Last year I gave a talk at the Ivy about the failures of capitalism. Modern football is a perfect microcosm of Reaganomics and Thatcherism. They called it "trickle down economics" and promised that by making rich people richer, growth and wealth would trickle down to the poor and disaffected. We now know that both Reagan and Thatcher knew full well that nothing would trickle down, that it would increase the distance between rich and poor, and halt social mobility - that was actually their goal.
The EFL Trophy is the Premier League trying to pull the same trick again, tossing us some scraps from the table and telling us that this is their wealth trickling down. It isn't, it's merely an illusionist's misdirection so that we watch the hand with the scraps in and don't notice that the other is stabbing us in the back.
Again, I don’t disagree with you and I sympathise with your views, but I think football as we knew it changed for ever when the Premier League was formed and to some extent when the Bosman rule was introduced.
The power is now in the hands of the big clubs and the top players and I really don’t know what we can do to reverse that trend.
I think boycotting the Checkatrade Trophy (the original theme of this thread) would only hurt Wycombe in the short term and make no difference to the bigger picture in the long term.
Crowds would be no bigger if the premier league u-23 sides were not involved. No-one has ever cared about this competition until it gets to the latter stages.
I'm not sure there are a significant number of fans boycotting MK Dons matches either.
Leave it up to personal choice in the knowledge that it's not really harming Wycombe either way I should.
@glasshalffull. The problem is that if we do nothing, as you seem to suggest, and just accept that "It is what it is" we are in effect saying that we are okay with it being what it is.
What do we do, if we do if we are not okay with it being so?
I except that most people posting on here are not going to join some mass protest march on the FA/EFL/Premier League to demand they restructure the financial imbalance within football.
However, what we can do is boycott these fixtures. It's a small protest and maybe makes no difference because too many people think they can't make a difference by not attending.
However, if NOBODY attended the games just maybe those controlling the game might ask the question "Why did that happen?".
Whatever, I'm not going to attend whilst they allow the PL U-23s to compete. As stated before, I'll gladly recompense the club for my non-attendance, and over the years I have.
Not bothering to protest over what you know to be wrong, just because "It'll not make a difference", is wrong. Just plain wrong.
History tells us so.
You may attend the matches if you wish, but in doing so you are telling those who control the game that you don't care what they do because you'll go watch the matches anyway.
Post-Brexit = no Bosman. No top quality European-born footballers with an automatic right to work coming here. Quality of football declines. Interest in football at top level declines. Vicious spiral. Rich foreign owners bail out. TV goes elsewhere. Less money thrown at it. No-one cares anymore.
Apart from those who grow up following their local club through its ups and downs and understand that ultimately it’s just a game.
(The fact that all we will be able to afford to eat are home grown crisps from Leicestershire is neither here nor there)
I except that most people posting on here are not going to join some mass protest march on the FA/EFL/Premier League to demand they restructure the financial imbalance within football.
Very interesting post by Twizz and I respect his views.
I agree that it’s a dilemma: do nothing about a situation that you’re unhappy with and clearly nothing will change; boycott these games and it might make the authorities sit up and listen.
Personally, I have no problem per se with PL clubs entering U23 teams into this competition, but I do understand the theory that it could be the thin end of the wedge. I assume that Twizz, like others, thinks this could one day lead to PL clubs fielding youth/reserve teams in the EFL.
However, it’s a very big leap to suggest that this could happen if it was to the detriment of existing clubs in the lower divisions. It’s highly unlikely that such a major change of direction would ever get a majority vote.....turkeys/Christmas etc.
Malone, on your first point I would agree that it’s a potential danger. On your second point, there’s a widely held belief at PL clubs that whilst Academy players have improved their levels of skill and technique, they lack competitiveness and will benefit from coming up against senior pros. It’s an extension of the loan system that has worked so well for us.
You are probably right about turkeys, but your thoughts on politics and the motives of the PL are opinions, not facts, and therefore not necessarily shared by everyone.
@Malone said:
Ahem, well if @micra isn't doing his usual tidy up, someone has to!
I stopped commenting on grammar and spelting a long time ago @Malone, partly because it is rude (especially when it’s someone as nice as @Twizz) and also because I’m very conscious, not least from observing the grandchildren, that most people’s fingers fly around at a scary rate and they often don’t even look at the “keyboard”, let alone check for predictive text gaffes. You made a very shrewd observation a year or two ago when you said that you had this mental image of me tapping away for ages just to produce a fairly short comment.
@micra , spellz are one ting (street for thing), but except/accept, and your/you're are such shimmering apewaddery that they need immediate annihilation.
Someone, who shall remain nameless, on another thread, suggested that Pierre and Stewart "complimented each other." Now, maybe they did spend games telling each other how good looking and skillful each other was, but I think they meant complement.
@MindlessDrugHoover said:
Someone, who shall remain nameless, on another thread, suggested that Pierre and Stewart "complimented each other." Now, maybe they did spend games telling each other how good looking and skillful each other was, but I think they meant complement.
@MindlessDrugHoover said:
Someone, who shall remain nameless, on another thread, suggested that Pierre and Stewart "complimented each other." Now, maybe they did spend games telling each other how good looking and skillful each other was, but I think they meant complement.
@Twizz said: @Malone. I actually meant to write expect, but accept works too. Certainly not except. Thanks for the correction. @Micra, you're much too kind sir.
Accusation of shimmering apewaddery retracted sir.
Oh great, not only do we have to play some Prem under-23 side, we're in the same group as MK Dons. This competition gets more attractive by the minute.
