The B Teams Boycott EFL Trophy

[Patrick Thistle]

OK. How much absolute OTF hate will I get if I go to one of these games?

[Satchmo Distel]

Like you were playing Sun City.

[imp]

Ah, finally tracked down the whatever-it's-called-now Trophy thread - about to simultaneously read 'Fire and Fury' on one screen and watch Rochdale v Lincoln on the other. Let's just get to bloody Wembley so we can stop going on about how we've never appeared at Wembley. That's my justification for not joining the boycott. Paging Spotland for Checkatrade thrills!

[imp]

It's almost half-time - 0-0 with scant highlights, on a 70s-stytle retro pitch, Checkatrade chums. I've spent much of the first half trying to work out what the fuck the Rochdale mascot is supposed to represent. It looks like a wolf-donkey hybrid and has blue wings.

[Artificial Hipster]

That'll be Desmond the Dragon. As to why we have a dragon as a mascot I'm afraid I haven't a clue.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

why does he have such feminine eyelashes?

[Third rate Leszno]

Is that his tail, or does he have some sort of vegetable protruding from his fluffy arse?

Edit: Maybe that's what dragon haemorrhoids look like.

[Artificial Hipster]

why does he have such feminine eyelashes?

Global warming. Dragons share much of their DNA with turtles.

[imp]

No, it's this thing. Anyway, he didn't bring them much luck - Lincoln won 1-0 on an 88th. minute 'ex-Grimsby-cum-old-golfer' goal (Arnold to Palmer). Wemberlee etc.

[nmfnp1977]

Pompey are at home to Chelsea B.

The game should have been played at Stamford Bridge. We agreed to switch to Fratton Park to help Chelsea with their fixture congestion.

I'm not sure what the bigger joke is: this competition or Portsmouth Football Club.

[Artificial Hipster]

No, it's this thing. Anyway, he didn't bring them much luck - Lincoln won 1-0 on an 88th. minute 'ex-Grimsby-cum-old-golfer' goal (Arnold to Palmer). Wemberlee etc.

I think that must be Desmond's son, Dale. Alas his mother seems to have been written out of history.

[Patrick Thistle]

Was thinking yesterday, the way to kill this b team idea would be for two U23 teams to get to the final and no one turn up to watch. Would any Chelsea fans bother going if their U23 team got there?

The idea of b-teams in the league generally never accounts for the lack of support for reserve team football. Putting on 23 matches a season with zero attendance and no TV interest is surely going to cost the big clubs a lot of money and weaken / cheapen their brand.

[ad hoc]

I think that must be Desmond's son, Dale. Alas his mother seems to have been written out of history.

They even use the reserve mascots in this tournament?

[imp]

It's because baby dragons eat their own parents. Fact.

[Giggler]

The songs from the away stand when Bury are at Dale suggest Rochdalians do other, illegal things with their parents too.

Bury's dog of a season continued last night with a 3-2 defeat at home to Fleetwood reserves. At least we scored, unlike in the previous nine hours.

[Kevin S]

*chuckle*


The EFL also don't seem to know whether to call the next round 'Round 4' or 'Quarter Finals'.

[Kevin S]

Other than Chelsea U21 (through), Leicester are the only other U21 still in the competition now. They were supposed to be away to Oldham this week but it was postponed due to a frozen pitch so they will play that round 3 match next week instead.

I must also admit to being a bit staggered that Portsmouth v Chelsea U21 drew a crowd of 3116.

[Kevin S]

Ah, but in 2014-15* I see that Portsmouth 1–2 Northampton Town, in an earlier round, had an attendance of 5853. So that Chelsea U21 figure is relatively low, despite looking high, if you know what I mean.


(* In 2015-16, the final year before the corruption, Pompey lost an away tie and that was their lot.)

[delicatemoth]

Isn't that mascot one of Mr. Burns' flying monkeys?

[Kevin S]

[Gangster Octopus]

[Patrick Thistle]

Shrewsbury won a penalty shoot out tonight to progress to whatever the next round is. Possibly semifinals.

[tee rex]

No, it's this thing. Anyway, he didn't bring them much luck - Lincoln won 1-0 on an 88th. minute 'ex-Grimsby-cum-old-golfer' goal (Arnold to Palmer). Wemberlee etc.

Lincoln might be going to Wembley for the first time, but getting to the final is nothing new . Sadly they then froze and lost, presumably overwhelmed by the twin towers of Sincil Bank.

[Gangster Octopus]

I have no memory of that competition. And we took part in the first version of it.

[imp]

Lincoln might be going to Wembley for the first time, but getting to the final is nothing new . Sadly they then froze and lost, presumably overwhelmed by the twin towers of Sincil Bank.

Was revising for my A levels at the time - opted not to bother. Not with the final, not with the previous rounds. In 2001 I did see our home leg loss to Port Vale in the Northern Section Final first leg (I think - I mean, I think that's what it was, not that I think I was there. I was definitely there. I also planned to go to the second leg the following week, but couldn't find a hotel in Stoke efficient enough to confirm an online booking. It was 0-0).