Aldershot Town 2-1 Fulham U21s - Tuesday 21st January 2025 (Match Night Thread)

[Old Bob]

It's a training session in the sense that no one cares about the end product. OK, there's money attached, but that's basically bribe money, put up by the PL to buy NL participation and get their Frankenstein Cup over the line.

I know a meaningless friendly cum training session when I see one.

Come off it Bob! A training session is totally different to a game. I know you don't like the competition but you cannot call it something it clearly is not. Whether there is money involved as you claim is irrelevant to the discussion.

Bob does spout a lot BS on here

Not the most intelligent on here.

By attending a match in a competition foisted upon our league by a "superior" (aka. vastly richer) league for their own ulterior motives, and thereby supporting that competition and the ulterior motives underlying it, attendees are implicated in the whole agenda. Make no mistake, this agenda is aimed ultimately at a breakaway European Superleague to line the pockets of the PL Superteams to the detriment of domestic football, for which they don't give a flying feck.

What's unintelligent is EITHER not being able to see this rather obvious scenario in the face of all the evidence OR not being able to mount a sensible argument against this interpretation of things, other than "I went to the game and enjoyed it" or "We're making a bit of cash from it".

If you've got a sensible reason as to why we should support the PL's agenda to enrich themselves even more than at present, why not share it? We can then have an intelligent discussion about that, which would be an improvement on crude name calling.

[Silasgoldeen]

They're going to do all that regardless of whether we go and watch the national league cup.

[Alan B]

As with everything,, it's purely a matter of personal choice - there are no right or wrongs. I am a football addict and will attend the most obscure of games. It's not just the football - I like to get out and interact with other folk. Plus, I get fresh air and exercise - what's not to like?

This season alone, besides attending a dozen Aldershot games, I've attended games at Notts County, Burton, Hull, Matlock, Ilkeston, Mickleover, Belper, Alfreton, Quorn, Chasetown and obscurely Brocton! I like to get my football fix every Saturday and Tuesday - non-league is great for that. It's not just the football - it's mixing and chatting with like minded football fans- and I've met loads over the years..

People (including my wife) think I'm mad but that's how I am- it's my choice. If I lived closer I would try to attend every Aldershot home game, irrespective of the competition. I would not be 'suckered' into anything - I would embrace it.

[Peter macdonald]

Come off it Bob! A training session is totally different to a game. I know you don't like the competition but you cannot call it something it clearly is not. Whether there is money involved as you claim is irrelevant to the discussion.

Bob does spout a lot BS on here

Not the most intelligent on here.

By attending a match in a competition foisted upon our league by a "superior" (aka. vastly richer) league for their own ulterior motives, and thereby supporting that competition and the ulterior motives underlying it, attendees are implicated in the whole agenda. Make no mistake, this agenda is aimed ultimately at a breakaway European Superleague to line the pockets of the PL Superteams to the detriment of domestic football, for which they don't give a flying feck.

What's unintelligent is EITHER not being able to see this rather obvious scenario in the face of all the evidence OR not being able to mount a sensible argument against this interpretation of things, other than "I went to the game and enjoyed it" or "We're making a bit of cash from it".

If you've got a sensible reason as to why we should support the PL's agenda to enrich themselves even more than at present, why not share it? We can then have an intelligent discussion about that, which would be an improvement on crude name calling.

I agree with you Bob, I think this cup is damaging and a bloody nuisance

[supershots]

Bob does spout a lot BS on here

Not the most intelligent on here.

By attending a match in a competition foisted upon our league by a "superior" (aka. vastly richer) league for their own ulterior motives, and thereby supporting that competition and the ulterior motives underlying it, attendees are implicated in the whole agenda. Make no mistake, this agenda is aimed ultimately at a breakaway European Superleague to line the pockets of the PL Superteams to the detriment of domestic football, for which they don't give a flying feck.

What's unintelligent is EITHER not being able to see this rather obvious scenario in the face of all the evidence OR not being able to mount a sensible argument against this interpretation of things, other than "I went to the game and enjoyed it" or "We're making a bit of cash from it".

If you've got a sensible reason as to why we should support the PL's agenda to enrich themselves even more than at present, why not share it? We can then have an intelligent discussion about that, which would be an improvement on crude name calling.

I agree with you Bob, I think this cup is damaging and a bloody nuisance

Do you think we should hand back the prize money?

[CH]

The prize money becomes a bit of a false economy when there's extra stewarding/staff costs, utilities, goal bonuses (?), pitch repair etc etc to take into account.

What about travelling costs if we are drawn away up north in the next round?

[A.T.F.C 92]

The prize money becomes a bit of a false economy when there's extra stewarding/staff costs, utilities, goal bonuses (?), pitch repair etc etc to take into account.

What about travelling costs if we are drawn away up north in the next round?

