mrman2011 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 How about scrapping the championship teams from the cup And include all Highland and Lowland together with league 1 & 2 50 teams 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Yep, think it'd be better as the national cup competition for part-timers only (as far as possible). So Leagues 1 & 2 plus the top 6 from each of the Highland and Lowland leagues. 32 teams, 5 rounds. Play it on the Saturdays of international breaks with the final on Scottish Cup Final weekend, possibly as a warm up to the Scottish Cup Final itself. It would have more identity and exposure throughout the tournament, and more fans would get along to watch their local part-timers during international breaks/Cup Final weekend. Edited February 18, 2015 by RabidAl 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 So what about the lower championship teams they not allowed there time in the sun and a shot at cup glory? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeSAFC Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Shite idea 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrman2011 Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Championship teams don't enter the LDV vans in England and they don't moan about their "shot at glory" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) So what about the lower championship teams they not allowed there time in the sun and a shot at cup glory? Have to draw the line somewhere! Part-timers in tier 2 are having their 'time in the sun' in the Championship, playing bigger clubs and earning more dosh... Give the lower league part-timers a national trophy that they'll all have a decent hope of winning each season. (Then punt them all into regional leagues when they're not looking) Edited February 18, 2015 by RabidAl -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Have to draw the line somewhere! Part-timers in tier 2 are having their 'time in the sun' in the Championship, playing bigger clubs and earning more dosh... Give the lower league part-timers a national trophy that they'll all have a decent hope of winning each season. (Then punt them all into regional leagues when they're not looking) The line has been drawn somewhere, the premiership. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 The line has been drawn somewhere, the premiership. Agreed. With 16 teams in it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Agreed. With 16 teams in it. eh? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeSAFC Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Championship teams don't enter the LDV vans in England and they don't moan about their "shot at glory" Mainly because it's an awful tournament and most English championship sides don't want to be in it... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 eh? I agree - draw the line at the Premiership, but only if it's a 16-team Premiership and not the current 12. Then keep the Challenge Cup for teams in the tiers below. Your lot would have won it plenty by now if it was for tiers 3-5... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I agree - draw the line at the Premiership, but only if it's a 16-team Premiership and not the current 12. Then keep the Challenge Cup for teams in the tiers below. Your lot would have won it plenty by now if it was for tiers 3-5... Winning it plenty is boring winning it now and again is much more special. This isn't a thread for change in leagues its about change in cup format. Whats your point? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Winning it plenty is boring winning it now and again is much more special. This isn't a thread for change in leagues its about change in cup format. Whats your point? Haha, that's pretty churlish of you but, okay, have it your way! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Championship teams don't enter the LDV vans in England and they don't moan about their "shot at glory" That is only for reasons of historical quirk. Texaco Cup became Anglo-Scottish Cup. It was replaced by the FL Group Cup. It was replaced by the Associate Members Cup (for clubs in tiers 3 & 4 - since renamed FL Trophy) and Full Members Cup (for clubs in tiers 1 & 2). Then when EPL was formed in 1992 the tier 2 clubs were left with nothing so the Anglo-Italian Cup was established. When it stopped in 1996 they were left with no tournament again...If somewhere along the line they'd had all 3 divisions in 1 cup it might well still be happening now. Personally I'd see no appeal in removing Championship clubs from the Challenge Cup. Since they added 2 non-league clubs, replacing the byes, and regionalised R2 it's been pretty optimal, IMO. Edited February 18, 2015 by HibeeJibee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Haha, that's pretty churlish of you but, okay, have it your way! Quick question for you. If your team won a cup or the league every year or won a cup and the league every ten+ years which would you find more special and memorable? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Quick question for you. If your team won a cup or the league every year or won a cup and the league every ten+ years which would you find more special and memorable? His team's "Scotland", so he doesn't know what either feels like I can sort of see the value in this idea. The Challenge Cup has become dominated by the second-tier clubs in recent years, so it's probably starting to seem like another tournament that teams in, say, the fourth tier (whatever it's called now) don't have a chance of winning. However, most of the recent finalists have little chance of winning the League or FA Cups either, so swings and roundabouts. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 His team's "Scotland", so he doesn't know what either feels like I can sort of see the value in this idea. The Challenge Cup has become dominated by the second-tier clubs in recent years, so it's probably starting to seem like another tournament that teams in, say, the fourth tier (whatever it's called now) don't have a chance of winning. However, most of the recent finalists have little chance of winning the League or FA Cups either, so swings and roundabouts. Theres also clubs in the fourth tier who have no chance of making the third tier anytime soon. Teams like Stranraer and East Fife made it far this year, and I do understand the lines must be cut but in my opinion its already cut in the right place. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Theres also clubs in the fourth tier who have no chance of making the third tier anytime soon. Teams like Stranraer and East Fife made it far this year, and I do understand the lines must be cut but in my opinion its already cut in the right place. I dunno; they've all made a run at promotion in recent times, with the exception of Montrose. That's why I picked them for my last Football Manager game - because I'm a huge masochist 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilky1878 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I dunno; they've all made a run at promotion in recent times, with the exception of Montrose. That's why I picked them for my last Football Manager game - because I'm a huge masochist Suppose each to their own in these type of discussions, if I remember right did you not get Montrose to the second tier. BFTD for manager 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidAl Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 (edited) His team's "Scotland", so he doesn't know what either feels like I can sort of see the value in this idea. The Challenge Cup has become dominated by the second-tier clubs in recent years, so it's probably starting to seem like another tournament that teams in, say, the fourth tier (whatever it's called now) don't have a chance of winning. However, most of the recent finalists have little chance of winning the League or FA Cups either, so swings and roundabouts. Haha, okay it's Dunfermline as well as Scotland for me. My impression is that full-time clubs with ambitions to play in the top flight pretty much just shrug at the Challenge Cup and aren't too bothered about it, win or lose. So I think it'd have more value and be more interesting if they were replaced by the best non-leaguers and as a national competition for part-timers only. That would include those part-timers playing in the Championship if it could be worked out that way, and exclude any full-timers in tier 3...but it's already looking a bit messy and impractical if you go down that road... Anyhow, doubt there'll be changes to the format of the Challenge Cup any time soon as it's the League Cup that the SPFL are looking to have revamped for the start of the 2016-17 season. Edited February 22, 2015 by RabidAl 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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