FA Premier Reserve League

So, at this point Arsenal, Fulham, Stoke City, Birmingham City and Tottenham Hotspur have decided to pull out of the FA Premier Reserve League, and will organize games on their own, playing various friendlies throughout the season instead of competing in a real league.

Will this be put in effect for FM 2011? It might be hard to get a reserve team to play friendlies against teams because the other team will probably be unavailable for friendly matches because of their own season.

How will this be fixed for FM 2011? Any ideas?

Maybe it's time to implent the Reserves League properly aswell. Word is out that there will be three groups, A-C, based on regions and such. Each side will play the other teams in their group twice, home and away, and every other team once, meaning a total of 19 games. The winners of Group A would then face the winners of Group B for the right to meet the Group C winners for the national title. Would be great if this could be implented for FM2011. Adds a much more competitive feeling for the Reserves, instead of having the feeling of random.

Well the reserve leagues are done on a regional basis at the moment. It's just that SI have not followed the real life reserve set-ups, mainly I believe because it would be too much effort for too little gain.

On the matter of making them feel more compeditive, reserve leagues are rarely compeditive in real life either, they're an opportunity to run out back-up players, prospects and injury returnees.

How many people could say who the winners of the FAPL reserve league have been over the years (without using google)?

Manchester won last season! (hey, you didn't say I couldn't use Bing ).

Anyway, is the choice not already in the game (or is that for u-18 only)?

Manchester won last season! (hey, you didn't say I couldn't use Bing ).

Noooo! (in whiny Anniken voice) my evil plan is foiled!

Anyway, is the choice not already in the game (or is that for u-18 only)?

The way I read it is that the OP would like a more real life based reserve set-up, but yes you don't have to enter in your reserve team at the start of the year, and play loads of friendlies if you can get them. I suspect the real life teams pulling out are either winding up the reserves (a la Newcastle Utd under Keegan) or will look to rejoin in 2011/2012 as it will be hard to get regular games.

Well the reserve leagues are done on a regional basis at the moment. It's just that SI have not followed the real life reserve set-ups, mainly I believe because it would be too much effort for too little gain.

On the matter of making them feel more compeditive, reserve leagues are rarely compeditive in real life either, they're an opportunity to run out back-up players, prospects and injury returnees.

How many people could say who the winners of the FAPL reserve league have been over the years (without using google)?

Reading in 2007

Reading in 2007

Did you use Bing too? Or are you a Royal?

I want to say that Villa won in 2009, but I don't have a clue.

I agree that it would take an unecessary amount of time to implent it region-wise, with the three groups I mentioned above. I guess I could say that since SI made some of the weirder South American leagues work, they could make the Premier Reserves League work aswell, but it's just a Reserves League after all.