Read on Twitter
For me, the 1st July is always the start of the new Football Season. Old contracts expire on the 30th June and many Clubs often announce a raft of signings the next day. Pre-season is under way and the first friendlies almost here. But this year, it’s different. Here’s why...
Well, unless you’ve been on the Moon since March, Covid-19 has played havoc with the world, and especially football. Last Season is still this Season, and will be for a few weeks yet. So that means 2020/21 will start late. Which is where the fun begins when it comes to fixtures!
A late start, 12th Sept seems to be the agreed ‘unofficial’ working date at present, combined with the Season needing to finish at the same time as normal due to the delayed @EURO2020 Tournament equals one very cramped schedule for the authorities to fit into the calendar.
At @premierleague level, the top Players have International games, both at Club and Country levels, almost every midweek from Sept to mid-Dec. The knock on effect from this will see the two Cups more than likely be midweek only so that League games can be played on weekends.
The Big Clubs have wanted the @EmiratesFACup to go midweek for a while unofficially, the steady erosion of replays in later rounds will likely be extended ‘temporarily’ for this Season with Covid-19 a handy excuse almost, but once it’s happened will it go back? Doubtful IMO.
What we may see, is the 3rd Round stay in it’s Traditional early Jan weekend slot as a compromise to the smaller Clubs who can really push such fixtures if they make it to this round, with the rest of the rounds played midweek - all games being one-off and replays disappearing.
If this did happen then it would be zero surprise if this stayed in place in future. If an idea is tried once, the power and finance of the big Clubs will see that it stays if they like it. As they prefer to play League matches on a weekend as it makes them money, it’ll happen.
Now to the @Carabao_Cup. It really is crunch time for this Comp. Next Season will see England be the only ‘Top 5’ League which has a League Cup as France do away with theirs. It’s nothing more than an inconvenience to the big Clubs who only really care if they get to the Semi’s.
The extra busy Autumn for the big Clubs in the coming 20/21 Season means the League Cup will be even less of a priority for them. So what will happen? Will they ask to officially use their U23 teams in it? Most use these Players in early rounds anyways so it makes sense for them.
If this does happen, then the League Cup essentially becomes a glorified @LeasingcomTrphy! It would lose it’s European place, which the big Clubs want the @premierleague to have anyway, and interest would drop, though there’d be a short term financial payment to smooth things.
But again, once it did happen, the chances of reversal are next to none. The Big Clubs would be free of a nuisance on their schedule for a small fee apiece and they’d be happy their stockpiled kids got some more ‘proper’ football. I for one, would have zero interest in this Cup.
Which leads me back to the @LeasingcomTrphy! It was ruined for me, and many others, as soon as the Big Clubs kids were allowed to enter a few years back, a revamped League Cup shorn of the Big Clubs would push the Trophy further into the abyss from which it already hangs over.
The @EFL are facing a crossroads with their two Cups, and the upcoming packed schedule needs to see decisions made for the good of the game. The big Clubs aren’t interested so time to look after their own Clubs and take a financial pay-off for doing so. My plan is the following:
What I would propose, is for the @EFL to merge the @Carabao_Cup and @LeasingcomTrphy into one Comp solely for the 72 Clubs in the Champ/L1/L2. Make it Group games ensuring 3/4 games for every Club, played midweek in Autumn with knockout rounds in Jan/Feb/Mar, again midweek.
A Comp that would be played properly, free from disinterested @premierleague Clubs and any of their stockpiled U23 teams! It would also provide Clubs with guaranteed fixtures in the Autumn in place of maybe one Away game in the @Carabao_Cup and getting knocked out straight away!
Anyways, that’s me digressing slightly from the original point! Still like the idea though!
Back to the coming Season, those in fixture planning must be working overtime to attempt to plan for 2020/21! Roll on the release of these fixtures and some normality returning finally!
Back to the coming Season, those in fixture planning must be working overtime to attempt to plan for 2020/21! Roll on the release of these fixtures and some normality returning finally!
