I gather they're having to play a youth team. More evidence, I'm afraid, of the erosion of the FA Cup. Why wasn't the tie postponed until Derby could field a proper squad?
I'm going to go into "when I were a lad this were all fields mode" now Helen. Back in 1978 when we drew Rotherham away in, I think, the second round, the fixture was postponed at least twice due to bad weather. In fact I think we only played about three ganes total in two months. Disaster didn't occur. The league got completed, the next round of the Cup was drawn with us or Rotherham against whoever it might have been. Can't remember cos the Millers eventually beat us. There's no way, in my mind, Derby should have been forced to play their youth team at this point in proceedings.
If it gets a lower league club further in the tournament I don't mind. I think the COVID situation has forced this in all honesty. Didn't a lower team lose out in the Carabao Cup by giving the tie to Spurs because they couldn't field a team?
Probably. The top clubs don't give a damn about the Cups. Time was every club in the land used to fight like hell in the FA Cup because it really meant something. Crowds would be much bigger than league games in every round. It's all ruined now and I'm afraid as far as giant killings go Chorley beating Derby will not even register and believe me, if it had been Chorley against a full strength Derby I'd have been cheering on a Chorley win. Today...it's just a shrug of the shoulders I'm afraid. Right, rant over.
I award you the biglil medal for the outstanding retrieval from memory of old clogiron! Impressive stuff.
I think the bookies had Chorley as favourites in the pre -match betting, so probably not as much of a shock as it first appears. Just underlines how well Villas' kids did against a decent Liverpool side for 60 minutes or so last night though.
8/11 and Derby were 7/2. I don't think I appreciated how 'youth' the Derby team was going to be. Thought those odds were a steal!
Rotherham tripped my other one up as well. Nightmare start. In my head I was thinking Derby U23's, but it must have been the U18's.