+- Sports Babble - sports forum (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk)
+-- Forum: Football (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: English Cup Competitions (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Forum: League Cup (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=140)
+---- Thread: NO TASTE FOR CARABAO? (/showthread.php?tid=5666)
NO TASTE FOR CARABAO? - Devongone - 23-08-2017
274 changes were made by teams across 19 matches in Tuesday's second round EFL Cup ties. Six teams changed their entire starting XI from their preceding league game.
Crystal Palace and Brighton were among the many sides with grounds well below capacity.
"If the fans know their manager is not going to pick the strongest team then they don't want to turn up," said former Everton midfielder Leon Osman. Osman was at Sheffield United for Radio 5 live, where 11,280 fans turned up in a stadium with a capacity of 32,702. He added, "Tonight's a top game against Premier League opposition but the supporters haven't come. Maybe the changes devalue the competition in that way."
The question I'd ask is if teams treat competitions in this way then what benefit are sponsors going to derive from associating themselves with game? Media coverage of the games will thus decline, so sponsors will become harder to find and the income derived by clubs from these games will also reduce.
Astonishingly it isn't only top teams that field weakened sides. Brighton changed their entire team. Considering their start in the league I could understand trying out a few changes, but what do you learn by playing eleven new players? Surely you want to see whether you have players who can fit into what was, until your previous defeat, your best eleven? In the First Round of the competition even Accrington made big changes from their winning eleven the previous Saturday, they met Preston, who had also won in the league, and who also fielded a changed side. Surprisingly Accrington Stand-ins versus Preston North-East Enders didn't draw in the crowds. And what do Accrington permanently lack but crowds? And then Accrington won, but of course because of all the changes it isn't the huge shock that revitalises football in the town, gets everyone talking, and becomes a glorious part of local sporting history. It slides quietly off the page into an anonymous second-round defeat.
What do you think? Would you make changes? And if so, what would you do?
RE: NO TASTE FOR CARABAO? - Lord Snooty - 23-08-2017
Really difficult to see what can be done. Do you force managers to pick a stronger team along the lines of the FL Trophy? Even if you do, or even if they're told to pick exactly the same XI, would it bring the crowds in?
Personally, I can't wait to get there tonight, but that's because we're doing so well. I can't understand why all Town fans aren't the same and why the stadium won't be full again tonight.
But that hasn't always been the case. I remember I once missed us playing Derby at home, who I think were in the Prem back then.
I'm afraid the League Cup and even the FA Cup are beyond repair, the early rounds anyway. And I don't think it'll be too long before the Final will be played in Beijing the way the Chinese seem to be taking over.
RE: NO TASTE FOR CARABAO? - Devongone - 23-08-2017
I'm falling about laughing, imagining Huddersfield battling all the way to a big final and the announcement coming through that the venue is changing from Wembley to the Bird's Nest Stadium.
I'd be in danger of breaking my wrist logging in to your section of Babble .........
RE: NO TASTE FOR CARABAO? - Devongone - 24-08-2017
Quick proposal
- The first thing wrong with the Carabao is that it is too like the FA CUP ...... but a watered down version - so I propose:-
1. Create a formula to assess the performance of all participating clubs in the Carabao Cup over the last three seasons. Give the best 12 only byes to the last 32, whichever division of the EFL they are in. The other 80 play the first round.
2. Divide the eighty into 20 groups of 4, they play each other once only, winning team only goes through, 5pts for a win in 90 minutes, if teams are drawing at 90 minutes there's a penalty shoot-out and it's 3 points for a shoot-out win.
3. Teams are allocated at random to groups on their past three Carabao performances. So you have 4 pools of twenty teams, Pool A are the best performers below those 12 who got byes, Pool B the next best, Pool C down to Pool D (specially designed for no-hopers like Chesterfield). SO each of the 20 groups get a team from each pool.
4. Arrange the fixtures so there is a slight advantage to the teams that perform best in the competition, but also gives the others a chance:-
Pool A team v Pool C team
Pool B team v Pool D team
Pool B team v Pool C team
Pool D team v Pool A team
Pool C team v Pool D team
Pool A team v Pool B team
5. You then have 32 teams committed either by having won through three games already to be there, or a desire to retain their bye ............ and it's a knock-out with an exciting draw (held in Luangprabang).
Why do I always want to change everything?