Capital One Raises Interest

The Capital One Cup has never been my favourite competition. It's a trophy to win and has a Wembley final yes, but in all honesty the best thing about it for fans of most clubs is when they're knocked out and they can save themselves for the league. Most teams will get nowhere near winning it, so managers can be forgiven for wondering what the point of trying is. I understand that football is a squad game and that players need to be rested, but at the same time I don't want to watch a reserve team competition. There has been the problem. It wouldn't have bothered me if the Football League scrapped it before this season, and I certainly didn't lose too much sleep when my club, Nottingham Forest, were knocked out in the 2nd round by Wigan Athletic.

How refreshing then, to see two teams scrap it out last night in one of the most remarkable games of football I have ever seen. In a brilliant advert for the League Cup with a 7-5 scoreline, Arsenal and Reading both deserve real praise for producing 120 minutes of pulsating viewing if not incredible quality at the Madejski Stadium. Yes, there may have been 20 changes from the starting XIs from the previous weekend, but despite neither team at full strength, we saw two teams who breathed new life into a tournament which is carving out a niche as the place to see attractive football played by the stars of tomorrow and turning its previous negative image into a positive selling point.

For the record, Reading led 4-0 after an abysmal defensive display from Arsenal for the goals, yet somehow I and many others felt that if the visitors could claw one back before half time, the game would still be on. We were right. In fact many Tweeted their delight at making a few quid off the bookies, who at that point had given up on Arsene Wenger's young Gunners. Theo Walcott set the ball rolling, before second half goals from Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and an added-time leveller from Walcott brought them back from the dead. Marouane Chamakh put Arsenal in front in extra time, before astonishingly Reading picked themselves off the floor to equalise again with five minutes left. Penalties then? Don't be stupid, there was still time for Chamakh and Walcott to net again to make it 7-5. Reading had just become the first team to ever score five goals and still lose an English Cup game.

Arsene Wenger may have stated that the Capital One Cup is fifth on Arsenal's list of priorities this season - he rates a top-four finish higher despite not winning a trophy since 2005 - and in all honesty, it is still probably fifth on a lot of the fans' list, but for a mad night down the M4, it meant everything. The same goes for the 5,000 Bradford fans at Wigan, who incredibly saw their League Two side reach the quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out. I still won't pretend this cup means the world, even as a fan of a club with four of them in the cabinet, but we have made up and I am prepared to give it another chance.

This Week In Football 2

Luis Suarez in recent weeks has found out that a reputation can go before you when it comes to penalty appeals. Rightly or wrongly, and whether they would like to admit it or not, referees must have it in their mind when the Uruguayan goes down in the area. The incident at Norwich last week looked a stonewall penalty, yet Suarez wasn't given it, much to most people's surprise. Yet if he thought that any referee would fall for his antics at Anfield yesterday against Stoke, he was sadly mistaken. It was the worst example of cheating I have seen in a long time, and I hope he is embarrassed by it. I doubt he is though. Sadly he was not the only one to be shamed. Gareth Bale was just as guilty of 'simulation' in the game against Aston Villa and probably just as unremorseful of his actions. If players can receive retrospective punishments for acts of violent conduct, the FA and the Premier League must look to ban divers too.

Ashley Cole became the latest player to find out the hard way that Tweeting in the heat of the moment can land you in hot water. His rant at the FA follwing his evidence in the John Terry racism case was silly, but it could have been worse. Although he ought to have known better, he has apologised and he will pay his fine, and that should be the end of it in my opinion. He was likely to be rested for the England v San Marino World Cup qualifier on Friday irrespective of the controversy, but frankly I could play left back and we would be ok. They say there are no easy games at International level, but San Marino continue to contradict the cliche.

One player who should be playing for England but will not be is Rio Ferdinand. Absolutely nobody believed Roy Hodgson's 'footballing reasons' explanation before the European Champonship, but his omission this time around following John Terry's retirement from the International game can mean there are no other reasons this time. I'm sorry Roy, that's nonsense. He should be in the squad, it cannot be said more plainly. As for Hodgson letting slip on the Tube that Ferdinand was out, inadvertently or otherwise, what an incredible lack of respect. It wouldn't surprise me if Ferdinand opted to quit England duty too.