Firstly, Swansea City faced the seemingly innocuous test of League 2 outfit Shrewsbury Town. However, they made wholesale changes, with only defender Ashley Williams and striker Danny Graham managing to retain their places in the side. Though Brendan Rogers' men did start positively, they failed to build on a 10th minute lead provided by a Shane Sherriff own goal. Shrewsbury launched a spirited fightback and, to their credit, closed out a 3-1 victory, with January recruit from Torquay United, Nicky Wroe, scoring in stoppage time.
The second premier league casualty was Norwich City. The Canaries made 11 changes from the team which drew 1-1 with Stoke on Sunday. They paid the price for their complacency and made an ignominious exit from the competition with a 0-4 thrashing at the hands of League 1 MK Dons. The Carrow Road defeat forced boss Paul Lambert to brand the match the ''worst'' of his two year tenure.
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| Warnock was 'pleased' with QPR's exit. |
This was stark contrast to the reaction Neil Warnock gave after Rochdale inflicted a 0-2 home defeat on his weakened QPR side. He stated that he was ''glad'' to have departed from the competition and disregarded its importance and claimed the competition needs ''a revamp.'' The disappointing 4,755 attendance at Loftus Road does little to oppose his point.
These results give further evidence for claims the credibility of this competition is in decline. With 'bigger' clubs prioritising competitions such as the F.A Cup and European ventures. In the wake of Birmingham City's Carling Cup victory and subsequent relegation, the relegation candidates may now fear any distractions from the lucrative Premier League. A league cup run doesn't bring in significant revenue, so, who wants to win the Carling Cup?
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| elation... |
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| ...and dispair |
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