Never has the prospect of a round of Carling left me feeling so disinterested.
Usually, the prospect of a frothy bevy is enough to raise a smile. In fact, it raised an erection when my mate got them in at the Oval on Sunday afternoon. Boy it tasted good.
But as Mick’s men prepare to quench our thirsts in the Carling Cup tonight, I really can’t be bothered.
Back when the League Cup meant something
So what an indictment, that I won’t be dragging my sorry backside down the Molineux tonight, to savour our appearance in a competition that gave my Dad his finest hours.
But I am not alone surely? The limp surrender in this competition, for so many years, has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. I remember Bournemouth doing us, and I’m sure tonight’s opponents Swindon have also caused grief in McGhee’s tenure? Basically, whenever we’ve drawn a pretty decent home tie against fodder, we tend to bomb out.
Then there’s the fact that this competition has little, if any of the kudos that it used to have, before Rumbelows, Coca-Cola, Littlewoods and co got their names on it.
Sadly, the Carling Cup has all the fizz of the dregs in a drip tray, and is one of a few genuinely sad casualties of our ‘Beautiful Game.’
As we all know so well, if you’re not in the Premier League, then you really don’t matter. So forgive me as my attentions keep turning back to our game against Hull on Saturday.
Those were the days my friend
It shouldn’t be this way. I shouldn’t want to trade in a defeat tonight for a win at the weekend. But I do. Craig Bellamy shouldn’t be able to kiss his Premier League badge, as some sort of compensation for the fact they’ve been knocked out of the FA Cup (when we beat Newcastle in 2003). But he did.
Surely football should be about winning, not singing. Not singing when you’ve finished 4th bottom in the Premier League? But Phil Brown knows the words alright. He knows that the words ‘Carling Cup’ mean nothing on a KC songsheet.
In the League of Greed, winning some silverware doesn’t pay. Not in the long run. Barclays have already chewed up and spat out that notion, like a dodgy credit card in their cash machine.
Nope, it is with regret that I say we use this competition, like Sky Sports use our fixture list this season…With contempt. We come, we see, we probably don’t conquer, and we all go home to concentrate on the real cup final this weekend.
First off, can I just say a big thanks to Rob Millard from the The Mirror who got in touch with these pictures, which I’ve been saving for the right post. I’ve got giant versions, so if anybody wants them for their own purposes, feel free to ping me a message using the contact form.
Ben’s completely right about the Carling Cup. It’s gone down the toilet and is in desperate need of freshening up.
Most of the suggestions I hear involve increasing the prize money or offering a place in Europe. But I’d like to see something more radical.
How about this:
Have a regional group stage before a knockout, which guarantees local derbies every year. Now that would really add some fizz to the competition (pun intended).
Imagine Wolves going into battle with Albion, Blues, Walsall and Villa every year?
You’d get full houses in all of those matches.
You mean in a similar vein to the paintpot trophy? They still don’t get very high attendances, but that could be due to the limited entrants.
I am going tonight, only because it was cheap tickets though. Should be good to see some of the fringe players.
Anyone else going? I assume you two aren’t
Also Tom, can I have the larger version of the top photo please. Do I need to email you?
wow that was quite a tirade. In essence i believe the same as you, a once great cup has lost its appeal and even history in a bizzare turn of fortune.
this match however i feel will be good for us. doyle, berra, zubar and a few others will get some good football under their belt, improve fitness and other squad players can make an effort to prove to mick they are worth a shout for a first team start.
i would have gone but living in london its not quite worth it. still hoping for a result though and hope winning and scoring goals will help us with our attitude and performance before hull!
Hey Hallam. You leave off the JPT mate!! I do the PR for the trophy, and it keeps me in a job!!! I must add that it is gaining in attendance figures, media coverage etc, year on year!
As for tonight Hallam, I would usually be going. I always usually go to them if we’re at home. What I didn’t put on the blog was that after my extended weekend at the Ashes, I can’t get another green pass at such short notice. Not when the little man is running amok! I need to earn the green passes, and store them in the locker for the bigger games that await!!
I love the pictures Thomas, and love the idea. Why not? You’re right, bragging rites would add a spice to it, increase gates, revenues etc. In fact, why haven’t they thought of it before?!
Any chance you can get me discount tickets for some Aldershot games then
If no one else is going I can try and whip up a small match report later tonight if you want?
I think something could be arranged! You should follow Johnstonespaint on twitter for more. I update it.
As for matrch report, I would love to have a read mate. I’m sure Thomas would be happy as well, if he isn’t going?
I’m sure he’ll look at this and answer before I get back. Will be my first try so don’t expect anything amazing
Rock n’ Roll with the match report Hallam. Look forward to reading it mate.
Hope the large picture found you OK and works as your wallpaper.
Oh come on guys, yes it’s only the Carling Cup, but should we get to the final I guarantee you’ll all be going!
Most of you have the chance to go and see games whenever you want, I have to wait for them to come on the TV and then listen to the commentators lauding the opposing team. Don’t take things for granted!
