The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
After a campaign in which the majority of the Premiership's 'bigger' teams actually seemed bothered about winning the thing, and a Final on Sunday that saw Liverpool send "favourites" Man United on-course for yet-another trophy-less season, the League Cup's sponsorship deal with Worthington comes to an end, after several years of funding this "meaningless" competition. And so with one name going at the end of this current season, the Football League, who're in control of the 'League' Cup, will be looking to find some new name willing enough to sponsor a competition that is vastly over-shadowed by the mighty FA Cup of that 'shamefull' English Footaball Association.
And so, with that in mind, and the Football League looking to have a new sponsor in-place before this current season is over, I've compiled a list of 10 possible candidates for ideal sponsors that could not only do themselves good, but to perhaps also draw more attention and interest to the cup itself.
After all, if the whole 'idea' of this competition and how it works isn't going to apeal to the Gunners, Scousers, and "Glory Hunters" of today's terraces, then, the name is going to very important when it comes getting Premiership fans to actual take-note.
Back before Worthington came along, I always thought that the `Coca-Cola Cup` had a certain 'ring' to it; instantly grabbing your attention; making you want to learn more. But when `Worthington` came along, all I could think of was "dull" and, yes, "worthless" - a common nickname for this competition.
So obviously, having a company with the right name is going to be important here...
1. The `Carling Cup`...
Just look around you, at the sponsors of both past-and-present, and not just for the cup competitions only... The Premiership was once sponsored by `Carling`, there used to be the `Bells` Scottish Premier League north-of-the-border, and both Liverpool and Hibernian alone have been wearing Carlsberg on their shirst for years, now....
It's no wonder we have so many problems with alchoholics and drunk hooligans with alchoholic brand-names virtually shoved right-in-your-face, no matter where you go in Britain! I can begin only imagine how bad it must be in Ireland.... :)
But these names we've seen before, they are types of beer, and lager, that every "boozer" and football fan seems to prefer over the rest. And if the League Cup was to be sponsored by one of these, or something that isn't as taste-less as 'Worthington', then perhaps more football fans would start to take-note and appreciate this competition, a little bit more... (I know the drunks would, anyway!).
And besides, a lot of people have seemed to take an interest in the 'Carlsberg Cup', when Liverpool have played in it during the Summers...
2. The `Grolsch Cup`...
But if a beer company is the right answer, then there's only one beer that ANYONE is/has been talking about for the past few years, and that's `Grolsch`. Ever since that very-first advert with the "Schtopp! Schtopp!", and how "it's not ready yet", we've been talking about no-other-alchoholic drink BUT this one - nope, not even Red Bull comes close-enough! And if people were to see the "Grolsch Cup" in-action for next-season, and beyond, then I'm sure that not only would more "less-critical" jokes be made, but that people may actually look-into the competiton more carefully, instead of just writing it off within the first-few-seconds.
3. The `Electronic Arts Cup` (aka. the `EA Cup`)...
It seems to me that `EA` are willing to get their money-grabbing hands on anything that looks big, or flashy, and sell-it-off somehow, as part of their own. They've been doing this for a while now with all the FIFA and sports titles, aswell as some popular movie licenses of James Bond and the Lord of the Rings series'. But while they may not be able to get their hands on the FA Cup, I'm sure they may be willing to try and get their name across to football fans, through sponsoring the League Cup.
But would that really be a good thing for it?
After all, there are many-a-gamer out there, including myself, who know what EA are really all about, and how they can so-cheaply turn something so-great, into something so-bad. How would we feel about seeing their name splashed all over the cup made for our local teams?? But then again, a lot of kids today do know of the Electronic Arts, and have (somehow) been enjoying the likes of 'Agent Under Fire' and 'The Two Towers' now for quite some time, despite how bad these games may really be. So I'm sure they'd take a greater interest in it, whether they like football, or not.
4. The `Nintendo Cup`...
Let's face it - when it comes to advertising and getting their name known in Europe nowadays, and anywhere else outside of Japan, Nintendo are useless at it. They may be the "gods" when it comes to creating games, but they don't seem to know 'squat' about getting the message across to all gamers, across the globe (and you must know how badly they treat us Europeans...!). But while this may help (a little) to get their name across to more people, it's still hardly like everyone who sees it will see it associated with something 'that-good', anyway. They'd probably just get mocked and laughed-at even more -- and you could probably say the same thing about the competition itself!
And anyways, why would the "Big N" even consider sponsoring an event which takes-place within a region of the world they just seem to love to tease and torment?! Even if they did once sponsor Fiorentina... - just look at what happened to them!!
