EFL restructure and League 3 abandoned after FA refused to play ball

chaileyjem · Nov 16, 2016

The proposed restructure of the league into 5x 20 team divisions, no Tuesday games, and moving FA Cup to midweek is not happening...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/league-three-scrapped-after-fa-9270008

hans kraay fan club · Nov 16, 2016

Good.

Biscuit · Nov 16, 2016

The FA accepted a £800m deal for the international broadcasting rights to the FA cup, they can't agree to moving FA cup games to midweek until that deal expires. I'd say this means the project is on the back-burner, rather than abolished completely.

Bigtomfu · Nov 16, 2016

Excellent Smithers. As much as mid week football is a major NAUSE I would well miss it.

Notters · Nov 16, 2016

I think the additional league might have been a good idea, but pleased about the rest.

hans kraay fan club · Nov 16, 2016

Biscuit said:
The FA accepted a £800m deal for the international broadcasting rights to the FA cup, they can't agree to moving FA cup games to midweek until that deal expires. I'd say this means the project is on the back-burner, rather than abolished completely.

When that deal expires, they'll seek a new one. They won't devalue their product by effectively stepping aside and accepting the league games as more important.

And nor should they.

BBassic · Nov 16, 2016

Good decision. Now all that's left is for the Checkatrade Trophy to go back to its previous format and for Shaun Harvey to resign.

Bloke has overseen a failed attempt to change the structure of the game and a widely criticised and heavily boycotted change to an existing competition. By any standards that has to be seen as an abject failure.

Postman Pat · Nov 16, 2016

hans kraay fan club said:
When that deal expires, they'll seek a new one. They won't devalue their product by effectively stepping aside and accepting the league games as more important.

And nor should they.

Sadly I don't think the clubs feel the same.

hans kraay fan club · Nov 16, 2016

Postman Pat said:
Sadly I don't think the clubs feel the same.

Quite possibly not, but that doesn't give them, or their umbrella organisation, the right to bully the FA into accepting junior status for THEIR competition.

Guinness Boy · Nov 16, 2016

BBassic said:
Good decision. Now all that's left is for the Checkatrade Trophy to go back to its previous format and for Shaun Harvey to resign.

Bloke has overseen a failed attempt to change the structure of the game and a widely criticised and heavily boycotted change to an existing competition. By any standards that has to be seen as an abject failure.

All of this.

Postman Pat · Nov 16, 2016

hans kraay fan club said:
Quite possibly not, but that doesn't give them, or their umbrella organisation, the right to bully the FA into accepting junior status for THEIR competition.

I agree, but like with the Premier League, the clubs and the money men will eventually get what they want.

FA cup games between two reserve teams masquerading as first teams on a channel hardly anyone has isn't really doing the FA cup any favours.

hans kraay fan club · Nov 16, 2016

Postman Pat said:
I agree, but like with the Premier League, the clubs and the money men will eventually get what they want.

FA cup games between two reserve teams masquerading as first teams on a channel hardly anyone has isn't really doing the FA cup any favours.

Forcing them to play that game on a Thursday night, because Rochdale v Forest Green has an enshrined right to be played on a Saturday is hardly going to improve matters.

Bigtomfu · Nov 16, 2016

Postman Pat said:
Sadly I don't think the clubs feel the same.

Primarily because of the relative lack of CASH available. This new deal changes that to a certain degree and makes the competition relevant again.

amexer · Nov 16, 2016

Never understood how some Div 2 clubs survive with full time players on 1/2000 gates. How on earth will a 5th division survive

BensGrandad · Nov 16, 2016

would it not have just been a case of renaming the National League of which most are full time now.e g Tranmere Eastleigh etc.

Thunder Bolt · Nov 16, 2016

BBassic said:
Good decision. Now all that's left is for the Checkatrade Trophy to go back to its previous format and for Shaun Harvey to resign.

Bloke has overseen a failed attempt to change the structure of the game and a widely criticised and heavily boycotted change to an existing competition. By any standards that has to be seen as an abject failure.

The Checkatrade trophy which was originally the FL Trophy (Paint Pot etc) has fined clubs for playing their youngsters. Luton, for example, has been fined £15K.
http://www.efl.com/news/article/2016/efl-checkatrade-trophy-update-3419509.aspx

Luton's response (their youngsters beat a West Brom U21 side)

Luton Town chief executive Gary Sweet said: “We entered those teams with our eyes wide open and we accept that we would be fined for doing so. While we don’t feel we should be paying ‘fees’ to get our youngsters experience, we view that as an investment in their development.

“We are staggered, however, that we have been fined the maximum amount for our first offence, which was winning away from home at a club from the division above with half-a-dozen first-team regulars in their team.

“We played nine graduates of our academy in that game at Gillingham, and seven against a West Brom side containing four players, two of whom who were internationals and had been transferred for several million pounds, and still beat both.

“We believe our team selection has added value to a competition that was dying last season and is now – with low three-figure attendances at many matches so far – well and truly on its last legs.

“We had the second highest attendance in our one home game against a fellow senior EFL club, which we believe was only because we were playing our youngsters.

“We acknowledge our breach of the competition rules, but does our ‘offence’ make a mockery of the competition any more than a club substituting their first-choice goalkeeper after just a couple of minutes of the game to ensure they met the five-player starting rule.

“Which is more in keeping with the spirit of the game? Which supports the competition’s ethos of promoting young talent more?

“That is clearly disingenuous and by fining us this amount the EFL is effectively saying that promoting young talent is only acceptable if they’re with an EPPP1 club, and they are depriving their own member clubs’ young players access to first-team football.”

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/art...-trophy-efl-3419548.aspx#L012s7W80dm7mEUH.99]

BBassic · Nov 16, 2016

Yep, just been catching up with that [MENTION=14365]Thunder Bolt[/MENTION].

EFL Clubs fined for playing youth in a competition meant to promote youth development whilst Premier League and Championship U21 teams can play senior members and that's apparently fine.

deletebeepbeepbeep · Nov 16, 2016

Fair play from Luton, that is a disgrace.

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