[Archived] Axe The League Cup. Champs Lge For Fac Winners

[whittle blue]

I AGREE WITH MCMC1875.

I enjoyed a great day at the final but honestly, scrapping it wouldn't bother me.

[MCMC1875]

Well I was half right.

[doctorryan]

Wait until it's official. (November)

[brfc fan]

What is the point of having two domestic knock out competitions now that the formats are so similar?

Axing the League Cup for Premier League clubs would reduce fixture congestion and raise the profile of the FA Cup.

To make the FA Cup more attractive, consideration should be given to awarding the winners one of the Champions League places.

Actually I sort of agree. None of the big four seem to care about it (I think that showed last season when Unted went out to Southend who are now in League 1).

The FA Cup is more prestigious and historic.

I think there should be a trophy to replace it though.

[brfc fan]

It should be made into a British Cup with the Scottish league added into it

Good idea. That should replace it and I think it would attract positive comments when it got exciting, which it would, for at least a while, until we get bored again.

[Nafe_rovers]

why would u want to axe the league cup...

realistically its our best chance at a cup, and laso something for smaller clubs to meet a prem team... keep it

and its entertainment for everyone... you would gain nothing out of axing it!!!

[daren]

The SFA don't allow their members to play in the FA cup. It's all in the history pages on the wiki (because they were involved in the early years)

[FourLaneBlue]

Carling Cup the top of the shocks

"With Round Four looming large, new research has revealed that a cup upset is over 40% more likely in the Carling Cup than the FA Cup. "

[b12_simon]

Carling Cup the top of the shocks

"With Round Four looming large, new research has revealed that a cup upset is over 40% more likely in the Carling Cup than the FA Cup. "

Presumably this new research noted that clubs are more likely to play their reserves in the beer cup.

[philipl]

This season's FA Cup first round draw has thrown up 10 all non-league ties plus the rathe juicy Hereford v Leeds draw.

The chances of quite a few non-league names appearing in the 3rd Round draw is looking high.

[Paul]

Some interesting observations here

[Fife Rover]

Some interesting observations here

I agree completely with most of that article, and in fact have been in that way of thinking myself for at least the last ten years or so. The main problem is though, that as long as there are enough buffoons with more money than sense, and whose sporting interest does not run to approving and allowing genuinely competitive sport, then we will always have to suffer the total farce that now passes for sport. Which in the case of professional football means total dominance on a virtually permanent basis of a very small group of the so called elite clubs, who are backed to the hilt by the media, and hence become a new "fashion" for the unthinking masses to dutifully follow as they are led by the nose to do.

I am afraid that it is now so entrenched, and hugely vested interests are getting so rich out of it all, that there is no cure for this affliction that has killed our beloved game and is rapidly doing the same in virtually every other spectator sport as well.

The only real cure for this malady would be if a huge number of people could awake to the problem and while continuing to pay on the gate at their favourite club would at the same time cancel their subscriptions to Sky Sports and Setanta etc, thus cutting off the main source of income to the cash-cow, but keeping the clubs ticking over (albeit at a lower level tempoarily), and before very long there would be a mass departure of the venture capital merchants from the sport. This would eventually, after a period of re-adjustment, result in a gradual re-emergence of the old true competitive and sporting conditions and a re-birth of the sport as it should be.

I realise that that all this adjustment and re-birth would probably take a long time (at least 10 to 20 years) but in my opinion it would be well worth it, even though I would not live to see it.

Incidentally, I don't expect anyone to agree with me on this, as most will have grown up from the cradle with the ideas that the comercial world and big business wants you to have, and hence will not be able to either remember when things were different, or will not have the necessary mind-set to appreciate the difference. To say nothing of the patience that would be required to stick with it over a prolonged period working towards the desired result. I am afraid my generation (the young parents of the late 50's and early 60's) are the one's actually to blame for this as we were the one's that really kicked over the traces and threw out the standards of decency and honesty that had ruled prior to that.