5. The `SONY Cup`...
With their top-selling PS2 in-town, the PS3 on-the-way in another 2-years-time (apparently) and past-success with the PSX, also, the multi-media-giants SONY are name that EVERYONE recognises, whether they have a TV at home, or not. And I'm quite sure that they wouldn't pass-up on the oppurtunity to make sure that every-single-person in the world today (well, England...) has at least THREE PlayStation2 consoles, in their homes...! And with so-many PS2-owners about, you just know that every-last-one of them would soon rush-out to watch a SONY-sponsored League Cup campaign, no matter which teams were in it, and who was-or-wasn't really trying.
They've got their name across in football previously through Europe in the Champions' League, and that seemed to help. So maybe they'd believe they could still get-through to the people like myself, who don't own a PS2, through football - somethign that we love??
6. The `Microsoft X-Cup`...
Bill Gates is a stinkingly-rich, control-freak of a nerd who'll do whatever it takes to get him, and his reputation, ontop of the pile, in whatever ways he can. You could even go as far as to say that he'll do 'almost anything for money' (and perhaps even drink from a toilet - who knows?!). And buy sponsoring the League Cup, there's bound to be some kind of income for him to get his hands on, aswell as a bigger reputation in England, and perhaps even a few shares in English Football, here-and-there... And after the X-Box, and a few 'claims' at some other 'X-related' attempts of his, you just get the feeling that he'd have to throw an X in their somewhere (after he succeeds in yet another cruel and black-mailing attempt at buying-out a potential "money-maker")!
7. The `Rupert Murdoch Cup`...
If you know Rupert Murdoch (or if you've seen him on TV, on The Simpsons or something...) then you'll know that like Bill Gates, he's a man with a whole lotta money who just likes to buy expensive things, to further increase his financial standings that have already made him one of the 'Top 10 Richest Men in the World'.
8. The `Oxfam Cup`...
Well, if the Football League were prepared to let the League Cup become associated with some rather 'cheap' and 'not-as-popular-as-others', like Worthington, then perhaps they'd even be willing to sign a deal with Oxfam - of all people?!?
Just think how bad that would be though...
Sure, it may help appeal to the older and more-caring people across the world, but what about those of us who "see-more-sense", and joke about Oxfam at every-single-oppurtunity?? It would make things even-worse (believe it or not!) for the so-called "Worthless" Cup!
9. The `Pepsi Cup`...
Coca-Cola was a brand that worked well to help attract people to the competition, because of its reputation, and a certain degree of "coolness". But that was nearly 10-years-ago, and Coca-Cola just aren't that "cool" anymore!
`Pepsi` seem to be everyone's favourite choice of 'fizzy soft-drink' nowadays, so it would surely be hard to go against the League Cup, if it was to be sponsored by, and recognised by the fans of a company who's drinks we all just seem to love.
But then again... Why on Earth would Pepsi want to sponsor such a petit little competition with a reputation that seems to be plummeting down towards the reputation of the once "King of Pop", Michael Jackson?!?
10. The `Special Reserve Cup` (aka. the `SR Cup`)... Hey - you just knew I was gonna have to do something like this eventually, didn't you!
Let's face facts - Special Reserve may have over 600,000 UK members now, but they're still pretty-much "unknown" to the majority of this country alone, as people prefer not to 'shop-around', and to instead buy games from the likes of Virgin, HMV, and GAME, no matter how much more they may charge, compared to SR's prices.
They'd benefit from having their name associated with the League Cup, as people who soon, after hearing about it, look into who they really are, more closely.
Who knows... If this was to happen, maybe Special Reserve could one-day become the leading games retailers in the UK; or perhaps find the funding to set-up more stores nationwide, to finally give you Scot's and Northerner's something we-down-South have. Think about it Tony.... :)
....Or what about just the League Cup...?
After all, even when it has a sponsor, whether it's Littlewoods, or Axa, or whatever; the FA Cup's name always remains the same. And on a very-rare occasion, you may have heard it reffered to as "the Littlewoods [or Axa]-sponsored FA Cup".
What could be wrong with calling the Legaue Cup just that, and nothing else?
It gets the message across and tells you what it's all about, straight (that's league teams!), and it doesn't make it sound like the Football League have been so desperate to find a sponsor that just settled for the first people they found - Worthington! Now, that name is hardly a `Carling`, or a `Carlsberg`, now, is it?!
The League Cup has been a great competiton for the "lower-league" for years now, even if it doesn't seem to appeal to the "big-name" Premiership sides, like it perhaps should. It may not quite live-up to the expectations of the FA Cup, but you can always be guarrenteed to see a fair-few "Cup upsets" for the bigger-names, year-in, year-out. And I believe that is something that'll never change, and part of what just makes this cup as entertaining as it really is. The Final isn't played at Wembley (of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, now) JUST because it's a 'final', you know...
I belive that if the Football League can get the right name behind them, a lot more people will begin to appreciate it all, once again. Don't you agree?
