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

[doctorryan]

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.

The League Cup is for the 92 League Clubs, period. The FA Cup is for all clubs in the English football league system who competed in the previous season's FA Cup, FA Trophy, or FA Vase competition, are deemed to be playing in an "acceptable" league for the current season and who have a suitable and safe stadium to use. (687 this season)

BIG Difference.

And as for Eddie's ideas about Europe; I agree with some of them, but that's a subject probably worthy of its own thread.

[American]

I think it gives the FA Cup more value if there is a champions league spot. I think it should only be the winner, though and if the winner is already qualified then to the 4th league place. (Yes, I've given up my quest to make the champions league only for champions - at least it gives me something to go back with for the footy fans who mock the World Series.)

[Presty On Tour]

cardiff 2002, what a day!!!

the league cup has so much tradition, there is no way it will be axed.

[Pugg]

I have the same sentiments as everyone else. For a club like us it's a great cup, with the possibility of silverware. For the 'big four' it may be an unwelcome distraction, but everything can't be for them!

Would I rather get through to the FA Cup semi and get knocked out by Arsenal, like the other year, or win the league cup like we did against Spurs? I know which i'd choose.

[McClarky]

Think you've got stark raving mad mate, the League Cup is great and we ain't gonna win the league so its 1 of the 2 things we have a chance in so lets keep it going.

[Billy Castell]

Keep it. As mentioned previously, it is a cup that a team like Blackburn or Bolton can win, and get into Europe. It also provides valuable revenue to lower league teams, thus making sure the Premiership, and specifically the 'big 4' teams don't grab all the money. If G14 clubs and Chelsea want to play fewer games, then make the 'Champions' League a straight knock out, stopping p_ssing about in Japan and the USA in July/August and get rid of these stupid friendlies against a 'European XI'. Simple.

To get rid of the league cup is to help the G 14 dictate how football is run-i.e. solely for their own bank balances.

[Dan]

The League Cup is still a great achievement, look how seriously Chelsea took it in the latter stages. Even though the UEFA cup is completely de-valued, I will never forget our recent-ish league cup win, any team outside the top 4 ie Bolton, Citeh etc, would give anything to win it. The Euro Cup F.A. Cup idea is good, tough wouldn't that mean that lots of other European countires would have to do that same thing? Anyway, don't think the top 4 would like it, unfashionable teams getting in. Imagine Rovers v Barca, the Media, over ere would have to favour Rovers being the English team, how could they do that?

[neekoy]

I don't think the league cup should be thought of as a cup the rest of us can win, I think that devalues it. IMO as I have said previously

FA Cup = Cup Winners Cup European Competition

1st Premiership = Knock out Champions League with the top 16 teams seeded

2nd, 3rd, 4th and League Cup = Knock out Uefa Cup with the top 16 teams seeded

5th, 6th = Intertoto with current format 3 winners entry to Uefa Cup.

Teams can only play in ONE european competition a year so if anyone wins two competitions the other finalist or highest ranked on the league ladder (who isn't currently eligble for Euro) in the semi final gets the spot.

Plenty of competitions, plenty of top teams, plenty of TV revenue, all competitions having merit.

[Perth_Rover]

I think maybe anyone playing in europe(uefa league/cup) isn't allowed in the league cup that season could make it more interesting. But i wouldnt want it scrapped altogether

[American]

Then you go with the Liverpool argument that the title holders shouldn't be denied a chance to defend.

[ABBEY]

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

rovers v celtic....who would we support??

i love the league cup,like as been said cardiff was awsome

[ewoodblue]

You never stop hearing some of these top managers moaning about too many games,but when you listen to the Arsenal manager moaning again about scrapping replays in the F.A.Cup,it really irks.

That's the beauty of the F.A.Cup,knowing that if you get a big club that you always have a chance of fetching them back to your home ground.To scrap replays would destroy the F.a.cup,it's tradition, and the busy bodies should stop interfering.

The League cup is part of the fixture list ,and hopefully it will be for many years to come.

[SAS]

keep the league cup

anyone who disagrees should be slapped back to 2002

[doctorryan]

........... The Euro Cup F.A. Cup idea is good, tough wouldn't that mean that lots of other European countires would have to do that same thing?

No. The Eredivisie has a playoff system for the second to fifth placed clubs, with the winner getting Holland's other spot in the Champions League (third qualifying round). We'd have no problem from UEFA if we wanted to make the FA Cup winner a Champions League place.

[Hughesy]

What a muppet to whoever it was that started this topic. Keep the League cup, if the big boys dont like the fixture congestion then tough doo doo.