[Paul]

I am afraid my generation (the young parents of the late 50's and early 60's) are the one's actually to blame for this as we were the one's that really kicked over the traces and threw out the standards of decency and honesty that had ruled prior to that.

Mianly I would say it was two generations later Fife......and there are a lot of us still trying but regretably most of our efforts see us labelled as idiots.

[philipl]

There is an interesting reply:

The records don't support anything you say Mr Wilson:

In the past seven years these are the champions league finalists: Liverpool, AC Milan, Barcelona, Arsenal, Porto, Monaco, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Valencia.

From a possibility of 14 completely new teams in the finals over these years, we have 11 (Liverpool and AC Milan are the the only clubs that have appeared in more than one)

These teams represent SIX different countries. So, over seven years, six different countries have had a team represented in the final. "Tri-nations"?!

The top two teams in each table at the moment are:

Porto, Marseille

Chelsea, Rosenborg

Real Madrid, Lazio

Milan, Shaktar Donetsk

Barcelona, Rangers

Manchester United, Roma

Inter, Fenerbache

Arsenal, Sevilla

So the last 16 at the moment would comprise teams from Portugal, France, England, Norway, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Ukraine, Turkey.

That's nine different countries (possibly) represented in the last 16.

Harry Redknapp may have an opinion- I doubt he'll get to taste Champions League football anytime soon.

[American]

I agree completely with most of that article, and in fact have been in that way of thinking myself for at least the last ten years or so. The main problem is though, that as long as there are enough buffoons with more money than sense, and whose sporting interest does not run to approving and allowing genuinely competitive sport, then we will always have to suffer the total farce that now passes for sport. Which in the case of professional football means total dominance on a virtually permanent basis of a very small group of the so called elite clubs, who are backed to the hilt by the media, and hence become a new "fashion" for the unthinking masses to dutifully follow as they are led by the nose to do.

I am afraid that it is now so entrenched, and hugely vested interests are getting so rich out of it all, that there is no cure for this affliction that has killed our beloved game and is rapidly doing the same in virtually every other spectator sport as well.

The only real cure for this malady would be if a huge number of people could awake to the problem and while continuing to pay on the gate at their favourite club would at the same time cancel their subscriptions to Sky Sports and Setanta etc, thus cutting off the main source of income to the cash-cow, but keeping the clubs ticking over (albeit at a lower level tempoarily), and before very long there would be a mass departure of the venture capital merchants from the sport. This would eventually, after a period of re-adjustment, result in a gradual re-emergence of the old true competitive and sporting conditions and a re-birth of the sport as it should be.

I realise that that all this adjustment and re-birth would probably take a long time (at least 10 to 20 years) but in my opinion it would be well worth it, even though I would not live to see it.

Incidentally, I don't expect anyone to agree with me on this, as most will have grown up from the cradle with the ideas that the comercial world and big business wants you to have, and hence will not be able to either remember when things were different, or will not have the necessary mind-set to appreciate the difference. To say nothing of the patience that would be required to stick with it over a prolonged period working towards the desired result. I am afraid my generation (the young parents of the late 50's and early 60's) are the one's actually to blame for this as we were the one's that really kicked over the traces and threw out the standards of decency and honesty that had ruled prior to that.

The interesting thing is seeing how your and Paul's view of outside influences into the English game parallel Gordon and others view of outside influences in Blackburn....

[philipl]

Interesting thoughts from Strachan about European League of three divisions of 20 clubs completely independent of UEFA and FIFA

If it is the top 60 clubs then on any basis, Blackburn Rovers are included.

[Paul]

Heard on the radio this morning that as from next season the PL will have 3 automatic qualifying places for the CL and Scotland just 1.

[philipl]

An explanation of what happened.

So EPL numbers 1,2 and 3 go automatically into the Group stages along with the Champs of 6 diddy leagues (including Scotland).

EPL 4th place get two qualifying rounds to negotiate.

Rovers had better come 3rd then.