Reserves

[East Anglia Fox]

I noticed that our reserves haven't been playing in an actual reserve league since the 2007/08 season. I came across this when I was trying to find out what the situation is with Stephen Clemence, and noticed that the game against Derby was one of only two reserve matches played all season.

Does anyone know why we're not entered into any reserve leagues any more?

 

[Hazzman]

Basically we don't have enough first team players to do a league campaign as they effectively become academy sides now as with 7 subs, there will be no more than five first teamers unused.

The reserves have played numerous games this season:- friendlies (often behind closed doors), local competitions and the Totesport League Cup.

 

[Graz]

The reason we first stopped I think is because we were playing in the Premiership Reserves League still or something, and they changed the rules and made it so it was all the Premiership teams reserves in that league or something.. which left us with no league to play in. I think that's right?

The club talked about finding another league, but ended up just arranging reserve friendlies instead.

Plus, probably what Hazz says now too about not having enough players perhaps is why we've played less games this year.

 

[The Old Fox]

The lack of regular reserve football is, in my opinion, a false economy. Players coming back from injury do not get regular competitive football and for players who do not make the first eleven - or one of the, up to three, used subs, there is little 'real' football.

I am not sure that I take your point upon seven subs meaning too few players to fill a bench. As stated above, only three first team subs can play and so, there are four players of supposed first team quality who rarely play and even Leicester has a sizeable squad: so what, if a few youth team players bolster the squad: surely, that gives them the experience of playing against other clubs' returning first team players.

 

[Hazzman]

In cases of small clubs, young kids were playing nearly 40 games a season.

In terms of the first teamers, City think it's better to have them involved in squad than travelling half a day to play a half-heartened game. Going to the Tranmere game at Walkers, the crowd was not big enough to support opening the stadium and neither was the rent of say Hinckley Uniteds ground. Reserve football is also a shadow of what it previously was...it's barely competitive and no surprise that Burton Albion have the best reserve league record this season in the Football League