The Carling Cup – Is it really a ‘major’ trophy?

Callum Sparrowhawk

Since the Football League Cup became the Carling Cup, naturally the sponsors have been trying to build it up as a major trophy, but on merit, can it really be called ‘major’?


Looking at the winners of the trophy since Carling took over the sponsorship in the 2003/04 season; it would certainly seem that the trophy attracts the top sides. The first winner of the Carling Cup was Middlesbrough who despite their slump this year finished 7th in 2004. For the next three seasons the Carling Cup was won by Chelsea twice and Manchester United, no arguments about their status as major European clubs. The current holders are Tottenham Hotspur who defeated Chelsea to claim the trophy with a dramatic extra time winner from centre-half Jonathan Woodgate.

Of course, drama is a crucial part of making any championship an integral part of the season. However despite last season’s breath taking final, the structure of the Carling Cup lends itself less to drama than its more prestigious counter-part the FA Cup. Only 92 teams enter the League Cup, the 20 Premier League teams as well as the 72 from the Football League, whereas the FA Cup comprises of over 700 teams. This allows for two sides of much greater contrasting quality and standing to be drawn against one another and the prospects of a ‘giant killing’ to excite the minnow’s fans as well as the neutrals.

The two-legged semi finals of the Carling Cup further decrease the chances of an upset. Take this season’s clash between Premier League leaders Manchester United and Championship strugglers Derby County as a prime example. The first leg saw Derby take the game to United at Pride Park and a wonder strike from Kris Commons gave the Championship side a 1-0 victory. However, in the second leg, Sir Alex Ferguson brought back some of his bigger name players and Manchester United cruised past Derby to overcome the deficit and win the tie, and a place in the final, comfortably.

Despite the opportunity for silverware, the biggest sides in the Premier League seem to take a more relaxed approach to the Carling Cup. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in particular, use the earlier rounds of the competition to blood their youngsters and give them experience in front of a full crowd. This exciting brand of new talent on display in the Carling Cup does make it a more attractive competition for sponsors and spectators who want to see the next generation of Premier League stars develop. Hot prospects Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere have all shown their ability to play in a top side with a run of games in the Carling Cup this year. The form of top players such as Carlos Tevez and Roman Pavluychenko firing in six goals each has also helped the competition to grab the headlines.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have been dominant in English football for several years and this season, the likes of Aston Villa and Everton have also moved ahead of the rest of the Premier League. With the divide in class growing within the division the Carling Cup presents the most realistic chance of silverware for the other fourteen Premier League sides. This certainly encourages sides like Tottenham, who have reached the final again this year, Blackburn, who made the quarter-finals, and Newcastle to place emphasis on a successful Carling Cup run. With this desire to win the intensity of the competition is growing and the prize of a UEFA cup spot makes the trophy a crucial part of several Premier League sides’ seasons.

The Carling Cup prevents a realistic chance of silverware and prestige for clubs that would not usually pick up the Premier League or FA Cup. The attitudes regarding team selection of the top sides, especially in the earlier rounds, would suggest that they see it as a supplement to their season. However, judging by the recent winners, it certainly seems that provided one of the top sides makes it to the later stages, they will commit to winning the trophy. Perhaps if the structure of the competition was altered to increase the chances of an upset the competition would be more appealing to neutral fans. If I was in charge, I’d eliminate the possibility of replays from the ties to encourage top sides to play more big names. The Premier League schedule is crowded enough and many sides resent the Carling Cup for adding fixtures. By making it more of a shoot-out, the competition would add a new dimension to the football season and make the Carling Cup an exciting trophy that clubs would throw their weight behind winning.