Listen, I am not particularly interested in the competition formerly known as the League Cup. No-one else has stepped up so I am going to do the MDT. Cannot have this board fail to do one since we first started this tradition many, many years ago.
It is unlikely we can win this Mickey Mouse cup. Teams like Man City, Man Poo, Liverpool, Chelsea and even those like Arsenal have such big squads that they can put out their first team players needing game time that have costs tens of millions and mix them, if wanted, with a handful of their best kids.
If any get into the quarter finals or progress further then a far stronger team will be played. We have only been in the Prem for 1 season and have missed 16 seasons of big TV money so our squad has to be small, which fits MBs philosophy, so there is no chance we can rotate effectively to match.
My ambition is just to get through this tie so some of our kids get another game v a proper men's side.
Watching the U23 game today, there are kids with potential to move up, but none are really ready to step into the first team in Prem games right now - not even Cresswell. Another few months in PL1 U23 football would be beneficial to them as players at this level only need one chance to score as proven by the Spurs No9 in a game we dominated for ages - we just did not take our many chances.
Crewe now are now more renowned for the child sex scandal of the 80s/90s than for their previously famed academy that brought through major star players like Seth Johnson and Luke Murphy. (said tongue in cheek). Luke is their captain and I am sure he is relishing a return to playing on the hallowed turf of Elland Road.
They also have one current international Donervon Daniels who represents that feared international team of Montserrat. He is a RB/CB
Surprised so many I thought would start tomorrow, played the U23 game today but a few clues given as ones that may play v Crewe only got a few minutes.
If I were MB I would pick:
Meslier
Shackleton Cresswell Cooper(Koch if fully fit) Firpo
Phillips
Summerville Forshaw Costa
Roberts
Rodrigo
Subs: From the U23s
No prediction as when I do we always lose.
We were going but the boy got a game that night.... sod's law and would have been perfect if either team could have played on the Wednesday! 🤬
I find your comments surprising Mouseman....