How About a British Cup? The Carling Cup is Past It!

There has been a lot of talk lately about uniting the four home nations to make a team to enter into the Olympics and while I think that would be a bad idea, the idea of a British Cup does appeal to me.

Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't know, but at least wait and hear my idea before you judge me too harshly.

It's become clear over the last few seasons that the English League Cup is dying and I don't think anyone can deny it.

Any competition that clubs feel they can field a weakened team it must have had its day.

At first it was Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal fielding reserve sides but the craze has grown and now just about every Premier League side has done it.

I'd go further than that and say even football league clubs are losing interest. Birmingham's second round exit among other bigger football league teams is hardly helping the situation.

Therefore, what about combining the Carling Cup with Scotland's League Cup as well as teams from Wales and Northern Ireland, to form a British League Cup?

No European spots would be up for grabs. That would be impossible logistically. They could easily be distributed to 6th place in the English Premier League and 4th in the Scottish Premier League.

The logistics might well be impossible but it would sure cheer up Sepp Blatter who has "Britain" on the brain.

Rangers and Celtic up against the EPL's best, the likes of Motherwell and Hearts aiming to strengthen Scotland's footballing reputation.

It probably wouldn't be enough to get Arsene Wenger to play an experienced side after all he doesn't even do that in the EPL, but it would add some renewed interest and vigour into what used to be a well respected competition.

Let's just hope something is done before this sad cup disease gets a strangle hold of the FA Cup.

With the FA Cup holding the only European place outside the league it may well be of huge benefit to that competition.

So how about it?

Britain's battle lines redrawn.