Wray: "They're killing cup football" (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Swindon1984 wrote:
Wise words - three days between an identical fixture in the prem? Crazy. The armchair supporters of the top clubs clearly can't get enough. Would understand it if Chelsea or united had drawn a lower league side but the two playing against eachother holds no great attraction in a cup context.

Still think there's magic in the FA cup where there rare non-league giant killings, but most premiership clubs don't give a toss about the league cup anymore.

avo wrote:
Not really bothered. I won't be watching it, the only game I'm interested in that week is Swindon v Villa.

Rebel_phish wrote:
Poor scheduling again.

What I think is more damaging to the integrity of this Cup is the amount of team changes being made by the big boys. I know its a squad game and rotation is key, but really they have been treating it as a joke to too long now.

How many times are the Town scheduled to be on TV between now and the end of December? let me see .... Oh ZERO.

Turning this into a positive, it does increase our chances of the win. Except the recent BHA win, how many times have we performed well and won when we are in front of the cameras.

Generally I've found we don't play well on Sundays or with cameras present.

So magical night of cup football to come.

batch wrote:
Chelsea v Man U Res I can sort of understand as it will generate some interest. But Reading VI v Arsenal Res? Te only less attractive tie is Wigan v Bradford, and I'd personally rather watch that anyway.

Still this is 2012, football has gone "greed is good" in general, not just in the cup.

old town robin wrote:

avo wrote:
Not really bothered. I won't be watching it, the only game I'm interested in that week is Swindon v Villa.

me too, should be a sell out, get your tickets early if you don't want to be disappointed.

CBCred wrote:
I am a season ticket holder and rarely miss but that week I will be in Scotland so was desperately hoping it would be on TV. I agree with Mr Wray and many others on here. Chelsea Res v Man Utd Res..I watched the Man U v Newcastle tie and wish I hadn't bothered. Does anybody know if the match is likely to be streamed on the net and if so how/ where etc?

Norfolk Red wrote:
As much as I would love to see town on TV more often, I am sure that the Publicans want "big" clubs to draw the punters in. As attractive as town are, even with the PDC link, unfortunately it doesn't attract the plastic and glory hunters in. Sky will know this, and I am sure the pub trade (who pay a fortune) have some sway over who gets shown to bring in the cash. 120 grand is peanuts to the likes of Chelski and Man U, but makes the difference between survival or going under to the smaller clubs. Unless the money men wake up to this, sooner or later it will only be a handful of clubs and the "product" they peddle will be become stale, and the money will dry up ...... A classic example is the Football league show..... one hour to cover 3 divisions ..... pathetic.

Since 1950 wrote:
The Domestic Cup competitions have been on life support for several seasons now. The League Cup is nothing more than a distraction to Prem clubs, and even the FA Cup is hardly a top priority any more. It no longer holds the glammour and magic it used to have and just gets lost in the more 'important' end of season games. It's greed which will finally kill off the Domestic Cup competitions. Greed by the Premier League and Sky TV. Even the International game is suffering through it. The worst is the lower Leagues will follow in the death march for the same reasons. Mr Wray is quite right in what he has said about our challenge for the Championship. It's a matter of survival for us. In a couple of season there will be Prem1 and Prem 2. Then up will come the ladder and 3rd Div North and 3rd Div South, 'Semi Pro' Football again for those on the outside.

dreamofacleansheet2 wrote:
No problem with Chelsea v Man Utd and I won't turn it on till the end to see the draw for the 5th round! Reading v Arsenal I won't bother with either and clearly will be at Mecca to see the Reds.

Having thought about it apart from the money (not ideal) I can't see a downside. Hopefully full or near full house, hopefully great atmosphere, hopefully another brilliant performance, hopefully a win and hopefully some of the part time fans may start to realise what's going on at the County Ground and come more often.

You can feel, touch it smell it. Success in a big way is coming. This derided manager of a few weeks ago really is something special. This has made me conclude the less we are on the tv the better, keep other teams away from our manager and players for longer. Difficult not to screen the League Cup semi's mind!

