Why the Carling Cup is not a lame competition

Try telling Birmingham fans the League Cup is not important. Try telling Tottenham fans – it’s the only trophy they have won for over a decade. Right about now, even Arsenal fans would take it.

For fans, sport is about making memories, and the 30,000 plus Birmingham fans who left Wembley elated in February will have their triumph etched into the fabric of their very being.

As well as providing a nice day out for the fans, the early season trophy has many other benefits too; it would be churlish to deign it unimportant when it is clearly a platform for the development of precocious talents like Jack Wilshere and Josh McEachran.

Wilshere scored his first goal at 16 years old in a League Cup tie, and it was in the competition that Josh McEachran truly announced his arrival at Chelsea, by entering the fray against Newcastle as a substitute, turning a lifeless performance into a vibrant, albeit ultimately unsuccessful display.

Having these players find their feet in the tournament is of benefit to England’s international prospects, but critics suggest playing youth in the tournament is only a privilege which bigger sides can wield with any degree of success.

Perhaps this is true, but the tournament is what you make of it. If you play a reserve side and make a swift exit, so be it. But if you take it seriously and go deep, you will be rewarded.

It provides access to Europe for clubs which would not normally be afforded that excitement, in the form of the Europa League, and is a more winnable version of the FA Cup for smaller clubs.

After all, it seems unlikely we will have a shock winner of the FA Cup again – the division between football’s giants and minnows is a vast chasm – but the League Cup is prime for an upset.

And in the economic climate, cheaper ticket prices for the competition provide fans access to their side which they may otherwise not be able to afford.

Even at Chelsea tickets are priced reasonably, unlike their new Champions League structure which led to empty seats against Bayer Leverkusen, and a planned boycott against Genk.

The atmosphere at League Cup games is one of buoyancy too – the pressure is off and the fans can have some fun – isn’t that why everybody comes in the first place?

Furthermore, removing the League Cup would set a dangerous precedent for other trophies to be modified or removed. Competitions like the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy are fantastic opportunities for lower league clubs to enjoy a trip to Wembley, and may find themselves under threat if English football’s competition landscape was meddled with.

Finally, fundamentally, people like watching football, and will not take kindly to people trying to remove it. Try and find a Southampton fan not eagerly awaiting the League Cup draw this afternoon.

Good luck – you’ll need it.