2020/21 Cup Competitions

[Atavistic]

May as well get this thread underway with the relevant League Cup 1st Round ties:

Northern Section
Walsall vs Sheffield Wednesday
Rochdale vs Huddersfield Town
Preston North End vs Mansfield Town
Blackburn Rovers vs Doncaster Rovers
Stoke City vs Blackpool
Middlesbrough vs Shrewsbury Town
Derby County vs Barrow
Salford City vs Rotherham United
Barnsley vs Nottingham Forest

Southern Section
Bristol City vs Exeter City
Plymouth Argyle vs QPR
MK Dons vs Coventry City
Crawley Town vs Millwall
Brentford vs Wycombe Wanderers
Northampton Town vs Cardiff City
Luton Town vs Norwich City
Birmingham City vs Cambridge United
Newport County vs Swansea City
Reading vs Colchester United

Watford and Bournemouth enter in the 2nd Round, it would seem.

 

[Atavistic]

On our part, we're looking likely to be very thin on numbers for our match against Luton due to international call-ups, so they can probably expect a simple progression into the 2nd Round.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I don't get why the game isn't being moved? We will definitely be without Sluga but James Shea is a more than able replacement.

 

[thewwfc]

Strangely as we prepare to face Brentford, our squad features the least amount of Brentford rejects seen in many moons, only Darius Charles meets that description currently. We’ve often had 2 or 3 in the team.

Sky are often quite lazy in terms of which fixtures they can be arsed to travel to, so for that reason alone we may get on TV.

That, plus the prospect of the new Championship upstarts getting grounded in the grim realities of the long hard season that awaits them.

 

[thewwfc]

Sky are often quite lazy in terms of which fixtures they can be arsed to travel to, so for that reason alone we may get on TV.

and, lo and behold...

https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/...u5jTyRqsKiVoUKY5F6QZ0hUUqWNxB2Yd6YppWWSzVGg4Y

 

[SF_]

Last time we played Mansfield, Alex Neil was lining up for them

 

[Atavistic]

So these are our current confirmed absences for our Luton cup tie, which can't be moved to the week before cos our pre-season schedule only just ends this coming Saturday:

Tim Krul
Michael McGovern
Jamal Lewis
Przemyslaw Placheta
Adam Idah
Jacob Lungi Sorensen

With a bunch more likely to be confirmed, including Pukki almost inevitably. With that outlook and the few injuries we have, that's all our first team goalkeepers gone and all our first team strikers barring Hugill's impending arrival and Drmic's likely departure as a result of that. And if Drmic does stay, he's so useless that we'd be better off playing pretty much anyone else up front.

As for goalkeepers beyond our main three (the two on international duty and the injured Oxborough), the best we have is someone who was on loan at 8th-tier Bury Town last season.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

So these are our current confirmed absences for our Luton cup tie, which can't be moved to the week before cos our pre-season schedule only just ends this coming Saturday:

Tim Krul
Michael McGovern
Jamal Lewis
Przemyslaw Placheta
Adam Idah
Jacob Lungi Sorensen

With a bunch more likely to be confirmed, including Pukki almost inevitably. With that outlook and the few injuries we have, that's all our first team goalkeepers gone and all our first team strikers barring Hugill's impending arrival and Drmic's likely departure as a result of that. And if Drmic does stay, he's so useless that we'd be better off playing pretty much anyone else up front.

As for goalkeepers beyond our main three (the two on international duty and the injured Oxborough), the best we have is someone who was on loan at 8th-tier Bury Town last season.

We will be missing Sluga as well as he will with Croatia but nowhere near as badly hit as yourselves. Everyone is just going to be treating the game as an extension of pre season I think.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Didn't Drmic score a hattrick against us last summer?

 

[Atavistic]

Didn't Drmic score a hattrick against us last summer?

He did, but all I remember from that match was the Patrick Roberts goal, AKA his sole contribution to the club during his loan spell (before he later ended up at Middlesbrough). As for Drmic, Whoscored ranked him as the worst player in the entire Premier League post-lockdown by almost a whole 1.0 over the next worst player. And we're not even just talking a case of doing nothing, in fact his presence on the pitch was actively detrimental and the most he did was provide an assist for an Arsenal goal and miss a load of sitters throughout the season.

