Notts vote for EFL Trophy format which includes academy teams

WHAT?!?!?

It seems that money rules everything. B teams must NOT be allowed a way in to senior football and frankly Notts have let themselves down by thinking short-term and taking the money.

I regularly watch matches against B teams in Germany and more often than not they bring 0 away fans with them and distort the competition. Having to play our first team against Derby B or similar is simply a humiliation. If we get drawn against a B team at home I would hope to see a boycott.

Well I guess they say everyone is entitle to a opinion. 

1 hour ago, UnitedPie said:

Well I guess they say everyone is entitle to a opinion. 

They've gone for the money.

In the article it's claimed that more than 50% (probably not much more, otherwise they'd have told us the figure) of Notts fans who responded agreed that the competition should go ahead "in some form". But these are split between those who want to keep the current format and those who don't. How many of them wanted to stick with the current format? We don't know, it's not disclosed. It's highly likely that it's less than the 40-49% of people who want it scrapped altogether.

This is short-termism at its very worst. If B teams are allowed to become normalised then it's only a matter of time until some Premier League executive floats the idea of letting them in the Football League. And as we've seen, if you offer League clubs enough pound notes they'll accept anything. If you want to see for yourself what this would mean you're welcome to come to Germany to watch a match involving a B team. Experience the thrills and spills of 300 spectators in a stadium holding 50,000 watching a team that fluctuates wildly from one week to the next, distorting the competition. This is why it is essential that B teams are not allowed to become normalised in senior football. It doesn't matter if the League offers us 10 million, letting them get a foot in the door is a massive act of self-harm.

Right now I'm ashamed of my club. I hope the other clubs have seen sense on this.

3 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

It seems that money rules everything. B teams must NOT be allowed a way in to senior football and frankly Notts have let themselves down by thinking short-term and taking the money.

I regularly watch matches against B teams in Germany and more often than not they bring 0 away fans with them and distort the competition. Having to play our first team against Derby B or similar is simply a humiliation. If we get drawn against a B team at home I would hope to see a boycott.

What's the point if fans don't attend the games? It makes no sense to me.

I would say no to B teams all day long, it doesn't help English talent at all - there's no valued argument for it. It makes me quite annoyed.. #OldManMode

it proves when someone wrote about wanting to help talent it basically meant he wanted the big boys pocket money. i am disappointed and annoyed by this decision.

I'm sorry but I can see where Mr Hardy is coming from. A silly trophy can be turned into a big thing for the club. A trip to Wembley for the fans, bringing some silverware home for the fans. Stuck in League 2 has very little financial benefit for any club so it's important to target competitions like this in order to add some extra revenue. Unfortunately the game we love is turning into a business and that goes for any club. As fans we have had the opportunity to say what we think in a democratic manor so we just have to grit our teeth and get on with it. Might I also add that we should consider ourselves grateful we even had a say because this would have been in the hands of the executives in the Ray Trew era.

1 hour ago, samwatto2008 said:

I'm sorry but I can see where Mr Hardy is coming from. A silly trophy can be turned into a big thing for the club. A trip to Wembley for the fans, bringing some silverware home for the fans. Stuck in League 2 has very little financial benefit for any club so it's important to target competitions like this in order to add some extra revenue. Unfortunately the game we love is turning into a business and that goes for any club. As fans we have had the opportunity to say what we think in a democratic manor so we just have to grit our teeth and get on with it. Might I also add that we should consider ourselves grateful we even had a say because this would have been in the hands of the executives in the Ray Trew era.

I am sure most understand the view point about extra bonuses.

The thing I do not get is why the chairman would vote in favour of something which isn't going to be supported very well. The attendances throughout the majority of games was low and that was because fans opt out. If the cup is going to work, it needs further thought and consideration.

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Might I also add that we should consider ourselves grateful we even had a say because this would have been in the hands of the executives in the Ray Trew era.

There is that but when you do not take on board what your own fans say, well what is the point?

Fans will opt out of providing their opinions and for good reasons, you need to feel your thoughts matter and in this case I understand why most feel this has not been the case.

I am disappointed because I think we will lose more than what we would gain in bonuses.

1 hour ago, samwatto2008 said:

I'm sorry but I can see where Mr Hardy is coming from. A silly trophy can be turned into a big thing for the club. A trip to Wembley for the fans, bringing some silverware home for the fans. Stuck in League 2 has very little financial benefit for any club so it's important to target competitions like this in order to add some extra revenue. Unfortunately the game we love is turning into a business and that goes for any club. As fans we have had the opportunity to say what we think in a democratic manor so we just have to grit our teeth and get on with it. Might I also add that we should consider ourselves grateful we even had a say because this would have been in the hands of the executives in the Ray Trew era.

Firstly, welcome to the community!

Secondly, what you say is fine. The Paintpot Trophy is not attractive but it is a realistic opportunity to reach Wembley. And if the other story posted today is correct, most people opted for its continuation without the B teams. It was a while back so I'm not sure, but I think the survey was held before the takeover.

But the B teams are the problem here. They need to go, for the reasons outlined above.