Whether we’re still operating by then mind you…I jest!
Forget your worries fans, well at least for a maximum of five minutes, the new 2018/19 season is almost upon us and we already know when the big fixture list release is for the Championship (once again).
Meh – Another Year In The Championship & Here’s When It All Begins
The latest development from the EFL is…prepare yourselves…Round 1 of the League Cup…hurrah!
Yes, after last seasons shenanigans with the Carabao Cup and more technical difficulties than Dr Tony Xia can shake a cash flow problem stick at, the geniuses have got back to work this summer and decided the draw will take place in Vietnam.
Can we expect sides to be drawn home and away once again on Friday, June 15th? Can we expect the draw to actually take place approximately at 10.45am UK time as billed?
Get your popcorn ready!
Steve McManaman, Louis Saha and Dennis Wise are heading to Vietnam to conduct the draw and I can only hope one of them is presenting as last season the League Cup had enough issues when only two people were picking up their balls – Ho Chi Minh City could be in for a treat if three of them are supposed to share those duties.
35 Round One ties will be drawn and the EFL will hope this time they can be confirmed in under 30 seconds with no errors as they continue to look to ‘build the value of the competition outside (of) the UK’. That translates as ‘make more money’ by the way.
70 clubs will feature and we are unfortunately one of them again, but this time we are joined by West Bromwich Albion. Fellow relegated Stoke City and Swansea City will join at Round 2 along with Premier League sides not in Europe.
Stupendous rule changes this year to benefit the Premier League and a pointless England side see the removal of extra time from every normal Round and seeding arrangements have also been scrapped from the first two Rounds. The Final will continue to have extra time ahead of penalties though.
Following the trial with Swedish pop group ABBA last season for penalties, the amazing unfairness banged on about by the bean-counting tweakers sees us revert to the normal format once again (who saw that coming eh and for their next trial G-strings instead of Y-fronts).
VAR will continue to be used where appropriate and the Final is set for Sunday, February 24 with the winners taking a spot in the Europa League.
