Worthington Cup - still worthless or now fashionable?

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The Worthington Cup was described last night on the radio as "now fashionable" - basically because Man United have treated the competition a little more seriously this year after several years of fielding a team full of reserves and youth players (along with Arsenal, Chelsea etc). If I was a supporter of Blackburn, Spurs, Leicester or any other team that's won it recently this would really wind me up. So is the Worthington Cup only as important as Alex Ferguson thinks it is?

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 23 January 2003 15:14 (twenty-three years ago)

For the record, as a United supporter I'm still not too arsed about it. I don't particularly want to lose to the scousers under any circumstances, but I'd still only place it about on a level with a Charity Shield.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 23 January 2003 15:15 (twenty-three years ago)

This could be ourt best chance of Europe, the rate we're going!

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned how odious Neil Warnock was the other night.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 23 January 2003 15:37 (twenty-three years ago)

i hope Liverpool win

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 23 January 2003 15:49 (twenty-three years ago)

oh so do I.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 23 January 2003 15:51 (twenty-three years ago)

With Beckham playing in the final surely it'll be cutting edge, sarongs-a-go-go.

― Lara (Lara), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But do you still think it's important? Obviously it was part of Liverpool's historic quintuple or whatever it was the other year, so from that point of view it must be vital, but how about on its own? Would the (red) scouse season be complete with a Worthington Cup and a finish above Everton?

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:02 (twenty-three years ago)

If we beat Man U then it would certainly help to make up for a good season turned bad.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Would you wear pink nail varnish to celebrate?

― Lara (Lara), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

They were red before.

The pictures are somewhere.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:19 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll take any trophy at this stage, especially since the Worthington Cup Final is the day after I'm meant to go and see Felix Da Housecat and if I am to do a 24 hour binge it will be easier to justify if Liverpool win.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:22 (twenty-three years ago)

A word from a Spurs supporter ... ITV's trailer for last season's final, lest we forget, billed the final as nothing more than a needle match between Cole and Sheringham. I don't recall there being anything other than the barest mention of the fact that it was a match between Blackburn and Tottenham. QED: The attitude was, if it doesn't have a United/Liverpool/Arse angle, you won't be interested, folks ! That wound me up (especially as the clogmen ended up winners).

― darren, Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Maybe that's the difference, Chris, if we win chuff all except the Worthington Cup it'll be a poor season. And nobody enjoys beating the scousers more than me.

(Lara, I can see what you're trying to do there but football's a manly sport and we'll have none of that round here.)

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Manly sport?! I refer you to . Speaking of which, I am glad to see Bruno Cheyrou back in the side.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Worthington Cup - brings 20M into the FL = good thing

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 23 January 2003 16:48 (twenty-three years ago)

chris how many teams do you actually support?

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 23 January 2003 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

i maintain my idea that the worthy cup should be scrapped and replaced with a souped up fa U21 youth cup

― zemko (bob), Thursday, 23 January 2003 18:09 (twenty-three years ago)

fact: no one except blackburn and spurs cared who won it last year. it was dire. for fashionable read popular read interesting. if yr playing well then yr fashionable, like southampton and beattie were, like everton and rooney b4 them. if u are rub then u are unpopular, and it has nothing to do with the machinations of new labour or itv or whatever else. fine you want a bigger slice of the pie; play better. like sheffield utd did

― zemko (bob), Thursday, 23 January 2003 18:18 (twenty-three years ago)

They should have a lottery system, all the football league & primiership teams names are placed in a hat, and one is picked out, this team wins a place in the Champions League!

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 23 January 2003 20:15 (twenty-three years ago)

spoken like a true spurs fan!

― zemko (bob), Thursday, 23 January 2003 20:23 (twenty-three years ago)

ha! we've won two matches in a row ya know!

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 23 January 2003 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

it's still not that important, is it? manure only fielded strong teams earlier on cause they were the only fit 11 players at the time (and perhaps cause they looked to be having aa awful season at that time). as for liverpool, we often seem to do well in this anyway for reasons i can't quite fathom. obviously both teams will be dying to win it now for the obvious reasons (no, not european qualification).