In any case, he hasn't been involved in our pre-season matches so far it seems so I doubt he'll be involved even if he is still here and would expect Hugill to start instead (as he's already joined up with the rest of the squad in Germany, so should hopefully be up to speed in time).

 

[Atavistic]

So these are our current confirmed absences for our Luton cup tie, which can't be moved to the week before cos our pre-season schedule only just ends this coming Saturday:

Tim Krul
Michael McGovern
Jamal Lewis
Przemyslaw Placheta
Adam Idah
Jacob Lungi Sorensen

With a bunch more likely to be confirmed, including Pukki almost inevitably. With that outlook and the few injuries we have, that's all our first team goalkeepers gone and all our first team strikers barring Hugill's impending arrival and Drmic's likely departure as a result of that. And if Drmic does stay, he's so useless that we'd be better off playing pretty much anyone else up front.

As for goalkeepers beyond our main three (the two on international duty and the injured Oxborough), the best we have is someone who was on loan at 8th-tier Bury Town last season.

As expected, this list has grown rapidly in recent days. Whether because they haven't been training due to being transfer listed, whether they're injured or whether they're absent for international duty, we now also find ourselves without the following:

Akin Famewo (injured)
Sam Byram (injured)
Josip Drmic (transfer listed, not training)
Tom Trybull (transfer listed, not training)
Moritz Leitner (transfer listed, not training)
Emi Buendia (suspended after picking up a red card towards the end of last season)
Ben Godfrey (internationals)
Max Aarons (internationals)
Oliver Skipp (internationals)
Todd Cantwell (internationals)
Kenny McLean (internationals)
Rocky Bushiri (internationals)

With Danel Sinani and Teemu Pukki expected to be called up to the Luxembourg and Finland squads respectively later in the week.

That's potentially 20 players unavailable, so barring any further changes I'm not sure what kind of 11 we'll be able to put out. Something like this perhaps:

GK: Barden/McCracken
RB: Mumba
CB: Zimmerman, Klose
LB: Quintilla
CM: Tettey, Vrancic
LW: Hernandez
RW: Martin
CAM: Dowell
S: Hugill

No idea who would be on the bench beyond that, but it's not as bad as I first thought as we have a very large squad currently due to how many we've bought in this summer and due to how slow the market is currently moving otherwise.

EDIT: Sinani's call-up now confirmed.

 

[SF_]

Based on the 2 Pre-season games my team for Mansfield would probably be:

Hudson
Rafferty, Bauer, Davies, Earl
Pearson, Ledson
Potts, Johnson, Sinclair
Barkhuizen​

 

[SF_]

Won 4-0. Barkhuizen, Maguire, Bauer & Harrop with the goals.

Didn't watch it but doesn't sound like the scoreline flattered us.

A rare clean sheet for Connor Ripley and the lesser spotted Tom Bayliss also had a run out.

 

[Kenneth E End]

HAPPY NEW SEASON LADIES AND GENTLEMAN.

Really doesn't feel like it in all honesty.

 

[Atavistic]

Well, on top of all the players we have missing on international duty, it's now looking like we'll also be without Xavi Quintilla and Onel Hernandez due to knocks picked up at the end of pre-season. With so many absentees, I just want to get this match out of the way and get that little bit more fitness in for the league matches.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I'd expect us to go with this line up tomorrow, and really with the number of absentees, I'd kind of expect us to at least take it to penalties.

GK James Shea
RB James Bree
LB Rhys Norrington-Davies
CB Sonny Bradley
CB Matty Pearson
DM Glen Rea
DM Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu
CM Luke Berry
RW Jordan Clark
LW Harry Cornick
CF James Collins
Subs: Harry Isted, Martin Crainie, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Danny Hylton, Elliot Lee, Andrew Shinnie, Kazenga LuaLua
Seniors Not Picked: George Moncur, Peter Kioso
Unavailable: Simon Sluga, Tom Lockyer (both internationals); Dan Potts, Brendan Galloway, Eunan O'Kane (all injuries)

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Bree only on the bench for us so obviously not quite match fit yet as RND starts on the other side. Looking like the diamond is still plan A for us this season, thought like Ken above that we might go 433 this season.

