MATCHWATCH : Stevenage (h)

[Royal_jimmy]

Think tonight showed that most of our youngsters aren't ready for championship football.

Happy we are out the cup anyway. Need as few games as possible outside the league this season.

[AthleticoSpizz]

We’re doomed.

[windermereROYAL]

Just seen the penalty shout at the death, stonewall, but there was a foul by Clarke just before it.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1557108104663339010

[RG30]

Until the goal we had one wayward shot and were largely second best against a League 2 team. Then we proceeded to have our best spell and were definitely on top until last few minutes we let our heads dropped and gifted them an easy winner from the wing. Overall little to be positive about.

[Loafer]

We will get relegated at this rate, 100%

Pathetic

Oh fucking dear, where have you been all evening? you do know it was a cup game right?

No I was playing football actually didn't even realise

Still oxf*rd shit

[Loafer]

From twitter

Nine Championship clubs faced lower-league opposition in the EFL Cup tonight. Remarkably, all nine lost.

Yes but we must fold the club immediately. Those academy boys should be put in stocks outside the Oracle tomorrow.

+1

They aren't good enough for the club

[Hound]

Just seen the penalty shout at the death, stonewall, but there was a foul by Clarke just before it.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1557108104663339010

Yeah looks a foul there

[Hound]

Until the goal we had one wayward shot and were largely second best against a League 2 team. Then we proceeded to have our best spell and were definitely on top until last few minutes we let our heads dropped and gifted them an easy winner from the wing. Overall little to be positive about.

Think you take the small things from that really. For me Ehibatiomhan and Camara looked good for cameos at least, Clarke possibly as well. Abrefa ok as back up. Another solid enough game for NGW

And that’ll do really

[Jackson Corner]

From twitter

Yes but we must fold the club immediately. Those academy boys should be put in stocks outside the Oracle tomorrow.

+1

They aren't good enough for the club

This lot are amongst the worst academy players to come through the system. Not even div2 standard. I have been saying for years scrap the academy like Brentford did and concentrate on scouting Europe and lower leagues. Look at them compared to us even Bournemouth have no academy players. The best young players all go to the top London clubs or Southampton we just get left with the dregs.

[Hound]

Yes but we must fold the club immediately. Those academy boys should be put in stocks outside the Oracle tomorrow.

+1

They aren't good enough for the club

This lot are amongst the worst academy players to come through the system. Not even div2 standard. I have been saying for years scrap the academy like Brentford did and concentrate on scouting Europe and lower leagues. Look at them compared to us even Bournemouth have no academy players. The best young players all go to the top London clubs or Southampton we just get left with the dregs.

They’re not the worst I’m sure - just the youngest. And this is partly due to our situation.

Abrefa, Camara, Clarke, Ehibatiomhan - they all look decent players to me. And the likes of John Clarke, Scott, Craig and Holzman look to have good potential. But none are even in their 20s yet

Our European scouting hasn’t been a roaring success recently either tbh

[RG30]

We’re a football club with serial losers. We don’t win enough games at 1st team level or academy level. We fawn over past glories when those days have been long gone for a few years now.

Tonight was a comfortable opportunity to build confidence and build some good momentum. Instead we just confirmed what most of us knew - majority of players backing up aren’t good enough and unless we get loads of bodies in by the end of the window we’ll be bottom 3 by the end of the season.

[AthleticoSpizz]

We won’t be bottom three at the end of the season

Chins-up

[Tails]

We'll end up top 10.

[URZZZZ]

Meh. It’s all about avoiding relegation.

Cup competition progression generates revenue. Smaller the revenue the lower the playing budget. Spiral downwards needs to be broken.

We have an injury crisis. Simply not enough fit senior players.
The weather is very hot. Saturday is winnable. I care far more about that game than tonight.
Besides it gives the management a chance to see which Academy boys can make the step up.

Sorta agree, some of the reactions are a bit over the top and better Championship XI’s have been knocked out tonight

In saying that, it would be nice to get past the first round for a change, that’s 5 in a row we’ve lost now and we never seem to have any interest in progressing anymore. I get it with the current situation we’re in but there always seems to be an excuse as to why we’re throwing away cup games

And whilst you can gauge attributes the young players have in a game like tonight which could be useful, it doesn’t necessarily reflect their ability to make the step up to the first team, given that they’ll be playing with a pretty much completely different XI

[TiagoIlori]

Southwood has conceded 7 tonight to Exeter at his clubs own gaff

Wonder if any were down to him.

Can’t be arsed to watch the highlights but 8 shots on target with 7 scored probably suggests Southwood had no chance with the defence in front of him. Still not great for his confidence to have that happen twice in one year though.

[Born Again Royalist]

Who was the chunky monkey on the Bench who kept chatting up the fourth official?

[Millsy]

I forgot we played tonight. Don't give a toss really, meaningless game. Losing saves future injuries. Good to see the likes of Loum, Clarke, Ehiabtmoniarhiamanianmianianan getting runouts.

[Esteban]

My take on the academy players:

Abrefa was OK (fairly quick, so could get himself out of trouble)
John Clarke was decent
Holzman, Leavy, Tuma and Craig are not ready yet
Ehibhatiomhan took his goal well, but could do with a loan spell
Jahmari Clarke was decent
Camara changed the game, played well

Also thought Loum was good, will be a decent addition. Bouzanis gave me no confidence whatsoever.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Nice to see Kelvin E get on the scoresheet, Camara did well when he came on as well. Abrefa and J Clarke did pretty well also I thought. Shows where a lot of the academy players are at though. Not really bothered about the game, just means less games to play during midweeks now.

[South Coast Royal]

Cup competition progression generates revenue. Smaller the revenue the lower the playing budget. Spiral downwards needs to be broken.

We have an injury crisis. Simply not enough fit senior players.
The weather is very hot. Saturday is winnable. I care far more about that game than tonight.
Besides it gives the management a chance to see which Academy boys can make the step up.

In this case, understandable. But winning and success breeds winning and success. And our recent cup record is atrocious. We won't learn much about the Academy players chucking them out en masse in games we seem to have no interest in winning, either.

It's not that long ago we made the QFs of the FA Cup semi regularly. In a difficult season ahead, something to cheer about is required.

On balance I am with Ian on this believing that younger players should be brought in for cameo appearances to play alongside seasoned pros rather than be thrown in altogether for a game and hope somehow that it works out..

Also am in agreement that progress in cup competitions, especially in a season that looks to be one spent fighting for survival, is a good distraction for both players and fans.

Injuries can, and often do, happen in training so it is impossible to protect our players from getting injured and even half of a game last night would surely have helped with general fitness (rather than training) for some of our regulars and by them playing a part the youngsters might well have learned more than in just a kick about with their mates.

As for Stevenage, this was not their first team that has won 2 league games at a level 2 rungs below us as they made 7 changes from Saturday and still ran out fairly easy winners.