I would think this cup would be regionalised

[IanShots]

The prize money becomes a bit of a false economy when there's extra stewarding/staff costs, utilities, goal bonuses (?), pitch repair etc etc to take into account.

What about travelling costs if we are drawn away up north in the next round?

I would think this cup would be regionalised

Its funny how we don't know anything about when the draw is, how it will work, where the final we be etc.
I would suggest that they are making it up as they go along.

I generally agree with much of what old Bob said although with a slight caveat.
There have been so many changes over recent decades and all of them were to advantage the big boys i.e. attendances income no longer split, premier league creation, umbrella payments, expansion of European competitions etc etc. We didn't boycott anything because of it....perhaps we should have?

[ShotOnTarget]

The prize money becomes a bit of a false economy when there's extra stewarding/staff costs, utilities, goal bonuses (?), pitch repair etc etc to take into account.

What about travelling costs if we are drawn away up north in the next round?

I would think this cup would be regionalised

Its funny how we don't know anything about when the draw is, how it will work, where the final we be etc.
I would suggest that they are making it up as they go along.

I generally agree with much of what old Bob said although with a slight caveat.
There have been so many changes over recent decades and all of them were to advantage the big boys i.e. attendances income no longer split, premier league creation, umbrella payments, expansion of European competitions etc etc. We didn't boycott anything because of it....perhaps we should have?

The fans of the big clubs in the main wouldn't have cared enough about the situation to boycott and the fans of smaller clubs are generally ambivalent to any such action. However, supporters of both Liverpool and Manchester United did something admirable and rejected the money men in favour of creating fan-owned clubs. There is of course the Fan led review of football governance, which gave some hope but that seems to have gone a bit quiet. Any shortage of brown envelopes in the shops of late is entirely coincidental......

[Silasgoldeen]

the big clubs don't need the National League in any way shape or form (or don't think they do). They didn't say "we'll have a silly U21 competition and you can scrap replays, thanks", presumably they were told replays were going come what may and someone somewhere came up with a plan to try to "do the right thing". Probably the only thing you could boycott would be the FA Cup itself and you'd need the league 1 and 2 clubs to join in for that to have any impact.

[Weybourne Shot]

The FA Cup is a greatly devalued competition has been for a long time and scrapping replays just the latest in a long line of changes that have ruined what was once the best Cup in the world

[Mytshot]

The competition has been devised for two reasons. 1) for League clubs to give their kids some additional competitive matches and 2) to lay the ground for B teams to enter the lower leagues. The prize money bribe is hardly life changing. And has been said, we'll probably eat that up in pitch repairs in the close season. It's looking pretty ropey already and could've done with a rest this week, particularly with all the rain to come tomorrow. Add in the risk of getting key players injured (if you're daft enough to play your first team) and I would say overall it's not worth it.

[Peter macdonald]

The competition has been devised for two reasons. 1) for League clubs to give their kids some additional competitive matches and 2) to lay the ground for B teams to enter the lower leagues. The prize money bribe is hardly life changing. And has been said, we'll probably eat that up in pitch repairs in the close season. It's looking pretty ropey already and could've done with a rest this week, particularly with all the rain to come tomorrow. Add in the risk of getting key players injured (if you're daft enough to play your first team) and I would say overall it's not worth it.

As soon as B teams enter our league that’s me done I’m afraid, might take up crown green bowling as an interest!

[Turnkey]

The competition has been devised for two reasons. 1) for League clubs to give their kids some additional competitive matches and 2) to lay the ground for B teams to enter the lower leagues. The prize money bribe is hardly life changing. And has been said, we'll probably eat that up in pitch repairs in the close season. It's looking pretty ropey already and could've done with a rest this week, particularly with all the rain to come tomorrow. Add in the risk of getting key players injured (if you're daft enough to play your first team) and I would say overall it's not worth it.

As soon as B teams enter our league that’s me done I’m afraid, might take up crown green bowling as an interest!

I’ve heard this put forward a hundred times, always without single shred of evidence to back it up. Got anything you could point me to so this claim could actually be evidenced?

[Josh]

The competition has been devised for two reasons. 1) for League clubs to give their kids some additional competitive matches and 2) to lay the ground for B teams to enter the lower leagues. The prize money bribe is hardly life changing. And has been said, we'll probably eat that up in pitch repairs in the close season. It's looking pretty ropey already and could've done with a rest this week, particularly with all the rain to come tomorrow. Add in the risk of getting key players injured (if you're daft enough to play your first team) and I would say overall it's not worth it.

As soon as B teams enter our league that’s me done I’m afraid, might take up crown green bowling as an interest!

The next Tony Allcock.

Looks like they're bringing in B teams into women's football and they'll try and show horn it into men's football with cash incentives or threats to withdraw the TV funding which filters down. This will be followed by no relegation from the Prem as the American owners want.

And as the Manic Street Preachers one said, if you tolerate this.........