Article: Has the Carling Cup 'run its course'? | Football

Some of the results in recent Carling Cup matches suggests to me that so many sides from the top two divisions are treating it with total distain that it has ceased to have any real credibility as a competition.

Prem, Champ, LgOne, LgTwo

Barnsley 0-2 Morecambe
Bury 3-1 Coventry
Derby 2-3 Shrewsbury
Hull 0-2 Macclesfield
Ipswich 1-2 Northampton
Portsmouth 0-1 Barnet
Sheff Wed 0-0 Blackpool (Wed on Pens)
Bristol Rov 1-1 Watford (Rov on Pens)
Charlton 2-1 Reading
Norwich 0-4 MK Dons
QPR 0-2 Rochdale
Shrewsbury 3-1 Swansea


So what is the answer?

Abolish it?
If so, what about the Europa Cup spot? An extra place from the premier League? Fa Cup runners up? Championship winners?
Remove Premier League and Championship clubs from it so it effectively replaces the Johnson's Paint Trophy, which could be extended to Blue Square Premier clubs?

Revamp it?
How?
Bring in rules putting a limit on the number of changes in the side from the previous league game?
More prize money wont work as it will still be a pittance to clubs in comparison to staying in or getting into the Premier League.
What about awarding 'bonus points' to a team's league tally for reaching last 16, 8, semis, final. That will surely be incentive to put out a strong team.

What are your thoughts and ideas?

 

No !!!!

 

The Cup may seem not important in the early rounds, but it hots up later. A cup is a cup. Ask Arsenal fans if it didn't hurt to lose it. Ask Birmingham fans if they care how they got in Europe. It also gives some players a run out if they aren't in the first eleven and prepares them if they should be needed because of injuries or suspensions. Not sure how you could enforce the rule about which players you include..some would be obvious but is Schneiderlin not a first team player just because he hasn't started for us? If the top teams didn't enter, sponsorship could be lost. In other words, I have no idea how to improve it!

 

It is the Football League Cup and should be restricted to clubs that are members of the Football League. That would mean that with the Premier League clubs not taking part all of the other clubs would take it very seriously as the probability of a day at Wembeley, a big pay day and a trophy would be vastly increased

 

I've always liked the idea of this, a proper League Cup, but will the sponsors want it and the Europa place would be lost.

 

You could have a group phase to replace the first couple of rounds, which would include League 1&2, and champ. Premier League teams would enter afterwards. So basically 14 would get through from the group phase, giving you 34 teams & then you go from there as a normal cup. 12 groups of 5, 2 groups of 6. Top team in each group goes through. Play once Vs each team. Matches are played pre-season (so could in theory replace a friendly if you have a Champ club Vs League 1/2), and in the first couple of weeks of season.

Just an idea

 

If its to be a football league cup with just football league teams. FA cup should just be for premiership. Exactly a load of ****. Will never happen

 

I was going to write a similar article Devon.

Southampton have a pretty poor record in the carling cup yet for all the years we were a Premier league side I never remember our managers openly talking the competition down like Warnock & McCarthy

Since the start of the league cup the early rounds have always been used to blood youngsters and get those players out of favour a run out and with the size of Premier league squads these days it means close to all 11 changing. This then leads to teams being fielded which almost look like strangers to each other and the lower league clubs are able to take advantage of this.

Let's not take away the achievements of the lower league clubs here, they're still playing and beating more talented individuals and all this goes to prove is that motivation, hard work and organisation are a great leveller. As proved by the performances of promoted teams from League one and league two in recent seasons the gap in the football league is far from vast and the higher placed clubs can't afford to step too far off the pedal.

Removing any teams will officially devalue the competition. So I don't agree with taking Premier league sides out or teams in european competition.

If I was in charge of the football league I would be tempted to make entry to the league cup optional to teams and put it in the clubs court. It would be interesting to see how the clubs react and how the fans react to those that don't enter the competition.

 

I reckon this would be a great idea - cup restricted to Championship, League 1 and League 2 teams

 

The FA Cup is for nearly every single club in the whole country including non-league, the Carling Cup is reserved for just football league teams - I think your comment is a little harsh

 

This ^^

Are you just bitter fratton?

 

Well, I guess you restrict it to just the top 2 divisions. Then all teams would have two cup competitions with fewer rounds - JPT for League 1 and 2, League Cup for Champ and Prem? In all honesty I doubt that would work, but just a thought.

 

Not a bit.
As some-one who looks upon the competition with the same distain as those clubs above, I'm happy for Pompey not to be involved. It would have been a bit less embarrassing mind, if we'd beaten Barnet and gone out in the next round to a side higher up the ladder!

 

Really don't think it's fair to include Portsmouth v Barnet as an example there. For the casual football fan they may assume that Portsmouth also treated the cup with distain like you suggest, but in fact they played their strongest (and only) team available. Very misleading.

They're just a worse team than Barnet are.

 

Keep it as it is. This always happens in the early stages. Leave team selection down to the managers and if they disrespect the cup, so be it. My wife's family are Wigan fans and 5 years ago they got to the final at Cardiff and had a magical day out. Just because a team prioritises elsewhere, doesn't mean a competition is worthless.

I for one think it is good for teams to mix up selection. In our next game, if Barney is ready for a run out, he can have one in a competitive match. Martin gets a game, De Ridder can have 90 minutes, etc, etc.

 

Not really, we changed Goalkeeper.

 

You have more than one goalkeeper on your books?

Come on...

 

A Wembley final and a place in Europe at stake? Less teams trying just means a good cup run is more likely for those that do. I was appalled by Warnock's comments. He should personally reimburse the fans that forked out to go and watch the game. Looking at the team he put out he should also be very worried about his depth of squad.

 

Can see reasons for and against. In the long run though nobody really cares about it - it's very unlikely anybody outside the Premiership will win (Championship teams have a chance, the last time this happened was 1991 so we can't call it a likelihood) so for whichever Premier League team wins it, it's normally not a big deal. Sure Birmingham had fun last season but if they didn't have the increase in games, would they have perhaps made the extra point they needed to stay up? I can guarantee the Birmingham fans would have taken survival over winning, but that's how it played out.

However it's a great opportunity to rotate the squad and give the youngsters a chance. With the new 5 on a bench rule (which is absurd but a different subject) young players will find their opportunities slightly more restricted, so a full game in the cup could be a great opportunity to get them game time. But then if every team plays their cup games with a team of youngsters then it's no different to getting 65 minutes in a friendly or 90 minutes in a reserves game.

Personally I hate the tournament and would like to see it abolished. One cup tournament is more than enough, so for the teams in League One and Two, who have 46 game regular seasons anyway, tacking on game time in the FA Cup, League Cup and JPT is really not helping - especially considering players at that level will have much lower fitness than the ones in the Premiership - a lot of whom have to work extra time to fulfill the requirements of the useless Europa League fixture schedule.

 

Just to add more to the discussion, let's have a look at what a Premiership manager (although a bit of a ****er) has to say about the tournament.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14643771.stm