The League Cup has always been seen as the least prestigious of the trophies on offer to the clubs of the Premier League, especially the so called "Big Four". And yesterday's final proved this.
Manchester United are on course for 5 trophies this season, an unprecedented feat, after their penalty shootout victory. As a Man United fan, you would think I'd be estatic with another trophy in the Old Trafford cabinet, but I'm not really that fussed.
I'm pleased that Sir Alex uses youth and fringe players in the tournament to give them valued experience. It's a tried and tested formula that works for the majority of the bigger clubs, except Liverpool, who often fail against lower teams (this blog will often contain a Liverpool joke at some point)
This years cup campaign has unearthed new United talents such as Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck who have both shown their great potential in the red shirt. It has also allowed Tomas Kuszczak and Ben Foster to establish themselves as Edwin Van Der Sar's sucessor in the United goal.
I think my main problem with the League Cup is that the competition shows the gulf between the reserves of the big sides and the somewhat mediocre teams. A prime example being Arsenal's teenagers 3-0 victory over Wigan earlier this year and I remember thinking what is the point of all this.
Apart from Spurs, who won the cup last season due to Avram Grant's ineptness, the last team outside the 'Big Four' to win it were Middlesbrough under the guidance of the now Dutch Steve McClaren and look what happened to him.
I think the main reason why managers choose not to care about the cup is down to the chairmen, who would rather take the money of Premier League survival than a outside chance of European success. Many purist fans would love a cup day out at Wembley but the fact is the game is purely about money and not entertainment.
Anyway, rant over, the game itself turned out to be damp squib of a game with only fleeting chances for both sides. I'll gladly admit Spurs were unlucky and exposed the usually excellent Patrice Evra down the right hand side with Aaron Lennon. It was probably their biggest game of their dreadful season but they made a good account of themselves and I don't see them being in the relegation dog-fight for too long.
Jonny Evans continues to impress me at the back and I believe he could fit into any side in the Premier League and play every game. Unfortunate that Nemanja Vidic is playing out of his skin.
On a side note, according to various newspapers today, Ben Foster used an certain generic MP3 player (I hate endorsing this company so I won't) to work out which way Jamie O'Hara would go on the penalities, as goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele stored Tottenham's past penalities to aid his goalies. Initiative or Cheating? You Decide
Manchester United are on course for 5 trophies this season, an unprecedented feat, after their penalty shootout victory. As a Man United fan, you would think I'd be estatic with another trophy in the Old Trafford cabinet, but I'm not really that fussed.
I'm pleased that Sir Alex uses youth and fringe players in the tournament to give them valued experience. It's a tried and tested formula that works for the majority of the bigger clubs, except Liverpool, who often fail against lower teams (this blog will often contain a Liverpool joke at some point)
This years cup campaign has unearthed new United talents such as Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck who have both shown their great potential in the red shirt. It has also allowed Tomas Kuszczak and Ben Foster to establish themselves as Edwin Van Der Sar's sucessor in the United goal.
I think my main problem with the League Cup is that the competition shows the gulf between the reserves of the big sides and the somewhat mediocre teams. A prime example being Arsenal's teenagers 3-0 victory over Wigan earlier this year and I remember thinking what is the point of all this.
Apart from Spurs, who won the cup last season due to Avram Grant's ineptness, the last team outside the 'Big Four' to win it were Middlesbrough under the guidance of the now Dutch Steve McClaren and look what happened to him.
I think the main reason why managers choose not to care about the cup is down to the chairmen, who would rather take the money of Premier League survival than a outside chance of European success. Many purist fans would love a cup day out at Wembley but the fact is the game is purely about money and not entertainment.
Anyway, rant over, the game itself turned out to be damp squib of a game with only fleeting chances for both sides. I'll gladly admit Spurs were unlucky and exposed the usually excellent Patrice Evra down the right hand side with Aaron Lennon. It was probably their biggest game of their dreadful season but they made a good account of themselves and I don't see them being in the relegation dog-fight for too long.
Jonny Evans continues to impress me at the back and I believe he could fit into any side in the Premier League and play every game. Unfortunate that Nemanja Vidic is playing out of his skin.
On a side note, according to various newspapers today, Ben Foster used an certain generic MP3 player (I hate endorsing this company so I won't) to work out which way Jamie O'Hara would go on the penalities, as goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele stored Tottenham's past penalities to aid his goalies. Initiative or Cheating? You Decide
Image credited to WowtheWorld at http://www.flickr.com/photos/singapore_spur/3319959723/
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