JPT Reform - Good For The Game? (1 Viewer)

Dreadful. Turned a poor competition into a joke competition.

Not good for the lower clubs really, it was a chance for lower teams to get a shot at going to wembley but now I guess it will be the top under 21 sides maybe...we will see

What a joke, already moan about the number of games played in a season so I tell you what we have a great idea lets just add more. Lets get knocked out at the first chance

I've personally never particularly cared for the JPT but i'll be objective and way up both sides (Now called the EFL). There are both pros and cons for the new reform. Business wise theres a claim that it is far more beneficial in the long run. If Coventry for example drew a Premier League sides U21's, a bigger crowd would be attracted in comparison to previous seasons where home JPT games have been bringing in barely any fans. This is a significant reason why the tournament has been changed, due to the fact that the competition itself is completely stagnant and there are many clubs who would rather not take part because of the amount of games football league teams are entitled to play during a season. Teams more often than not will put out weakened sides throughout the tournament and I believe that these new reforms are an attempt to obviously increase the competitiveness along with making sure its taken more seriously. If a team wins the EFL the prize money is just shy of £2 million which obviously is huge for a lower league side therefore the incentive in attempting to win it is greater. However there are also cons. To put it simply the competition as a whole is much harder now U21 sides from the Premiership and Championship are now included therefore the chance to go to Wembley as well as winning the prize money have both been reduced respectively. Just because gates are small in the early rounds does not necessarily mean they don't increase as the competition goes on therefore there is a flaw in the argument that suggests tournament games brings in a small fan base. E.g. Coventry vs. Crewe Alexander in 2013 Semi-Final which bought in around 30,000 fans. There is no evidence to suggest that attendances will increase either. Huge clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have all opted out of taking part in the trial competition period this year therefore the lure of playing a prestigious clubs' U21 side has already been thrown out the window. In our current group we have West Ham who boast to having one of the best academies in the country however this does not make me think fans will be flooding in to the Ricoh or desperately trying to get themselves down to the Olympic Park, however time will tell. My view is that it could be better for the competition because before it was stagnant and in all honestly even though lower league teams have a chance getting to Wembley I considered it a waste of time as a whole. Our season is long enough and we don't need another competition to take part in. However these reforms do make my interest in the tournament greater due to the possibility of playing against Premier League Under 21 sides that could contain some of the stars of the future. Also the prize money is nothing to complain about if your team is lucky enough to win the tournament.

Terrible decision. They've made it all about the big boys and ruined the essence of the cup.

skybluetony176 said:

Terrible decision. They've made it all about the big boys and ruined the essence of the cup.

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Not sure what the 'essence' of the cup is. It's a competition for shit teams. It's a bit like having a competition for finding the tallest person under 6ft. Couldn't care either way personally.

theferret said:

Not sure what the 'essence' of the cup is. It's a competition for shit teams. It's a bit like having a competition for finding the tallest person under 6ft. Couldn't care either way personally.

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Missing the point of football their I think. I'm old enough to remember VS Rugby winning the FA Vase and what winning something at Wembley meant to the town. If it's a competition for shit teams that is just a measurement of how far we've fallen. Either way personally I'd be proud to see the team I support reach a Wembley final and even prouder to see them lift a cup that did represent the best of the shit level we're at. Maybe I'm just an old romantic.

theferret said:

Not sure what the 'essence' of the cup is. It's a competition for shit teams. It's a bit like having a competition for finding the tallest person under 6ft. Couldn't care either way personally.

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I agree. The competition has been tried under various guises for years and has never been any sort of success really. We had the Full Members Cup, then the Simod Cup. Who could forget the night we played Millwall in a dead game in front of 1000 fans? (Ok, everyone could.) Will they never learn?

Adding the academy teams is just another desperate attempt to create interest where there is none. We could also see games this season where neither team can qualify from the group. They are flogging a dead horse. Yes, it could mean a trip to Wembley and a day out. But that doesn't alter the fact that the vast majority of fans are left cold by this competition until that Wembley trip is a game or two away.

I agree with Sid.
These changes are certainly not about fan satisfaction- it seems to me that the likelihood of a Wembley appearance is reduced.
It's all about giving Premier League academy kids a bit more competition and the EPL chairmen seem to think that more games, at least one against third or fourth choice players from a "big" club will bring in more revenue. I see from report in todays Daily Telegraph that one of them is already having second thoughts about that.

What I find Incredible is that the majority L1 and L2 chairmen voted to accept these proposals. :-o

wingy said:

What I find Incredible is that the majority L1 and L2 chairmen voted to accept these proposals. :-o

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doesn't mean a lot. JPT reforms, premier league 2 etc. nothing can balance the damage Sky money does to English football. As usual Premier league clubs signings this summer will be mainly overseas players on ridiculous money. All about extra money from the PL - same as the changes to the academy system a couple of years ago.
As far as it being used to develop young players just don't see it making much of a difference. Sky TV money has made it so that clubs are afraid to give youngsters a chance and continue to bring in expensive overseas players. How many young English players will be signed by PL clubs this season? Maybe a couple against another shed load of foreign imports. The % of English qualified players being regularly starters in PL will continue to fall.

wingy said:

What I find Incredible is that the majority L1 and L2 chairmen voted to accept these proposals. :-o

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Its interesting that since the draw and withdrawal of 6 big PL clubs that have been replaced by championship clubs, that stories are starting to emerge from 1&2 league two chairman that they would never have of voted for this had they known championship u21s side were going to be involved.

Personally I think all league one /two club fans should boycott the games against the u21's. I never miss a home game but I think I'm going to give the west ham game a miss on principle.

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stupot07 said:

Its interesting that since the draw and withdrawal of 6 big PL clubs that have been replaced by championship clubs, that stories are starting to emerge from 1&2 league two chairman that they would never have of voted for this had they known championship u21s side were going to be involved.

Personally I think all league one /two club fans should boycott the games against the u21's. I never miss a home game but I think I'm going to give the west ham game a miss on principle.

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Yep will hold no fascination for me.
Maybe put the U21's out V them or U18's
Show them a bit of disrespect.