It's a joke tournament, and I very much doubt that any chairman has ever said to his manager at the start of the season "let's try and win that this year". I remember Brian Laws at Sheffield Wednesday, obliged to start a certain number of bonafide first teamers, so he subbed them all off after 10 minutes.
Clubs of equivalent stature to us tend to get to the final because their mixture of out of favour first teamers and youth players is stronger than the weakened sides that smaller clubs field. If you manage to fluke your way through to being only a couple of games away from the final then there's an argument for fielding a stronger side at that point, but I'd be fuming if we lost a senior player to injury by trying to win an absolutely meaningless trophy.
Rather have a go at the FA Cup, and try and earn ourselves a day out at one of the stadiums that we used to take for granted visiting.
I know I'm in a vast minority, but for once I would like to see us going for this. Barring a relegation battle, our season is now just a case of damage limitation, ready to give promotion another shot next season, so why not at least try and win a pot and have a day out at Wembley?
I don't get the arrogance amongst some of our support that think this trophy is below us. The fact is we are a League one club and going by our league position, not a very good one at that. It's certainly not going to distract us from a promotion push (unless we have the mother of all revivals), so why not try and win something for once?
Barring a relegation battle our season is damage limitation
Seriously?
I dont understand comments like this from people who have followed football for such a long time, if it wae people who were new to the game maybe.
There are still 32 games left and we are 12 points behind 6th, do you honestly think it's impossible to get an extra 4 wins over everyone else in the next 32 games.
I know I'm in a vast minority, but for once I would like to see us going for this. Barring a relegation battle, our season is now just a case of damage limitation, ready to give promotion another shot next season, so why not at least try and win a pot and have a day out at Wembley?
I don't get the arrogance amongst some of our support that think this trophy is below us. The fact is we are a League one club and going by our league position, not a very good one at that. It's certainly not going to distract us from a promotion push (unless we have the mother of all revivals), so why not try and win something for once?
Barring a relegation battle our season is damage limitation
Seriously?
I dont understand comments like this from people who have followed football for such a long time, if it wae people who were new to the game maybe.
There are still 32 games left and we are 12 points behind 6th, do you honestly think it's impossible to get an extra 4 wins over everyone else in the next 32 games.
Hope the players dont see this defeatist attitude
But third from bottom.
18 points off the top spot. We play them twice so that’s 6 points, plus a game in hand so that’s only 9 points to make up. No problem
Why do people sat this is a meaningless trophy, though?
The football league trophy has been going for a fair few decades now and is a chance for teams in the "3rd and 4th divisions" to battle it out amongst themselves to win silverware. I support the concept and hope we go for the win this year.
I see nothing embarrassing about being on the competition, certainly no more than for being in League 1 in the first place.
Didn’t want to start a whole new discussion and this was the best “general” pizza trophy topic I could find via search.
The north and south sections are being split into two draws each, creating four draws across the round of 32. I assume this is to prevent group winners being drawn against the runner-up from their own group (ie Orient v Charlton).
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
I hope not. Would go if we got Sutton or Forest Green.
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
Last year U21 sides were kept apart in the draw, not sure if it still applies this year though.
Villa's kids are very good though, they won all 3 group games against Wycombe, Burton and MK Dons.
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
Last year U21 sides were kept apart in the draw, not sure if it still applies this year though.
Villa's kids are very good though, they won all 3 group games against Wycombe, Burton and MK Dons.
They won the last FA Youth Cup so imagine a good number have made the step up
Likes of Aaron Ramsey (no not that one) and Caleb Chukwuemeka are very highly rated
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
Last year U21 sides were kept apart in the draw, not sure if it still applies this year though.
Villa's kids are very good though, they won all 3 group games against Wycombe, Burton and MK Dons.
They won the last FA Youth Cup so imagine a good number have made the step up
Likes of Aaron Ramsey (no not that one) and Caleb Chukwuemeka are very highly rated
Is that why Stevie G took the Villa job, the chance of Pizza Cup glory?
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
Last year U21 sides were kept apart in the draw, not sure if it still applies this year though.
Villa's kids are very good though, they won all 3 group games against Wycombe, Burton and MK Dons.
They won the last FA Youth Cup so imagine a good number have made the step up
Likes of Aaron Ramsey (no not that one) and Caleb Chukwuemeka are very highly rated
Is that why Stevie G took the Villa job, the chance of Pizza Cup glory?
More prestigious than the Scottish Premiership
Unfortunately we wouldnt come up against Stevie G if we faced Villa
I’m not sure if there are any rules preventing U21 sides from playing each other. If there is, that guarantees Aston Villa a tie against ourselves or Stevenage.
If there is, it would be a bit weird that they put all 3 U21 sides in the same section of the draw.
Did they just make this up? Like... it always amazes me that things can be made up as a competition advances, rather than all laid out in advance
Comments
Clubs of equivalent stature to us tend to get to the final because their mixture of out of favour first teamers and youth players is stronger than the weakened sides that smaller clubs field. If you manage to fluke your way through to being only a couple of games away from the final then there's an argument for fielding a stronger side at that point, but I'd be fuming if we lost a senior player to injury by trying to win an absolutely meaningless trophy.
Rather have a go at the FA Cup, and try and earn ourselves a day out at one of the stadiums that we used to take for granted visiting.
The football league trophy has been going for a fair few decades now and is a chance for teams in the "3rd and 4th divisions" to battle it out amongst themselves to win silverware. I support the concept and hope we go for the win this year.
I see nothing embarrassing about being on the competition, certainly no more than for being in League 1 in the first place.
https://www.efl.com/news/2021/november/papa-johns-trophy--round-of-32-draw/
That leaves us with only four possible opponents in the next round:
Ipswich (A)
Sutton Utd (A)
Aston Villa U21 (A)
Forest Green (A)
Villa's kids are very good though, they won all 3 group games against Wycombe, Burton and MK Dons.
Likes of Aaron Ramsey (no not that one) and Caleb Chukwuemeka are very highly rated
More prestigious than the Scottish Premiership
Did they just make this up? Like... it always amazes me that things can be made up as a competition advances, rather than all laid out in advance
Tranmere v Harrogate
Bolton v Fleetwood
Carlisle v Lincoln
Crewe v Doncaster
Sunderland v Oldham
Rotherham v Port Vale
Accrington v Wigan
Sutton v Stevenage
Aston Villa v Charlton Athletic
Ipswich v Arsenal
Forest Green v Chelsea
Leyton Orient v Milton Keynes
Swindon v Colchester
Cambridge v Walsall
I thought that may happen as Villa are an under 21 team