The following article was written by James Murphy of Football Fancast. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
The Carling Cup has lost a certain amount of glitz and glam in recent times, not that it had too much glitz and glam in the first place. News north of the border surrounds ways in which to rejuvenate their current set up, and it got me thinking about the current format of the Carling Cup.
Does anyone really hold the cup competition in high esteem any more? Arsene Wenger in the past has shown little respect to the competition as year after year he has fielded lesser teams against the opposition. However, this season with the club desperate for silverware the Arsenal boss has taken the competition a little more seriously.
With uncertainty surrounding the Carling Cup I was thinking a great way for it to gain back some of its creditability and respectability would be to open it up to teams from Scotland, after all you do have Welsh teams competing year after year.
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With the inclusion of Celtic, Rangers and co would the competition evoke more interest from the fans? I personally think it would. I think something like this is more likely than to occur than Celtic and Rangers joining the Premier League.
If the competition was opened up to teams from other countries, namely Scotland, revenue within the cup would increase, thus suiting all involved, including clubs and sponsors. I feel that the inclusion of teams form north of the border would be a better idea than the others that have been brought up.
So what do you lot think, would the inclusion of teams from Scotland enhance the competition and put it back on the right track? If you’re not a fan of that idea why not mention ways in which you think the competition could be made more credible.
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In response to Eric,Julie and LFC4life, with fans like you lot no wonder Liverpool have not won the league since 1990. Gerrard’s committment to the club was shown by going off and playing in a meaningless friendly against France and did not come off the pitch at the agreed time. Reina the supposed worldclass goalie couldn’t even remember to bring a goalie’s cap onto the pitch against Arsenal. Kuyt just runs around in circles. Torres got injured against Reading last season Julie or do you deny this happened. In 1989 Liverpool pulled back a 13 point lead on Arsenal only to lose the League to a late Michael Thomas goal. With these supposed worldclass players Liverpool have, it should not be asking too much to win 19 out of 21. Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Spurs are all wobbling, but yet certain fans think the club should just give up and not make any effort in the League. Last season Benitez chose to prioritize the Europa League and where did that get the club? They only got into the tinpot Europa League again because of Portsmouth. Liverpool players would want to stop complaining so much and instead for a change show committment to the club that has made their careers.
In response to Eric, so you do not think that Torres should be ashamed of himself for his lack of committment to Liverpool? You said in your reply that Torres gets injured playing for Spain, usually in meaningless friendlies. This is the same Torres that complains the club broke promises to him but yet he ignores the fact that the club keeps paying him his huge wages every week even though he is costing the club points by his continual missing of chances. A worldclass striker is a one that might only get one chance in a match but still scores, but all we hear from the Torres brigade is that not enough chances are being created for him. People complained about the team being too deep in the first few months of the season but yet noone twigged that Carragher was pulling the team that deep so that his lack of pace wouldn’t be used against him. Liverpool pulled back a 13 point deficit on Arsenal in 1989 only to lose the League in the last minute to Michael Thomas so big comebacks are possible. Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Spurs are all wobbling this season but yet you prefer like Benitez to concentrate on the Europa League like last season and look where that got the club. If Liverpool have all these so called worldclass players it is not asking too much of them to win 19 of the 21 remaining games required to make 79 points.
OBVIOUSLY KENNY IS STILL UPSET THAT THE HANG’ EM HIGH COURT IN TEXAS DIDN’T AWARD DADDY GEORGE & UNCLE TOM THEIR BILLION$$$ PAYOUT LIKE I SAID IF YOU’RE GOING TO MOAN, MOAN TO SEPP BLATTER!!! TELL HIM THAT YOU DON’T WANT ANY LIVERPOOL PLAYERS EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO INJURIES IN WALT DISNEY (WORLD CUP) QUALIFIERS OR FRIENDLIES YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO PLAY ANY DONALD DUCK (EUROPEAN) CHAMPIONSHIPS & ENOUGH SAID ABOUT THE MICKEY MOUSE CUPS. You know Gerrard & Carragher were here before your daddy & uncle arrived & when they were sent packing they were still here SO I THINK IT’S YOUR FAMILY THAT LACKS COMMITMENT TO LIVERPOOL FC because when they’ve finished playing I’ll put money on it that they’re still here!!! NOW THAT’S TRUE COMMITMENT TO YOUR CLUB!!!