And so, with that in mind, and the Football League looking to have a new sponsor in-place before this current season is over, I've compiled a list of 10 possible candidates for ideal sponsors that could not only do themselves good, but to perhaps also draw more attention and interest to the cup itself.
After all, if the whole 'idea' of this competition and how it works isn't going to apeal to the Gunners, Scousers, and "Glory Hunters" of today's terraces, then, the name is going to very important when it comes getting Premiership fans to actual take-note.
Back before Worthington came along, I always thought that the `Coca-Cola Cup` had a certain 'ring' to it; instantly grabbing your attention; making you want to learn more. But when `Worthington` came along, all I could think of was "dull" and, yes, "worthless" - a common nickname for this competition.
So obviously, having a company with the right name is going to be important here...
1. The `Carling Cup`...
Just look around you, at the sponsors of both past-and-present, and not just for the cup competitions only... The Premiership was once sponsored by `Carling`, there used to be the `Bells` Scottish Premier League north-of-the-border, and both Liverpool and Hibernian alone have been wearing Carlsberg on their shirst for years, now....
It's no wonder we have so many problems with alchoholics and drunk hooligans with alchoholic brand-names virtually shoved right-in-your-face, no matter where you go in Britain! I can begin only imagine how bad it must be in Ireland.... :)
But these names we've seen before, they are types of beer, and lager, that every "boozer" and football fan seems to prefer over the rest. And if the League Cup was to be sponsored by one of these, or something that isn't as taste-less as 'Worthington', then perhaps more football fans would start to take-note and appreciate this competition, a little bit more... (I know the drunks would, anyway!).
And besides, a lot of people have seemed to take an interest in the 'Carlsberg Cup', when Liverpool have played in it during the Summers...
2. The `Grolsch Cup`...
But if a beer company is the right answer, then there's only one beer that ANYONE is/has been talking about for the past few years, and that's `Grolsch`. Ever since that very-first advert with the "Schtopp! Schtopp!", and how "it's not ready yet", we've been talking about no-other-alchoholic drink BUT this one - nope, not even Red Bull comes close-enough! And if people were to see the "Grolsch Cup" in-action for next-season, and beyond, then I'm sure that not only would more "less-critical" jokes be made, but that people may actually look-into the competiton more carefully, instead of just writing it off within the first-few-seconds.
3. The `Electronic Arts Cup` (aka. the `EA Cup`)...
It seems to me that `EA` are willing to get their money-grabbing hands on anything that looks big, or flashy, and sell-it-off somehow, as part of their own. They've been doing this for a while now with all the FIFA and sports titles, aswell as some popular movie licenses of James Bond and the Lord of the Rings series'. But while they may not be able to get their hands on the FA Cup, I'm sure they may be willing to try and get their name across to football fans, through sponsoring the League Cup.
But would that really be a good thing for it?
After all, there are many-a-gamer out there, including myself, who know what EA are really all about, and how they can so-cheaply turn something so-great, into something so-bad. How would we feel about seeing their name splashed all over the cup made for our local teams?? But then again, a lot of kids today do know of the Electronic Arts, and have (somehow) been enjoying the likes of 'Agent Under Fire' and 'The Two Towers' now for quite some time, despite how bad these games may really be. So I'm sure they'd take a greater interest in it, whether they like football, or not.
4. The `Nintendo Cup`...
Let's face it - when it comes to advertising and getting their name known in Europe nowadays, and anywhere else outside of Japan, Nintendo are useless at it. They may be the "gods" when it comes to creating games, but they don't seem to know 'squat' about getting the message across to all gamers, across the globe (and you must know how badly they treat us Europeans...!). But while this may help (a little) to get their name across to more people, it's still hardly like everyone who sees it will see it associated with something 'that-good', anyway. They'd probably just get mocked and laughed-at even more -- and you could probably say the same thing about the competition itself!
And anyways, why would the "Big N" even consider sponsoring an event which takes-place within a region of the world they just seem to love to tease and torment?! Even if they did once sponsor Fiorentina... - just look at what happened to them!!
5. The `SONY Cup`...
With their top-selling PS2 in-town, the PS3 on-the-way in another 2-years-time (apparently) and past-success with the PSX, also, the multi-media-giants SONY are name that EVERYONE recognises, whether they have a TV at home, or not. And I'm quite sure that they wouldn't pass-up on the oppurtunity to make sure that every-single-person in the world today (well, England...) has at least THREE PlayStation2 consoles, in their homes...! And with so-many PS2-owners about, you just know that every-last-one of them would soon rush-out to watch a SONY-sponsored League Cup campaign, no matter which teams were in it, and who was-or-wasn't really trying.
They've got their name across in football previously through Europe in the Champions' League, and that seemed to help. So maybe they'd believe they could still get-through to the people like myself, who don't own a PS2, through football - somethign that we love??
