http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...onary-B-team-division-blood-England-kids.html Dicussion about starting a B League for PL teams set below the Conference. It is intended to give experience to young players in a real league situation. Thoughts.
I am against B teams, because in countries that have them they play in the lower leagues. I felt this devalued the lower leagues...what is the point in having a team that competes but is not interested in promotion. For instance, say ManCityB and ChelseaB take the top two spots but won't want promotion...the next teams take the promotion spots but have been cheated of winning the league. It's a big assumption because a team of second stringers may not do that well, but it could happen. However, what is the point in Dyke's suggestion....in a league of your own, you might as well have a reserve league. Non-starter for me.
I suppose that is now the u21s (which allows some overage players). The reserve league used to be used to get rehabilitating 1st team players fit, but we don't seem to use the u21s for that. Our squad just come back from injury, train with the team and then back into the match squad. Just as we don't seem interested in putting players out on loan...it's seems to be the more modern way...or at least at Saints.
So this B league would be part of the English football pyramid, sort of a League 3, rather than a separate pyramid? I'm against it.
It would take work and money to have a B team, so a lot of teams wouldn't be interested. Even Chelsea wouldn't be that interested as they would surely prefer to reduce their wage bill by loaning out players. Not sure Saints could raise a B team, bearing in mind we would want to keep our youngsters all 'in house'. We have a system of putting kids into the u18s and u21s, but also giving them opportunities to train with the first team. Bet the clubs would want a really good look at this...apparently is only one of the options being considered.
Used to think this was a bad idea, but the more I think about it the more I think it is a win/win for all concerned. Think this is the best option for getting younger players more playing time. Reserve league in theory is the easiest option, but as has been proven it doesn't work too well. Too many different "types" of player all playing in the same team/league for it to be a success imo.
I honestly think both Southampton and Portsmouth should join the Hampshire Senior Cup. We'd both play our youth players (yes, we have youth players!) and they'd get a taste of competitive football against older players (and playing against older players rather than just players of a same/similar age would be of great benefit). Furthermore, when Portsmouth and/or Southampton are playing away to local sides (Eastleigh, Sholing, Havant & Waterlooville), crowds are likely to be much higher than they would be for other Hampshire Senior Cup fixtures which would mean bigger gate incomes for the home clubs, benefiting football in Hampshire as a whole.
From a purely selfish perspective, it'd work for us. Allowing our players to get proper competitive experience without loaning them out so they can still use our facilities? Great!
And it seems to work pretty well. Let's stick with that, seeing as we only just invented it a couple of years ago.
The main effect of that is our innocent young players would get their legs broken by ugly non-league cloggers.
You jest surely? I played for Havant and knowing the 'local' fervor there, any Saints players would be leaving the pitch on a stretcher. Although I do recall watching Dennis Wise in a Hampshire Cup Final for Saints at The Dell, many years ago.
