Winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy

[Alfreton14Blade]

Play them whether they are good enough or not?...

They have every opportunity to excel at their own level. If they do, they get a chance. The responsibility is on them. It's not the X-Factor. A thousand "chances" wouldn't have made Ironside, McFadz, Khan, Dimiaow, De Juve, Chappell good enough. Poor players are simply poor young players, grown up.

There is not one of our young players who has demonstrated such ability and aptitude that they can have any complaint whatsoever about 'bench warming'.

On the other hand, you can make promising players better by exposing them to "proper" football (as well as finding out which promising players will have trouble hacking it).

Use the cups to test the better younger players, I'd say. If we progress with them in the side, it's a bonus.

 

[freddyp]

Yes give the youngsters a taste of meaningful football especially if you couldn't care a toss about the competion , and want to get knocked out in the first round .

UTB

It's meaningful football when all you're familiar with is playing in the U21 development league at poxy training grounds. This is a chance to play at league 1/2 grounds in front of a couple of thousand supporters.

 

[BushBlade]

It's meaningful football when all you're familiar with is playing in the U21 development league at poxy training grounds. This is a chance to play at league 1/2 grounds in front of a couple of thousand supporters.

U-21s is bollocks. It's like a non contact sport. It's ok for developing technique but it's not competitive or physical enough. Any kid aged 21 playing for the u-21s regularly and yet to play for the first team is unlikely to make it at the level they are playing (eg a Chelsea player won't make top level PL, a L1 player won't make L1 etc).
There's the odd exception but there always are exceptions in football.
The biggest challenge in youth development faced by all clubs is the stage between 18-21 and being able to provide young players with relevant experience without damaging a club's chance of success.

 

[SwissBlade]

We have always dismissed it as being tinpot. But winning it hasn't done Barnsley any harm and it gave their players valuable experience of playing at Wembley. I say next year we make a serious effort to win the Football League Trophy (as I prefer to call it). Let's see us lifting a trophy at Wembley!

Who won the paint pot cup? Must've missed that.

 

[freddyp]

U-21s is bollocks. It's like a non contact sport. It's ok for developing technique but it's not competitive or physical enough. Any kid aged 21 playing for the u-21s regularly and yet to play for the first team is unlikely to make it at the level they are playing (eg a Chelsea player won't make top level PL, a L1 player won't make L1 etc).
There's the odd exception but there always are exceptions in football.
The biggest challenge in youth development faced by all clubs is the stage between 18-21 and being able to provide young players with relevant experience without damaging a club's chance of success.

I agree with all of that. Unfortunately, McCabe has stated he wants to see more of the academy players coming through to the first team. Cup competitions are an ideal opportunity, especially If promotion comes before all else,

 

[Whiston Blade]

Are we that successful that we can dismiss a trophy as tinpot ? We're heading into our 6th season in L1, we're here because we are shit. I'd understand if this was our first season in L1, bounce back at the first attempt, less distractions etc...

I can't see much changing next season promotion wise, so let's play every game with the intention to win it, whether that be the League, FA Cup, League Cup or the fucking JP trophy.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Are we that successful that we can dismiss a trophy as tinpot ? We're heading into our 6th season in L1, we're here because we are shit. I'd understand if this was our first season in L1, bounce back at the first attempt, less distractions etc...

I can't see much changing next season promotion wise, so let's play every game with the intention to win it, whether that be the League, FA Cup, League Cup or the fucking JP trophy.

Have you not heard the words of our beloved Chairman S12? Apparently we're the unluckiest club in christendom. It seems bad luck has plagued us since before memory was born, so is it any wonder that we enter each season with the unreasonable belief that we'll do well to escape relegation? You heard it first from Kev, we're unfuckinglucky, and no matter how you interpret the facts, bad luck will always be the reason the directors can always use this as their excuse for slow and gradual stagnancy.

 

[BladeFisher]

Check the records. The fact is winning the FLT and gaining promotion in the same season is a bit of a rarity. By all means say you'd like us to win it, but don't make the link between winning it and that making a team more likely to win promotion because it isn't the case. Personally, I'd rather get out of this division and statistically you more likely to achieve that by not winning the FLT.

I'm not. I'm saying win the bloody thing and it might give us a winning mentality 'cos clearly one FA cup final, 4 semi-finals and 4 play off final defeats haven't given it to us.

 

[PeteBlade]

We have always dismissed it as being tinpot. But winning it hasn't done Barnsley any harm and it gave their players valuable experience of playing at Wembley. I say next year we make a serious effort to win the Football League Trophy (as I prefer to call it). Let's see us lifting a trophy at Wembley!

Meh.

 

[BladeFisher]

It's an embarrassment for a club like ourselves to have that trophy in our cabinet.

Teams like Wigan, Portsmouth etc have won the FA cup in recent years, no reason we shouldn't be capable of doing the same.

Wigan have won the FL Trophy twice in 1985 and 1999.

 

[DifferentClass]

Have you not heard the words of our beloved Chairman S12? Apparently we're the unluckiest club in christendom. It seems bad luck has plagued us since before memory was born...

Still reeling from Jesus saving Judas' penalty to knock us out of the Jerusalem Plumbing Cup back in 34AD! Could have done with Lazarus being alive that day...

