The League Cup Experience

In the aftermath of the League Cup, managers are now concentrated on the League and possibly the Super Cup, but the emotions they experienced are still fresh. What better time to ask them how they feel after the tournament? Here's what four of Manta's finest had to say:
_______________________________________________________
It's only normal that we start with the winner himself - Scudders manager Guermano:

Did you expect to win the League Cup in the beginning of the season?
Guermano: No, not at all. Our goal was the quarter-finals just like last season. But as we progressed through the rounds, I started to dream of it, in particular after our win against Rex Mundi in the semi-finals.

Dream?
Guermano: Yes, I dreamt….,or let’s say, flirted with the idea of winning the League Cup. Anyway, I knew all too well that it would be utterly difficult to beat Kif Villans and I figured that we’d stand a 20% chance.

What was the key to success in winning the League Cup in general?
Guermano: First of all and most importantly, underdogs can win the League Cup! I’d say that making sure your best team is available at the right moments was one of the keys to success. If our best players hadn’t been available for selection, we might not have been able to beat previous Super Cup winner Howick United, Rex Mundi and Kif Villans. It goes without saying that underdogs need luck as well and we had our share of it this time around.

If your team is an underdog, then which teams are Manta’s finest at the moment?
Guermano: At the moment Noodle FC, Botev Plovdiv, Kif Villans, Rex Mundi and Hornets are Manta’s finest but there’re many teams challenging them. Just to name a few here; Chaos Shumen has been challenging Manta’s finest for seasons and it’s only a matter of time till they’ll win either the League Cup or the Premiership title. Easyfit Walsall and High Plains Drifters, previously Mad Dogs, are rising stars and will likely challenge Manta’s finest soon. Moreover, Liverpool City and Inter Milager appear to re-emerge at the very top again. It is my understanding that it’s getting tighter at the top in general.

You seem to be very fond of the challengers. Do you consider your team a challenger?
Guermano: It would take a lie to say I wasn’t. Furthermore, I consider my team to be a challenger to some extent. However, becoming one of the true challengers takes a lot of time and consistency. One League Cup win isn’t enough to establish yourself as a true challenger…….but it could be a start!
_______________________________________________________
Next we had a word with the runner-up - Kif Villans manager kifd:

Any regrets?
kifd: No regrets, none at all. My only regret is that we went out on penalties. That’s my only regret but no, no regrets. For sure, the atmosphere in the dressing room is a lot more subdued than last season, but I'm still proud of the lads - they really ran their socks into the ground, and I hope once they pick themselves up they'll realize what a good run we had in putting up a decent title defense.

So, what went wrong?
kifd: I never comment on referees and I'm not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat. But seriously, we were too defensive on the day and failed to take our chances as well as we had done in the previous rounds. Goals change games and this time, nobody grabbed the ball by the horns. Just goes to show, there's no easy games at this level...

Any final words?
kifd: Congratulations to Guermano's Scudders - considering their unexpected league form this season, that was a wonderful cup fairy tale now etched into the club's history and they've given their fans something to remember for a long time. And on my part, at least the chairman can stop nagging me about the bank balance again.
_______________________________________________________
Feeling there is more to the cup than just reaching the final, semi-finalist Rex Mundi's Grezz was sought to give his view on things. In a happy mood he invited us on the table he was sitting on and after clearing away the bottles so we could have space to write down things, we proceeded with the questions:

Having had a few days to think on your performance, how do you feel?
Grezz: Well, I was happy with my performance. These days I don't expect to win championships or cup finals, although I'm going to start expecting that very soon. I had an easy run to the semi-finals and the draw is all important. I was away all the way until the Q/F but against massively lesser teams.

And there you faced Hornets.
Grezz: It was no surprise I made it to the Q/F but I faced Hornets at home. Luckily, at home. Ndjuk has to be the best tactical manager in our division because he performs so well with, actually, a pretty average side. I still don't know how he does it to be honest. Anyway, Hornets at home.....of course I expect to win. If it were a league match he probably gets the draw because he's a clever sod and he manages to do that despite the fact he really should be able to. However, in the cup I know he doesn't stand a chance when a result has to be decided and, sure enough, that game went exactly how I expected. An extra time win for me.

