Etisalat cup needs a shot in the arm

The competition that is the Etisalat Cup has now reached a conclusion, well the group stages anyway. The world's most convoluted competition reminds me of many a great cup competition from the past.

The Texaco Cup, The Anglo-Italian Cup, The Full Members Cup and The Leyland Daf Cup are the competitions that you could compare the Etisalat Cup to.

Do you remember any great games from them? No, neither do I but I do remember the complete indifference the public showed those competitions.

The Etisalat Cup is on par. Last weekend's games were mostly dead rubbers and the competition now reaches the knockout stages which will hopefully bring it some much needed life.

Empty stadiums If you don't believe me on the indifference front then I will let the numbers do the talking. The game between Al Ahli and Ajman drew an attendance of around 250. The real cup action returns next week on Sunday and Monday.

The President's Cup is an important trophy for all concerned, especially the coaches. The winners of this and the league are usually the only two coaches who will survive the whole season and keep the reins for a second season.

The prestige and kudos attached to winning the cup is similar to the English FA Cup in its glory days. Al Ain look in a very strong position.

They face second division Bani Yas in the quarter-finals and then if they get through the winners of Al Khaleej and Al Dhafra, they will be within striking distance of the title. All it will take is steady nerves and Al Ain will be through to the final without having to face any of the big boys.

One of the Abu Dhabi giants will bite the dust as Al Jazira face Al Wahda. Champions Al Shabab who so far have had a disastrous season could salvage something by beating Sharjah to book a semi-final place.

Late transfers There are now three days to go in the transfer window and there has been very little activity in the month so far. This part of the world has a reputation for leaving things until the last minute.

This is not entirely unfair and expect to see some mad dashes to sign various players. The one problem this will leave is if the clubs sign foreign players. Clubs are only allowed three registered foreign players so this means clubs will have to de-register a player to make room for any signings.

This may see some players left with no team to play for and no way of signing for another club until the window opens at the end of the season. The final thing I want to mention is a fact that may warm the hearts of a few Newcastle fans. The aforementioned Texaco Cup is the last piece of silverware the Magpies won.

Podcast

Our columnist Sparky talks to renowned Spanish football pundit Guillem Balague each week. To hear this week's pod cast click here. And don't forget to check out all the latest football news and views from around Europe at www.guillembalague.com