Carling Cup - who really cares?

I couldn't attend the game last night due to other commitments, but I did manage to watch the game and while I watched us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory I found myself saying, it's the League Cup who really cares? writes Albion blogger Jarrod Hill.

No sour grapes at all, and I have said it for a number of seasons, few clubs give the League Cup any kudos until the latter stages. Everton surprised me last night by playing a virtual full strength eleven while Roy Hodgson gave Joe Mattock, Billy Jones, Gareth MaCauley, Marton Fulop, Simon Cox, and George Thorne a rare start.

Before the game all I wished for was for no extra time and no injuries to key players. Some sloppy play ensured we had an extra 30 minutes and if that wasn't bad enough a cold sweat swept over me as I watched Jonas Olsson hobble off. I pray that it was more of a precaution than due to anything serious because for me the Swedish International is easily the hardest player to replace in our team.

All in all a bad night, ok some fringe players got some game time, and Roy Hodgson got to take a closer look at them but at what cost?

Many of those fringe players had good games and that's good, I only wish we had played more fringe players and not risked players I see as irreplaceable.

I would question the decision to play Jonas Olsson, i would like to ask what the players thought we were doing when 0-1 up with two minutes to go we still sent forward our centre halves for a corner. I would bet 99% of all teams from Europe's Elite to Sunday League would have played the ball into the corner and wasted valuable seconds. It struck me as naïve, or unprofessional or a bit of both, then the ball broke we defended poorly and with nothing of the game left Everton push on, score, and we are looking at another half hour of football.

Don't get me wrong, although I won't lose too much sleep over being knocked out of the League Cup, I still want us to win every game we play and the way in which we surrendered a game we had virtually won adds to my existing worries.

I just hope last nights 120 minutes of football hasn't hampered our plans for Saturday, if not no harm done, if it has then I sympathise with those managers who see the League Cup as a handicap.

Regardless of last nights events I planned to ask my learned readers the same question, what needs to be done to revitalise the Carling Cup?

Marketing? Greater financial gains? Or do we only have room for one serious Cup competition?

I honestly don't know, but what I do know is that the attendance figures for the competition speak for themselves. This combined with many clubs playing weakened teams means that I am not the only fan giving the competition the cold shoulder. It all seems to lead to one big downward spiral, competition has less credence, managers play weakened teams, fans don't turn up in great numbers because of the first two reasons, and the spiral starts again.

Personally I would love us to win the League Cup, but until we get close I don't seem to be able to enthuse myself to be bothered. I did have a different attitude to the competition when we were in the Championship as it gave us an opportunity to test ourselves against the top sides. But the seasons we have spent in the Premier League I view it with complete indifference.

It has been suggested that the competition needs a different format, I am not sure what could be done, but I do believe the League Cup needs something, I am interested to hear other fans thoughts on the subject.