Footy updates

Just thought that the way to keep my football-loving readership up to date with events in the world's most important sport and at the same time give the others a get-out is to include 'footy' in the title. You'll know what you're going to get and can read the post or not, according to your inclination.

I've always thought that treating cup competitions with disdain by playing your second string and academy players is a stupid idea. I get it for clubs in the top third of the Premier League, which have European competitions and hence busy fixture lists, and whose second string and academy players could probably beat the first elevens of most other clubs, but for Ipswich Town of the Championship and Bromley of League Two surely it's a chance to progress in a competition, give the supporters some joy and make a bit of money. But no, Bromley made 7 changes from their usual starting eleven and Ipswich 8. Effectively saying "this competition is completely unimportant and peripheral to our season-long goals so we're not going to treat it seriously and we don't care whether we win or lose." So I tuned in to the game more out of loyalty to my team (Ipswich) rather than an expectation of quality football.

It was an awful, disjointed match and Ipswich got what they deserved - defeat. I'm worried about them based on their performances so far. Their squad is thin and not of a level which is likely to lead to promotion. It's true that they have some players coming in but not yet match fit (surely this was an opportunity to get them some minutes?) but they need more incomings. They've already lost their top striker and are likely to lose their most creative player Omari Hutchinson. Momentum is important and a lucky draw in their first league match and a defeat to a team two divisions lower is the wrong kind of momentum.

In the same competition, Wycombe got a 95th minute winner (where have we heard that before this season?) away to Leyton Orient and Charlton smashed Stevenage 3-1, so they'll both be in today's draw for the second round. Presumably Ipswich will be relieved not to be in it.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur play Paris Saint Germain in the European Super Cup - a definite step up for a team finishing 17th in the Premier League last season. Let's see if new manager Thomas Frank can improve them. As an Arsenal supporter I had no intention of mentioning our North London rivals but there was outrage that I didn't mention them, so I'll try not to be too rude.