Back to back to back promotions coming.

dreamofacleansheet2 wrote:
Ps As London recommends above

http://www.bbc.co.uk

/sport/0/football/19

749668

Our manager is far far far from mad. He really does get this game. COYR

Stratton Red wrote:
Chelsea ManU was always going to be on and I'm looking forward to watching it. Agree with Wray, why not give a team outside the Prem/Champ a moment in the limelight. * At the end of the day it's no good whinging about the money situation unless fans do something about it. How many Champ, L1 and L2 fans have sky sports? If you could run some kind of Twatter/Facebook campaign that said if the money wasn't better distributed by August next year you would cancel their Sky subscription, Sky would soon listen up and be influencing the Premier league... It's the only way it will happen...

Wilesy wrote:
Both the games chosen are more attractive than Swindon v Villa, plus we've already been on TV in the first round. I'm not surprised we're not featuring. There is a bit of interest for me in watching the other games as it's good to see the up and coming youngsters given an opportunity. There is no prize money in the competition as J Wray said so it's only marginally more prestigious than the JPT and thats because it includes the Prem and Champ teams. 2 ways to make it more appealing - as above give the winner a Champions League spot, or like the JPT enforce a rule on the number of players from the previous league game having to play.

smirg kcab wrote:
Get real chaps anyone of the games could have been picked, At least the stay away swindle fans won't be able to watch it live making it a bigger attendance (I hope) plus if they do the Stubbs as they should I'm hoping many more fans will go to the games leading up to the villa game. So all not lost a win/win with a win situation. If we were drawn away to Man U they would have still picked Liverpool v Swansea just because Rodgers or Norwich v spurs due to houghton. Onwards and upwards stop moaning and pay your money

smirg kcab wrote:
Get real chaps anyone of the games could have been picked,
At least the stay away swindle fans won't be able to watch it live making it a bigger attendance (I hope) plus if they do the Stubbs as they should I'm hoping many more fans will go to the games leading up to the villa game.
So all not lost a win/win with a win situation. If we were drawn away to Man U they would have still picked Liverpool v Swansea just because Rodgers or Norwich v spurs due to houghton.
Onwards and upwards stop moaning and pay your money

Swindon1984 wrote:

Norfolk Red wrote: As much as I would love to see town on TV more often, I am sure that the Publicans want "big" clubs to draw the punters in. As attractive as town are, even with the PDC link, unfortunately it doesn't attract the plastic and glory hunters in. Sky will know this, and I am sure the pub trade (who pay a fortune) have some sway over who gets shown to bring in the cash. 120 grand is peanuts to the likes of Chelski and Man U, but makes the difference between survival or going under to the smaller clubs. Unless the money men wake up to this, sooner or later it will only be a handful of clubs and the "product" they peddle will be become stale, and the money will dry up ...... A classic example is the Football league show..... one hour to cover 3 divisions ..... pathetic.

Half an hour to cover the championship, just over ten minutes each for leagues 1 and 2. Some matches are condensed into around 30-40 seconds. Ludicrous. I'm sure the HTV local news used to do extended highlights for both Bristol clubs and Town a few years ago on a Sunday (even then Town always got the shortest coverage because of the regional bias) or am I going mad?

SAPFanSTFC wrote:

old town robin wrote:

avo wrote:
Not really bothered. I won't be watching it, the only game I'm interested in that week is Swindon v Villa.

me too, should be a sell out, get your tickets early if you don't want to be disappointed.

I just feel sorry for the Town fans further afield around the country who can't make it on a work day and for those further afield around the globe.
---
STFC in the last 16 at home to a Premiership side....and one who are their for the taking to provide a nice big cup 'shock'.
---
Having said that I also feel sorry for all the neutrals having to put up with two reserve teams pretending to fight it out.

the wizard wrote:
Stratton and P-Syd,

I agree with you both, but I would have thought that a man with Wray's worldly knowledge would have realised long ago that two factors come before all else in this world, money and ****.

At least Fred Dineage had to say when the draw was read out on the ITV news last night ," Swindon verses Aston Villa, beware of a likely upset there", and I believe he is a Southampton supporter.

