Back again to Mansfield this time to see a EFL Trophy game, a competition I have never really understood the necessity except for the benefit to the two teams who reach the final. Tuesday 7th November EFL Trophy.
Mansfield were playing Everton U21’s but without an on line or physical team sheet I had no idea who the young hopefuls were. This was apart from Seamus Coleman one of the Senior players allowed in the regulations. I believe he is coming back from injury and his experience, control and commitment showed until subbed off as a precaution after a slight injury.
It was a cold clear night but only 819 had turned out (74 from Everton). The pitch looked great but after just a few moments there were traces of brown showing though the grass after the recent continual rain.
Everton were on top in the first half and looked in complete control but for some scrambled away corners at the end of the first 45 minutes. Some of their team showed amazing pace with the ball and their inter passing skill and positional play was good. However they too had not really troubled Mansfield’s reserve goalkeeper who looked very composed.
Mansfield goalkeeper made 2 point blank saves in 1st 15 mins of the second half and Everton clipped the intersection of the upright and crossbar with a right foot curler 5 minutes later.
Nigel Clough made 4 changes on 73 minutes to try to change the game, with no avail and the game drifted on. One minute into the 4 minutes added time Mansfield’s Cooper, was adjudged to have pulled over an attacker who looked suspiciously to be leaning on. Up stepped Chermitti to hit the ball straight down the middle as the goalkeeper dived to his right.
No way back for Mansfield and a cruel way to lose.
Mansfield Town o Everton U21 1
Having completed my trilogy of Mansfield games I had time to reflect on footballs lower level survival.
How do you compare the income generated for an attendance of 819 for an official cup game with the money earned and spent at the pinnacle of the game. The gap between the top teams who play in Europe and those in the lower divisions grows inexorably every day. I wandered who this trophy is for, the smaller clubs, who must earn little if any income from the games or a means for the Premier teams to have competition for their Under 21’s players.
Clubs were born out of Churches, factories, cricket teams, Sunday League teams, youth teams etc, but the main theme was their community. Often as theses teams grew they needed local benefactors to support their gate receipts. This support may have been altruistic, due to a love of their local area or sometimes as a way of improving their standing in the community or to gain advertising for their company. The thing that is most relevant here is ‘Local’, which was also the tag that would be used to talk about fans. Fans started following their local team because there was not the transport to travel far and wide, they couldn’t justify the cost, they often worked Saturday mornings and there were a host of local newspapers that reported about the clubs. The majority of fans were from a working class background and if their club reached a national final ( FA Cup or Amateur Cup) they would descend on the capital and take it over, claiming it for their club and community. To some degree, communities not being left behind as teams from all parts of the land reached Wembley.
Jump to today and there are only a relative few teams who are going to win everything, backed by TV rights deals, a commodification of the club, European football and an ownership structure that may have an agenda to maximise profits or benefit the sporting political ethos of different states. There is a disconnect here that spills over to the fans. Fans of the Elite clubs are now from all over the world due to games being broadcast to everywhere, social media and an increase in disposable income and transportation. Low cost airlines even allow people to support teams in other countries than their own. So the working class community fan has been slowly squeezed out as the so named ‘prawn sandwich fan’ has been willing to pay increased seat prices, club merchandise prices and experience add-ons. Even the wealth of owners is graded, it cost Wrexham a great deal to get out of the National League but how deep are their owner’s pockets to get into the Premiership? Even if they succeed, there is a further tier level to confront. It appears to me there are the relegation clubs, often those promoted from the year before, the mid table group who don’t go down but don’t make it to the top table and the Elite. Having watched Watford in a previous era, my love of Luton FC is somewhat tainted, but I am rooting for this Supporters’ Trust owned club to defy the odds and stay up. Will this community disconnect result in local causes being overlooked for one’s that cater for their international base.
This wealth has increased the power of players to rightly demand their share of the riches but this has percolated to lower divisions clubs who can not afford it. This has also led to a disconnect with local fans in that they want success but there are no local players, often they are from the far side of the earth spending a fleeting glance in the history of the club. Although you could not say that Charlie Aitkin was local to Aston Villa, being born in Edinburgh, his recent death showed the loyalty by player and club that is so very rare to see. He played 660 games for Villa, all but 3 of them from the start, in three different divisions and was a League Cup winner. Now it seems that Elite Football Academy’s draw youngsters from far and wide and then often off load them to ensure they comply with the Fair Play Rules. Using Villa again as an example, will we see a Grealish, born in Birmingham and one of their own, come through again?
As top clubs increase their match day prices to maximise income to cover costs the fans have become more drawn from a wealthy group, travelling often from far away. Tickets in the Premier League often start at £50+ if you have paid for club membership. There are loyal fans who I admire in keeping faith despite the cost demands of todays living.
Are there clouds on the horizon for the Super Clubs, TV Rights deals are not expected to see the rises of the past as more and more TV and streaming companies merge, Disney-Hulu, Warner-Eurosport- TNT Sport-BT, more sharing of content among rights owners and perhaps we have reached peak English football. There is also the big fish on the horizon, Saudi Arabia, who have disrupted golf and football with the lure of big salaries in their Global Sports Domination Program.
In my mind the EFL Trophy needs modifying if it is to survive. Perhaps very local leagues to start the season drawing in derby crowds with a final on New Year’s Day! Just a thought, I’m sure there are others.
It’s been good to go to Mansfield and enjoy a real community feel and belonging. Thank you, but it’s back to the lower levels for me to really feel that connect.
As I have said before there are no chips at Mansfield so I was ready for a cup of mushy peas with mint sauce. Horror, I had left my wallet at home because the ticket was on the phone. Perhaps it’s time to add payment to my phone.
payonthegate 