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

Insulting to the QPR fans who turned up.

 

I don't think we should get rid of the Carling Cup, I think we should get rid of the Football League trophy.

Then have the Carling Cup exclusively for all teams in the Championship, League 1 and League 2. This would make it far more exciting than it currently is.

The FA Cup should remain as it is.

 

You reckon the Football League (and it's sponsors) will be happy getting rid of Premier League clubs from the competition?

Suggest it to them. Their response should be interesting.

 

It's a chance for smaller teams to play in Europe. Far better that than give another slot to the money-go-round that is the Premier League.

There are plenty of Birmingham fans who appreciate the League cup. They might not be in the Premiership this year, but at least they'll get to enjoy a European foray.

 

Leave it as it is,

It's good that the smaller clubs get to have a realistic crack at the bigger clubs, and when they do turn them over the smaller clubs get a real kick out of it and the big clubs get a chance to fuel everybody else's sense of Schardenfreuda (I haven't spelt that right!)

Just because Mr Warnock doesnt know how to lose gracefully is no reason to ruin everyone elses fun.

 

If it means so little to bigger clubs, how come invariably it'll have a Premiership club's name engraved in it, at the end of the competition..? As Fran says, it may start from humble beginnings, but it hots up. It's fine. Leave it alone. It isn't broke, don't try to fix it.

 

I think it's fair to say it may take a few rounds before the 'bigger' clubs take it 'seriously' but a day out at Wembley is still a day out at Webley regardless of who you support. It's a good chance for managers to try new things and other players as well and if there is a shock along the way...all the better.

We shouldn't lose our cup traditions in this country just becuase a few rich clubs prioritise the C.L.

 

Carling's sponsorship runs out at the end of the season so I doubt they'll be bothered. As for the clubs and their sponsors in the Football League, i'm sure they would be delighted to have their own inter league tournement - especially as it would mean more matches because the Premier League teams wont be there to knock anybody out in the first few rounds!

 

never heard of the football league trophy then? they already have one (minus the championship, and judging by last nights results they don't mind playing prem opposition), and the final is played at wembley.. and yet most sides still field weakened teams.

 

Personally, this whole, concentrate on the league so we don't get relegated argument doesn't seem to make that much sense to me. For one thing, playing one or two extra games is hardly going to automatically relegate a club.

Plus the first few rounds of the Carling Cup are so early in the season that it seems ridiculous that it'll have an impact come April and May as you have nearly the entire season to counter any negative affect. And tbh, this might sound harsh but if you can't stay up due to playing one more match, then you deserve to get relegated (no offense).

Likewise, I know it's a different tournament but the principle's the same, but do you honestly think Portsmouth would have stayed up two years ago if we had lost in the third round of the FA Cup? I think we also had a decent Carling Cup run that season iirc but I somehow doubt had we got knocked out straight away we'd have stayed up. Tbh, I think we were pretty much doomed to relegation the moment Paul Hart was made permanent manager (no offense to him).

If Cotteril had come out with similar comments to Warnock I would have been somewhat annoyed with him.

 

"We play too many games" is a total pile of tosh. It was spouted by one manager many years ago and now is a stock excuse for all manner of failures. "We play too many games" was the reason English clubs didn't qualify out of early UCL groups. "We play too many games" was the reason English clubs didn't make the finals. "We play too many games" is currently why we don't win World Cups or Euro Championships. Well no. The correct answer to all three is that "we" were ****e. The first two have been addressed now, sadly the third has not.

Suggesting that a professional athlete cannot cope with an additional 90 minutes beyond their standard weekly 90 minutes is so ludicrous that it beggars belief how anyone has ever bought in to the theory. The cup is disrespected because the rewards are insignificant to those at football's top table. This disrespect filters down through the game.

As for the Euro place awarded, what's the big deal there? Every club that's gone into the UEFA/EUROPA/LIDL cup then treats that competition in the same way!

 

Abolish it and revamp the FA cup.

 

Make it Championship, League one, League two.

Whichever League has the winner gets an extra team relegated.

Say Blackpool won the League cup, they'd get promoted, and the team 17th in the Premier League would be relegated.

If they were already in the promotion spots, then everyone moves up (3rd place gets promotion, 4 5 6 7 in the playoffs)

Basically it's an extra promotion place.

 

Carling cup is meaningless. I doubt any players at beginning of each season are desperate to win the Carling cup.

 

Quite possibly the most ludicrous idea I've ever heard

 

I have read this thread and there seems to be a lot of disagreement!

How about this - If you qualify for Europe, normally 8 or 9 teams from the UK - then you dont get to play in the League Cup.

If you don;t qualify for Europe, then you are entered in at round 2 like you are now.

This means, each club, no matter who you are, will always play for 2 cups, whether they be two domestic cups or the FA Cup and a European cup.

The only problem with this is that the winner of the League cup would not then get to defend it the following year - but this would, in theory, give the league sides a bit more a chance over say the big sky 4!

 

I dont think Premierleague sides should HAVE to play in it.

 

Get rid of it all together then, I mean they got rid of replays a few years ago to cut down on fixture conjestion - straight away, that made the competition seem less important than it was before.

I think it would be more dignifying for the Carling Cup to be retired rather than teams keep using it as some sort of a semi-friendly tournement.

 

I'm surprised no-one has commented on the 'bonus point' option [even, as I expected to hear, to say they think it's a crazy suggestion].

But look at it this way.
Just suppose QPR are relegated by 2 points. With the knowledge that his team would have picked up a bonus League point for reaching the last 16, 2 for the last 8, 3 for the semis, 4 as runners up or 5 as winners; would Mr Warnock have sent out such a weakened side and made the comments he did after going out?

 

Can't ruin the league, just to promote a cup. You win the league by playing league games, that's all. Interest in the cup will pick up as it progresses.