I was hoping for us to put out a proper reserve side in disrespect for this joke trophy but I came across this on a Sunderland report and it seems they have regulations in place to stop this happening: "Here’s what the rules say. HOW STRONG A SIDE MUST TEAMS FIELD? Checkatrade Trophy rule 7.3 states that ‘Each EFL Club shall play its Full Available Strength in and during all Matches.’ SO A FULL FIRST TEAM, THEN? Not quite. It goes on to say ‘Full Available Strength means the EFL Club must include at least four Qualifying Players in the ten outfield Players named in the starting eleven on the Team Sheet.’ WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY QUALIFYING PLAYER? According to rule 7.4, a Qualifying Player is one who meets one of the following conditions: * 7.4.1 had started the immediately preceding First Team Fixture (as defined below) * 7.4.2 subsequently starts the immediately following First Team Fixture; * 7.4.3 is in the list of ten Players at the Club with the highest number of starting appearances in First Team Fixtures in the same Season; * 7.4.4 has made forty or more starting appearances in First Team Fixtures or international equivalents (and not limited to the same Club or Season); or * 7.4.5 is on standard loan from a Premier League Club or any EFL Club operating a Category One Academy. * 7.5 First Team Fixture means the League Competition, Premier League, EFL Cup or FA Challenge Cup (but shall, in the context of Rules 7.4.3 and 7.4.4 only, also include this Competition). DOESN’T SOUND TOO DIFFICULT. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BREAK THE RULES? You get fined. The regulations say ‘any EFL Club failing to meet the requirement to play Full Available Strength will be required to pay a fine of up to £5,000’." From https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spo...erland-checkatrade-trophy-how-strong-15102270 Seems a bit contradictory given the invite to Premier teams to play their reserve/ youth team players!
I think a club before to get around the rule has purposely made a first minute sub to get a player they didn't want playing, straight back off the pitch. Can't remember the club. I'll try and find out.
Bradford subbed their keeper two years ago after three minutes, but don't think that's the record..... https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...ed-bradford-substitute-goalkeeper-colin-doyle Wouldn't be against us doing the same.
how can those rules be applied to the Prem reserve teams that have entered? Also youre allowed to field a weakened team provided a first teamer is replaced by a Prem player on loan. Joke of a competition, EFL are just lackeys of the Prem league.
I'd put as weak a side in as we can. Use loopholes if at all possible. Joke of a competition now they've allowed the kids in. Hope the whole thing crashes and burns.
Actually, let's do it properly. I'd be over the moon if we fielded a bunch of nine year olds for three games, went out after the group stages, and delivered £15,000 worth of coppers to the Football League's front door.
Amusingly works for all but the last 2 words. The whole thing is totally wrong. To take a lower league competition and hijack it to give games to young players hoovered up by the Premier clubs because they can’t get them otherwise is just 2 wrongs not making s right
What about our young developing players that we want to give a run out? Its a joke that we have to play a strong squad. This is all designed to provide more young English talent for future generations of the national team, well did the EFL and Premier league not watch the world cup? Maybe they should go back and look at the England squad and see which academies those players came through and then make a reasonable decision about the rules of the competition?
It's nuts but the club's voted in favour https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...heckatrade-fans-supporters-vote-a7731876.html
Hard to imagine this is the same competition we won in 2016. They’ve completely ruined it by letting the premier league clubs enter their u23s. All it’s done is devalue the whole thing and remove any motivation for smaller clubs to field strong teams and progress.
The greatest irony is that Swansea's U23s are in the competition even though they're an 'EFL' club because they couldn't attract enough of the Premier League U23 teams. So do these rules apply to them? As for it being fine if inexperienced players are on loan from a PL or Category One academy... what an insult. So only the big boys are allowed to develop their homegrown young talent?
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the lower league clubs were against this proposal until the Greed League stamped its foot and threatened to reduce the (already pitiful) funding it provides them. Hate the Greed League with a passion. It epitomises all thats wrong with the game.
Home grown players are finding less and less progression into our top flight . We’re developing young players from Belgium,France and many other places to the detriment of our own. We used to be brilliant at developing our home nation youngsters in our own leagues to be top top players for their countries , Scotland produced some wonderful flair players in Dalgleish , Strachan, Gilzene etc etc Liverpool used to wipe the floor with European teams with Three or even four Home nation captains in their team. Scotland have fallen to the wayside compared to how great they once were due to the tv greed , our home nation talent that was aided and abetted by two decent leagues in England and Scotland producing fantastic players envied by most of Europe has fallen to fitting in as many nations players as possible so they buy the rights to the PL is shocking and a betrayal imo. I may not be right in this rant but it’s how I feel
I wonder if they will fine Premier clubs when they field weakened sides in the League cup as they do every season?
Unless I have misunderstood the rules, it seems we CAN field a weakened team. Only 4 outfield regulars required.
Looking at the regs we could change almost all of the team actually. We need to pick 4 players that meet the regs listed. Of those, Walton (likely to start next game) McGeehan (made of 40 first team appearances), Woodrow (made of 40 first team appearances) and Jackson (made of 40 first team appearances) all meet that. The new lad Bahre would also fall into the over 40 appearances category. As would Isgrove and Hedges but I assume their still injured. The rest of the team can be made up of whoever we like so plenty of scope for changes without falling foul of the competition regs.
