An alternative to the League Cup

[This Is The Daybreak]

A post on the Chelsea league cup thread got me thinking. It does seem like a watered down and secondary competition to the FA Cup, I actually have to rack my brains over who won it last year. Obviously triumphs in 1987 and 1993 wont be forgotten by us and the gutless display against Birmingham still annoys me but with the importance of top 4s and European competitions being far more prevalent now than when we won it, it got me thinking about revamping the League Cup and perhaps putting a regionalised cup in its place.

So a cup for the London and Home Counties clubs, another cup for the North West, a cup for the Midlands clubs,a cup for the Yorkshire clubs and so on. Therefore giving us more derbies and getting bragging rights over the clubs in your regions. Can still have the cheap ticket policy and second string sides but offers something different at the end of it all. Would never happen but just an idea for an alternative.

[Rosie_titters]

another option, what about a team made up with 6 male players and 5 female players, the ladies game is dire and has never taken off media wise, most games are usually watched in front of about 200 people mainly husbands, kids and lesbians.

Not only would it promote woman's football, it would also give the girls a chance of being equal, and i would love to see some cracking tackles

[QuartzGooner]

I think the League Cup needs changing, it feel superfluous with the FA Cup existing.

My preference as posted here a few years ago, would be a group stage of three teams per group before the knock out stages.
Only group winners go through to knock out stages.

Group stage ties to be two-legged to guarantee two home games per club.
All games to be played where possible during school holidays, half term weeks and at weekends, so younger fans can see games more easily.

Knock out stage to have no replays, at end of 90 minutes penalties to be played.

[SteveO 35]

I think the League Cup needs changing, it feel superfluous with the FA Cup existing.

My preference as posted here a few years ago, would be a group stage of three teams per group before the knock out stages.
Only group winners go through to knock out stages.

Group stage ties to be two-legged to guarantee two home games per club.
All games to be played where possible during school holidays, half term weeks and at weekends, so younger fans can see games more easily.

Knock out stage to have no replays, at end of 90 minutes penalties to be played.

Jesus mate are you sure???? Another BORING BORING group stage. I guarantee that if you remove the main excitement i.e. knockout football settled on the night with no replays, you'll kill the thing forever

I think the only enhancement would be to have five or six of the players aged under 21

[GranadaJoe]

Why do we want a second cup competition of any description? If we're going to have two, why not have three or five or one for each club. I think the Whateveritscalled Cup is pointless.

[northbank123]

Personally I love football around Christmas but I think that it's time that a winter break was seriously considered and not just dismissed out of hand as foreign nonsense.

[SteveO 35]

Why do we want a second cup competition of any description? If we're going to have two, why not have three or five or one for each club. I think the Whateveritscalled Cup is pointless.

Now you're being silly. The FA Cup is for everyone, starting with the smallest of village clubs back in August / September, and the League Cup is purely for members of the football league and PL. What's wrong with that? At almost every level of football the same thing exists - so in my lad's junior football there's a League Cup and a county cup. Not sure why there's a problem with that?

[Ryanswannell]

I would just like to see this competition disappear for good as it is nothing more than an inconvenience - it cause injuries, reduces rest time for those who are playing and has very little value to the fans, which is obvious as this thread exists.
The only upside is that the tickets are cheap, so more people get to see their favorite team play live.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to see us win this if we had nothing else to play for, but who want's to take the risk of injuring yet more starting XI players, or even tiring them for the upcoming month that is crucial to our league campaign?

[Red Snapper]

A post on the Chelsea league cup thread got me thinking. It does seem like a watered down and secondary competition to the FA Cup, I actually have to rack my brains over who won it last year. Obviously triumphs in 1987 and 1993 wont be forgotten by us and the gutless display against Birmingham still annoys me but with the importance of top 4s and European competitions being far more prevalent now than when we won it, it got me thinking about revamping the League Cup and perhaps putting a regionalised cup in its place.