[the original david brent]

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

I actually quite like this idea. Would spice up the competion a bit. Also provide for some different away days that otherwise would not get the chance to do. Aberdeen away on a tuesday night- bring it on!

[FourLaneBlue]

Although I (and nobody else it seems) don't go along with the idea to scrap the League Cup it would enhance the prestige of the FA Cup if it was given a Champions League berth.

The 'Big Four' should actually be in favour of this as they have won every FA Cup since '95 whereas a number of other teams have finished in the top four other than them since that time.

This has been mooted countless times before though and nothing has happened.

Also...stop teams for the Champions League groups falling into the UEFA Cup! It's not too bad when teams from the qualifiers fall in at the start but for teams to enter it after Christmas is a joke and seriously undermines the standing of the competition.

[pleasure]

Although I (and nobody else it seems) don't go along with the idea to scrap the League Cup it would enhance the prestige of the FA Cup if it was given a Champions League berth.

if that's a commonly held view (that the FA CUP needs a champions lge place to boost it's prestige), then you might as well scrap that cup an all.

I cant comprehend the fact that the FA CUP seems to have more respect outside of England, than it has from the English.

[FourLaneBlue]

if that's a commonly held view (that the FA CUP needs a champions lge place to boost it's prestige), then you might as well scrap that cup an all.

I cant comprehend the fact that the FA CUP seems to have more respect outside of England, than it has from the English.

Giving the FA Cup winners a place in the Champions League rather than for the UEFA Cup would obviously make it more desirable. I didn't say it "needs" it...you just added that bit yourself.

[broadsword]

What about being FA Cup winners, does that not have enough prestige? Why does it need boosting up further?

What was it in the days before FIFA fiddled with it?

League Cup and FA Cup => Cup Winners Cup

Champions => European Cup

2nd and 3rd (??) => UEFA Cup

Now we get everyone and their bloody brother in on the act, it's ridiculous. Why don't we let the whole of the premiership into the Champions League. We've already had Newscastle go through the latter stages of UEFA having qualified for the InterTonto after finishing way down the league, and teh year Ipswich went down they qualified for it through the fair play league.

Why don't we just change effing everything just for its own sake. Nothing is any good, you always have to change it, and once you've changed it, you realise that it's absolutely no good at all and so must be changed.

Let's just scrap football and make the Premiership a no-holds barred fighting league, with the cages on the pitch, the FA Cup a mud-wrestling competition involving women's teams, and just have the League Cup for football, but with the specification that all players are under 5'3 or over 6'7, just for a laugh. Penalty shoot-outs to be replaced by welly throwing.

The FA Cup to be replaced by an ethnic Peruvian wood carving and the final to be held at Hugh Heffner's for that extra bit of glamour.

Oh hold on, I just realised that isn't prestigious enough, let's scrap all that and change it all over again.

[MarkBRFC]

League Cup and FA Cup => Cup Winners Cup

Champions => European Cup

2nd and 3rd (??) => UEFA Cup

Pretty sure it was just the FA Cup winners that went into the cup winners cup, with the league cip winners going into the uefa cup.

[gazsimm]

why axe the league cup?

the league cup is just as inportant as any other cup to me

[Neil Weaver]

Having a good day Bryan?

[FourLaneBlue]

Be a bit boring if we weren't in Europe one season and didn't play a single match that isn't a league game until January.

It's bad enough as it is on those occasions when we get knocked out of both cups early. In fact remember how rubbish 2003/04 was? In three cups and got thrashed in all three at the first hurdle. Not sure which of them was the worst...

1. Going out to a Turkish team even the Turks hadn't heard of

2. Seeing Heskey - yes he of the Emile first name - rip us out apart at Ewood in the League Cup or

3. Being thrashed 4-0 in the third round of the FA Cup by Birmingham a month after thrashing them 4-0 on that same St Andrews ground!

Admittedly that seems bad but the only thing worse than losing at the first hurdle would be not entering at all.

After all...there's always next year.

[neekoy]

Let's just scrap football and make the Premiership a no-holds barred fighting league, with the cages on the pitch, the FA Cup a mud-wrestling competition involving women's teams, and just have the League Cup for football, but with the specification that all players are under 5'3 or over 6'7, just for a laugh. Penalty shoot-outs to be replaced by welly throwing.

The FA Cup to be replaced by an ethnic Peruvian wood carving and the final to be held at Hugh Heffner's for that extra bit of glamour.

Bryan, this has got my vote for post of the year.