Skyline Drifter Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 2 hours ago, lubo_blaha said: I think the BBC should have made the effort to put on Sportscene highlights for each matchday. You would just need a couple of cameras to get the goals from the smaller games and have longer coverage of a select few big games. The BBC have no rights to cover the tournament. Only BT Sport can cover it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednyella Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think this is a much superior way to get plenty of games in before league duty starts but gives these games meaning instead of useless friendlies. So far it's been quite enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancubus Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 was at ochilview last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Beats meaningless friendlies hands down, and regionalisation probably led to the large away crowd at ochilview last night, and given stenny's money woes, can only be good for them. Perhaps the SPFL could take a leaf out of the french fa book and finance travel for teams in the event of non-regionalisation, but then travelling support would be smaller too, so maybe best to keep it regionalised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendan Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think it's been good. All clubs get a few games and some early season income, and lots of games between teams who don't often meet. The only negatives for me are crap tv coverage and even second place teams going out. The SPFL need to start making their own highlights packages and putting them online, if only as a service to the sponsors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I hope the Dandies are rarely, if ever involved, but from the outside looking in it's been a great pre-season tournament and hopefully made a few quid for all clubs involved. Great to see some top flight clubs going out too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calum_gers Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I've enjoyed it, but then I think friendlies are shite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paco Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think there's areas it could improve, but it's been good overall. Doesn't seem fair there's a whole dose of teams who could easily go out on 9 points while East Fife may well win their group on 8 points - indeed Raith could go out unbeaten on 9 points. Are there any safeguards against teams playing the team from their group in the next rounds? If not, it raises the possibility that Scottish lower league teams can play each other eleven (!) times in a season. Which is patently ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyline Drifter Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 20 minutes ago, Paco said: I think there's areas it could improve, but it's been good overall. Doesn't seem fair there's a whole dose of teams who could easily go out on 9 points while East Fife may well win their group on 8 points - indeed Raith could go out unbeaten on 9 points. Are there any safeguards against teams playing the team from their group in the next rounds? If not, it raises the possibility that Scottish lower league teams can play each other eleven (!) times in a season. Which is patently ridiculous. Not as far as I know, and even if there was, there was always that possibility anyway. If Dunfermline and Dundee United for instance were to both progress and keep winning they will eventually meet again regardless of what safeguards you put in place in a draw. The nature of a group set up is that lower points will be needed to win some groups. For Raith to go out "unbeaten" on 9 they'd have had to lose a penalty shoot out v Alloa and in that eventuality then they have been beaten. Teams go out every year "unbeaten" but losing on penalties. A team could in theory win 4 penalty shoot outs and go out but nobody will obviously. I don't especially like the whole "best runners up" thing as it's so subjective to the opposition (we for instance play three League 1 sides whilst other groups have League 2 and non-league non seeds). I didn't like it in the Euros either but it is certainly keeping things interesting for a few. I don't think Dundee United and Dunfermline should have been allowed to play their last game after everyone else. It's unlikely to matter now since as long as Inverness win against Arbroath then no result would put both through but it's wrong in principle. In a minor quibble I'd like to see the order of fixtures drawn and not have the No 1 and No 2 seeds all having the same schedule (Rangers group apart) but otherwise I've enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kincardine Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Warburton was very critical of it as not being the way he'd want the players prepared for the start of the season but, though it may not fit in with his plans, I think it's been a big success for the fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think the format for this has been great. I think the format for this has been shite. I will come back and edit this post later on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Tennis Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 18 minutes ago, The_Kincardine said: Warburton was very critical of it as not being the way he'd want the players prepared for the start of the season but, though it may not fit in with his plans, I think it's been a big success for the fans. Warburton likes a moan though, doesn't he? His whining seemed almost to reflect a belief that the tight schedule presented his side with unique challenges that others wouldn't face. To be fair to him, that probably reflects the