As the title suggests how can it be restored?
Walsall winning more than once in it every five years?!
I don’t mind it as a competition tbh, in some ways it actually works a little better than the FA cup which has sadly lost its magic of 20-30 years ago.
For example I wouldn’t be against after 3rd round FA cup going to midweek ties for the next rounds (play semis and the final on a Saturday still). League cup of course has this and think it works well under lights.
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Get the final played before the FA Cup 3rd Round to maximise interest. That would mean getting it down to the last 16 ASAP. So…
… 16 groups of 5, with the pots seeded based on the previous season’s league positions. Four one-off games. Say you got Liverpool, Forest, Wigan, Walsall, & Morecambe in a group. Morecambe would get all 4 games at home, as the lowest ranked side, to maximise their potential revenue. Walsall would travel to Morecambe, but get the other three at home, & so on. Liverpool would play all 4 away. Only the group winners procede to the knockouts.
The initial revenue is more heavily weighted to the lower teams, with more home fixtures.
The bigger clubs have the squads to cope, & could- if they wished- play mix & match, first teamers & kids, rotated teams, depending on how strong their desire to win the thing was, but they have four guaranteed fixtures to give whoever they want some competitive minutes.
All of the above negates the need for the Check A Trade Trophy, from the perspectives of both the League One & Two clubs, and the U21s, so that can be scrapped completely, making everyone happy, & averting fixture congestion into the bargain.
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I may just plagurise that and send it to the FL 
Nice idea, but not sure the numbers add up.
Developing your idea.
16 groups of 5 = 80
Exclude the top 16 in the Premiership which means the 80 is made up of 4 from Premiership + rest of EFL (72) + 4 from the Conference.
Fixtures as you describe based on rankings. Lowest ranking plays all 4 at home. Play group games the 1st 4 midweeks of the season.
16 group winners only go through to play the remaining 16 Premiership teams. Straight knockout, no replays, no extra time, penalties decide. Round 1 = 32, round 2 = 16, round 3 = 8, semi and final.
Team selection as per checkertrade trophy. You must play 5 players who featured on the Saturday before.
Group stage concept is interesting, but imagine the Premier teams will be wary of any proposal that could increase the number of fixtures they have to commit to.
Well the Checkatrade Trophy was specifically rehashed for them to play their young fringe players.
They can’t have it both ways.
In this day and age, the Premiership clubs have most things their own way.
I’d be ok with scrapping it. I understand there are benefits for lower league cups but really, as a fan, what is the point?
Half baked matches with second string teams playing for a cup nobody wants to win. It just adds matches to the calendar and then people talk about scrapping the xmas schedule because of fatigue, the best time to be a fan.
Agree, Christmas schedule should be preserved at all costs. It’s a great time for supporters and 3-4 weeks without gate revenue will be difficult for a lot of lower league clubs.
If the PL want to have their own way and have break to satisfy their European managers, let them.
The EFL does not have to have anything to do with this nonsense.
This yawning chasm will only get bigger.
They can go and do whatever they like as long it helps the national team.
The EFL needs to retain its identity as the home of real football.
There’s enough prestigious names in there to keep 100+ years of history going with continuity.
Cancel the competition for 3yrs…if the fans miss it,bring it back.If not,let it die a death.
I strongly disagree… it’s fine. leave it alone. only problem with it is is that we are ■■■■ in the cups lately.
forest away in 15/16 anyone ? do we really want to give up (reduce the chance of) them nights?
I honestly don’t think it can.
Nobody takes it seriously these days. The FA Cup still has the magic and the history around it, The Checkatrade still offers smaller teams a chance at a big day out. The league cup falls inbetween the two.
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Checktrade is owned by the clubs sponsors Homserve,which is a Walsall company,so maybe the club could have a word with them to change the format…very long shot I know…
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A European place for the winner.