Carling Cup : Giants Fall

England's Carling Cup Premiership clubs Middlesbrough, Mnnchester City, and Fulham all lost to small clubs in their Carling Cup games today. And Watford only got past Accrington on penalties. It's the kind of thing that many fans point to as the beauty of the the cup competitions. That is, that part of the excitment is when someone like Wycombe, down League Two (4th division in England, really) beats a premeirship club. It's a huge feat for a little club like that. Not only is it a moral boost for the squad but the money from an extra round or two of cup play can be the difference between the club turning a profit or a loss for the year. It's not quite as big of a deal as some make it out to be. Often times, espeically with the Carling Cup, the premeirship teams are putting out a lot of their reserves for the game. So what does it mean to beat them in that situation? Those reserves may have more talent but when half the players on the field aren't getting regular game time, they're bound to be a little rusty. If anything these upsets say more about the state of the Carling Cup than are stories about David beating Goliath. The big clubs don't want to risk their best players unless they progress a few rounds because they have other priorities like the FA Cup, league play and even playing in Europe (or at least trying to make sure to qualify). How many more years can the Carling Cup limp along like this?