So a cup for the London and Home Counties clubs, another cup for the North West, a cup for the Midlands clubs,a cup for the Yorkshire clubs and so on. Therefore giving us more derbies and getting bragging rights over the clubs in your regions. Can still have the cheap ticket policy and second string sides but offers something different at the end of it all. Would never happen but just an idea for an alternative.

You are describing the London Senior Cup. It was open to all the amateur and pro sides, usually the reserves. I remember once in the 60's going to Underhill to see an Arsenal side with several top players returning from injury (the only one I remember was Ian Ure and this was his level!) lose 4-1 to a Barnet side from the Isthmian league

Just Wikied it and I see it's still going but has been strictly non league for a while now.

[donaldo]

I think the League Cup needs changing, it feel superfluous with the FA Cup existing.

My preference as posted here a few years ago, would be a group stage of three teams per group before the knock out stages.
Only group winners go through to knock out stages.

Group stage ties to be two-legged to guarantee two home games per club.
All games to be played where possible during school holidays, half term weeks and at weekends, so younger fans can see games more easily.

Knock out stage to have no replays, at end of 90 minutes penalties to be played.

Sounds like a Europa league for English teams is that what we want.The truth is the league cup was brought in when there was one team the champions who went into the European cup now we have four.There are too many games.Just scrap the league cup.And in the FA cup scrap replays.Does anyone think Ozil would have signed for us if we won the league cup but finished 5th.Dream on

[g88ner]

I think the only enhancement would be to have five or six of the players aged under 21

That would only help the top clubs though, surely? - why handicap the small clubs by forcing them to potentially play 5 reserve players away at Old Trafford? - that would make giant killing (pretty much the only exciting thing about the early rounds of the cup) even more of a rarity that it already is.

If the cup is to survive, it needs to excite people not make the outcome more predictable. Not as bad as the league format idea though... if they do that, I might just cry

[QuartzGooner]

I think the League Cup needs changing, it feel superfluous with the FA Cup existing.

My preference as posted here a few years ago, would be a group stage of three teams per group before the knock out stages.
Only group winners go through to knock out stages.

Group stage ties to be two-legged to guarantee two home games per club.
All games to be played where possible during school holidays, half term weeks and at weekends, so younger fans can see games more easily.

Knock out stage to have no replays, at end of 90 minutes penalties to be played.

Sounds like a Europa league for English teams is that what we want.The truth is the league cup was brought in when there was one team the champions who went into the European cup now we have four.There are too many games.Just scrap the league cup.And in the FA cup scrap replays.Does anyone think Ozil would have signed for us if we won the league cup but finished 5th.Dream on

My idea Donaldo (and Steve O) would that it would be an affordable and convenient competition for younger fans to see.

In the main, clubs would play under 21's, but I would avoid a hard and fast rule on exact quotas, because it could also be useful for older players returning from injury or suspension to get a bit of sharpness.

But I also know that the Under 21 NextGen series exists, and this is an affordable competition for younger fans to see, so if the League Cup was scrapped I would not lose sleep over it.

[goonertux]

another option, what about a team made up with 6 male players and 5 female players, the ladies game is dire and has never taken off media wise, most games are usually watched in front of about 200 people mainly husbands, kids and lesbians.

Not only would it promote woman's football, it would also give the girls a chance of being equal, and i would love to see some cracking tackles

You're going to see women play and you want to see the tackles????????

[Ryanswannell]

another option, what about a team made up with 6 male players and 5 female players, the ladies game is dire and has never taken off media wise, most games are usually watched in front of about 200 people mainly husbands, kids and lesbians.

Not only would it promote woman's football, it would also give the girls a chance of being equal, and i would love to see some cracking tackles

You're going to see women play and you want to see the tackles????????

Maybe he meant to say he would love to see some crack and tackle

[djvandyke]

The League Cup has had some fantastic matches the past few seasons so I'm not totally sure it needs a big revamp. One idea I had in the past is to make it a British Cup. The bitter Jocks always love to get one over on the big English sides and would make for some great atmospheric ties.