6. The `Microsoft X-Cup`...
Bill Gates is a stinkingly-rich, control-freak of a nerd who'll do whatever it takes to get him, and his reputation, ontop of the pile, in whatever ways he can. You could even go as far as to say that he'll do 'almost anything for money' (and perhaps even drink from a toilet - who knows?!). And buy sponsoring the League Cup, there's bound to be some kind of income for him to get his hands on, aswell as a bigger reputation in England, and perhaps even a few shares in English Football, here-and-there... And after the X-Box, and a few 'claims' at some other 'X-related' attempts of his, you just get the feeling that he'd have to throw an X in their somewhere (after he succeeds in yet another cruel and black-mailing attempt at buying-out a potential "money-maker")!
7. The `Rupert Murdoch Cup`...
If you know Rupert Murdoch (or if you've seen him on TV, on The Simpsons or something...) then you'll know that like Bill Gates, he's a man with a whole lotta money who just likes to buy expensive things, to further increase his financial standings that have already made him one of the 'Top 10 Richest Men in the World'.
8. The `Oxfam Cup`...
Well, if the Football League were prepared to let the League Cup become associated with some rather 'cheap' and 'not-as-popular-as-others', like Worthington, then perhaps they'd even be willing to sign a deal with Oxfam - of all people?!?
Just think how bad that would be though...
Sure, it may help appeal to the older and more-caring people across the world, but what about those of us who "see-more-sense", and joke about Oxfam at every-single-oppurtunity?? It would make things even-worse (believe it or not!) for the so-called "Worthless" Cup!
9. The `Pepsi Cup`...
Coca-Cola was a brand that worked well to help attract people to the competition, because of its reputation, and a certain degree of "coolness". But that was nearly 10-years-ago, and Coca-Cola just aren't that "cool" anymore!
`Pepsi` seem to be everyone's favourite choice of 'fizzy soft-drink' nowadays, so it would surely be hard to go against the League Cup, if it was to be sponsored by, and recognised by the fans of a company who's drinks we all just seem to love.
But then again... Why on Earth would Pepsi want to sponsor such a petit little competition with a reputation that seems to be plummeting down towards the reputation of the once "King of Pop", Michael Jackson?!?
10. The `Special Reserve Cup` (aka. the `SR Cup`)... Hey - you just knew I was gonna have to do something like this eventually, didn't you!
Let's face facts - Special Reserve may have over 600,000 UK members now, but they're still pretty-much "unknown" to the majority of this country alone, as people prefer not to 'shop-around', and to instead buy games from the likes of Virgin, HMV, and GAME, no matter how much more they may charge, compared to SR's prices.
They'd benefit from having their name associated with the League Cup, as people who soon, after hearing about it, look into who they really are, more closely.
Who knows... If this was to happen, maybe Special Reserve could one-day become the leading games retailers in the UK; or perhaps find the funding to set-up more stores nationwide, to finally give you Scot's and Northerner's something we-down-South have. Think about it Tony.... :)
....Or what about just the League Cup...?
After all, even when it has a sponsor, whether it's Littlewoods, or Axa, or whatever; the FA Cup's name always remains the same. And on a very-rare occasion, you may have heard it reffered to as "the Littlewoods [or Axa]-sponsored FA Cup".
What could be wrong with calling the Legaue Cup just that, and nothing else?
It gets the message across and tells you what it's all about, straight (that's league teams!), and it doesn't make it sound like the Football League have been so desperate to find a sponsor that just settled for the first people they found - Worthington! Now, that name is hardly a `Carling`, or a `Carlsberg`, now, is it?!
The League Cup has been a great competiton for the "lower-league" for years now, even if it doesn't seem to appeal to the "big-name" Premiership sides, like it perhaps should. It may not quite live-up to the expectations of the FA Cup, but you can always be guarrenteed to see a fair-few "Cup upsets" for the bigger-names, year-in, year-out. And I believe that is something that'll never change, and part of what just makes this cup as entertaining as it really is. The Final isn't played at Wembley (of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, now) JUST because it's a 'final', you know...
I belive that if the Football League can get the right name behind them, a lot more people will begin to appreciate it all, once again. Don't you agree?
After a campaign in which the majority of the Premiership's 'bigger' teams actually seemed bothered about winning the thing, and a Final on Sunday that saw Liverpool send "favourites" Man United on-course for yet-another trophy-less season, the League Cup's sponsorship deal with Worthington comes to an end, after several years of funding this "meaningless" competition. And so with one name going at the end of this current season, the Football League, who're in control of the 'League' Cup, will be looking to find some new name willing enough to sponsor a competition that is vastly over-shadowed by the mighty FA Cup of that 'shamefull' English Footaball Association.