Julie, you really have a thing for Hicks and Gillette. You seem to be fixated on them. Gerrard according to you was forced at gunpoint to play against France by Sepp Blatter. Carragher and Gerrard quite obviously pick the team so maybe you should blame them for the crappy results so far this season. The simple fact of the matter is that you would prefer the club to get relegated because you keep setting your sights lower and lower. You are obviously afraid for the club to mix it with Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Tottenham. Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley must be turning in their graves knowing the club has fans like you with such a defeatist looser mentality. Get over the Hicks and Gillette thing, they are gone, the players quite simply need to start earning their wages. NESV will only spend money in January if it can be recouped from sales and the wage bill does not escalate, so your pals Torres, Gerrard and Carragher should do the decent thing for the club and leave.
Couldn’t agree more, the players need to show their worth, people go on about Torres, but Gerrard and Carragher aint been so special either. I still think old timer Roy is the main danger to our club and should be removed, he can’t motivate our players when we need them to be.
Anyways like it or hate it the careless cup is here to stay. Roy just wants to do what he couldn’t with Fulham and win the Europa so he can retire with a major cup honour coz quite frankly the time hes been a manager hes won jack s**t to speak of……YNWA
Where on any of these sites have your comments been seen to be constructive? Sack the team they’re being paid too much, sack the England captain he wants to play Internationals along with all his buddies from the Continent ( friendly or otherwise ), even if we win it’s not good enough 3-0 well TORRES missed 10 changes therefore the score should’ve been 13-0 because we pay him that much he should score every time he touches the ball ( I KNOW WE’LL SELL HIM ), loser mentality & defeatist attitude all negative comments. YOU MUST REALLY HATE YOUR DAD??? IS THAT WHY YOU SPELL YOUR SURNAME WITH A SILENT “E”??? I BET YOU DROP THE “E” WHEN YOU JUMP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AS FAST AS YOU’D DROP YOUR RED SHIRT ON THE BLUE SIDE OF TOWN??? MR NEGATIVITY I’D ASK YOU TO DO THE DECENT THING FOR THE CLUB AND LEAVE.
Julie, you do know that NESV are the new owners of the club, your friends Hicks and Gillette are long gone, for the sake of your own sanity, move on, forget about them and think of Liverpool’s future. A future where players actually earn their wages rather than blame everyone else for their complete failure to live up to their farsical worldclass profiles. Your pals Torres and Gerrard are laughing themselves silly at fans like you Julie who are so misguided and blind to the fact that you are being conned by these primadonnas. Liverpool have the fourth highest wage bill but find themselves in midtable. Julie,what do you think is wrong with this picture? Chelsea lost again tonight but yet you would prefer to concentrate on rubbish like the Europa League, very strange behaviour by a socalled committed fan. If Torres is worldclass than that must mean also that the likes of Elmander, Nolan and Kevin Davies are also worldclass considering that even they have scored more goals in the Premier League this season than Torres and did you know Julie that these 3 each earn considerably less than primadonna Torres each week. If Julie you are satisfied that Gerrard getting injured in a meaningless friendly against France shows his undying committment to the club that pays his wages, than I would suggest you consult a dictionary for the real meaning of the word committment.
My husband’s an avid RED SOX fan so I know who the owners are, as for your dad & uncle I see they’ve moved on but your still here…… Why is that? Still comparing apples to oranges….. Why is that? Still bitching about what players get paid, about what the clubs wage bill is? Why don’t you worry about your Manca teams wage bill and their world class pack of misfits & while your over there tell em’ kenny’s got a hot tip for them Elmander, Nolan and Kevin Davies are world class and collectively are a lot cheaper option than that TORRES bloke. COMMITMENT IS WHEN YOU HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH WHILE WALKING THROUGH A STORM but then again your a MANCA and you wouldn’t have know that!!!
Well, least in this answer from you, you haven’t mentioned bowel movements so at least that is an improvement. I see though you are still mentioning your two American friends though, they really are an obsession for you, aren’t they? So committment in your world is blind allegiance to primadonna players who sulk on the pitch when they miss key chances that cost their team points, but yet these primadonnas blame everyone else but themselves. I have been a Liverpool fan for 33 years, so I have seen genuine players give their heart and soul to Liverpool, but none of the current squad come anywhere near that criteria. Tf you want to be an ostrich with your head in the sand over the ridiculous high wage bill of the club and the primadonna players glaring lack of committment than fine, but you would seriously want to ask yourself are you a genuine supporter?