So, the S/F draw. Funnily enough I predicted to Guermano before the Q/F games that I'd meet him in the semis. I was not pleased he got the 'home' draw. I'm a GM and I'm also a pretty savvy programmer. I can tell when stuff is working how it should be and why it might not be so not being drawn first in that semi was an immediate 'concern' . Therefore, I cursed my luck when I was drawn 'away'. However, it was Scudders and I know how to beat Scudders if I want to (yes, sometmes I have chosen not to for the longer term good of my team). Yep, tough opponent and he's really gotten better. He could be so much better in the league if he wanted to be but I know what he's up to and why. I knew what he'd do because I taught him but I also knew I could cancel his tactics out. It was all good ......right up until I played High Plains Drifters. My starting 11 were totally prepared for that semi-final. I knew Guermano would prepare well but I had my guys better prepared. I knew it. I had them better prepared to take him, propably in extra time. That was until FooQ nobbled Logan in the 2nd minute of our match. I'd prepared my starting 11 perfectly. I didn't prepare for the fact i'd have to bring in a fatigued midfielder up front.

I went into that S/F considering myself to be the underdog. I never expected to go to penalties but the the fact that I made it that far and lost made it an even bitterer pill to swallow. But, as I said to Guermano - and this is 100% true - If I want to lose to anyone in a semi-final it is him because he plays the game with such a great spirit and enthusiasm. We have a fantastic rivalry and I couldn't wait for him to slag me off after his win. He has actually disappointed me by not taking the **** out of me as much as I expected. Finally, at the end of the day, if I didn't win it there was no-one esle I would have liked to see win it than him. Fair play Guermano. He set his stall out to win the league cup and he pulled it off against the odds. I can only have respect for that.
_______________________________________________________
Finally, as we got back to write the article, our manager popped up and asked what we were doing. We'd completely forgotten he was in charge of a league cup team and a semi-finalist at that. So as not to reveal our ignorance, we thought we'd just ask about his experience while in our coffee break.

Boss, you never told us what the cup was like for you?
chaosmaster: Heh, it was quite something, although I can't understand why you'd ask me now?

Oh, just curious.
chaosmaster: Well, there's a lot to tell, but you have to get back to work in 10 minutes, so I'll keep it short. The first couple of rounds weren't anything special. There was a slight scare when we played away to Roker Park Rangers, but even after extra-time we came out deserved winners. The following three home draws against Openshaw, The Smoothies and Sabbath Albion were all challenging, but nothing we couldn't handle. By that time I was well satisfied with where we'd gotten, but you know what it's like. The further you go, the more you want to get to the final.

So you wanted to play Scudders?
chaosmaster: Of course. And not just because they were the team I had biggest chances against. Guermano and I go back a long way you know and facing each other at such a vital part of the competition was something both of us would cherish. Playing in the final would've been even better, but at that time we figured our chances against both Rex and Kif were minimal.

But he won and you didn't.
chaosmaster: *giving a scary look*

Is that jealousy boss?
chaosmaster: Hell it is! Up to that point I considered my team slightly better than Guermano's and was damn proud of it. I knew kifd would make me regret even getting to this point, but when I lost and Scudders won I didn't know if I was happy about Guermano or mad at my bunch. To make things worse he actually won in the final ... against the team that made a laughing stock of my own squad. *finishing half a cup of coffee* But I can't help being happy about him. I'd probably have felt better if the team that beat me had won it, so I could say I went out to the very best, but knowing a complete underdog can win the cup makes me feel confident in my own future.

Anything else to add?
chaosmaster: To add? You make it sound like you're interviewing me? ... Wait a sec! What was it you were doing when you came here?

Erm, sorry boss, can't tell ... *shooting off out of the building*


Hope you all enjoy. A big thanks to all the managers who contributed and sorry I couldn't add more, but it's big enough as it is.

See you soon,
chaosmaster