Have to say despite the 15 absences for Norwich it still looks a strong side from there point of view!

 

[Kenneth E End]

Have to say despite the 15 absences for Norwich it still looks a strong side from there point of view!

Which really makes a mockery of it really - they must have about 40 pros on their books!

 

[Atavistic]

It would be nice if we could go a single match without a centre back getting injured. Good that we bought Gibson in when we did, as he'll be sorely needed now.

Not watching the game, but even considering that we're running with a decent but very depleted squad I'm disappointed that it sounds like Farke hasn't made any real tactical changes and that we're still making the same mistakes as ever, giving away silly penalties, being utterly hopeless at defending corners and lapsing in concentration immediately after scoring.

That's what I'm concerned about for this season and why I'm not confident we'll do as well as everyone expects despite clearly having a strong squad.

EDIT: New season, same old shite from us.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Really good result than in the end - Collins with a hat-trick; second time in 4 seasons he's done that in the opening game of the season. Crazy end of the game, all 4 goals coming in the last 11 minutes! Jordan Clark came on with 20 minutes to go for his debut and pops up with two assists too.

Up until that point it felt like a pre season friendly and the game was going nowhere.

I did feel that up until the penalty we weren't positive enough against a Norwich B team. Almost waiting for a mistake a la the end of last season; and I suppose really that's worked those tactics.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Decent win, Norwich still put out a fairly strong team and we won with relative comfort really. Defensively we looked really solid and with Sluga, Bree and Lockyer to add to that mix it bodes for a better goals against column! Hugill didn’t get a kick all afternoon I don’t think.

Attacking wise until Clark came on we didn’t look very good but when he did he got his head up more than Cornick and delivered some good crosses leading to the penalty and the goal, looked decent and Collins will hopefully be looking forward to a few more balls to work with this season.

 

[SF_]

Don't like that Brentford stadium, looks like a boxy version of Rotherham's with weird seats.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Don't like that Brentford stadium, looks like a boxy version of Rotherham's with weird seats.

I like em actually. Reminds me of the Gabba in Brisbane, which in itself is one of the best cauldron atmospheres in the world. Surprised with the small capacity though; I presume there is provision to expand to 25,000+ if need be? Its smaller than what our initial capacity will be when that gets built in the coming years.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Reading away for us in the next round and whoever wins it gets Man United at home so plenty of incentive.

Played really poorly in both Reading games last season so we owe them one a little bit, is one of those “meh” ties though.

 

[Millerbri]

Don't like that Brentford stadium, looks like a boxy version of Rotherham's with weird seats.

Obviously not a patch on NYS but at least you won't see the horrible seating when crowds come back......eventually!
The seat colours just seem to be totally random and I couldn't take my eyes off them trying to find a pattern.

 

[thewwfc]

The seat colours just seem to be totally random and I couldn't take my eyes off them trying to find a pattern.

?

the seat pattern was clearly designed to match our beautiful new goalie kit

 

[SF_]

Obviously not a patch on NYS but at least you won't see the horrible seating when crowds come back......eventually!
The seat colours just seem to be totally random and I couldn't take my eyes off them trying to find a pattern.

Yeah. Fair point. Much more character than Rotherham's.

 

[Millerbri]

Yeah. Fair point. Much more character than Rotherham's.

Obviously beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I love our ground, there isn't a bad seat in the house, and when you have been to Don Valley to get something as good as NYS was not expected.

The worst part of ours is the lack of space on the concourses but this is because the stands are steep and don't have a huge footprint because of the lack of space on the island on which the ground is built.

Rather that than have to move out of town to an industrial estate.

 

[SF_]

Derby away. Awful.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Our game v Reading in R2 will kick off at 6pm and not televised on Sky to our knowledge. What is it with these sudden early kick offs... people are working!