I'm not sure I'm following your logic Macca. By your reckoning Championship clubs shouldn't be in it either, and it'd just be L1 and L2 clubs, but that would be the Johnstone's Paint/LDV Vans Trophy or whatever it's called now surely?
FA Cup might not be seeded but the big clubs are still guaranteed a passage to the later rounds. I don't really understand the point of the League Cup anyway. What even is it? It serves no unique purpose like the FA Cup and even the JPT do. It's just the FA Cup but scaled down so what's the point?
It's already considered a second rate cup competition, remove the Premier League teams and it would die completely.
How are they "guaranteed a passage to the later rounds" ? They can draw each other in the first round they enter - Round 3. They are guaranteed nothing but a fair draw like everyone else. The League cup draw is manipulated with the primary reason to ensure the bigger clubs stay in the competition to pacify sponsors & Sky. The League cup was one of three premier competitions. It has died over recent years because of changes to European Competitions. Clubs used to consider the League Cup a serious competition & field teams accordingly. Clubs now consider finishing 4th in the PL far more important, which to me is bollox.
That was worded stupidly, I meant guaranteed a passage to the third round. If I understand correctly, you don't like the League Cup system because it gives the big clubs a better chance of reaching the later rounds (when does it stop being seeded? I'm guessing 3rd round ish), but the FA Cup actually guarantees big clubs will be in the 3rd round. Surely that's worse if you're looking for a level playing field as early as possible? I see no point in the League Cup really other than that it is something for the big clubs to do early in the season since the FA Cup doesn't start until January for those clubs. If you win it, so what? You don't make any money or become a bigger club out of it, so the rewards for 4th place in the League are far greater.
The way it is run and organised it wont take long. Not just Hull City who have got a bum draw. Some real grizzlies. Accrington v. Cardiff City Everton v. Stevenage Yeovil v. Birmingham(birmingham are down in yeovil this saturday in the league btw) Huddersfield v. Charlton Norwich v. Bury Barnsley v. Southampton Sunderland v. MK Dons Nottingham Forest v. Millwall....these stand out most. IMO, Round 2 should also be on a north and south basis WITH the higher placed club the away side. No set of fans should have to travel more than 2 hours for a midweek cup game. With some slight re.working of the draw you could have had much better ties such as :- Burton v.Hull City Barnsley v. Huddersfield Bury v. Carlisle Birmingham v WBA Accrington v. Everton Derby v. Leicester Orient v. Millwall Brentford v. Norwich Newport v. Cardiff Yeovil v. Southampton Stevenage v. Nottingham Forest.....as example of better 2nd round draw than we have now. Some game will do well to get 8,000 fans. imo. As for Hull City i expect the team to be something like this:- (from the players we have now) Harper McShane Faye Bruce jnr Rosenoir Koren(c) Quinn(if fit) Dudgeon Boyd Fryatt Proschwitz subs:- Jakupovic - Townsend - Wilson - Mclean + 3 others.
I wouldn't have thought McLean would still be here. He'll have gone by then. Although saying that I thought he'd be gone by now so who knows. It'd be nice to blood a few more youngsters and as a PL side Leyton Orient will be looking for a big scalp. I'd go with: Harper McShane Faye Davies Rosenior Koren Wilson Meyler Townsend Boyd Proschwitz Then a load of kids on the bench. We'll play the reserves, but don't forget, we still want to have a chance of winning it so we might as well go for it. I can't believe our fans write this cup off as meaningless; we've never won a major trophy in our history and by winning it we qualify for European competition, something else we've never done. By saying it's pointless is writing off our chances of winning it all together and that's not very good. We should get a good crowd for the home games as it's some fans only chances to see the PL squad play.
The 32 teams / ball numbers for the third round draw are thus:- www.capitalonecup.co.uk/news/article/round-3-draw-details
Yes it is. We need a mod to make this thread a sticky whilst Hull City are in the cup. But delete the Orient away bit now.
This is daft question, but do the top 5 english teams get a bypass to round 3? i'd love to draw tranmere or leeds
Tigers V. Terriers. There can only be one winner of this game. Sagbo should start this game after his suspension ends after Cardiff City @ home.
