Football League Trophy (formerly known as LDV)

[seany t]

Whats are people's feelings about the competition now we're back in it and how do you think we should treat it?

Use it as a way to get people fit / test players out / try for a run to get confidence up / ignore it and concentrate elsewhere

 

[Mr. Benedict]

Not bothered with it tbh, although it would be nice to get to a Wembley final. We should use it for giving squad players a run-out - if they haven't gone out on loan Moussa and Ademeno would be well utilised in JPT games.

 

[MilkeySUFC]

To be honest, with the new found strength in depth of the squad we should be putting out a "second" string squad able to go all guns blazing to reach the final.

 

[SUFC_Al]

To be honest, with the new found strength in depth of the squad we should be putting out a "second" string squad able to go all guns blazing to reach the final.

I think the competition rules state that every team has to play 6 first-team regualrs in the JPT this season, IIRC that Scunthorpe didn't do that last season and got a clip round the ear.

But it would be good to rotate some players for the competition and a game at Wembley at the end sounds very inviting to me!

 

[Mr. Benedict]

I think the competition rules state that every team has to play 6 first-team regualrs in the JPT this season, IIRC that Scunthorpe didn't do that last season and got a clip round the ear.

But it would be good to rotate some players for the competition and a game at Wembley at the end sounds very inviting to me!

Ah yes, I remember that - has to be 6 players who played the previous league game or something.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I can't believe people are even asking this question.

This is a team which thrives on confidence, so every win we get helps us. In recent years we've twice got to the final of this competition, and those runs have inspired us to first safety, and then promotion.

 

[seany t]

I can't believe people are even asking this question.

This is a team which thrives on confidence, so every win we get helps us. In recent years we've twice got to the final of this competition, and those runs have inspired us to first safety, and then promotion.

But there's a lot of games this year, and 2 other cup competitions. I'm not saying Southend are now the equivalent of Arsenal / Liverpool and should treat it with contempt, just thinking ahead.

I can hear the fans now if, say, Maher or Barrett got injured in a first round tie meaning they miss the next 2 months worth of action...

 

[Southend_Lady]

I can't believe people are even asking this question.

This is a team which thrives on confidence, so every win we get helps us. In recent years we've twice got to the final of this competition, and those runs have inspired us to first safety, and then promotion.

I agree with you. Wins breed confidence. Like you say we know how important that is to our team.
Yes last year's cup run may have been an unwelcome distraction to the league but I doubt that we would have survived even if we hadnt had the run.

We should be out to win as much as possible. Im sure no one would be complaining if we ended up at Wembley through the JPT.

 

[Deadly Monkfish]

I can hear the fans now if, say, Maher or Barrett got injured in a first round tie meaning they miss the next 2 months worth of action...

Michael Simpson tore his cruciate ligaments in his knee in the first round of the JPT last year, he hasn't played since and if it weren't for this 6 first team players rule he never would've played.

 

[Southend_Lady]

Michael Simpson tore his cruciate ligaments in his knee in the first round of the JPT last year, he hasn't played since and if it weren't for this 6 first team players rule he never would've played.

Yeah but thats part and parcel of football. Players get injured, thats why you have to make sure there are decent back ups. If we get players that perform really well in cup matches, it may push first teamers out of their place, therefore again creating competition for places which is only a good thing.

 

[Deadly Monkfish]

Yeah but thats part and parcel of football. Players get injured, thats why you have to make sure there are decent back ups. If we get players that perform really well in cup matches, it may push first teamers out of their place, therefore again creating competition for places which is only a good thing.

I know that injuries are part and parcel of football but it is more than just a pain in the backside when an integral first team player gets injured when he shouldn't have to play.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

But there's a lot of games this year, and 2 other cup competitions. I'm not saying Southend are now the equivalent of Arsenal / Liverpool and should treat it with contempt, just thinking ahead.

I can hear the fans now if, say, Maher or Barrett got injured in a first round tie meaning they miss the next 2 months worth of action...

It didn't seem to be a problem in 2004/05. We had a run of something like 17 unbeaten games in the run-in to the final which took us right into the automatic promotion hunt. That run included 3 or 4 LDV games. It was only once we lost in the final that we started wobbling, yet come the play-off finals we were still strong enough to triumph in extra-time after a 59(?) game season.

Maher or Barrett could get injured at Leeds and miss two months. Should we rest them on Saturday just in case? Hell, they could get injured in a training session that wouldn't be held if we had a mid-week game.

I'd much rather build up confidence with a good run.

 

[Ailsa Road Shrimper]

It's a tough one.

In 2003/04 the run dragged the club up off it's kness, helped generate more support and the confidence gained enabled us to stay up.

In 2004/05 after losing the final we hardly won a game and dropped from top spot to fourth. Had we not reached the final and lost it perhaps we'd have been promoted comfortably? It seemed to have a negative impact.

In 2005/06 we lost to bottom of the Football League club Rushden & Diamonds after fielding a weakened team in the First Round, we then went on to win the title!

