Jump to content

What ever happened to Cup Fever?


Recommended Posts

The League Cup is just over 50 years old now and never really got going until the end of the 60's when it got Wembley as a venue for the final in '67.

 

Then it became the ugly 3rd sister in the 70's although clubs like Stoke  and Man City did get a Wembley win while the big clubs at the time - Leeds, Derby Man U, Arsenal - didn't do too much. There was also a chance that a lower league side would be at Wembley - QPR and Swindon both won, Villa were Div 3 when they went up against Spurs and Norwich were Div 2 (I think in 75). With the 2-legged semis it was always a bit quirky whereas the FA cup got all the attention of the big clubs. However there were a number of finals featuring less fancied clubs through the 80's and 90's

 

And then the Premier League and TV rights went ballistic and it's struggled since.

 

A great shame but maybe the future needs an opt-out model and the focus shifts back to what it was when it began with only so many of the Prem clubs invited but with a Euro place for the winner as incentive?

 

Edited by edmontonowl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seem to remember that the Derby for the Zenith Data System Cup was the first Derby for a number of years hence the excitement and big crowd

 

Cup fever died when the FA Cup final was not an all day affair on TV, big clubs played kids in the League Cup, and Wednesday became crap and got knocked out in the first round most years! 

 

Romance is dead.  It's all about the kick f*ck these days

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Blue and white said:

It went down the oldshitter when  sky ruined football by flooding it with stupid amounts of money and devaluing traditional competitions like the FA cup.

Sadly it's more lucrative to finish top 4 than anything else.

 

Sadly it's more lucrative to finish top 17 than anything else and providing you come back up within 3 years that's still more lucrative than any cup competition. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man United set the ball rolling as it were when they opted out of playing in the cup one season.  Then the FA started messing about with the format of the competition even to the point of playing the final at the most stupid of times to suit the god Sky.

 

Its been used and abused to the point it's hardly recognised. 

 

A great shame as I remember fans discussing what they  would rather win the League or the Cup.  That's a laughable concept now.

 

Greed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends what you want.

 

In a very obvious sense, English club football isn't broken. It's a massive global success. Based around a branded league and half a dozen globally barnded and recognised clubs.

 

There is collateral damage in this. The domestic cup competitions, whose value to clubs has dropped off the scale. And quite a few clubs who no longer have any prospects of competing at the top of the tree. 

 

If you like what's happened and you're a Wednesday fan, you're either a bit thick, or exceptionally altruistic on behalf of a class of rich people who don't really deserve your sympathy.

 

It is what it is. And Sheffield Wednesday starting Steven Fletcher up front against Everton is not going to alter the march of history.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Teams like Liverppol and Man City are so much better than anyone else that there is no point in the Championship teams going full on to get through. The financial gain is dwarfed by the riches of getting promoted and players getting injured or clogging up an already long season isn't worth it. 

 

Its a shame, in a bygone era an FA Cup Saturday with a 3:00 kick off was the highlight of the season. Gazza doing his knee, Norman Whitesides bender(:o), Ian Rush and his camera goal. Ricky Villa. Since the inception of the money league there are very few(Gerrard v West Ham) cup "moments" that stick in your head like they used to. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Blue and white said:

It went down the oldshitter when  sky ruined football by flooding it with stupid amounts of money and devaluing traditional competitions like the FA cup.

Sadly it's more lucrative to finish top 4 than anything else.

 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Blue and white said:

It went down the oldshitter when  sky ruined football by flooding it with stupid amounts of money and devaluing traditional competitions like the FA cup.

Sadly it's more lucrative to finish top 4 than anything else.

 

Fans are as much to blame now.

 

on another thread I was asked if i was “on crack” for saying I would prefer to have beaten a premier league team and gone into the 4th round of the cup than beat boro in a mid-table league game tomorrow.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, GerOwl said:

Teams like Liverppol and Man City are so much better than anyone else that there is no point in the Championship teams going full on to get through. The financial gain is dwarfed by the riches of getting promoted and players getting injured or clogging up an already long season isn't worth it. 

 

Its a shame, in a bygone era an FA Cup Saturday with a 3:00 kick off was the highlight of the season. Gazza doing his knee, Norman Whitesides bender(:o), Ian Rush and his camera goal. Ricky Villa. Since the inception of the money league there are very few(Gerrard v West Ham) cup "moments" that stick in your head like they used to. 

True. That Liverpool one's the only one I remember, Harewood getting a hamstring injury as well and playing on limping about

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, torryowl said:

Can remember  the time when winning the cup outweighed winning the league...now finishing 17th is much more important . The days when football was about the glory as long been replaced by ££££s.

 

Exactly.

 

Teams in the big league would rather finish 4th for the Champions League revenue or 17th in the league to keep their Premier league money than add a League Cup or FA Cup to their honour board.

 

Same goes for those Championship clubs trying to get to the Premier League; but those clubs also have the realisation that even if they field a full strength team in the cups, it's likely Man City's 3rd string will wipe the floor with them anyway, so it's not worth the risk to their goal of getting to the money league.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m old enough to remember the League Cup being started. It was unpopular at the outset when top clubs were allowed to opt out and was always a poor alternative to the F A Cup.

I know it gives young players a chance of competitive football but if fans keep shunning it what is the point of jamming up fixtures with it in amongst international breaks.

 

Time to abolish it  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bulgaria

Much rather win a cup than get promotion.

 

Seen us do both and I know which one gave me one of the days of my life supporting swfc.

 

 

Edited by Bulgaria
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...