In addition to my music blog I thought I'd start a football one too. It will either be summing up the week in terms of footballing action, or addressing a certain issue that has cropped up.
I will try to make it a weekly one, time permitting.
The League Cup/FA Cup
Every year The FA Cup is always scrutinised for it's worth and how seriously big clubs take it. In my mind however, there is no serious doubt that the FA Cup is still a very much cherished and valued trophy. Yes, big teams may not look upon it as strongly as they have done in the past, but this is just a sign of the times, and is simply down to the massive amount of money that can be gained from European competitions such as the Champions League.
The League Cup is different in my opinion though, as it is not the senior domestic cup, and has very little history or sentimental value to cling on to. Whilst many still see it as an opportunity to win a trophy or cause a cup upset, generally neither is quite remembered as well as it would be had it happened in the FA Cup.
It's accepted by many that the cup needs revamping, but the point I would make is whether the cup is necessary at all. The top six or so clubs in the Premier League have European competitions that they have generous amounts of money to gain from, that they wouldn't receive from a good run in the League Cup. In fact, as shown in recent seasons, the top six only take it seriously if they get to the later stages, as they know that if all else fails they can always clutch at straws, by saying they've won the League Cup, like some sort of get out clause. As a supporter of a top six team, I never remember a season as a League Cup winning season, however I would always remember a season as an FA Cup winning season. This is as I still value that competition strongly. This may not be the same for other teams, such as Birmingham, but I'm sure at the beginning of the season their aim was survival, and whilst a big bonus, I imagine they would have swapped it in the end.
The old argument that Premier League players play in too many games is hardly something you can aim solely at them, as lower league teams play forty six league matches, a long with the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, The League Cup, and the FA Cup which is far too much. Admittedly not at the same standard or with as much on the lines however I can't see teams of League One and Two being too resistant should the call come to discontinue the League Cup due to the amount of football played, but I maybe wrong. Most other Premier League clubs are pushing for higher league finished or simply trying to stain the league, as yet again it boils down to money, and how much they will gain from league success over cup success. You can apply this to every division. As teams from most leagues have more to gain and lose by staying or leaving their respected divisions.
Revamping the the competition is a possibility, however I can't think of a suitable way that would really make the it worthwhile and interesting to all that participate. I heard a suggestion to make it a British cup, where only British players can play, helping homegrown talent. I don't see this as a reasonable and acceptable way to promote homegrown players though. I can't imagine the FA making any major changes though, as they are scared of making big decisions and will probably let the competition run and run no matter how meaningless it has become. They seem to prioritise themselves with "recapturing the magic" of the FA Cup by making stupid suggestions, such as making it a midweek cup, when actually making it the sole domestic competition could simply be the answer.
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