Comments
Last year I gave a talk at the Ivy about the failures of capitalism. Modern football is a perfect microcosm of Reaganomics and Thatcherism. They called it "trickle down economics" and promised that by making rich people richer, growth and wealth would trickle down to the poor and disaffected. We now know that both Reagan and Thatcher knew full well that nothing would trickle down, that it would increase the distance between rich and poor, and halt social mobility - that was actually their goal.
The EFL Trophy is the Premier League trying to pull the same trick again, tossing us some scraps from the table and telling us that this is their wealth trickling down. It isn't, it's merely an illusionist's misdirection so that we watch the hand with the scraps in and don't notice that the other is stabbing us in the back.
Again, I don’t disagree with you and I sympathise with your views, but I think football as we knew it changed for ever when the Premier League was formed and to some extent when the Bosman rule was introduced.
The power is now in the hands of the big clubs and the top players and I really don’t know what we can do to reverse that trend.
I think boycotting the Checkatrade Trophy (the original theme of this thread) would only hurt Wycombe in the short term and make no difference to the bigger picture in the long term.
Crowds would be no bigger if the premier league u-23 sides were not involved. No-one has ever cared about this competition until it gets to the latter stages.
I'm not sure there are a significant number of fans boycotting MK Dons matches either.
Leave it up to personal choice in the knowledge that it's not really harming Wycombe either way I should.
@glasshalffull. The problem is that if we do nothing, as you seem to suggest, and just accept that "It is what it is" we are in effect saying that we are okay with it being what it is.
What do we do, if we do if we are not okay with it being so?
I except that most people posting on here are not going to join some mass protest march on the FA/EFL/Premier League to demand they restructure the financial imbalance within football.
However, what we can do is boycott these fixtures. It's a small protest and maybe makes no difference because too many people think they can't make a difference by not attending.
However, if NOBODY attended the games just maybe those controlling the game might ask the question "Why did that happen?".
Whatever, I'm not going to attend whilst they allow the PL U-23s to compete. As stated before, I'll gladly recompense the club for my non-attendance, and over the years I have.
Not bothering to protest over what you know to be wrong, just because "It'll not make a difference", is wrong. Just plain wrong.
History tells us so.
You may attend the matches if you wish, but in doing so you are telling those who control the game that you don't care what they do because you'll go watch the matches anyway.
It’s all going to be fine.
Post-Brexit = no Bosman. No top quality European-born footballers with an automatic right to work coming here. Quality of football declines. Interest in football at top level declines. Vicious spiral. Rich foreign owners bail out. TV goes elsewhere. Less money thrown at it. No-one cares anymore.
Apart from those who grow up following their local club through its ups and downs and understand that ultimately it’s just a game.
(The fact that all we will be able to afford to eat are home grown crisps from Leicestershire is neither here nor there)
I’m beginning to think life’s too short (or I’m just too shallow). Interesting debate though.
ACCEPT!
Ahem, well if @micra isn't doing his usual tidy up, someone has to!
Very interesting post by Twizz and I respect his views.
I agree that it’s a dilemma: do nothing about a situation that you’re unhappy with and clearly nothing will change; boycott these games and it might make the authorities sit up and listen.
Personally, I have no problem per se with PL clubs entering U23 teams into this competition, but I do understand the theory that it could be the thin end of the wedge. I assume that Twizz, like others, thinks this could one day lead to PL clubs fielding youth/reserve teams in the EFL.
However, it’s a very big leap to suggest that this could happen if it was to the detriment of existing clubs in the lower divisions. It’s highly unlikely that such a major change of direction would ever get a majority vote.....turkeys/Christmas etc.
It does seem a stretch, but what if the premier league offered to throw xxx amount of wad in? And increase the divisions to 5?
It'd be dreadful of course, but where money is involved, people's views bend.
At the moment, I do wonder what 3-4 games against lower league teams actually does for some of these youngsters.
Malone, on your first point I would agree that it’s a potential danger. On your second point, there’s a widely held belief at PL clubs that whilst Academy players have improved their levels of skill and technique, they lack competitiveness and will benefit from coming up against senior pros. It’s an extension of the loan system that has worked so well for us.
EPPP, Brexit and so on. You forget, turkey's are absolute idiots.
You are probably right about turkeys, but your thoughts on politics and the motives of the PL are opinions, not facts, and therefore not necessarily shared by everyone.
I stopped commenting on grammar and spelting a long time ago @Malone, partly because it is rude (especially when it’s someone as nice as @Twizz) and also because I’m very conscious, not least from observing the grandchildren, that most people’s fingers fly around at a scary rate and they often don’t even look at the “keyboard”, let alone check for predictive text gaffes. You made a very shrewd observation a year or two ago when you said that you had this mental image of me tapping away for ages just to produce a fairly short comment.
No prizes for spotting my own slip.
@micra , spellz are one ting (street for thing), but except/accept, and your/you're are such shimmering apewaddery that they need immediate annihilation.
I agree (as usual) @Malone.
@Malone. I actually meant to write expect, but accept works too. Certainly not except. Thanks for the correction.
@Micra, you're much too kind sir.
Thankfully, my grammar are always perfect.
Someone, who shall remain nameless, on another thread, suggested that Pierre and Stewart "complimented each other." Now, maybe they did spend games telling each other how good looking and skillful each other was, but I think they meant complement.
Sorry, I've been dwelling on this.
Apologies.
Magnificent!
Accusation of shimmering apewaddery retracted sir.
Oh great, not only do we have to play some Prem under-23 side, we're in the same group as MK Dons. This competition gets more attractive by the minute.
Look on the bright side - we'll get a chance to have a good look at those lovely Stevenage kits...
Nice one @Cyclops.
We now have a game against Fulham to look forward to.
Group is : Blues , Stevenage. MK Dons , Fulham.
COYB
Didn't bother with any games in this last season and doubt I will this season either.
Why not !!