LEAGUE CUP

For current news on this topic see: Carling Cup 2006-07

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. The current champion is Manchester United, who beat Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the 2006 final. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout (single elimination) basis. Unlike the FA Cup where 674 teams entered in 2005–06, only 92 clubs can enter: the 20 clubs of the FA Premier League, and the 72 clubs of The Football League who organise the competition. Unlike the FA Cup, the semi-finals are played over two legs. The winners qualify for the UEFA Cup, if they have not qualified for European competition in some other way.

Since 1982, the League Cup has been named after its sponsor, giving it the following names:

• Milk Cup (1981–82 to 1985–86)
• Littlewoods Challenge Cup (1986–87 to 1989–90)
• Rumbelows Cup (1990–91 and 1991–92)
• Coca-Cola Cup (1992–93 to 1997–98)
• Worthington Cup (1998–99 to 2002–03)
• Carling Cup (2003–04 to present)

It is regarded as the domestic game's least popular trophy.[1] The League Cup usually has lower attendances than the FA Cup (the last sixteen stages of the 2005-06 League Cup had a 25 % lower attendance than the last sixteen of the 2004-05 FA Cup) and it is fairly usual for larger clubs to field a reserve or youth team unless they make it into the later stages.

History

During the late 1950s, the majority of senior English clubs equipped their grounds with floodlights. This opened up the opportunity to exploit weekday evenings throughout the Winter. The League Cup was introduced in the 1960-61 season specifically as a mid-week floodlit tournament. In the early years of the competition, many of the top teams declined to take part, and it was only when automatic entry to the UEFA Cup was promised to the winners that the full League membership took part.

Liverpool have won the cup on the most occasions, with seven victories including four successive trophies in the early 1980s. The present holders (2006) are Manchester United, after defeating Wigan Athletic in the final by a record scoreline of 4–0.

Format

Preliminary Round

This is only used when the number of teams in European competition affects the number of byes to the third round and it would not be easier to give a club a bye to the second round. The match(es) involve the eligible clubs who finished lowest in the English football league system last season (normally clubs promoted from Conference National).

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

First round

All clubs playing in The Football League (the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two), unless they are competing in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup, enter at this stage and join any Preliminary Round winners. Sometimes (depending on the number of clubs competing in Europe, whether or not they play in The Football League and whether a preliminary round would be an easier way to even up the numbers) it is necessary to give one or more clubs a bye to the second round. The clubs would be those eligible to compete in the First Round who finished highest in the English football league system last season (normally clubs relegated from the FA Premier League).

For this round, the clubs are divided in northern and southern sections (though not always equally, so there could be more clubs in one section than another and, strangely, some of the clubs in the northern section are actually located further south than some of the southern section clubs). Half of the clubs from each section are seeded and half are not. First a draw is made to determine whether the seeded club is to play at home or away, and then the club is drawn against an unseeded club from their section.

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

Second round

All clubs playing in the FA Premier League, unless they are competing in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup (or took part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup), as well as any clubs that may have been given a bye to this round, enter at this stage and join the First Round winners.

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

Third round

All clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup enter at this stage and join the Second Round winners (making for a total of thirty-two clubs).

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

Fourth round

The sixteen Third Round winners compete in this round.

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

Quarter-finals

The eight Fourth Round winners compete in this round.

The ties are single matches, with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary, with the winners progressing to the next round.

Semi-finals

The four Quarter-Final winners compete in this round.

The ties are played over two matches (one at each club's stadium) with the aggregate score being used to determine the winners. If the scores are level at the end of the second match extra time is played. If the scores are still level at the end of extra time the team which has scored more away goals goes through. If the number of away goals is level a penalty shootout is used to decide the winners.

Final

The two Semi-Final winners compete to win the cup.

The tie is a single match played at a neutral stadium (currently the Millennium Stadium but usually Wembley Stadium), with extra time and a penalty shootout if necessary.

Current campaign

The draw for round one of the 2006-07 competition has been completed. Fixtures start on the week commencing 2006-08-21. Current holders Manchester United will join the competition at the third round.

Finals

Note: * means after extra time

1961-1966 (two legs)

Since 1967 (single game)

Table of winners

Clubs with 1 win

• Birmingham, Blackburn, Leeds, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Oxford United, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City, Swindon Town, West Bromwich Albion

External links

• Carling Cup official site
• Full results, 1960-1992

References

• BBC News and RSSSF for attendance data
• "Vale leave the black old days behind them" by David McVay, The Telegraph, August 21, 2006, retrieved August 21, 2006

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