Why is the league cup so unpopular?

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

After having a hearty chuckle at the paltry crowd that palace mustered for their game against Notts County I got to thinking. Why is the league cup so unpopular? All of the attendences were tiny. The biggest so far have been 12,000 at Brum and 10,000 at leeds. After that there's been a handful of 5/6,000 and then the rest have been 2-4,000. Which is pathetic. Utterly pathetic. Obviously some games at this stage aren't that attractive but you'd expect relatively healthy gates for a lot of them, particularly when a side is at home to higher level opposition.

So what's the reason?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Can understand it for the 'bigger' teams maybe, they think it's beneath them. But the one that amazed me was Accrington Stanley v Forest, just 2146 souls turned out for what should have been a glamour tie, by Accrington standards. Must make the chairman wonder why he bothers.

 

[FalmerforAll!**]

I wouldn't expect to see so many Albion at the game tonight.I think it's just a question of it being on a Tuesday night,Boston's a long way from here,though I might have thought they'd take a coach load.

 

[gripper stebson]

When i bought my tickets yesterday we had sold 3400...

 

[Da Man Clay]

Because its quite frankly crap. No one cares and most teams play the reserves or fringe players.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I think it is just that extra expenditure that puts people off. Some are very lucky to live in close vicinity but I suspect many are put off travelling to their clubs on a weekday if they do not get a ticket included in their season ticket.

I would expect us to fill Withdean if we got a glamour tie though.

I do not expect us to break 4,000. Could be a bit of fun!

 

[Curious Orange]

In our own case of course you have to take into account our thunderously shit record in the competition. We are always fairly certain of being knocked out in the first round, and if we accidentally progress to the second... well, lightening never strikes twice!!

 

[dunno]

I don't think the league cup has the 'history' of the FA cup - although the magic of that has dwindled as i've got older. I can usually just about remember who wins the FA cup by the end of the following season - but I've usually forgotten who has won the League Cup by about 5.05 the same day!!

 

[Silent Bob]

I don't think the league cup has the 'history' of the FA cup - although the magic of that has dwindled as i've got older. I can usually just about remember who wins the FA cup by the end of the following season - but I've usually forgotten who has won the League Cup by about 5.05 the same day!!

That is true. But it has also been de-valued with the rise of the Premiership.

 

[Easy 10]

Its the advent of The Premiership and the Champions League thats killed the League Cup as a competition. Once the big boys stopped taking it seriously, it devalued the whole competition for everyone. The big clubs don't consider it a worthwhile competition, whilst the smaller Premiership clubs are more interested in just ensuring they stay on that gravy train for another season. Therefore it becomes nothing more that a "nuisance" fixture for them, and not worth risking their 1st team stars on.

That then has a knock-on to the clubs outside the Prem, cos if you're not going to see a lot of the star names in the opposition, then theres no real credit in beating a load of Premiership reserves and youngsters.

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Unfortunately, the competition has become an absolute joke in recent years.

Last night's Cardiff v Barnet game at Ninian Park saw City rest no less than TEN of the team who won at Leeds on Saturday. The only player who turned out again was Malvin Kamara, a young winger who only got his chance on Saturday because of injuries to two more established first teamers.

Believe it or not, Barnet's team also showed six changes to the team who beat Hereford on Saturday.

If teams like Cardiff and Barnet are fielding their reserves in the competition, then I reckon it's safe to say that the League Cup is now dead.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

I think the decline has a lot to do with Arsenal and Man United 'using' the competition to give their reserve teams a run out in the late 90's. A lot of people turned off because of that, and the 'Worthless Cup' tag probably didn't do many favours either.

 

[Kent Seagull]

Unless the rules are changed to force clubs to field their strongest available sides the competition is pretty much a dead duck.

Even people on here have been clamouring for reserve youngsters to get a game. It's no wonder the fans don't turn out for what is now effectively a reserve fixture. There's no way I'm going to make the effort to drive a hundred mile round trip to get to a game that is anything less than a fully competitive game where both sides put out their best players.

 

[crodonilson]

Whilst there is still a place in Europe it retains some appeal, particularly for those middle of the table Prem clubs (I bet Newcastle fans would love to see them win the League Cup for example), and ultimately it is a trophy but particularly for the first 2 or 3 rounds it is a shambles which nobody cares about, particularly so early into the new season.

 

[Man of Harveys]

It costs too much to get in - it costs far, far too much to watch football ANYWAY, so to pay even more to watch the most meaningless competition of the lot just is not worth it.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

It costs too much to get in - it costs far, far too much to watch football ANYWAY, so to pay even more to watch the most meaningless competition of the lot just is not worth it.

Nail on head mate!

 

[DTES]

Can understand it for the 'bigger' teams maybe, they think it's beneath them. But the one that amazed me was Accrington Stanley v Forest, just 2146 souls turned out for what should have been a glamour tie, by Accrington standards. Must make the chairman wonder why he bothers.

I reckon a lot of Accrington fans thought they'd save themselves some money by doing what I suppose is also glamorous to them - watching their side on Sky. Don't get many chances to do that, and it was cheaper. If it hadn't been televised I bet there'd have been 4,000 there.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

When i bought my tickets yesterday we had sold 3400...

Have we sold any more then or will we end up having a smaller crowd than Bournemouth had last night?..............................(hangs head in shame as he cannot afford/be bothered to go)

 

[Brovion]

When i bought my tickets yesterday we had sold 3400...

As many as that! I've just come back after buying ours. They offered me the Family Stand and I asked if there was anywhere else. The reply was "Where do you want to sit?" I asked for the North Stand and got Block Q row C.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Well, i am purchasing 2 this afternoon, so that will bolster the numbers