Thanks for the vote of confidence, AussieD!
Seriously, though, it's a bit unfair on people to wait so long for teams still in cup competitions.
By my reckoning, we're currently in week 6...which gives us at least 10 weeks for friendlies. I know the season's 18 weeks long now, but I don't think we can count on having all weeks available - there was mention of a Twenty20 cup, for a start.
Anyway, it'd take at least 6 weeks for a decent 16-team tournament:
Wks 1-3: Group matches (16 teams)
Wk 4: QFs
Wk 5: SFs
Wk 6: Final
Ideally, I'd say that we'd need either a two-legged final (with NRR being used if it finishes 1-1)...OR...for it to be played on "neutral ground" - the manager concerned (one of the finalists, obviously) would have to agree to change his pitch to a previously-decided type. This should have been decided right at the start, and should hopefully not matter anyway, as the real season will have ended.
If we extend it to 8 weeks, that'd allow us to either have a second group stage, or go for more teams (I see the last CW BT cup had 24 participants):
Wks 1-3: Group matches (16 teams)
Wks 4-6: More group matches (8 teams)
Wk 7: SFs
Wk 8: Final (or just a single two-legged final instead of SFs)
Wks 1-3: Group matches (lots of teams - groups of 4)
Wk 4: Last 16 knock-out (group 1st + 2nd + best
n runners-up perhaps)
Wk 5: QFs
Wk 6: SFs
Wk 7: Final
...or various hybrids, depending on how many teams there are. Of course, by the knockout stage, we might know if we'd be able to use the standard friendly dates during the close season, so we could always extend the SFs/final then.
But that's all not important right now. Can you tell I'm bored?
I reckon we should wait just two weeks, and then start. So, not the coming Sunday, or the one after that, but the one after, i.e. after the 9th league matches. I think.
Right, that's my oar in. Flame away