And so, with that in mind, and the Football League looking to have a new sponsor in-place before this current season is over, I've compiled a list of 10 possible candidates for ideal sponsors that could not only do themselves good, but to perhaps also draw more attention and interest to the cup itself.
After all, if the whole 'idea' of this competition and how it works isn't going to apeal to the Gunners, Scousers, and "Glory Hunters" of today's terraces, then, the name is going to very important when it comes getting Premiership fans to actual take-note.
Back before Worthington came along, I always thought that the `Coca-Cola Cup` had a certain 'ring' to it; instantly grabbing your attention; making you want to learn more. But when `Worthington` came along, all I could think of was "dull" and, yes, "worthless" - a common nickname for this competition.
So obviously, having a company with the right name is going to be important here...
1. The `Carling Cup`...
Just look around you, at the sponsors of both past-and-present, and not just for the cup competitions only... The Premiership was once sponsored by `Carling`, there used to be the `Bells` Scottish Premier League north-of-the-border, and both Liverpool and Hibernian alone have been wearing Carlsberg on their shirst for years, now....
It's no wonder we have so many problems with alchoholics and drunk hooligans with alchoholic brand-names virtually shoved right-in-your-face, no matter where you go in Britain! I can begin only imagine how bad it must be in Ireland.... :)
But these names we've seen before, they are types of beer, and lager, that every "boozer" and football fan seems to prefer over the rest. And if the League Cup was to be sponsored by one of these, or something that isn't as taste-less as 'Worthington', then perhaps more football fans would start to take-note and appreciate this competition, a little bit more... (I know the drunks would, anyway!).
And besides, a lot of people have seemed to take an interest in the 'Carlsberg Cup', when Liverpool have played in it during the Summers...
2. The `Grolsch Cup`...
But if a beer company is the right answer, then there's only one beer that ANYONE is/has been talking about for the past few years, and that's `Grolsch`. Ever since that very-first advert with the "Schtopp! Schtopp!", and how "it's not ready yet", we've been talking about no-other-alchoholic drink BUT this one - nope, not even Red Bull comes close-enough! And if people were to see the "Grolsch Cup" in-action for next-season, and beyond, then I'm sure that not only would more "less-critical" jokes be made, but that people may actually look-into the competiton more carefully, instead of just writing it off within the first-few-seconds.
3. The `Electronic Arts Cup` (aka. the `EA Cup`)...
It seems to me that `EA` are willing to get their money-grabbing hands on anything that looks big, or flashy, and sell-it-off somehow, as part of their own. They've been doing this for a while now with all the FIFA and sports titles, aswell as some popular movie licenses of James Bond and the Lord of the Rings series'. But while they may not be able to get their hands on the FA Cup, I'm sure they may be willing to try and get their name across to football fans, through sponsoring the League Cup.
But would that really be a good thing for it?
After all, there are many-a-gamer out there, including myself, who know what EA are really all about, and how they can so-cheaply turn something so-great, into something so-bad. How would we feel about seeing their name splashed all over the cup made for our local teams?? But then again, a lot of kids today do know of the Electronic Arts, and have (somehow) been enjoying the likes of 'Agent Under Fire' and 'The Two Towers' now for quite some time, despite how bad these games may really be. So I'm sure they'd take a greater interest in it, whether they like football, or not.
4. The `Nintendo Cup`...
Let's face it - when it comes to advertising and getting their name known in Europe nowadays, and anywhere else outside of Japan, Nintendo are useless at it. They may be the "gods" when it comes to creating games, but they don't seem to know 'squat' about getting the message across to all gamers, across the globe (and you must know how badly they treat us Europeans...!). But while this may help (a little) to get their name across to more people, it's still hardly like everyone who sees it will see it associated with something 'that-good', anyway. They'd probably just get mocked and laughed-at even more -- and you could probably say the same thing about the competition itself!
And anyways, why would the "Big N" even consider sponsoring an event which takes-place within a region of the world they just seem to love to tease and torment?! Even if they did once sponsor Fiorentina... - just look at what happened to them!!
5. The `SONY Cup`...
With their top-selling PS2 in-town, the PS3 on-the-way in another 2-years-time (apparently) and past-success with the PSX, also, the multi-media-giants SONY are name that EVERYONE recognises, whether they have a TV at home, or not. And I'm quite sure that they wouldn't pass-up on the oppurtunity to make sure that every-single-person in the world today (well, England...) has at least THREE PlayStation2 consoles, in their homes...! And with so-many PS2-owners about, you just know that every-last-one of them would soon rush-out to watch a SONY-sponsored League Cup campaign, no matter which teams were in it, and who was-or-wasn't really trying.
They've got their name across in football previously through Europe in the Champions' League, and that seemed to help. So maybe they'd believe they could still get-through to the people like myself, who don't own a PS2, through football - somethign that we love??
