Spurs Thump Clarets 4-1 In Carling Cup Thriller!
But… Does Anyone Care?
Unless you support Tottenham or Burnley, I doubt many people would have been packing out the local pub tonight to watch this entertaining yet slightly meaningless match. It’s the sort of match that makes you question why you’re spending £40 a month on Sky Sports, rather than one that compels you to do so (otherwise known as the Setanta + Blue Square Premier Effect).
Nevertheless, if you did have nothing better to do tonight, such as I, then you would have been treated to a vastly intriguing game that had goals, blunders, great individual performances and the sort of drama you’d want from a classic cup tie.
So what’s the deal with the Carling Cup then? The issue over the need for this competition attracts much debate. So here at FNB we’ve decided to provide the most unbiased case for and against its existence that you’ll ever see… probably. If nothing else, it should serve as great pub ammo.
5 Reasons Why The Carling Cup Should Stay
1. Smaller teams have a chance. As a fan of Livingston FC north of the border, winning the 2004 Scottish League Cup remains the high point of its very short history. The reason that we keep watching our struggling teams is the hope that one day some proper silverware will grace our cobweb-laden cabinets. With many of the big clubs playing weakened sides, the Carling Cup provides an excellent opportunity for the underdogs to have their day.
2. Entertaining matches. Who could forget the 5-1 drubbing Spurs handed out to Arsenal in the semi-finals last year? Or the hugely entertaining spectacle between Mourinho’s experienced Chelsea and Wenger’s young guns in the final of 2007? There are plenty of examples to look to, including tonight’s. This could be caused by decreased pressure, unusual player matchups, or games being played at the time of year before players get tired but after they begin to gel.
3. Purpose to winter. There’s nothing like a bit of high quality, old-fashioned cup tie action to get you through the murky middle-aged league months of winter.
4. European adventures await. The Carling Cup is anything but meaningless. You do realise that the winner qualifies for the UEFA Cup UEFA Europa League?
5. The future. If nothing else, the Carling Cup provides the platform for showcasing young, emerging and, in Arsenal’s case, frightening young talent. Just ask Sheffield United.
5 Reasons Why The Carling Cup Should Go
1. Does anyone really care? Admit it, when your club got knocked out in the 3rd round you weren’t that bothered, were you?
2. We already have the FA Cup. The League Cup will always sit in the shadow of its much more prestigious, romantic and glamorous older brother. It could be compared to entering clubs into 2 separate leagues in the same year, like Liverpool playing in both the Premier League and League One.
3. It’s a nuisance. This one may only apply to the bigger teams, but if your team is already battling for another 3 trophies this season, can you spare the energy, time and resources for a fourth? Chelsea and Rangers are prime examples of clubs last year who competed in League Cup finals, only to look a spent force come the business end of the season.
4. And thus devalued. If teams field weakened sides, inevitably the tournament loses credibility and meaning. Does beating Arsenal’s U17s count as a true victory? If your team loses a match, do you laugh it off claiming that it’s only the Carling Cup?
5. Big clubs always win. Not since the 1991 League Cup has a non-Premier League side won the trophy. Back then it was called the Rumbelows Cup, which Sheffield Wednesday claimed after shocking Man Utd 1-0.
Before this evening’s action, this was going to be a very one-sided post. But after seeing the quality and excitement of Burnley in the first half and then Spurs in the second, I’m beginning to have second thoughts. What do you think? Does your club benefit from competing in the Carling Cup? Does it enhance or harm the English game as a whole? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
its easy for supporters of the big 4 to say who cares about the carling cup but any other team in the football league would be more than happy to have the trophy in their cabinet! Seeing the fa cup is virtually impossible to win if you’re not a big 4 team (well done pompey), surely a 2nd cup is needed. Also i watched wycombe go to the semis a couple of years ago giving lower league fans the chance to go to premier league grounds like stamford bridge.
At the end of the day, surely the more football the better, we’ll all be watching carling cup highlights licking our lips during the football drought of summer 2009!
It is true that the Carling Cup offers hope to clubs who would not normally get the opportunity to compete for silverware. I am sure that the fans of both Burnley and Derby County would not exchange their cup experiences this season for anything else other than, ‘possibly’, promotion to the Premiership.
While the top four clubs in England may no longer value the tournament as highly as they once did in the past, the competition offers the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and other clubs, not necessarily ‘guaranteed’ a European place, the opportunity to undertake football at a different level; something that is not provided for winners of the Scottish equivalent.
The competition does indeed have its benefits, even for the bigger teams, who are able to showcase their up and coming talent as well as resting key players as they seek glory in what they would consider to be the more significant competitions.
The Carling Cup will always play second fiddle to the more glamorous F.A Cup, but one thing is for sure, and that is, that where there is a trophy to be won, regardless of which eleven individuals take to the field, the desire to lift that trophy will never fade away unless, of course, the prize in question is no longer up for grabs.
@David
Excellent point. Who ever complained that there was too much football? (Except the missus of course)
@Jonathan
Is it a good thing that a European place is offered to the winners? Granted it offers extra incentive, but surely you’d rather have the 7th best club in the land represent your country, rather than a team who strung a few results together at the right time.
RE: Andy Glover’s Reply
Without the incentive of a European place, I think you would find that the teams outwith the top four would start treating the competition with the same apathy as that associated with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. The calls for the tournament to be abolished would only be more widespread. The opportunity to play in Europe is what, for many, keeps the Carling Cup alive and it is that opportunity that has enabled Spurs’ fans, for example, to sample European nights at White Hart Lane this season. I think that removing this incentive would only work towards consigning the Carling Cup to history.