January According To Steve Scragg

Cup fever anyone?

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January is a strange, strange time when it comes to the football calendar. By the time you read this we could be Wembley bound in the League Cup.

Of course Southampton still might have something to say about that, but win or lose, it’s a strange experience when the semi-finals of the League Cup roll around and we aren’t in the mix of things. Obviously, it’s not an experience we’ve had to absorb this time around. I can’t, off the top of my head, tell you the last time we failed to reach the business end of the League Cup. It’s a tournament that just sort of belongs to us.

January used to be all about the FA Cup.

The 3 rd round of the FA Cup used to have a unique vibe all of its own. It left you with a feeling of excited trepidation over just where the latest run would lead the club to. Liverpool’s trick always seemed to be about navigating the first two hurdles of the competition. Get a foothold into the 5 th round and suddenly we were in with a shout.

January, with both the 3 rd and 4 th rounds taking place, would therefore be a bit stressful. The FA Cup really used to be that important kids. Imagine!

The League Cup was great. We expected to win the League Cup, but the FA Cup was stressful. We rarely did well in the FA Cup at one stage. The FA Cup seemed to be the preserve of teams who didn’t have the wherewithal to win the league title. The FA Cup was for Ipswich Town, it was for Arsenal and it was for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and even Everton, honest to god; Everton.