Those who actually win it seems to be enjoying it and celebrating, also in the last two decades…
3 Likes
I wouldn’t cry if we won it, but I wouldn’t buy the dvd.
There’s just too much football and this doesn’t help.
PS I’m not really a curmudgeon
2 Likes
Well in 2012 it still felt pretty good when we won it under King Kenny … though tbf those years were not the best of times for our club.
2 Likes
It’s a cup that’s great to win when you’re not winning anything. Or you’re Man City and you’ve spent £500m on your second string.
Football
Its a trophy and winning it is always nice. Shouldn’t be season defining and if it is then something has gone wrong, but it is definitely a good thing to win. If I had to rank the competitions it’d be something like this:
PL/CL
FA Cup/ Europa League
League Cup/ CWC
European Conference League
European Super Cup
Charity Shield.
Winning the League Cup would be good, and I disagree with tose who see it as a hinderance - but it shouldn’t be the high point of the season. The League Cup + another trophy that we’re in for and it’s a good season however the league finishes.
2 Likes
The League Cup has it’s place. Started in the 60s, as a way for clubs knocked out early in the FA Cup to make some revenue. With TV starting to become important, and clubs spending money on floodlights, midweek evening games possibilities were there.
European games were still in it’s infancy. The allowance of the winners into the UEFA Cup very early on gave impetus to the LC to grow in importance for Division 1 teams.
The European ban in mid 1980s led to the (anyone else remember this one?) mighty ScreenSport Super Cup. Yes, guys and gals, we won that competition. Everton fielded a reserve side in the two legged final – which took place the following season. Ian Rush scored about a thousand goals or something like that.
With the expansion of the European competition in the 90s, the LC began it’s slow fade. So much so, that a mid table Prem team would rather focus solely on their league position than risk adding games to their schedule.
It’s telling that Man City have won a lot recently – with the squad they have, they can mix it up and still have a team that can beat many first elevens. Most Prem teams look at it as a chance to play youth prospects and those lacking game game. So again, it has a purpose.
The LC is very useful for lower teams to make revenue, especially if they get a Prem team. However, even Championship clubs often times put out a weakened team to also focus on their league positions.
The common sense easy fix for now is to scrap the two legged semi.
5 Likes
Oh, anyone else still remember the Simod/Zenith Data Systems Cup? We never entered that one, I don’t think.
2 Likes
Yes they love kicking balls
1 Like
When I first heard League Cup, I thought it’s the Cup/Trophy they give to the League winners.
1 Like
Fair. I may be in a bit of a; ‘It’s our ball, we’re going home’ kind of mood.
1 Like
Buying DVD’s is so 2005 … 
Yeah, I was about to say, surely it’d be Blu-Ray at least…
1 Like
Yeah, got that one.
Not sure what the modern equivalent is.
1 Like
2012 is a great test case. Winning that meant nothing to me because the season overall had been so disappointing and clear evidence that Kenny’s tenure had gone wrong. Winning that second rate trophy meant nothing about what the next season had in store if we didnt make a change, so when we did announce the decision I was on board with it. But I know people who legit walked away such was their disgust at firing a manager after winning a trophy.
2 Likes
Unless you’re Everton - they’ve released a DVD from their recent Anfield victory!
2 Likes
Moving the final to the spring after the Arsenal-Wednesday double headers (92?) is what started the slow death for me. Any attempt to pretend it was on a par with other competitions were shown to be false with that decision.
3 Likes
The best one ever was Soccer Six. A two night indoor six a side tournament. We were shit but it was amazing (for an 8 year old)
4 Likes
A mate of mine played for Everton in that. I don’t think he ever made their first team.
Aren’t Everton still using Betamax?
3 Likes