ridiculous prominence our media give to OF figures when they utter anything, as much as it does on Warburton, himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think it's been great. The only real issue I have (and it's aimed mainly at my own club) is that pricing has been way too high at some grounds. Our own £16 was ridiculous, and I believe QoS charged that too. I had hoped clubs would reduce prices to try and attract fans in for the new format. Perhaps the SPFL could try and push that next season, encourage clubs to go with something like £10 and £5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvo Montalbano Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 It's a tough one with ticket prices. We'll likely never know how the crowds have been affected by pricing when there are holidays etc on just now (I missed three group games by being away on holiday) and it also seems unfair that some teams have two midweek home games whole others have two weekend home games. The crowds at East End were a little less than expected for the Arbroath game (1,750) and about the same as expected for Inverness (2,500) given the weather, and I think £12 was about right since it's a competitive game. With teams having dead rubbers in the final games, it must be hard trying to put a price on a ticket for what is essentiallya friendly albeit one where you could gain a decent amount of prize money by finishing higher. I was surprised when the fixtures were announced that they didn't rug it so that the lower seeds played each other in the first games and the top seeds played each other last to try and increase the possibility of more meaningful games near the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Wragg Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 What method is used to separate1) Teams finishing on the same points in the same group. 2) Second placed finishers in different groups with the same points in order to determine the order in which they finish in the ranking of all the runners up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paco Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 The nature of a group set up is that lower points will be needed to win some groups. For Raith to go out "unbeaten" on 9 they'd have had to lose a penalty shoot out v Alloa and in that eventuality then they have been beaten. Teams go out every year "unbeaten" but losing on penalties. A team could in theory win 4 penalty shoot outs and go out but nobody will obviously. I take that point, it's an entirely fair one, but to play four matches in a cup competition, not lose any, yet still go out would be bizarre - especially when East Fife, for example, have won once from four and could go through. Of course losing a shootout technically means you've 'lost' the match but in regular cup football you get extra time to separate the sides first. In reality you've drawn the match in the same you draw league games, but with a shootout after it. I guess doing group stages that kind of thing is always likely to happen, it just seems odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 2 minutes ago, Paco said: I take that point, it's an entirely fair one, but to play four matches in a cup competition, not lose any, yet still go out would be bizarre - especially when East Fife, for example, have won once from four and could go through. I guess doing group stages that kind of thing is always likely to happen, it just seems odd. East Fife beat Peterhead and Dumbarton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowdenConvert Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 4 minutes ago, Paco said: I take that point, it's an entirely fair one, but to play four matches in a cup competition, not lose any, yet still go out would be bizarre - especially when East Fife, for example, have won once from four and could go through. Of course losing a shootout technically means you've 'lost' the match but in regular cup football you get extra time to separate the sides first. In reality you've drawn the match in the same you draw league games, but with a shootout after it. I guess doing group stages that kind of thing is always likely to happen, it just seems odd. You haven't lost the match. The penalty shoot-out is for a bonus point, nothing to do with the actual match. Even the tables show you haven't lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7-2 Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Generally good but don't like that a club misses out each round especially when it's a Saturday. It adds the frustrating stop/start effect at the beginning of the season, like Celtic's 'f**k the league and the rest of you, we'd rather make even more money than you with a meaningless friendly' rule does in the league. It's obviously unavoidable with the odd numbers in groups unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flash Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 2 hours ago, H Wragg said: What method is used to separate 1) Teams finishing on the same points in the same group. 2) Second placed finishers in different groups with the same points in order to determine the order in which they finish in the ranking of all the runners up? http://spfl.co.uk/league-cup/format/ I think the answers to 1 and 2 are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewartyMac Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 7 hours ago, Waspie said: I had hoped clubs would reduce prices to try and attract fans in for the new format. Perhaps the SPFL could try and push that next season, encourage clubs to go with something like £10 and £5. It was £5 for adults for our game vs Elgin last night, terrific value for money in the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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