Champions League can wait

Sheffield United 0 v Leicester City 0

Leicester City gain an extra point with a 5-4 win on penalties.

Tuesday 30 August 2016

EFL Trophy Northern Group H

Twitter @ball_sup

Simple. I am fundamentally in favour of a knock out cup for the lower league clubs. Like v like. With a nice showpiece final at Wembley. We have those at many levels. FA Vase, FA Trophy, League Cup, etc. From your local park to the Bernabeu. That's roughly how football is organised.

Simple. We are Sheffield United. Six years & counting in Division 3. For now, the EFL Trophy is where we belong. The Champions League can wait.

Simple. The old Paint Pot Cup was getting a bit tired. We played Hartlepool every year. It needed a kick up the arris. I'd have maybe liked some Conference, Scottish, Welsh or Irish clubs in there.

Simple, Premiership (& Championship) B teams, Youth teams. No thanks. I'm opposed to that.

Simple, a frigging group stage. No thanks. We have a League already. It's supposed to be a knock out cup. I'm opposed to that.

Clubs in Division 3 & 4 are (in the main) proud, historic clubs. Leicester City are Premier League champions. Fine. If we draw them in the FA or League Cup, let them take their chances. We're an A team. A shit A team maybe. But, we'll play other A teams thank you very much.

Really. No really. What if it's Swansea's B team v Derby’s B team in the Final? Or the quarters, semi, etc. Is that really what we're after?

Finally, I'm sceptical whether tonight's game has/will help the development of Leicester's younger lads. Which is supposed to be part of the plan.  For I'm sceptical, read it won't.

But, I might as well say. Moneywise, there's stuff in it. I read (Telegraph) that 29 of the 46 teams last year failed to make £10 Grand out of it. This year, you'll get that £10 Grand just for winning a single group game. Last year's half a million prize pot is now £1.95 million.

Maybe you'll think “peanuts, we don't need the money”.

Anyway. We're up n running. Very disappointed not to win that. United had a lot of chances. In the main, very positive. Balls into the box. Players nearly on the end.

The defence were given more game time to gel & organise. Done & Sharp had another run out together. Coutts was great again. Harry Chapman did well. Late & great cameo from David Brooks that'll get people thinking, ooohhh hello. Louis Reed was fully involved & did himself some favours. Can't dodge it, I enjoyed all that.

I see that only 3 B teams won in the 90. One got the extra shoot out point (Leicester). One missed out on the extra shoot out point. A whopping Nine B Teams got beat off their poorer cousins from the wrong side of the tracks.

Greene King, Ale Fresco on cask at 4.3%.

362/770
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