Admin
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Posts: 909
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Post by Admin on Apr 18, 2024 22:39:35 GMT
Direct link to the video:
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 19, 2024 10:17:28 GMT
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Post by antz27 on Apr 19, 2024 11:48:59 GMT
In my opinion we should do what we did in the Hampshire cup this season and just field a team of fans if lots of clubs adopt the same attitude or just boycott it it will send a strong message.
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 19, 2024 13:43:29 GMT
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Post by borobob on Apr 19, 2024 13:55:02 GMT
That statement from the F.A. says there were four rerepresentatives from the EFL and four from the Premier League.
I wonder how those representatives were chosen, from around 90 Clubs between PL and EFL?
Now surely, if there was a decision to be made those four from each should have referred it back to their respective organisations for discussion and aproval, or not, before it was agreed at F.A. level? Then Clubs could have had their say for or against. To just vote it through, like it appears to have done, is undemocratic, to say the least.
Doing an HCC, might have an effect, as long as everyone does it!!
To boycott it though, attracts fines, and possible bans for players and Club with all the ramifications entailed afterwards!
Much more to come I fancy!!
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 19, 2024 15:00:54 GMT
This really is odd. A representative who sat on the board meeting with the FA as part of the Professional Game Board has said that the EFL were not aware of the agreement, and he was disappointed.
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 22, 2024 15:35:30 GMT
Now the National League is supporting the scrapping. Phenomenal.
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Apr 22, 2024 17:15:07 GMT
Now the National League is supporting the scrapping. Phenomenal. Not really. Binning FA Cup replays would mean the National League can schedule more midweek fixtures in the autumn. In the season just ended 3 rounds of midweek fixtures in Jan, Feb and March (not including Easter) were needed to accommodate a 46 game season. If 2 or 3 of these midweek rounds can be brought forward the chances of a major fixture pile-up in April is much reduced as frost and snow in autumn is virtually unheard of these days. Also better weather normally means better attendances. The reasoning is sound from the League's perspective and member clubs could also benefit if the FA sweetens the pill by significantly increasing the money on offer in the qualifying rounds. All this is a long way from the "romance of the Cup" of course, but are hearts ruling heads?
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Admin
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Posts: 909
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Post by Admin on Apr 22, 2024 17:34:20 GMT
To add another point.
Many years ago, when we competed in what is now called the National division, the league front-loaded the season by scheduling 25 games before New Year in what was then a 42 game league i.e. 17 games were to be played from New Year onwards.
This season, most National South clubs played 24 or 25 games before New Year, leaving another 21 or 22 games to be fitted in before the penultimate Saturday in April i.e. at least a week earlier than in the olden days.
So, clubs were being asked to fit in 7 or 8 more League games in a shorter period at a time when the weather is at its poorest. This was unlikely to work well and, guess what? It didn't.
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 22, 2024 19:32:16 GMT
Now the National League is supporting the scrapping. Phenomenal. Not really. Binning FA Cup replays would mean the National League can schedule more midweek fixtures in the autumn. In the season just ended 3 rounds of midweek fixtures in Jan, Feb and March (not including Easter) were needed to accommodate a 46 game season. If 2 or 3 of these midweek rounds can be brought forward the chances of a major fixture pile-up in April is much reduced as frost and snow in autumn is virtually unheard of these days. Also better weather normally means better attendances. The reasoning is sound from the League's perspective and member clubs could also benefit if the FA sweetens the pill by significantly increasing the money on offer in the qualifying rounds. All this is a long way from the "romance of the Cup" of course, but are hearts ruling heads? Surely we frontload the start of the season to mitigate this and still accommodate cup replays?
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Admin
Administrator
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Post by Admin on Apr 22, 2024 22:59:24 GMT
Surely?
To use last season's dates, National South clubs entered the FA Cup on 16 September. Without replays, that leaves an empty slot on 19/20 September. The National South also clears the way on the Saturday of the next round with no fixtures set for the following midweek, which puts 3/4 October into the frame too. If FA Cup replays don't exist, both dates can be used to schedule League games, meaning only one round of scheduled midweek games in the dangerous (because weather does what it does) period from 1 January to 31 March.
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Post by antz27 on Apr 23, 2024 7:52:09 GMT
Could they not also reduce the qualifying from 6 to 3 rounds and just make clubs enter earlier this would 1) free up some dates to schedule league fixtures and 2) give a lower league club the possibility of a tie in the qualifying rounds against a NL / NLS / NLN team.
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Admin
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Posts: 909
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Post by Admin on Apr 23, 2024 8:54:52 GMT
Could they not also reduce the qualifying from 6 to 3 rounds and just make clubs enter earlier this would 1) free up some dates to schedule league fixtures and 2) give a lower league club the possibility of a tie in the qualifying rounds against a NL / NLS / NLN team. Effectively that's what happens now. National South clubs enter the competition at the 2nd Qualifying Round stage and need to win 3 ties to qualify for the competition proper i.e. the First Round.
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Post by antz27 on Apr 23, 2024 10:19:53 GMT
Could they not also reduce the qualifying from 6 to 3 rounds and just make clubs enter earlier this would 1) free up some dates to schedule league fixtures and 2) give a lower league club the possibility of a tie in the qualifying rounds against a NL / NLS / NLN team. Effectively that's what happens now. National South clubs enter the competition at the 2nd Qualifying Round stage and need to win 3 ties to qualify for the competition proper i.e. the First Round. Why not change it so we still enter a Q3 but the NL enter at the same time and make the first 2 Rounds everybody else or make Q1 everybody lower than NLS / NLN and NL then have us and NL join for Q2 and Q3 then straight into the 1st round proper.
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 23, 2024 11:38:07 GMT
It's difficult mathematically because the number of teams in each round have to be even, and the clubs have to enter at a certain stage to keep the teams even.
For example, in the first round you have 80 teams (48 EFL and 32 Non-League) If the top two leagues were added to it you'd have 124 teams and mathematically impossible to have a knockout competition without creating a load of byes.
The solution is to keep the format the same and not mess with it at all, but the Premier League don't want that because too many games are hurting their protected bodies/they're playing too many games that don't bring than sufficient financial rewards, so we should therefore be ignored. Let's pander to them, bravo National League!
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