 

[larkymasher]

Its the worst competition in English Pro football. Play the U21s in it for experience

 

[madeinsheffield]

I think it's embarrassing we haven't won it in all the time we've been in this shit league, best chance we've had of actually winning something and still no silverware

 

[Danny_Blade]

We have always dismissed it as being tinpot.

Well it is 'tinpot'...

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

We have always dismissed it as being tinpot. But winning it hasn't done Barnsley any harm and it gave their players valuable experience of playing at Wembley. I say next year we make a serious effort to win the Football League Trophy (as I prefer to call it). Let's see us lifting a trophy at Wembley!

Agreed.

Barnsley, Oxford, Bristol, Chesterfield have all been in the final the past 3 years and gained promotion from their respective leagues.

Also seemed to do Southampton and Doncaster good the years they won it.

A trophy is a trophy, same goes for a win at Wembley. I'd take it if it also came with a promotion.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

JPT - In my view the only embarrassment is that we haven't been good enough to win it and we excuse ourselves because we are too proud to recognise our current position in the football pyramid. Its not a competition I am not over-chuffed to be eligible to enter but we are where we are.

 

[Santos]

Well at last somebody else promoting common sense. I despair at our pathetic fans who deem it not worthy of us even entering it never mind winning it! FFS Utd are SHIT at winning fucking any knock out competition. We are totally useless.. So taking an analytical approach start to win things that are less important (like the FLT) so when it is important i.e a play off final we FUCKING TURN UP for once.

Birmingham, Bristol City, Wigan have all benefited from winning crap like this so c'mon and bloody win something for a change!

Completely agree. The attitude of the club and the fans to the JPT is indicative of why we're still in this league. We've never even come remotely close to winning it IN FIVE SEASONS.

League first, then the JPT then the other cups.

 

[Santos]

It's an embarrassment for a club like ourselves to have that trophy in our cabinet.

Teams like Wigan, Portsmouth etc have won the FA cup in recent years, no reason we shouldn't be capable of doing the same.

We haven't got it in our cabinet. Nor have we ever come close to winning it despite the fact that for 5/6 seasons we've finished in the top 7 of the league.

 

[freddyp]

Play them whether they are good enough or not?...

They have every opportunity to excel at their own level. If they do, they get a chance. The responsibility is on them. It's not the X-Factor. A thousand "chances" wouldn't have made Ironside, McFadz, Khan, Dimiaow, De Juve, Chappell good enough. Poor players are simply poor young players, grown up.

There is not one of our young players who has demonstrated such ability and aptitude that they can have any complaint whatsoever about 'bench warming'.

"It's not the X-Factor".
Set me thinking this. Eleven acts (players) who want to impress and come back next week. Most of which you won't remember in 5 years. Panel members (manager & sidekicks) who may not be there next series (season). Man in charge, Simon Cowell (McCabe) is ever present and immovable.

 

[Damski]

Eh, I dunno how I feel about it. If we got to the final then I'd obviously go to Wembley, but would I treat it with the same amount of nerves and anticipation as I did the numerous cup semi finals and the play off finals? If we lifted the FA Cup/League Cup/Play off trophy at Wembley I would be on the binge for days, but the paint pot? I mean it'd be nice but TBH I'd still count the numerous big game losses as more important than winning that. I'm not fully against it, but I do feel relieved whenever we get knocked out of it.

Being on the brink of my 30's as I am, and as a member of the sadly growing demographic that haven't seen Sheffield United win anything, I don't want my cherry popped by that competition. I want to see us win League 1 at least. Maybe the FA Cup or top flight in the future. My dad still gets misty-eyed about the season we won the 4th division, and I doubt I'd get the same about a JPT triumph in 30-odd years time.

The only time I'd be truly happy with it was if I knew it was on the way to an automatic promotion like Bristol City had the other year. That way we kill two birds don't we, get back into The Championship and beat the Wembley curse.

 

[1973Blade]

Eh, I dunno how I feel about it. If we got to the final then I'd obviously go to Wembley, but would I treat it with the same amount of nerves and anticipation as I did the numerous cup semi finals and the play off finals? If we lifted the FA Cup/League Cup/Play off trophy at Wembley I would be on the binge for days, but the paint pot? I mean it'd be nice but TBH I'd still count the numerous big game losses as more important than winning that. I'm not fully against it, but I do feel relieved whenever we get knocked out of it.

Being on the brink of my 30's as I am, and as a member of the sadly growing demographic that haven't seen Sheffield United win anything, I don't want my cherry popped by that competition. I want to see us win League 1 at least. Maybe the FA Cup or top flight in the future. My dad still gets misty-eyed about the season we won the 4th division, and I doubt I'd get the same about a JPT triumph in 30-odd years time.

The only time I'd be truly happy with it was if I knew it was on the way to an automatic promotion like Bristol City had the other year. That way we kill two birds don't we, get back into The Championship and beat the Wembley curse.

The demographic that hasn't seen us win anything is quite large! My Grandad started watching the Blades in the late 1920s and he never saw us win anything. I sometimes mention the fourth division championship but it doesn't sound impressive!

 

[BladeFisher]

The demographic that hasn't seen us win anything is quite large! My Grandad started watching the Blades in the late 1920s and he never saw us win anything. I sometimes mention the fourth division championship but it doesn't sound impressive!

We won the old Div 2 Championship in 1953, surely he remembers that since we led the table from the 22nd November 1952?

 

[1973Blade]

He must have seen that, glad he saw some success