Saturday we had two U-18s on the bench already (because of injuries and Ebou Adams' suspension), I can't see that we'll do anything other than put out a very young and fringe side (although Adams red card seemingly doesn't apply here, so he might be on the pitch, we don't wanna piss off the home fans who will come too much).

Although remembering the 6-0 battering we got when we did that at Walsall....maybe we won't. Dunno.

 

[Gatekeeper]

I think we will put out a ’strong’ side against Palace. Hopefully a win will kick start our season.

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

I think we will put out a ’strong’ side against Palace. Hopefully a win will kick start our season.

Must be a bit different now that you aren't 'plucky non league side Sutton' anymore?

 

[hellogregory]

I couldn’t give a rats arse about the result. Hope we field as weak a team as possible and I hope hardly any Carlisle or Hartlepool fans turn up.

 

[Gatekeeper]

Must be a bit different now that you aren't 'plucky non league side Sutton' anymore?

Our DNA is non league and in a way I hope it never changes.

 

[Gatekeeper]

I couldn’t give a rats arse about the result. Hope we field as weak a team as possible and I hope hardly any Carlisle or Hartlepool fans turn up.

I’m looking forward to our game

 

[Casey]

Our DNA is non league and in a way I hope it never changes.

There's a lot about the non league game that league clubs would do well to emulate. I would go as far as to say the better league clubs operate in a similar style.

It's all about connecting to the local community and no silly big bollocks about being in the football league.

Casey

 

[Chris FGR]

Very much in the "couldn't give a toss" camp about this cup. B-teams, no thanks.

Given that on Saturday we had two U-18s on the bench already (because of injuries and Ebou Adams' suspension), I can't see that we'll do anything other than put out a very young and fringe side (although Adams red card seemingly doesn't apply here, so he might be on the pitch, we don't wanna piss off the home fans who will come too much).

Although remembering the 6-0 battering we got when we did that at Walsall....maybe we won't. Dunno.

Any fan coming to games in this joke competition deserve to be pissed off tbf.

The only senior players we should play tomorrow are those that didn’t play on Saturday and won’t play next Saturday. (Thomas, Evans, March and Young plus Hallett if he’s not out on loan).

Adams is off with Gambia later this week so no point whatsoever in making him play in a meaningless game, if he picks up a bad injury we are totally screwed with the transfer window shut. We don’t have much depth so I would stick all the kids in and see if any of them shine, you never know we might need them soon given how sparse our bench looks already.

If we lose 8-0 so be it. Rather that then lose any more players. The Brentford game was pretty costly with us going out whilst losing Adams, Cadden, Edwards and Diallo for last Saturday. That was worth it in at least that was a proper game and memorable occasion. This tinpot bollocks is nothing of the sort.

 

[JaredSUFC]

I’m not really bothered about our game v palace kids. B teams being in this puts this below the FA Trophy, Surrey Senior Cup and Scottish Challenge Cup.

Still, a win would be handy.

 

[Soup Ladle]

I couldn’t give a rats arse about the result. Hope we field as weak a team as possible and I hope hardly any Carlisle or Hartlepool fans turn up.

I heard we sold our allocation!

 

[MadJohn]

I won't be anywhere near the game. Won't be there, won't be watching/listening, and the same goes for the other group games. Hopefully a useful fitness exercise for the squad players and those recovering from injury, but that's as far as my interest goes.

 

[shoddycollins]

Ridiculous timing on transfer deadline day, but of course the EFL couldn't give a rat's arse. The last thing managers want is to be busy preparing for an evening game in a nothing competition while waiting on final answers about incoming players and with the uncertaintly over whether any player is departing. At least we're a) at home so Beech can nip up to his office during the game if needs be, and b) have a director of football who in theory should be the one keeping plates spinning right up to midnight.

I feel for those clubs who are away tonight and for whom the manager is the one who deals with transfers. What happens if say, the Crawley or Barrow coach arrives back at the ground in the early hours only for the manager to find that the sort of unpredictable developments today is known for have taken place and a player they maybe hadn't even had any enquiries for is now sold, or a player they thought was coming in has gone elsewhere.

 

[shoddycollins]

I won't be anywhere near the game. Won't be there, won't be watching/listening, and the same goes for the other group games. Hopefully a useful fitness exercise for the squad players and those recovering from injury, but that's as far as my interest goes.

Obviously for us, playing against a team we put in such a shitshow against just the other day provides opportunities for learning, though we are now missing one of our players who started at the weekend and don't expect Hartlepool to put out a strong squad.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Fortunately we got our game moved forward last week so we can concentrate on Saturday and trying to beat a hopefully jaded FGR side...

 

[Uncle Pastuzo]

Ridiculous timing on transfer deadline day, but of course the EFL couldn't give a rat's arse. The last thing managers want is to be busy preparing for an evening game in a nothing competition while waiting on final answers about incoming players and with the uncertaintly over whether any player is departing. At least we're a) at home so Beech can nip up to his office during the game if needs be, and b) have a director of football who in theory should be the one keeping plates spinning right up to midnight.

I feel for those clubs who are away tonight and for whom the manager is the one who deals with transfers. What happens if say, the Crawley or Barrow coach arrives back at the ground in the early hours only for the manager to find that the sort of unpredictable developments today is known for have taken place and a player they maybe hadn't even had any enquiries for is now sold, or a player they thought was coming in has gone elsewhere.

If it's a nothing competition, would it matter if a manager's #2 takes the game and leaves him to do the transfers?

 

[shoddycollins]

If it's a nothing competition, would it matter if a manager's #2 takes the game and leaves him to do the transfers?

I think there's a few teams who do it.

 

[Soup Ladle]

If it's a nothing competition, would it matter if a manager's #2 takes the game and leaves him to do the transfers?

Personally I'd be happy for Tony Sweeney to take charge tonight and let Challinor sign the striker he wants. Sweens is who I'd want to take over if/when DC goes so would be good experience for him.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Personally I'd be happy for Tony Sweeney to take charge tonight and let Challinor sign the striker he wants. Sweens is who I'd want to take over if/when DC goes so would be good experience for him.

The only trouble with that is, If/When DC departs Sweens could also.
Rather have Sweens stay to become caretaker.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Obviously for us, playing against a team we put in such a shitshow against just the other day provides opportunities for learning, though we are now missing one of our players who started at the weekend and don't expect Hartlepool to put out a strong squad.

Our squad will still be ok, Players on the bench will putting thier case forward for Lge games.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

We'll be putting out a strong side - mainly because we haven't got any reserves.

 

[valefan16]

Made less changes than expected.

Stone in for Covolan
Johnson in for Martin
Gibbons is back in a huge boost
Rodney, Amoo and a welcome return of Conlon.

It’s much changed but still an ok XI