League Cup - 2015/16

[bdu98196]

Minimal midweek travelling to disrupt our league campaign, local derby so hopes for a bumper crowd and the chance to get into another LC semi. Great draw, incentive and hopefully be a great occasion and in a month we will hopefully have more players back.

 

[Sneckboy]

Ach we've had bigger, remember Foran/Roberts equaliser......................pfft, no problem.

Open to debate - but I'd put a League Cup quarter-final win marginally ahead of a win in the Scottish Cup last-32.

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

Ross County start clear favourites. Roy has invested heavily in the club in the last 12 months so this will be a massive challenge for us.  

[PerfICT]

I'm surprisingly underwhelmed by the draw. Derbies are great and cup derbies even better, but we'll now play County at least 4 times this season, which is too many IMO. Come the day, I'll be up for it, but would have preferred them in the final.

[ICTPaisley]

This is a good draw for us.  Let's hope we can get to another cup semi....Hearts at Easter Road for the 3rd time in 4 years?

[Scarlet Pimple]

Roaster!

[wynthank15]

Time we dumped this meaningless trophy unless they bring back a European slot. They are actually toying with the idea of bringing back the league sections which would be an utter disaster as it was last time. With the size of our playing squad i would be quite happy to pass on this tournament permanently, there's no glory or money in it.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Surely there is money in it for the club though .....?

[wynthank15]

Not unless you draw one of the big clubs and/or get to the final Pimple. Some of the gates at the LC wouldn't cover the cost of putting a match on, plus there's no reward for winning it.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Gotcha!

[wynthank15]

Hee Hee nice one, Depends on the draw Pimple but seriously what would your choice be SC or league cup? i don't know your age, but I can remember the league sections they were awful with seriously low crowds even for matches between decent teams, in those days the old firm would play half their reserve team, the only incentive was a European place if you won it but no one made serious money from it. Even some of the finals had pretty small gates. For a small club like ours in the premier Div I don't think the wear and tear on players and the risk of injury is worth it. 

[DEANO96]

I take it those who want rid of the league cup won't be at the county game and won't travel to watch the team should they make the semis/final? 

The way I see it is it's a chance for a trophy and more exciting days out. Plus I'll go and support any game I can! 

[givmeaccccc]

Aberdeen don't consider this trophy a dud. In spite of all their big spending and bumptiousness it remains the only competition they have won in recent years. I believe we should be going all out to win this cup as it would mean we would have both major Scottish trophies in Inverness.

 

[The Mantis]

Hee Hee nice one, Depends on the draw Pimple but seriously what would your choice be SC or league cup? i don't know your age, but I can remember the league sections they were awful with seriously low crowds even for matches between decent teams, in those days the old firm would play half their reserve team, the only incentive was a European place if you won it but no one made serious money from it. Even some of the finals had pretty small gates. For a small club like ours in the premier Div I don't think the wear and tear on players and the risk of injury is worth it. 

I remember the sections could be a bit tedious but I don't agree at all with the rest. I don't think the concept of playing a weakened side had been invented back then (in fact I wonder if clubs could be penalised for it) and the finals tended to get 60-70000 which clubs would kill for nowadays. I remember the Dundee-Celtic final of 73 in which Bobby Wilson played got only 28000 but that was in Ted Heath's 3 day week.

My first final was 1970 between the twins of evil and won by a 16 year old Derek Johnstone and there were 106000 there.

Edited September 30, 2015 by TheMantis

[wynthank15]

I remember the game Mantis a desperate Rangers trying to win any trophy during Celtic's period of domination, which resulted in the second highest recorded attendance for the LC, after that, Hampden was only half full (70,000) on a handful of occasions and usually much less. Lowest recorded after 1970 was Dundee Utd v Aberdeen 79/80 27,173. Some of the top club's lowest ever attendances were recorded in the LC sections in the 70's and 80's, they were truly grim and ignored by all but the diehards. In fact, old firm reserve games (against other teams) attracted more interest. It was a poor competition then, though it had a reward but it's even more pointless now with no European place and the thought of sections being brought back makes me cringe. More pointless group games is the last thing ICT's small squad needs, not to mention the financial implications. About as relevant as the Glasgow or North Cup.

Back in the day the OF used the group games as development squad matches but then they had excellent reserve teams who won at a canter against the minnows.

[RiG]

Confirmed as 27th October live on BBC with a 7.05 pm kick off.

[LundavraJag]

I take it those who want rid of the league cup won't be at the county game and won't travel to watch the team should they make the semis/final? 

The way I see it is it's a chance for a trophy and more exciting days out. Plus I'll go and support any game I can! 

You're probably right and I only have to think back to last year at Easter Road against the Jambos as to why I am happy to keep attending league cup games. 

[Scarlet Pimple]

Wynthank15.. In answer to your queries :

1. I'm 77,  but can still  remember incidents  in games going back to my relative childhood--at least in my early teens.

 

I'm truthfully undecided as to whether the League cup is worth holding on to. The Scottish cup seems to be a higher ranking tournament in Scotland these days than the league cup which year by year appears to be losing it's glamour. But the club probably does need it to enhance their annual income, especially if they can reach the Final.

There does seem to be quite a bit of wear and tear on the players in the Premier Division and no doubt the players would rather not play in two major tournaments in addition to the tousy League each season. However, they want their money and it is a trade in exchange for wages so they can expect to play frequently and to avoid injury they need to work hard on the training ground. Businessmen who are self employed need to work or not eat and frequently they suffer many different types of injuries plying their trade--anything from cuts and bruises, falls off roofs, tripping on concealed edges of concrete paths, broken ribs falling off ladders and many others....... s-o-o-o.. don't feel too sorry for these players because they have the advantage of having free access to first class physiotherapy and other treatments not available necessarily to trades unless the latter can afford to take time off work and pay for private treatments out of their own pockets. Also, most p[ayers are in prime condition and young which does help enormously in the recovery process. Self-employed wallahs often have to work despite painful ,debilitating injuries which remain for a long time due to their inability to rest the limb(s) adequately.

Cheers 

[Huisdean]

There are 3 major trophies in Scottish Football, League Championship, Scottish Cup and League Cup. Highly unlikely we will win the SPL in the immediate future so best chance of a trophy is to win one of the cups. Why on earth would we want to play a weakened side and pass up the chance of winning a trophy?.

[wynthank15]

Pimple, you're right, the only reason for this tournament is money. They are currently talking about bringing back the group sections which will kill it stone dead, thankfully.