Famous old trophies - but should they stay in the past?

Football has been littered with some weird and wonderful competitions. Some became regular fixtures in the schedule (the European Cup was derided in England when first launched), while others have faded into nothing, remembered by no more than the winners and those who made/lost money on the sponsorship. Some are surely due a rebirth, in the glitz and glamour of the 21st century?

The (Screen Sport) Super Cup

 Tankards instead of medals? What is this, Bullseye?!

While English clubs were banished from Europe in the mid 1980s, the Football League needed something new to keep the top clubs entertained (and generate some more revenue) - what else but have a straight knock-out tournament? In 1985, the Screen Sport Super Cup was formed, a six team competition to include the clubs who would have qualified for Europe that season - Everton (champions), Man United (FA Cup winners), Norwich (League Cup winners), and Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton, who would have reached the UEFA Cup by league place.

The idea was nice, two groups of three, playing home and away on weeknights, with the top two of each getting to the (two-legged) semi finals and a (two-legged) final. But in reality, it just got too much. So much so that due to fixture congestion, the final was played over a year after the first game. Liverpool had to play the second leg of their semi-final with Norwich two days before the FA Cup final, and three months after the first leg.

Liverpool ended up winning it, but it went to the big tournament in the sky. There is even a rumour knocking around that Ian Rush gave the trophy to a Goodison ballboy, such was his disdain for it. Would it fit into the modern game? While Sky would soil themselves at so many big games, there just isn't room. The danger is that it would evolve into a rugby style play-off to decide the ultimate English champions - imagine the furore then!

European Cup Winners Cup

The interpreter fully deserved his medal

Quite simply, a European tournament for the winners of each member nation's domestic cup winners. While the European Cup remained purely for champions, this remained a very good tournament with plenty of strong teams, and of course provided the European Champions with a game in the Super Cup (definitely not to be confused with the above...).

The undoing of this cup was that the Champions League was born, and expanded so much. While it was a very nice cherry for the cup winners, with as many of four teams dining at the main table, the cup winners would often end up elsewhere anyway. Remembered fondly by fans of English clubs, who had a good record. Again however, perhaps the overbearing nature of the Champions League puts this one to bed.

The argument will remain that there should be an extra incentive to win the FA Cup, much like the past talk of giving the winners a Champions League place - but shouldn't the glory of winning a cup be enough?

Anglo-Italian Cup

Al Fayed sees another conspiracy that Notts County won

A 1970s relic that was revived after the death of the Full Members' Cup (aka Simod and Zenith Data Systems Cups) in the 1990s, this was a fun and slightly random idea involving second tier sides from England and Italy, culminating in a Wembley final. Having had a couple of short lives prior to this, it was never going to take off again, but a showpiece final was always nice.

Of the three competitions mentioned in this blog, this would certainly be the most likely to make a re-appearance - there are some big clubs in the Championship, and most would relish the chance to have even a short stint playing Serie B's best, it would be a nice supplement to the parachute payments. But why limit it to Italy? Germany would also be an excellent option, with their second division hosting big clubs like 1860 Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Fortuna Dusseldorf.

While some Championship clubs place promotion to the Premier League higher than a cup, the fans would surely love an autumn away trip to Germany, and a chance at Wembley or a big German stadium in the meantime. Perhaps if it was a simple knockout involving no more than four or five games, it may be a winner.

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Some say there is too much football at the moment, some say not enough. Even an excuse to get some football on terrestrial telly would be nice, surely Channel 4 could shave some money from their Gok Wan/Gordon Ramsey budget to shell out for a new idea?