6. The `Microsoft X-Cup`...
Bill Gates is a stinkingly-rich, control-freak of a nerd who'll do whatever it takes to get him, and his reputation, ontop of the pile, in whatever ways he can. You could even go as far as to say that he'll do 'almost anything for money' (and perhaps even drink from a toilet - who knows?!). And buy sponsoring the League Cup, there's bound to be some kind of income for him to get his hands on, aswell as a bigger reputation in England, and perhaps even a few shares in English Football, here-and-there... And after the X-Box, and a few 'claims' at some other 'X-related' attempts of his, you just get the feeling that he'd have to throw an X in their somewhere (after he succeeds in yet another cruel and black-mailing attempt at buying-out a potential "money-maker")!
7. The `Rupert Murdoch Cup`...
If you know Rupert Murdoch (or if you've seen him on TV, on The Simpsons or something...) then you'll know that like Bill Gates, he's a man with a whole lotta money who just likes to buy expensive things, to further increase his financial standings that have already made him one of the 'Top 10 Richest Men in the World'.
8. The `Oxfam Cup`...
Well, if the Football League were prepared to let the League Cup become associated with some rather 'cheap' and 'not-as-popular-as-others', like Worthington, then perhaps they'd even be willing to sign a deal with Oxfam - of all people?!?
Just think how bad that would be though...
Sure, it may help appeal to the older and more-caring people across the world, but what about those of us who "see-more-sense", and joke about Oxfam at every-single-oppurtunity?? It would make things even-worse (believe it or not!) for the so-called "Worthless" Cup!
9. The `Pepsi Cup`...
Coca-Cola was a brand that worked well to help attract people to the competition, because of its reputation, and a certain degree of "coolness". But that was nearly 10-years-ago, and Coca-Cola just aren't that "cool" anymore!
`Pepsi` seem to be everyone's favourite choice of 'fizzy soft-drink' nowadays, so it would surely be hard to go against the League Cup, if it was to be sponsored by, and recognised by the fans of a company who's drinks we all just seem to love.
But then again... Why on Earth would Pepsi want to sponsor such a petit little competition with a reputation that seems to be plummeting down towards the reputation of the once "King of Pop", Michael Jackson?!?
10. The `Special Reserve Cup` (aka. the `SR Cup`)... Hey - you just knew I was gonna have to do something like this eventually, didn't you!
Let's face facts - Special Reserve may have over 600,000 UK members now, but they're still pretty-much "unknown" to the majority of this country alone, as people prefer not to 'shop-around', and to instead buy games from the likes of Virgin, HMV, and GAME, no matter how much more they may charge, compared to SR's prices.
They'd benefit from having their name associated with the League Cup, as people who soon, after hearing about it, look into who they really are, more closely.
Who knows... If this was to happen, maybe Special Reserve could one-day become the leading games retailers in the UK; or perhaps find the funding to set-up more stores nationwide, to finally give you Scot's and Northerner's something we-down-South have. Think about it Tony.... :)
....Or what about just the League Cup...?
After all, even when it has a sponsor, whether it's Littlewoods, or Axa, or whatever; the FA Cup's name always remains the same. And on a very-rare occasion, you may have heard it reffered to as "the Littlewoods [or Axa]-sponsored FA Cup".
What could be wrong with calling the Legaue Cup just that, and nothing else?
It gets the message across and tells you what it's all about, straight (that's league teams!), and it doesn't make it sound like the Football League have been so desperate to find a sponsor that just settled for the first people they found - Worthington! Now, that name is hardly a `Carling`, or a `Carlsberg`, now, is it?!
The League Cup has been a great competiton for the "lower-league" for years now, even if it doesn't seem to appeal to the "big-name" Premiership sides, like it perhaps should. It may not quite live-up to the expectations of the FA Cup, but you can always be guarrenteed to see a fair-few "Cup upsets" for the bigger-names, year-in, year-out. And I believe that is something that'll never change, and part of what just makes this cup as entertaining as it really is. The Final isn't played at Wembley (of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, now) JUST because it's a 'final', you know...
I belive that if the Football League can get the right name behind them, a lot more people will begin to appreciate it all, once again. Don't you agree?
And so, with that in mind, and the Football League looking to have a new sponsor in-place before this current season is over, I've compiled a list of 10 possible candidates for ideal sponsors that could not only do themselves good, but to perhaps also draw more attention and interest to the cup itself.
After all, if the whole 'idea' of this competition and how it works isn't going to apeal to the Gunners, Scousers, and "Glory Hunters" of today's terraces, then, the name is going to very important when it comes getting Premiership fans to actual take-note.
Back before Worthington came along, I always thought that the `Coca-Cola Cup` had a certain 'ring' to it; instantly grabbing your attention; making you want to learn more. But when `Worthington` came along, all I could think of was "dull" and, yes, "worthless" - a common nickname for this competition.
