by Stranded »
20 Sep 2022 09:45
20 Sep 2022 09:45
Any change to league cup either my removing the 7 or so clubs in Europe or making it a glorified Papa Johns Trophy for them will kill it. That is clearly the plan but they don't want to come out and say it.
Whilst you know that in most instances you are going to get a reserve side, is it really going to be attractive to a Stevenage fan to draw Liverpool u21s - at least if you draw Liverpool now, you know you may get a few names starting/on the bench even if the bulk of the side is kids.
No issue with replays going, they seem a bit old-fashioned now and simply give the bigger club a second chance - smaller clubs will likely cause more shocks if games go to pens - could even scrap Extra Time for the amount of good that normally is.
All in all though this is just a grab by the bigger clubs to clear enough gaps for them to player more high profile games - why play Morecombe when you can play Milan?
The move to a "soft cap" on player expenditure whilst makes sense is also just a means to an ends to stop any new clubs disrupting the top 5 or 6 sides. Whilst it would still be doable for a club like Newcastle to break in with clever recruitment and coaching, it will become much tougher for any side coming into the PL, to establish themselves and even consider doing a Leicester.