Friday Freebie: How contradict yourself from one week to the next
Non-league's top flight in more controversial fashion
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Only last week was I writing about the National League not covering themselves in glory over the expulsion of Gateshead from the play-off’s and coming out in support of FA Cup replays disappearing.
This week we found out the reason why, the ridiculous creation of a new cup competition with the Premier League Under 21 sides. So last week they went all out for replays to disappear citing fixture congestion to now adding in potentially seven more fixtures just in the group stage.
Set for groups of eight in four regions and four clubs from each pool, unless the Under 21’s don’t play each other then it seems a little pointless. Naturally, fans of clubs from non-league’s top division aren’t at all impressed.
To be in bed with the Premier League is a dangerous game to be playing especially with their attitude to the rest of the game. It appears to me to be a flex of power towards the EFL who aren’t in agreement with the proposed settlement of money heading to their 72 clubs.
However, the National League seem to have forgotten they feed into the EFL, at a time when clubs are doing their best to display that 3 up, 3 down should be occurring between League Two and their own it’s really quite strange behaviour.
Here we seem to have one league working on behalf of six clubs and not the full 20 whilst on the other hand we have one league who seem to be working for themselves and not their 24 member clubs.
The competition won’t even include eight of their own clubs, it’s exclusive not inclusive, seemingly very much like England’s top division.
Clubs I believe were informed in all three National League divisions on Thursday and so far baring one club chairman I’ve yet to see any noise made about this new invention.
If some National League clubs won’t even take the FA Trophy seriously, then what hope has this midweek competition got to pit their sides against kids?
It really stinks of money and helping elite sides to develop those kids because they can’t be bothered to sort out a proper competition amongst themselves.
What the National League board seem to forget is they are elected to serve their members; the Premier League is too far gone for that to make any difference and it’ll be interesting to see if any clubs have the balls to stand up to them and decline entering the competition.
 As mentioned above fans so far have stuck two fingers up at the decision and I would hope that attendances are extremely low if any bother to turn up and 99% do boycott the whole competition.
If the cost of staging each match is more than the clubs get in return for being such good guinea pigs then they might clamour to show Mark Ives the fool he has been in agreeing to this, we’ll await with bated breath as I can’t imagine there won’t be more developments in the coming days.
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