So obviously, having a company with the right name is going to be important here...
1. The `Carling Cup`...
Just look around you, at the sponsors of both past-and-present, and not just for the cup competitions only... The Premiership was once sponsored by `Carling`, there used to be the `Bells` Scottish Premier League north-of-the-border, and both Liverpool and Hibernian alone have been wearing Carlsberg on their shirst for years, now....
It's no wonder we have so many problems with alchoholics and drunk hooligans with alchoholic brand-names virtually shoved right-in-your-face, no matter where you go in Britain! I can begin only imagine how bad it must be in Ireland.... :)
But these names we've seen before, they are types of beer, and lager, that every "boozer" and football fan seems to prefer over the rest. And if the League Cup was to be sponsored by one of these, or something that isn't as taste-less as 'Worthington', then perhaps more football fans would start to take-note and appreciate this competition, a little bit more... (I know the drunks would, anyway!).
And besides, a lot of people have seemed to take an interest in the 'Carlsberg Cup', when Liverpool have played in it during the Summers...
2. The `Grolsch Cup`...
But if a beer company is the right answer, then there's only one beer that ANYONE is/has been talking about for the past few years, and that's `Grolsch`. Ever since that very-first advert with the "Schtopp! Schtopp!", and how "it's not ready yet", we've been talking about no-other-alchoholic drink BUT this one - nope, not even Red Bull comes close-enough! And if people were to see the "Grolsch Cup" in-action for next-season, and beyond, then I'm sure that not only would more "less-critical" jokes be made, but that people may actually look-into the competiton more carefully, instead of just writing it off within the first-few-seconds.
3. The `Electronic Arts Cup` (aka. the `EA Cup`)...
It seems to me that `EA` are willing to get their money-grabbing hands on anything that looks big, or flashy, and sell-it-off somehow, as part of their own. They've been doing this for a while now with all the FIFA and sports titles, aswell as some popular movie licenses of James Bond and the Lord of the Rings series'. But while they may not be able to get their hands on the FA Cup, I'm sure they may be willing to try and get their name across to football fans, through sponsoring the League Cup.
But would that really be a good thing for it?
After all, there are many-a-gamer out there, including myself, who know what EA are really all about, and how they can so-cheaply turn something so-great, into something so-bad. How would we feel about seeing their name splashed all over the cup made for our local teams?? But then again, a lot of kids today do know of the Electronic Arts, and have (somehow) been enjoying the likes of 'Agent Under Fire' and 'The Two Towers' now for quite some time, despite how bad these games may really be. So I'm sure they'd take a greater interest in it, whether they like football, or not.
4. The `Nintendo Cup`...
Let's face it - when it comes to advertising and getting their name known in Europe nowadays, and anywhere else outside of Japan, Nintendo are useless at it. They may be the "gods" when it comes to creating games, but they don't seem to know 'squat' about getting the message across to all gamers, across the globe (and you must know how badly they treat us Europeans...!). But while this may help (a little) to get their name across to more people, it's still hardly like everyone who sees it will see it associated with something 'that-good', anyway. They'd probably just get mocked and laughed-at even more -- and you could probably say the same thing about the competition itself!
And anyways, why would the "Big N" even consider sponsoring an event which takes-place within a region of the world they just seem to love to tease and torment?! Even if they did once sponsor Fiorentina... - just look at what happened to them!!
5. The `SONY Cup`...
With their top-selling PS2 in-town, the PS3 on-the-way in another 2-years-time (apparently) and past-success with the PSX, also, the multi-media-giants SONY are name that EVERYONE recognises, whether they have a TV at home, or not. And I'm quite sure that they wouldn't pass-up on the oppurtunity to make sure that every-single-person in the world today (well, England...) has at least THREE PlayStation2 consoles, in their homes...! And with so-many PS2-owners about, you just know that every-last-one of them would soon rush-out to watch a SONY-sponsored League Cup campaign, no matter which teams were in it, and who was-or-wasn't really trying.
They've got their name across in football previously through Europe in the Champions' League, and that seemed to help. So maybe they'd believe they could still get-through to the people like myself, who don't own a PS2, through football - somethign that we love??
6. The `Microsoft X-Cup`...
Bill Gates is a stinkingly-rich, control-freak of a nerd who'll do whatever it takes to get him, and his reputation, ontop of the pile, in whatever ways he can. You could even go as far as to say that he'll do 'almost anything for money' (and perhaps even drink from a toilet - who knows?!). And buy sponsoring the League Cup, there's bound to be some kind of income for him to get his hands on, aswell as a bigger reputation in England, and perhaps even a few shares in English Football, here-and-there... And after the X-Box, and a few 'claims' at some other 'X-related' attempts of his, you just get the feeling that he'd have to throw an X in their somewhere (after he succeeds in yet another cruel and black-mailing attempt at buying-out a potential "money-maker")!