Years back TV couldn't get enough of The Town, but as so many have rightly pointed out, money goes to money these days.
I've done away with SKY as a whole, and tbh now we don't miss it. There is plenty of good free TV on Satellite especially if you hook up a different box to your Sky set up. Stick your Satellite where the sun don't shine Murdock, you are despicable.

Malkym wrote:

smirg kcab wrote: Get real chaps anyone of the games could have been picked, At least the stay away swindle fans won't be able to watch it live making it a bigger attendance (I hope) plus if they do the Stubbs as they should I'm hoping many more fans will go to the games leading up to the villa game. So all not lost a win/win with a win situation. If we were drawn away to Man U they would have still picked Liverpool v Swansea just because Rodgers or Norwich v spurs due to houghton. Onwards and upwards stop moaning and pay your money

Grim - is that Ray STUBBS or ticket STUBS lol!! Happy to pay my dosh -I've kept my stubs!

Malkym wrote:

smirg kcab wrote: Get real chaps anyone of the games could have been picked, At least the stay away swindle fans won't be able to watch it live making it a bigger attendance (I hope) plus if they do the Stubbs as they should I'm hoping many more fans will go to the games leading up to the villa game. So all not lost a win/win with a win situation. If we were drawn away to Man U they would have still picked Liverpool v Swansea just because Rodgers or Norwich v spurs due to houghton. Onwards and upwards stop moaning and pay your money

Grim - is that Ray STUBBS or ticket STUBS lol!! Happy to pay my dosh -I've kept my stubs!

andy5364 wrote:

smirg kcab wrote: Get real chaps anyone of the games could have been picked, At least the stay away swindle fans won't be able to watch it live making it a bigger attendance (I hope) plus if they do the Stubbs as they should I'm hoping many more fans will go to the games leading up to the villa game. So all not lost a win/win with a win situation. If we were drawn away to Man U they would have still picked Liverpool v Swansea just because Rodgers or Norwich v spurs due to houghton. Onwards and upwards stop moaning and pay your money

Pot and Ketell springs to mind !!!!!

Malkym wrote:

Wilesy wrote:
Both the games chosen are more attractive than Swindon v Villa, plus we've already been on TV in the first round. I'm not surprised we're not featuring. There is a bit of interest for me in watching the other games as it's good to see the up and coming youngsters given an opportunity. There is no prize money in the competition as J Wray said so it's only marginally more prestigious than the JPT and thats because it includes the Prem and Champ teams. 2 ways to make it more appealing - as above give the winner a Champions League spot, or like the JPT enforce a rule on the number of players from the previous league game having to play.

Wilsey - perhaps to the wider general public and I know you are a staunch STFC fan the games chosen are "more sattractive" but I wonder to whom? Not your average supporter of a non- Prem club I'd suggest but certainly from a commercial perspective and potential revenue form advertising blues V Man U is more likely to attract sponsors to push up Murdoch's millions further.

JW is spot on about the cups dying - Den made a point recently about the magic disappearing from the FA & League Cups, The prospect of David slaying Goliath was always there to put a tingle in the spine and Town's cup exploits against higher league opposition are legendary a trend that Paolo has continued since he became manager.

Frankly the Prem bores me (obviously if we were in it I'd take an interest but only from Town's perspective) and even if I had Sky the propect of Blues v Reds twice in three days (ala Celtic v Rangers umpteen times a season in the past) is about as exciting as watching paint dry - oh and don't get me started on the JPT :)

old town robin wrote:

SAPFanSTFC wrote:

old town robin wrote:

avo wrote:
Not really bothered. I won't be watching it, the only game I'm interested in that week is Swindon v Villa.

me too, should be a sell out, get your tickets early if you don't want to be disappointed.

I just feel sorry for the Town fans further afield around the country who can't make it on a work day and for those further afield around the globe.
---
STFC in the last 16 at home to a Premiership side....and one who are their for the taking to provide a nice big cup 'shock'.
---
Having said that I also feel sorry for all the neutrals having to put up with two reserve teams pretending to fight it out.