If Wolves manage to get to the final and win, then how great would it be to tell the grandkids about watching every game during the 2010 Cup victory!
If I still lived over there I would be going to every game this season, home and away. C’mon lads its the team that counts and not what competition they happen to be playing in, get behind them and give them your support!
Here endeth the rant!
Thing to remember is that its usually a top six PL club that wins the FA cup, and we have no chance of winning the PL….(not this year anyway)…so the Egg Cup represents our best chance of winning something as most of the “big” clubs tend to field 2nd string teams. We should go into every game wanting to win, and I hope we get another decent home draw in the 3rd round
I was sad to read reports on the problems at West Ham, I thought those days were gone.
I think you should go to as many games as you can while they are in the big leagues because the way they are scoring, they won’t be in the league for long.
Alright I just got back. I’ll try get a report up as quick as I can. Probably finished tomorrow morning.
Agreed it is sad about West Ham, and will probably give the Aussie media another chance to bag ‘Soccer’.
I think that progression can only be good, (even on pens) as it will give squad players another hit out, and who knows, the next round might just fall when one of our better players needs some match fitness.
I understand and applaud the diatribe here by Ben, my question I’d put is when would we start to take this competition seriously if we manage to limp through the next couple of rounds? Surely the Europa League would be fun!
From what I’ve heard, Zubar did well, which is especially pleasing for me (due to Marseille past)
Morning t’OM (or should I say evening?!). Don’t get me wrong, I have always wanted to see progression in this competition, and it has riled me greatly when Chesterfield, Rotherham, et al, knock us out. My ‘diatribe’ was more my take on football generally – the Carling Cup being another disposable commodity that has to make way for the gravy train. I think it stinks. I also think Man Utd stink for devaluing the FA Cup by not bothering to defend it.
I’m an old romantic at heart I suppose.
I think in the shorter term, with no reserve league to play in, it is really beneficial to still be in it. Get the injured players back.
Speaking of which, funny how Kightly has vanished off the face of the earth. I
Lovely attitude there from the blogger. So if we draw WBA next round you’ll want to lose that game then? No, I thought not. We are Wolverhampton Wanderers football club, and we should be trying to win every single game we play in. Otherwise, what would be the point in playing at all? Its modern attitudes like yours that have ruined the cup competitions in this country. You’ve brought into the SKY tv ethos where football didn’t exist before 1992. Let me ask you a question, think of all the great times we’ve had at our club over the last 20 years. I’m willing to wager that 75% of those memories would have been from cup games. Sheff Weds on pens? Newcastle 3-2? I could go on, but I wont. My point is that if we don’t take all games seriously then what do we become? I’ll use Fulham as an example, yes they have a Premiership status continued over a sustained period of time. But what will we and their fans remember from this period in 20 years time? “Well we finished mid table for 10 years, no trophies….but mid table”. What a legacy to leave for a so called period of “success”.
No matter in how much derision you hold this tournament, with it comes not only financial rewards but also professional ones. Imagine if, by March we had got to the final and won it. European football would not only guarantee more money into the club, but also enable us to attract better players. This is how you build legacies, not by settling for mediocrity. But by winning competitions.
I just hope Mick and the players do not share your half hearted approach to Association Football.
I would point to the deam selection as to the fact we are not taking the League Cup as seriously as we could. I suppose the counter point to Rufus is what players would we attract being in the Europa League (which I have personal issues with the format) but playing in the Fizzy Pop again.
I personally don’t buy that as I think a winning culture is a good thing, and that success in Cups and the League aren’t mutually exclusive (Burnley anyone, and their 140 or so games they played last year). Thus my comment that I applauded the diatribe, sport (as far as I’m aware) is about winning stuff, not just acquiring dollars (or euros, or pounds, or whatever), and given the hegemony of the Sky4 (Boo hiss) we might as well try to win what we can. Progression can only be a good thing.
Rufus. Bit surprised by that, when I clearly state in the blog that:
a) I was brought up on past cup glories
b) The Greed League has effectively killed cup competitions on their own (along with pompous players like Craig Bellamy who don’t care), not me.
To answer your question: I still treasure my Sherpa Van Trophy final programme, (and commemorative LP) like I’m sure you do to?
I also have more affinity to that triumph, the 4th and 3rd division days, when each goal wasn’t sponsored by Chaucer, and Bully could celebrate in front of us without the distraction of James Brown on the tannoy.
In fact, football has barely existed AFTER 1992 for me, save for these happy days we are now basking in.
No need to lecture me about what football and cup games mean to me, not least blame me for apathy. (11,000 at the game, so quite a few thousand also have a half-hearted attitude to ‘Association Football’ then?)
The points your making, are exactly what I was trying to make myself. Difference is, you made them twice as well, and I just waffled on for the sake of it.
Latter day football has gone the same way as 20/20 cricket… loved the PL at first, now I depise all it stand sfor…but, you have to be in it