7. The `Rupert Murdoch Cup`...
If you know Rupert Murdoch (or if you've seen him on TV, on The Simpsons or something...) then you'll know that like Bill Gates, he's a man with a whole lotta money who just likes to buy expensive things, to further increase his financial standings that have already made him one of the 'Top 10 Richest Men in the World'.
8. The `Oxfam Cup`...
Well, if the Football League were prepared to let the League Cup become associated with some rather 'cheap' and 'not-as-popular-as-others', like Worthington, then perhaps they'd even be willing to sign a deal with Oxfam - of all people?!?
Just think how bad that would be though...
Sure, it may help appeal to the older and more-caring people across the world, but what about those of us who "see-more-sense", and joke about Oxfam at every-single-oppurtunity?? It would make things even-worse (believe it or not!) for the so-called "Worthless" Cup!
9. The `Pepsi Cup`...
Coca-Cola was a brand that worked well to help attract people to the competition, because of its reputation, and a certain degree of "coolness". But that was nearly 10-years-ago, and Coca-Cola just aren't that "cool" anymore!
`Pepsi` seem to be everyone's favourite choice of 'fizzy soft-drink' nowadays, so it would surely be hard to go against the League Cup, if it was to be sponsored by, and recognised by the fans of a company who's drinks we all just seem to love.
But then again... Why on Earth would Pepsi want to sponsor such a petit little competition with a reputation that seems to be plummeting down towards the reputation of the once "King of Pop", Michael Jackson?!?
10. The `Special Reserve Cup` (aka. the `SR Cup`)... Hey - you just knew I was gonna have to do something like this eventually, didn't you!
Let's face facts - Special Reserve may have over 600,000 UK members now, but they're still pretty-much "unknown" to the majority of this country alone, as people prefer not to 'shop-around', and to instead buy games from the likes of Virgin, HMV, and GAME, no matter how much more they may charge, compared to SR's prices.
They'd benefit from having their name associated with the League Cup, as people who soon, after hearing about it, look into who they really are, more closely.
Who knows... If this was to happen, maybe Special Reserve could one-day become the leading games retailers in the UK; or perhaps find the funding to set-up more stores nationwide, to finally give you Scot's and Northerner's something we-down-South have. Think about it Tony.... :)
....Or what about just the League Cup...?
After all, even when it has a sponsor, whether it's Littlewoods, or Axa, or whatever; the FA Cup's name always remains the same. And on a very-rare occasion, you may have heard it reffered to as "the Littlewoods [or Axa]-sponsored FA Cup".
What could be wrong with calling the Legaue Cup just that, and nothing else?
It gets the message across and tells you what it's all about, straight (that's league teams!), and it doesn't make it sound like the Football League have been so desperate to find a sponsor that just settled for the first people they found - Worthington! Now, that name is hardly a `Carling`, or a `Carlsberg`, now, is it?!
The League Cup has been a great competiton for the "lower-league" for years now, even if it doesn't seem to appeal to the "big-name" Premiership sides, like it perhaps should. It may not quite live-up to the expectations of the FA Cup, but you can always be guarrenteed to see a fair-few "Cup upsets" for the bigger-names, year-in, year-out. And I believe that is something that'll never change, and part of what just makes this cup as entertaining as it really is. The Final isn't played at Wembley (of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, now) JUST because it's a 'final', you know...
I belive that if the Football League can get the right name behind them, a lot more people will begin to appreciate it all, once again. Don't you agree?
Lets have something like a "playboy cup" or a "Anne summers" cup "Jazz magazine cup" theres tons and tons of different special magazines(if you know what i mean) that could sponser cups or leagues just think about what the actual trophy would look like, MMMMMMMMMMMM. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. No cheerleaders though, well maybe a few, don't want it to get to American and over the top, no offense.
How about the "Vauxhall cup"? That way people might actually buy their cars!
Solskjær wrote about 6 months ago:
> 1. The `Carling Cup`...
Nice one.
> 1. The `Carling Cup`...
Nice one.
Good guess Solsjkaer.
=D
=D
I'm not really that surprised. Carling have sponsored the Premiershp in the past, so they would have ended up sponsoring another contest in the end. But spot on, Solskjaer, well done!
The sponsor hasn't changed, as it's the brewery that sponsors the cup, not it's individual products. Both Carling and Worthingtons are made by the same brewery.
How about 'The Poor Beer Cup'
I think Liverpool fans would appreciate that more than the worthington cup...
;)
I think Liverpool fans would appreciate that more than the worthington cup...
;)
How about the
*This is the only thing Liverpool stand a chance of winning this year*............cup.
Bit long really but ah well :D
*This is the only thing Liverpool stand a chance of winning this year*............cup.
Bit long really but ah well :D