Sap, I think there would be a good chance one or two international TV Networks may show it, I know a few fans in OZ lobbied Fox last season and were able to see the mighty town on occassion, so you never know the globals might get to see it on TV.

With regards to SKY selecting the United reserves v Chelsea reserves, I've got Sky but it holds no interest to me at all to see them up against each other for the umpteenth time. It's just a pity that the decision of who shows what is a monopoly, If they choose to show the two games they want then the other networks should have the option to televise any of the rest of the games if they want, but as with the banks, they trade off to ensure they get maximum viewing figures

Malkym wrote:

Wilesy wrote:
Both the games chosen are more attractive than Swindon v Villa, plus we've already been on TV in the first round. I'm not surprised we're not featuring. There is a bit of interest for me in watching the other games as it's good to see the up and coming youngsters given an opportunity. There is no prize money in the competition as J Wray said so it's only marginally more prestigious than the JPT and thats because it includes the Prem and Champ teams. 2 ways to make it more appealing - as above give the winner a Champions League spot, or like the JPT enforce a rule on the number of players from the previous league game having to play.

Wilsey - perhaps to the wider general public and I know you are a staunch STFC fan the games chosen are "more sattractive" but I wonder to whom? Not your average supporter of a non- Prem club I'd suggest but certainly from a commercial perspective and potential revenue form advertising blues V Man U is more likely to attract sponsors to push up Murdoch's millions further.

JW is spot on about the cups dying - Den made a point recently about the magic disappearing from the FA & League Cups, The prospect of David slaying Goliath was always there to put a tingle in the spine and Town's cup exploits against higher league opposition are legendary a trend that Paolo has continued since he became manager.

Frankly the Prem bores me (obviously if we were in it I'd take an interest but only from Town's perspective) and even if I had Sky the propect of Blues v Reds twice in three days (ala Celtic v Rangers umpteen times a season in the past) is about as exciting as watching paint dry - oh and don't get me started on the JPT :)

Malkym wrote:

Stratton Red wrote: Chelsea ManU was always going to be on and I'm looking forward to watching it. Agree with Wray, why not give a team outside the Prem/Champ a moment in the limelight. * At the end of the day it's no good whinging about the money situation unless fans do something about it. How many Champ, L1 and L2 fans have sky sports? If you could run some kind of Twatter/Facebook campaign that said if the money wasn't better distributed by August next year you would cancel their Sky subscription, Sky would soon listen up and be influencing the Premier league... It's the only way it will happen...

Lol!! you are priceless mon ami PMSL- first you ask JW to postpone the Villa game 24hrs till you're back off hols & then you say you're looking forward to watching Chelsea & Man U - in the next breath you call for everybody - because it would have to be everybody - to cancel their sky sports connection lol!! So does that mean everybody including you or everybody except you so you can still watch it :) See you Tuesday for the Colchester! I'm with Syd re the dreadful commentators particulary Townsend & Tydlesley on ITV - sound down & Alan Green for me - trouble is the pictures are out of sync with the radio conmmentray - bit of a delay but still better than those two pillocks IMO.

Wilesy wrote:

Malkym wrote:

Wilesy wrote: Both the games chosen are more attractive than Swindon v Villa, plus we've already been on TV in the first round. I'm not surprised we're not featuring. There is a bit of interest for me in watching the other games as it's good to see the up and coming youngsters given an opportunity. There is no prize money in the competition as J Wray said so it's only marginally more prestigious than the JPT and thats because it includes the Prem and Champ teams. 2 ways to make it more appealing - as above give the winner a Champions League spot, or like the JPT enforce a rule on the number of players from the previous league game having to play.