― michael wells (michael w.), Thursday, 23 January 2003 21:12 (twenty-three years ago)

"fact: no one except blackburn and spurs cared who won it last year."

And as far as I can tell, noone except Man Utd and Liverpool cares who wins it this year.

Still, no doubt we'll see a game every bit as exciting, incident packed and full of free-flowing football as the last time these two met in a cup final...

― Lord Byron lived Here, Thursday, 23 January 2003 23:11 (twenty-three years ago)

What a fine occasion that was, Lord Byron lived Here, thanks for bringing back those lovely memories.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 09:47 (twenty-three years ago)

mm, possibly the worst cup-final ever!

Gareth? how many times do I have to answer this question? Just the two is the answer, although I have soft spots for several others.

― chris (chris), Friday, 24 January 2003 09:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Worst for you Chris, presuming you're too young to remember 1977.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 09:58 (twenty-three years ago)

indeed, the first cup final I remember is 1979!

it was an awful game in all respects though James, apart from the result for you. Dour is the right word for it

― chris (chris), Friday, 24 January 2003 10:40 (twenty-three years ago)

no, i'll take a cursory glance at the worthy final this year. whether it turns out to be a bad match is irrelevant as far as my point goes

― zemko (bob), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:31 (twenty-three years ago)

zemko - it might appear to be Worthless, but to the clubs in Divisions 2 and 3, it's the difference between survival and extinction. That's got to make it a Good Thing right?

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

(obv the cup itself remains totally hateful and pointless, but this year it's fun thus fashionable)

(my team hasn't won a cup tie of any sort in 3 years)

― zemko (bob), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:35 (twenty-three years ago)

I like dour games against the scousers!

Particularly ones where Keane destroys and Cantona conquers.

Lovely, free-flowing football is alright in its place but sometimes you just want to enjoy the tension.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:39 (twenty-three years ago)

(ok re money for little uns but scope for improvement is huge. my idea for an U21 fa cup is flawless!!!! only problem: prestige not european qualification... but someone like crewe could win it)

― zemko (bob), Friday, 24 January 2003 11:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Miss Vicky and I went to see a match in the Cherry Red Books Captal Counties Feeder Leagues Trophy the other night.

― Mark C (Mark C), Friday, 24 January 2003 14:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I knew when I saw that flute John Barnes in his fancy boots and the rest of the toolbox in their white armani suits that Liverpool were going to lose that FA Cup Final.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 24 January 2003 14:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Mark - didn't go myself; too busy. Men against boys I heard...

Their programme was a larf - all copied and pasted from the AFCW website. Coals and Newcastle spring to mind...

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 24 January 2003 15:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Lord Byron Lived Here - are you the person I think you are? Blimey, the Interweb gets smaller and smaller every day. Either that or ILX is sucking the talent from the rest of the Net.

I'm a Spurs fan and I KNEW Blackburn were going to win thanks to Glenn Hoddle shooting his mouth off about Andy Cole the previous day. And it was a rubbish game.

You are all of course aware that Man Utd are actually going to win the quadruple this year, taking the Premiership on the last day of the season when Arsenal lose to Sunderland, with ponytailed lumbering moustachioed fool flapping wildly as the ball sails above his head, thus ending his Arsenal career under the most ignominious cloud possible. This would make me very happy indeed.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 24 January 2003 15:39 (twenty-three years ago)

The quadruple is impossible, but I'd happily settle for the league under the circumstances you mention.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 15:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I consider the League Cup a Major Tournament. I think it foolish to suggest otherwise.

― the pinefox, Friday, 24 January 2003 16:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I agree with the PF.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm a Bristol Rovers fan = I considered the Watney Cup to be a major tournament.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 24 January 2003 19:24 (twenty-three years ago)

As a Newcastle fan I think the late lamented Texaco Cup was terribly underated, (twice winners in 1974 + 1975). As for the Liverpool-Man U pigfest....its a shame both sides can't lose.

― stevo (stevo), Friday, 24 January 2003 19:31 (twenty-three years ago)

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