Checkatrade Trophy? Whatever.

I am not at the game tonight, not out of any principles I have, but for financial reasons. I won’t be boycotting the game against Notts County, I’ve made that much clear before. I won’t be at the Everton game either, only because I’ll be on holiday though.

I respect those who are opting to boycott the trophy, however, I do not respect anyone on either side of the debate that chooses to inflict their views on others with aggression or a lack of understanding of the other sides motives. There’s been far too much ‘fishing’ from both sides, people looking for a rise in order to once again make their point (Marcus and Martyn).

Local media have stoked the flames a little by asking Danny his opinion, and as expected he’s relishing the chance to get extra games, extra revenue and possibly a shot at a Wembley appearance. He also spoke highly of seeing under-21 sides in action against proper mens sides, it gives him a much better picture of how younger players react in a man’s game.

I’m not a fan of the current inclusion of under-21 sides, the blow has been softened by the relaxation of the rules for our senior teams regarding selection, but I’m still of the impression that pitting our full teams against top-flight kids is more insulting than anything. I’m afraid it isn’t designed to help development, it is designed to help bigger clubs hang on to player that should otherwise be filtering down to the lower leagues, or nudging our expensive foreign imports.

Let us look at Callum Dyson as an example. Dyson played three Checkatrade Trophy matches for Everton last season before they were eliminated, once the competition was over he joined Grimsby on-loan. He then made 16 appearances for the Cods, scoring four times. Which spell was of more benefit to him, the one with the Under-21 side or the one where he played proper football against proper teams? If anything the trophy undermined his development by keeping him at Everton ahead of a prospective loan.

Bassala Sambou will be 20 in a couple of weeks time, and he’s played no professional football as yet at all. Okay he’s turned out in the Checkatrade Trophy three times, but nothing proper. The fact Everton are in this fragile competition means he’ll probably stay sheltered at their training base, using their top-class facilities and yet getting no proper competitive action.

The fact I’m against the inclusion though is simply not enough for a boycott, and even if it were, how did the boycott do last season? Talk of it being a success aside from the final is ill-judged and ill-informed, the boycott prevented nothing. Club’s still voted to retain the format, not the EFL, not the Premier League but the member clubs of the Football League. Think about that for a moment, fans opted to boycott a competition to make a statement, and they made it so loud the clubs they were supposed to be hurting didn’t bother at all. You know why? The tournament has always been akin to winning the egg and spoon race instead of an Olympic gold. It’s always been the shit on the shoe if the rest of the football world, the non-event that fans avoid. So now fans are staying away and giving advance notice, so what?

In fact if anything the boycott is showing signs of backfiring. Grimsby Town have made their FLT (Football League Trophy) game tonight one which acts as priority for their upcoming Mansfield clash. Want tickets for the big league game? Get your arse to the Mickey Mouse Trophy and like it. Clubs know it’s creating a stir so they’ll drop prices too, just like Mansfield have tonight. £10 to get in to watch a local derby match? How is that unattractive, unless you’re one of the vocal boycotters? Short of driving to your house, picking you up and giving you a massage on the way, they couldn’t make it much more attractive. For the record they could have got me there without the massage.

I understand the fears around entering Under-21 teams into the Football League, but I’m confident it wouldn’t happen. When that is proposed, just like League Three, that is the time for action. Not inaction, not staying at home to make a point, but proper action. I see a certain folly in staying at home to make a point, in staying silent to get a message across. There are a lot of ways to get a message across, but withholding your £10 from an organisation willing to pay £10k per game to the participants of the FLT is not on of them. If the threat of Under-21 teams ever becomes real, in other words a white paper on the table with solid proposals on it, then I assure anyone reading this I will be right at the front of the demonstration with the signs, slogans and secret desire for a bit of casual violence. Until then, why get worked up over what ‘might’ happen?

