EFL Trophy
Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but I see that we’ve been drawn at home to West Ham U21 in the next round. Couldn’t have been pitted against much tougher opponents! They won all 3 games in their group beating Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham and Newport County then thrashed Colchester (A) 4-0 in the k.o. round. They are second only to Spurs in the PL U21 division and top the European U21 league with an unbeaten record. The same group of players won the FA Youth Cup last season. At least Blooms will have the inside lowdown on them from Freddie Potts although his dad Steve might have something to say about that!
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Will Potts be able to play
Good question, no if it was a league game but not sure on the rules in this competition.
Consider it a scouting trip for next season if nothing else.
How bizarre is it that we will play four U21 teams from London in the space of a season? Arsenal, Palace, Fulham, West Ham.
Have we found our level?
It's what they are paying for, it's no coincidence.
My point is that normally you get one in your group and maybe draw one in the knockouts. To play four from London in one season is a statistical quirk.
No u21s left in the northern half.
Shame it’s not away. Would love to see a game at the London Stadium. Not sure if the competition works that way though
No, I don’t think the Prem U21 sides can ever get a home draw, I presume that’s because those teams can’t be arsed with the expense/faff of having to open their own stadiums for the sake of such modest gates.
Is it still a crap ground for footy or did we chip in so they could make some changes? The lodgers won something so don't seem to be protesting anymore.
Makes sense. It's barely worth opening Adams Park for 300 or so. Imagine maybe 1,000 in the Wham stadium.
They got more than that Last Christmas
It’s probably me but I haven’t a clue what that means.
West Ham's ground was paid for by taxpayers as it was the Olympic stadium before
I knew it was the Olympic stadium but assumed that West Ham had bought it and I thought that @StrongestTeam was suggesting, oddly, that we (the football club rather than taxpayers) had pitched in financially.
Thanks for the clarification.
Have a read up on it if you are bored @micra , quite the scandal.
In an attempt to get a stadium of some sort ready for the promised Olympics (after spending years looking at if Wembley could be used or a separate smaller athletic stadium at pickets lock) Bojo did a pretty awful deal that meant we spent hundreds of millions on a stadium that really wasn't good for anything else beyond.
In a clumsy attempt to pretend that there was a legacy Bojo did an even worse deal with West Ham that gave them the stadium for a tiny outlay and a rent that didn't cover basic upkeep and then made the tax payers pay to retro fit the stadium ready for football usage. It also left the development company (the tax payer) liable for all sorts of charges and regular costs including needing to spend a fortune if they ever want to actually use it for athletics as they couldn't agree on any form of temporary track mechanism.
He got London Stadium done @ReturnToSenda and it was a great success (especially for West Ham and Dame Karren Brady) that our taxpayers should be proud to support.
Someone got done 👍🏻
Oven ready stadium etc.
With Bozzer someone usually does...
Scarborough used to have one.
Had a quick look at some of the Matches in last year’s competition Everton under 21s played Mansfield at Goodison Park