Wilsey - perhaps to the wider general public and I know you are a staunch STFC fan the games chosen are "more sattractive" but I wonder to whom? Not your average supporter of a non- Prem club I'd suggest but certainly from a commercial perspective and potential revenue form advertising blues V Man U is more likely to attract sponsors to push up Murdoch's millions further. JW is spot on about the cups dying - Den made a point recently about the magic disappearing from the FA & League Cups, The prospect of David slaying Goliath was always there to put a tingle in the spine and Town's cup exploits against higher league opposition are legendary a trend that Paolo has continued since he became manager. Frankly the Prem bores me (obviously if we were in it I'd take an interest but only from Town's perspective) and even if I had Sky the propect of Blues v Reds twice in three days (ala Celtic v Rangers umpteen times a season in the past) is about as exciting as watching paint dry - oh and don't get me started on the JPT :)

Malkym appreciate the comments, but guess the TV money men know what sells - presumably it's not Swindon v Villa. Personally I prefer to see a potential cup upset as it's more exciting, but I can symapathise with the scheduling. For example I'm sure Capital One would have something to say if Chelsea v Man Utd wasn't a featured game and Swindon v Villa was.

Psychedelic Syd wrote:
I'm sick of the premiership with its hugely overpaid prima donnas, sychophantic commentators and prawn sandwich-eating-cher

ry-picking "supporters". The disparity between the leagues has never been so great and it is slowly destroying our domestic game and the development of young English players. The national press never run articles on clubs below the Championship and BBC/ITV news never mentions results in the lower leagues. Back in the 70's all the night's results would be given during the 10 O'clock news and it raised the profile of lower league clubs. The supporters of clubs in the lower leagues are the real ones - we get 20 years of misery for every 3 feelgood ones and still we come back for more. Far more money should be coming down into the lower leagues. The premiership is just a poisonous cesspit with a crowd of hangers-on gobbling up the **** along with all the money. COYMR! Get up there and start scoffing too before these other clubs eat it all!

Seriously, there is something very wrong with the current set up. The rich get richer and before long we are going to see many good small clubs fall by the wayside.

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:
Dont understand why the Adver keep showing that picture of JW holding the jpt as if we had won it...
Too me all that picture does is remind me of a VERY crap STFC that lead to a very sad day...
NEVER MIND

Malkym wrote:
Check out the link below - Paolo's BBC sport column. In it he explains exactly why he pulled off Wes at Preston - and you know what? you can't argue with one word of his logic for doing so Who was right me or the media he asks well there is no doubt issa di Paolo.


http://www.bbc.co.uk

/sport/0/football/19

749668

the wizard wrote:

Malkym wrote: Check out the link below - Paolo's BBC sport column. In it he explains exactly why he pulled off Wes at Preston - and you know what? you can't argue with one word of his logic for doing so Who was right me or the media he asks well there is no doubt issa di Paolo. http://www.bbc.co.uk /sport/0/football/19 749668

Sorry buddy, but this link was also flagged up this morning by a couple of posters. There is no doubting it is a very good link and the interview was by Gary Rose, ex-Swindon Adver.

Malkym wrote:

the wizard wrote:

Malkym wrote: Check out the link below - Paolo's BBC sport column. In it he explains exactly why he pulled off Wes at Preston - and you know what? you can't argue with one word of his logic for doing so Who was right me or the media he asks well there is no doubt issa di Paolo. http://www.bbc.co.uk /sport/0/football/19 749668

Sorry buddy, but this link was also flagged up this morning by a couple of posters. There is no doubting it is a very good link and the interview was by Gary Rose, ex-Swindon Adver.

Don't apologise - there's probably others like me who were at work:) and haven't had time to trawl back through posts so maybe it'll be of use to a few :)

Malkym wrote:
Not going tomorrow Wiz -much as I'd like to - so will like you await the verdict of the travellers. Here's hoping for 3 points and a good performance.Nite.

joey butler wrote:

Malkym wrote: Not going tomorrow Wiz -much as I'd like to - so will like you await the verdict of the travellers. Here's hoping for 3 points and a good performance.Nite.

So Malky, Why are so many Dale Farm Travellers going to Shrewsbury tomorrow?? Big Fat Gypsy Wedding there after the match perhaps?

Malkym wrote:

joey butler wrote:

Malkym wrote: Not going tomorrow Wiz -much as I'd like to - so will like you await the verdict of the travellers. Here's hoping for 3 points and a good performance.Nite.

So Malky, Why are so many Dale Farm Travellers going to Shrewsbury tomorrow?? Big Fat Gypsy Wedding there after the match perhaps?

Que?