In the early rounds I think we should field a mixture of first teamers and reserves, this should enable us to go through, rest a few players and keep squad members happy. At least this year there is a bigger incentive as the Final is staged at Wembley

 

[seany t]

It didn't seem to be a problem in 2004/05. We had a run of something like 17 unbeaten games in the run-in to the final which took us right into the automatic promotion hunt. That run included 3 or 4 LDV games. It was only once we lost in the final that we started wobbling, yet come the play-off finals we were still strong enough to triumph in extra-time after a 59(?) game season.

Maher or Barrett could get injured at Leeds and miss two months. Should we rest them on Saturday just in case? Hell, they could get injured in a training session that wouldn't be held if we had a mid-week game.

I'd much rather build up confidence with a good run.

Well for what its worth I agree with you, which is why I voted for trying to win it. But I do think, now we have a larger squad and some debate over who's better than who, it's a viable tournament to try things and players out in, which is what the debate was about in the first place really: first team or fringe players...

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I agree with you. Wins breed confidence. Like you say we know how important that is to our team.
Yes last year's cup run may have been an unwelcome distraction to the league but I doubt that we would have survived even if we hadnt had the run.

We should be out to win as much as possible. Im sure no one would be complaining if we ended up at Wembley through the JPT.

I presume you are talking about the Man U game.

I can't see how that could be an unwelcome distraction. Our league form was absolutely shocking, even before the cup draw had been made. We had won something like one point out of a possible 24 in the lead-up to ManUre and confidence was rock bottom - remember the Hull game, when we twice threw away a lead to an awful team and ended up losing to 10 men.

After ManUre, our confidence grew and we drew our next two games. The Man U game definitely helped us in the league.
The FA Cup didn't seem to hurt us either. Our wins at Cardiff and Birmingham and the thrashing of QPR (our best league results of the season) were around the time of our FA Cup 'run'.

Had we decided that we needed to concentrate on survival and lost in the cup at the first possible opportunity, I think we would have been relegated in March.

 

[Southend_Lady]

Well for what its worth I agree with you, which is why I voted for trying to win it. But I do think, now we have a larger squad and some debate over who's better than who, it's a viable tournament to try things and players out in, which is what the debate was about in the first place really: first team or fringe players...

Yes thats spot on. It is a perfect oppurtunity to rotate the squad slightly creating competition for places and giving Tilly an idea of who is better suited to what roles etc. Despite that though, I dont think it is an excuse to put weaker or youth players out.

We should be going all out to win as much as possible. Last year the disappointment of relegation was slightly better to take knowing we had an amazing win over man united which I am sure any southend fan that was there that night will never ever forget, I know I wont.

Supporting a football team in the lower leagues isnt all about league position, its about giving the fans and bringing to the club as much success as possible and memories that will stick with fans forever which will in turn keep them coming back. If we arent good enough to compete in this league then we will find out come May next year and any cup run we have may well have contributed towards it but Im pretty sure it wont dictate our season.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It's a tough one.

In 2003/04 the run dragged the club up off it's kness, helped generate more support and the confidence gained enabled us to stay up.

In 2004/05 after losing the final we hardly won a game and dropped from top spot to fourth. Had we not reached the final and lost it perhaps we'd have been promoted comfortably? It seemed to have a negative impact.

In 2005/06 we lost to bottom of the Football League club Rushden & Diamonds after fielding a weakened team in the First Round, we then went on to win the title!

In the early rounds I think we should field a mixture of first teamers and reserves, this should enable us to go through, rest a few players and keep squad members happy. At least this year there is a bigger incentive as the Final is staged at Wembley

I agree there was a negative impact in 2004/05, but this was because we lost. Losing burst our bubble of confidence, which is what carried us to the top of the table. Had we lost earlier, then the negative impact would have hit earlier. Had we won that final, I think we would have gone onto win the league. Getting to the final wasn't the problem, losing it was the problem.

Quick quiz question: in our back-to-back promotions, how many games did we win coming off the back of a cup exit?

 

[Rayleigh Weir]

I agree there was a negative impact in 2004/05, but this was because we lost. Losing burst our bubble of confidence, which is what carried us to the top of the table. Had we lost earlier, then the negative impact would have hit earlier. Had we won that final, I think we would have gone onto win the league. Getting to the final wasn't the problem, losing it was the problem.

Quick quiz question: in our back-to-back promotions, how many games did we win coming off the back of a cup exit?

Look it up on the database yourself you lazy b*st*rd! - Honestly, these unemployed layabouts...

 

[* ORM *]

The final is less of an interest now it's at Wembley, but I'll take a decent run through to the Southern Area final.

 

[Beefy]

The final is less of an interest now it's at Wembley, but I'll take a decent run through to the Southern Area final.

Why would that make it less of an interest? I've been to Wembley and I'll be going back regularly watching England but going there with Southend would be something special.