Bradford city's performance tonight should serve as a reminder to all the supporters of football clubs, not considered 'massive'. Why they should never feel envious of the Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barca fans etc. For the Bradford City fans tonight will live long in their memories and will be remembered as one of the greatest nights. You can only truly appreciate the good when you have experienced at least a little bit of bad. If not winning a cup is a disappointing season to you as a fan then I pity you, as you will never understand even a bit of what the Bradford fans are enjoying tonight.
I'm a bit more worried that this shows how the League Cup is treated these days. I won't be surprised if there's talk about scrapping it i the summer.
tbf When we won it against Middlesbrough we only had to beat Man U's reserve team. I can't see them getting rid off it. It wouldn't surprise me i the 'Big' teams thought they where above the cup and pulled out. There kinda of doing that atm by putting their youth reserve teams in it anyway.
Yeah, but at least we were a Premiership club when we beat Man U. And Chelsea's first team struggled against us in the FA that year too (thanks Mike Reed!), so it's not like we were push-overs. Back then, it only seemed to be Man U and maybe Arsenal that rest players (to huge outcry) but when you've got clubs like Hull resting their entire team (in the FA too no less) then it's inevitably going to lead to calls for abolition of the secondary cup competition eventually. Bradford in the final could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
we were having this debate in our house today. I felt that it symbolised everything that the cup stood for, following a dream, but some felt exactly that - that it was a sorry sight of how the cup is now treated.
Bradford's win also shows the importance of the the history of our league system. Wenger et al can chirp on all they want about having reserve teams in the football league, but at what cost? All the talk of Celtic and rangers getting int the English leagues over the years would be at the expense of an English club supported loyally and funded massively by fans for over one hundred years.
Still a great way for small clubs to make some money. Still an entry into Europe. Still a great way for the top teams to give first team experience to their young and fringe players. Cant see it being dumped, cos of the money generated - including TV money.
Well done to Bradford. A result that will live long in the memory for Bradford fans, although they've still the final to go so could yet have a greater result to celebrate. You can only play the team that's put in front of you & the history books won't list the team only the result, that's all that counts at the end of the match. Although Villa didn't field a 'weakened team', it's fair to say they're a pretty weak team....
Spot on Josh - Swansea and Chelsea too... and let's not forget that, on the way, Bradford also beat a very strong Arsenal team (packed with internationals) Wigan (again with a fair scattering of internationals) and, even more impressively, Burton Albion the early favourites for the trophy having dispatched the best team in the competition in the previous round .. IMHO Bradford's achievement can only enhance the prestige of the competition - I for one will definitely be watching the final now - which I doubt I would have bothered with if it had been Villa against Chelsea - come on the Swans!!!
I agree it brings back some of the prestige IMO also. Maybe not so for the big 4,5 or 6 but for most clubs I think it will help invigorate the competition somewhat
It's an interesting point re the big, 4, 5 or 6 - and I agree that this is the sort of gut 'feel' that is apparent - but the reality is quite different - look at the winners since 2005:- 2005 Chelsea 2006 Man United 2007 Chelsea 2008 Spurs 2009 Man United 2010 Man United 2011 Birmingham (beating Arsenal) 2012 Liverpool
