The League Cup – Half empty or half full?

Article by e-Newcastle Correspondent Martin Black

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With our neighbours inevitable defeat in the League Cup final to the might of Man City, does this make your cup half empty or half full?

Empty when you think that why can’t it be us having our day out at Wembley?

Empty when you get constantly reminded of the so called smaller teams that are capable of actually winning something?

Or full, knowing the Mackems came up empty handed and even better what if their failed endeavours open up a route to Europe for us?

Or over flowing and saturated when you have the dream scenario of all of the above plus them getting dragged into a fixture pile up, injury crisis and then the perfect icing on the cake; relegation?

They’ve got tough away fixtures at the both the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. They were also relegated as losing finalist in 1985, so here’s hoping eh?

Over the last decade we’ve had a pretty abysmal record in this competition, we’ll put aside our other abysmal records for now. Over that period we seem to have developed a nasty knack for getting an early draw against one of the big guns too.

The nearest we ever got to winning the League Cup was a final against Man City ironically. And it was a bitter irony not only losing it but that it was a local lad that scored the winner for them, in spectacular fashion too. His overhead kick was voted the greatest ever moment in the competitions history during the Cups 50th anniversary year.

Dennis Tueart was apparently too small to be a professional footballer for his boyhood team. But not for the Mackems who snapped him up, and he was part of their F.A Cup winning side of ’73. Irony in barrel loads. He then moved to City, then later to New York Cosmos and played with and against an array of glittering stars. Tueart also won 6 England caps to go with his two cup winners medals, not bad for a small lad.

Looking back at the programme for that ’76 League Cup final the most striking thing is, apart from Alan Gowling’s untameable, triangular hair, is how small it is, being just over 20 pages. Tiny for such an occasion, especially compared to the tomes of today for any run of the mill encounter.

It did still contain plenty of ads though. And it’s a real journey through the past to a time of Embassy tabs, Double Diamond beer, projectors, 8mm film highlights of Cup Finals or audio highlights recorded on vinyl LP’s.

In a programme for a home match against Man United not long after that cup defeat there was printed a letter that City captain Mike Doyle had sent to the club secretary Russell Cushing. It read as follows;

Dear Mr Cushing,

Just a few words to say how much myself and the rest of the team appreciated the reception your fans gave us when we took the cup ‘round to their side of the ground after the game at Wembley.

If in some way you could convey this to your fans we would be very grateful indeed and we sincerely hope that at some time in the not too distant future you and your fans get all that you deserve in the form of a cup.

My most sincere best wishes for the future.

Kind regards,

Mike Doyle

(Club Captain)

Thanks Mike, we’re still waiting…

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