Bradford City are in the last 16 of the League Cup. Even writing that still feels slightly strange.
After seeing off Rochdale, Burnley and then Leyton Orient 3-1, Graham Alexander’s side are into the fourth round for the first time since 2012/13. And yes, we all know what happened the last time City got this far. Tonight’s draw therefore presents City supporters with one of those nice football dilemmas.
Do we want Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United away, take thousands of Bantams with us and bank a potentially very healthy payday? Or have we come far enough now that we should forget the glamour and start looking for the best possible route into the quarter-finals?
I think I’m leaning towards the second.
First things first: who can City actually get?
Bradford are ball number three in a fourth-round draw containing plenty of names that would normally only appear on our fixture list after several seasons on Football Manager.
The confirmed teams include Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Peterborough and Sunderland, with Coventry or Aston Villa, Everton or Wolves, Fleetwood or Sheffield United, Manchester United or Brighton and Manchester City or Norwich completing the field.
The draw takes place after Manchester United against Brighton tonight, expected at around 10.15pm, with the fourth-round ties played during the week beginning 26 October.
There aren't many easy options in there. But there are certainly some we'd prefer more than others. The case for wanting one of the giants away.
Liverpool at Anfield would be brilliant.
Arsenal at the Emirates would be brilliant. Manchester United at Old Trafford, should they get through tonight, would be one of those fixtures where half of Bradford suddenly develops a mysterious illness requiring Wednesday afternoon off work.
Newcastle away would be some occasion too. But we've already done that!
And financially, those ties matter.
Under the EFL's League Cup rules, 45% of the net gate receipts from a cup tie go to each participating club, with the remaining 10% going into the competition's pool account. So drawing a club capable of putting 50,000, 60,000 or more through the gate can produce a very useful piece of income for City.
For a League One club trying to keep progressing, that shouldn't simply be dismissed.
There's the exposure too. A big televised game, a huge travelling support, Bradford City back on a major stage and the possibility — however small — of producing another one of those nights that gets replayed for the next 20 years. We don't exactly have a spotless history of respecting the supposed natural order in this competition. But haven't we reached the point where winning matters more?
This is where my thinking changes.
If this were round two, give me Anfield. Take the occasion, take the money and see what happens. But we're not in round two. There are 16 teams left. Win the next game and Bradford City are in a major domestic cup quarter-final.
At that point, I'd rather give ourselves the best possible chance of still being involved than deliberately wish for the hardest fixture available because the concourse is bigger.
Peterborough immediately jumps out.
They're a League One side and City have already beaten them 2-0 at Valley Parade this season. That obviously doesn't mean we'd simply beat them again, but compared with trying to stop Arsenal or Liverpool, you'd take your chances. If League Two Fleetwood knock out Sheffield United tonight, they'll become another obvious draw supporters will have one eye on.
And if you could choose not only the opponent but the venue, Peterborough or Fleetwood at Valley Parade would surely be somewhere close to the dream scenario.
A packed Valley Parade under the lights, against opposition City could realistically beat, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line? That's a proper cup tie. There is a third category, and that's probably what we don't want.
For me, the least exciting outcome isn't necessarily Arsenal or Liverpool.
It's ending up away to one of the Premier League sides who are extremely difficult to beat without quite giving you the full glamour of one of the giants.
Bournemouth away? Fulham away? Crystal Palace away?
There's every chance you come home eliminated while never really getting the huge payday or the massive occasion you would have received at Anfield or Old Trafford. If we're going difficult, let's go properly difficult. I don't want to spend the build-up explaining to myself why Bournemouth away is actually quite exciting.
Give me a realistic route to the next round or give me one of the biggest grounds in England.
And then there's 2012
Of course, the sensible conversation slightly falls apart when you're Bradford City talking about the League Cup. The last time City reached round four, Phil Parkinson's League Two side were drawn away at Premier League Wigan Athletic. Not exactly the easy route. City held them 0-0 and knocked them out on penalties. Then came Arsenal at Valley Parade. Another penalty shootout. Another Premier League side gone.
Then Aston Villa.
Then Wembley.
Nobody watching the Wigan draw in 2012 was thinking they'd just witnessed step one towards one of the greatest cup runs English football has seen.
That is the beauty of this competition. At some stage, if you want to do something genuinely memorable, you're going to have to beat somebody you're not supposed to. And this Bradford side has already shown a little bit of that.
Burnley have already been dispatched. Alexander made significant changes against Leyton Orient and City still came away with a deserved 3-1 victory, with Will Swan, Stephen Humphrys and Nick Powell getting the goals. They're not in the fourth round by accident. So what should we actually want?
My head says this has changed from a nice cup run into something worth properly attacking.
Peterborough at home would probably be my pick from the confirmed sides. If Fleetwood get through tonight, you'd happily take them too. Get through this round and suddenly you're looking at a quarter-final. The numbers shrink very quickly from there. And while the league will obviously remain the priority, opportunities like this don't arrive at Valley Parade particularly often.
City haven't reached this stage since the season they went all the way to Wembley.
I'd rather be sitting here after the draw genuinely thinking we can win that than spending the next six weeks working out whether Liverpool might rest eight players.
That said, if the football gods decide we're getting one of the giants, don't give us half measures.
Anfield. Old Trafford. The Emirates. St James' Park.
Take 5,000 Bantams, enjoy the occasion, take our share of the gate and turn up wondering whether something ridiculous might happen.
We've seen stranger things in this competition.
Bantams Unfiltered verdict
Give me the winnable tie.
We've already had the satisfaction of knocking out higher-division opposition and we're now one victory away from the quarter-finals. At this point, progressing again would mean more to me than simply getting a glamorous day out.
Peterborough at Valley Parade would do very nicely.
But if we aren't getting a favourable draw, then go completely the other way.
Don't give us a difficult Premier League away game that nobody will still be talking about in five years.
Give us one of the giants.
Because if Bradford City are going to get knocked out of the Carabao Cup, we may as well make some money, take a ridiculous away following and spend 90 minutes convincing ourselves that 2013 is happening again.
So, what are you choosing: Peterborough at home and a genuine shot at the quarter-finals, or Liverpool away and one huge cup night?
Comments (0)