 Wednesday, 21st Sep 2011 09:43 For the good of the game, Cup competitions need to be restored to their former status. Perhaps the saddest thing about football today is that finishing 17th in the Permiership is seen as a greater acheivement that winning the FA Cup or Carling Cup, every season we see interviews with managers in the lower half of the table trying to justify putting out a weakened team in a cup competition by stating that their aim is to "Keep this football club in the Premier" and sadly financially at least that seems to be the most imporant thing nowadays. But it really shouldnt be, you dont go on an open top bus tour to celebrate 17th, you dont see fans with T Shirts and even tattoos proclaiming 17th in the Premier 2010/11 and you dont see Dad's pointing out to there son the man who scored the goal that took us to 17th in 2005. Sadly though to Club Chairman and managers that is what matters, as relegation means for most relegated clubs a period of financial strife followed by a slip towards disaster. A prime case is Birmingham, their supporters must have thought they were in their best season ever when they won the Carling Cup, a quick slide to relegation later and they are now in their darkest hour. But the bigger picture is far depressing, Competition is what breeds interest in professional sport, even a decade or so ago it was possible for a smaller club to chase the Champions League spots, think Ipswich a decade or so ago, but now its changed, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City all have significantly more cash than any other team, Spurs have been hanging on to their coat tails for the last couple of years as have the likes of Villa, Newcastle & even Everton all clubs whose supporters consider them to be amongst the biggest in the land, however even those 4 are now dreaming if they think they have a hope of a top four finish without a plethora of Arab's riding into the club. If those chasing teams havent a hope of glory then what about the other half of the Premier league, who to be blunt are now there just to make up the numbers and once you have taken the competition out of the equation crowds start to drop as supporters see no chance of glory. We should know this more than anyone, most Saints fans I know seem to consider the last two seasons as their most enjoyable ever and for one reason, they were succesful, not in the same levels as winning the Premier, but the JPT and then promotion last year saw us actually with a chance of winning something tangible. This is why it surprises me when even the lower teams in the Premier put out weakened sides in the cups, its a chance not only to put some excitement in their supporters lives and generate enthusiasm, but a chance to get into Europe, although the Europa league seems to be heading the same way as the domestic cups. If football is to survive then it has to put more emphasis on the domestic Cups, put a Champions League place to the winners of the FA Cup, (with the runners up getting it if the winners are already qualified for it) you can bet your bottom dollar it would start to be taken more seriously then and soon restored to its former glories Re vamp the Carling Cup, perhaps put a restriction on players only being able to play in the semi finals and beyon if they have played in a certain number of games in the earlier rounds, this would stop the likes of United playing reserve sides right up to the second leg of the semi etc. If you did this in the FA Cup as well it would soon bring back the competition, for the likes of Spurs, Villa & Newcastle etc plus the side sat 4th & 5th out of the rich big 5 in the Premier it would represent their only opportunity of Champions league, you wouldnt see too many reserve sides in early rounds then, the focus for these clubs would be on winning the FA Cup rather than 5th in the league & a Europa League place. But all these measures would just be makeovers, at the end of the day the problem is the premier league itself and the way its made up, whilst the money for being bottom of the premier is so much more than being in the Championship there can never be competition, promotion from the Championship means for most Clubs a chance for a season of glory followed by financial problems as you try to get rid of your big wage earners at a cut price before their wages take you into administration, all this whilst your supporters who dont really understand the real financial ramifications, call for the managers and Chairmans head for selling players and not keeping them for another promotion bid, the same manager and Chairman who were heralded as Gods amongst men a year before are now public enemy number one for selling. Butenough of that for the time being, the first step towards recovery is making the cups important again, the Johnstone's Paint Trophy isnt the biggest competition in the World, but it was a great day out for 50,000 Saints fans, on that day did we care that it was a nothing cup ? no we enjoyed it for what it is, if I where a Birmingham fan and given the choice of 17th in the Premier and nothing else or relegation and the Carling Cup, I would take relegation and a trophy anyday, ask any Premier League Chairman and they would take money over glory. That is why football is in such a mess and if we are not careful we will go the same way as they have in Scotland and their football is in a sorry state, not to mention their international team from the knock on effect, we need to learn from their experiences and learn fast ! Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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