I’ve seen an argument that any final between two under-21 teams would be farcical, and indeed it would. Again, we’re getting worked up over very little. The teams being put out are groups of kids, lads with no real experience of mens football pitted against proper players. We saw with Brighton and to a lesser extent Ipswich, kids can’t win you football matches. Men will almost always beat boys, no matter what the climate. If Everton under-21s do get to the final, and if they do win it, then once again it would devalue the competition. That is when the attendance hit might be felt, because I guarantee you Everton Under-21’s v Bury is not going to draw the same crowd as Lincoln City v Bury, boycott or not. In truth the best and worst thing that could happen to the EFL would be one of the show-pony teams going all the way, it would vindicate their inclusion and also prove it to be in the worst interests of fans as well.

Those who are staying away because it is a ‘joke’ of a competition are only doing what fans have done for years anyway. In 1991/92 we contested the Autoglass Trophy with Shrewsbury and West Brom. The Shrewsbury game drew 615 fans when their average for the season was 3442. The West Brom game drew a crowd of 1861 to Sincil Bank, our average was 2967. Hardly ground breaking attendances are they? In 1993/94 we faced Mansfield, bringing 1449 to the Bank compared to an average of 3179. Even as recently as 2010, our last outing, we went to Rotherham and pulled just 1677 against their average of 3667. Declining crowds? Hardly. Notts County drew 1409 to their match with Everton Under-21 earlier this month, their average last season was 4800.  The numbers aren’t significantly different whichever part of history you examine, as much as the boycotters would have you believe they are.

In 2000/01 we played Morecambe in the LDV Vans Trophy. Conference teams were being allowed in, and a relatively ‘bumper’ crowd of 1194(average 3273) came along to watch, mainly as it saw Grant Brown pass the appearance record. Shortly after 962 watched us beat Blackpool, confirming that the competition was ‘a bit shit’. On March 13th we contested the Northern Area Final First Leg (Round 5) at Sincil Bank (and you thought the format this year was odd) against Port Vale. That game attracted 4813, 1600 more than our average crowd. I’m not saying the boycoters will turn, I don’t think for one second that they will, be it is far easier to have principles when you’re playing in half empty stadiums with nothing at stake. Throw Wembley into the mix, prize money and a bit of profile and suddenly these games take on a whole new meaning. Mansfield in the first round might not be a massive draw, it might be easy to laugh at the low crowds, but if someone serves up a semi-final against Scunthorpe in February I’ll guarantee you it will mean a whole lot more. I’ve no doubt the hardliners will keep their principles, if anything it will give them more justification for doing so. Staying away from a nothing first round match with 1200 is easy, but you have to have real principles to miss out on the chance of a Wembley appearance and a big-game atmosphere.

I’m not trying to change hearts or minds here, I know that won’t happen. The pro-boycott and anti-boycott sides argue as vehemently as the Brexiteers against the remoaners, the left wing antifa movement against the fascists of the right. There is no wavering, no middle ground and no compromise. Unless you’re me of course, then you’re in the middle. I expect quite a few others are too, but those on either side can’t see how that is possible. It is, it’s called putting things into perspective. A year ago today we were beating Gateshead 3-0, looking forward to (amongst others) matches against Solihull Moors, Barrow and Dover. Now we’re in a competition that will pit us against proper clubs, albeit in half-empty stadiums against reserve sides, but I know where I’d rather be. We’ve been in the FLT for as long as I can remember, it has always been crap, it has always been poorly attended but it has rarely been spoken about quite as much. By bringing it to the front of everyone’s minds the FA are actually achieving what they want, some sort of profile for what is, was and always will be a white elephant. Until Wembley.

The threat of youth sides in the Football League is not as real as you’d believe, the lure of a Tuesday night watching Mansfield reserves v Lincoln reserves is not the same full-bloodied local derby we’ll see in a couple of weeks time. It isn’t the precursor to the breakdown of football as we know it, nor is it a lively and vibrant format designed for the fans. It won’t bankrupt our clubs, it won’t make them rich. It won’t produce the next Wayne Rooney, but we won’t be fined for trying to uncover our own hidden gem.

Tonight’s match is nothing more than the latest instalment of a much-maligned competition that has always had the pulling power of a buck-toothed 50-year old balding man in a night club. Don’t believe the hype, either way.