There is no reason why we shouldn’t have a good tilt this time around.

Apart from numbers on the low side, which we can all keep harping on about, we do have the nucleus of a very decent team.

I feel for the first time in recent years,We aren’t short in numbers in technical ability.

Maybe, if we do seem to be on the back foot and find ourselves facing certain defeat, it will be an excellent opportunity to introduce young Graham and take something from defeat.

There is no reason why we shouldn’t have a good tilt this time around.

Apart from numbers on the low side, which we can all keep harping on about, we do have the nucleus of a very decent team.

I feel for the first time in recent years,We aren’t short in numbers in technical ability.

Maybe, if we do seem to be on the back foot and find ourselves facing certain defeat, it will be an excellent opportunity to introduce young Graham and take something from defeat.

It's a miserable record. I went to the 77 final with my Dad and brother. I recall Duncan McKenzie hit the bar, but I may have dreamt that. Watching the second replay on Sportsnight and witnessing our pathetic capitulation to Villa remains one of the most painful moments of my life as an Evertonian. Lumpen left-back Dario Terracotta allowed a cross to go past him, and midget goalie David Lawson allowed Brian Little to sweep in at the far post. Until those brief, beautiful years of first era Kendall Everton always bottled it in the big games, and post-Kendall it has been the same, with the notable exception of '95 FA Cup. So come on Blues - give us something to get excited about. One poxy little cup - that's all we ask for...

John I seem to remember that McKenzie was trying to cross it and sliced it onto the bar.
In terms of Wednesday given the team selection for the PNE match I fancy we will pick a strong team. From Saturday I would expect to see O'Brien or Keane for Branthwaite and Hackney for Garner to save overtaxing them recovering from injury and Grealish for George.

I think in many cases, the team put out was good enough to win those matches, I'm not sure their desire was though. Winning the trophy brings European football, and we saw at the end of last season, just how much that meant to the players.

I think Moyes (and I'm Pro-Moyes!)is blinkered to some extent with the '40 points' target, so until that is comfortably in sight, he won't risk over-playing his most important players. With the paper thin areas of the squad at the moment, I don't expect that to change.

I shall be there on Wednesday, and maybe some rotation will be illuminating. I'd like to see Jake O'Brien in central defence (I wouldn't risk Branthwaite) and Dibling starting a match, both have points to prove. It's not sensible to play Barry for 90 minutes, so who is going to fill in there?

If they are the only 3 changes, the team should be strong enough to win. The desire though?

Photo of Adrian heath and Handball Hansen looks like the '84 replay at Maine Rd. Which I didn't go to. I actually won 2 tickets for the final on the Sunday on tv am. Spoke to Mike Smith and Richard Keys. I already had a ticket so gave that to my brother's mate.

The tickets I won were in front of the Royal box and were the old wooden bench type and it rained so we ended up getting soaked. We went to all the League Cup games in 77 — Old Trafford, Edgerley Park, Burnden Park Wembley, Hillsborough and Old Trafford again if memory serves me right, plus all the FA Cup games that same season.

The Clive Thomas semi finals grr grr. I remember he refereed a game at Goodison the following season (I think against villa) and he got a real hostile booing reception, and he gave us a soft penalty as soon as he could probably in order to get out alive!

I remember early 70's when we and a few others didn't enter the League Cup, maybe if we had?

Personally I would rather we won a cup... it is an honour. You can't put a European place on a bus and take it around the city!

If memory serves I'm sure those luvable reds christened it the "mickey mouse' cup in 77 as they hadn't won it.
Im sure they've won it the most now.

It'd be a massive lift to win a trophy.

But the small squad makes for some difficult choices as to team selection.

The big question is should Moyes start Barry? Pros and cons. Personally, I'd start with a front 3 of Grealish, Barry and Johnson. We can probably juggle things a bit elsewhere - with Branthwaite being the one to protect.

Wolves are decent - a lot better than Preston - although they might rest their top players like Fer Lopez and Matteus Mane rather than risk them in a cup competition they'll be knocked out of sooner or later. Could even be Joao Virginia in goal...

I have always thought that Everton can't seriously compete in the Top 4 by being a one competition team. Say they qualified for European Competition where is the experience to compete in two competitions,which they would then find themselves in.

Robert, 8, I shall look out for those two players, but Raul Jiminez is more of a concern for me. He has scored six goals against us.

And I haven't forgotten Adam Armstrong's late winner against us at Southampton in a breakaway after Beto hit the crossbar - and a few minutes before VAR disallowed a Beto goal.

A bit spooky for me is that the Wolves manager Cesar Peixoto was in the Benfica team that humbled us 5-0 in 2009. He was left-back.

But I remain confident of a win on Wednesday, as long as we don't make a load of changes. Change of personnel is one thing, but another issue is the way that five, six or more changes can disturb the teamwork and rhythm that has been built up.

Bloody hell Jerome ! Everton compete top 4 ? You cannot be serious..those days disappeared when the greatest evertonian took over.
In the unlikely event of efc winning the milk rumblewows cup the corrupt epl / cartel would find a way to punish us points deduction or a fire sale like villa or Newcastle..
You can look at those cup's but you can't touch !

In the not too distant future, we will be looking back and asking ourselves.. «  How the Hell we’re we counting on Barry’s Goals to move us up the Table, or, win a Cup ? »

just like we are looking back on the periods of Allardyce, Benitez and Dyche and saying WTF!

Right now, I would settle for
Daniel Farke and Dominic Calvert Lewin!

Mike # 10, good random knowledge about the Wolves manager! I hope he enjoys this fixture a lot less.

Philip # 11, Villa and Newcastle have both made the Champions League in recent years. In their case it took steady year on year investment in the playing squad to assemble a group of very good players - and a manager that suited the squad (despite mixed fortunes and failures elsewhere). It's not rocket science. Our increased (and increasing) revenue and easing financial restrictions means this could be within reach in 2 or (probably) 3 seasons with the right sort of investment.

Paul # 12, Not particularly surprising DCL is doing well at Leeds - he's always been a good striker. I wouldn't get too excited about Daniel Farke just yet, though. Newcastle are likely to ship a lot of goals this season. I didn't see the game (just the highlights) but their defensive shape at home to Bournemouth was absolutely atrocious and they should have lost by about 4 clear goals without Bournemouth looking particularly good either. Jaissle might yet get it together but he has a lot to learn and improve on at the moment.

Otherwise, I thought there would be more of a debate on whether Barry should start. There'll be plenty of comment after the match on that one (whatever the result)...

Robert, 13, I actually didn't know who the new Wolves manager was. Found his name, looked him up, saw Benfica and thought "I wonder..."
The other full-back was Reuben Amorim, lol.

Start Barry? Well, is he part of our 1st XI? I guess so.
Can he manage three games in eight days? There is a three-week break after Saturday, and I am not aware of any international call-up for him.
Perhaps the decision depends to a certain extent on how Wolves might play.

John G, 3, and John C, 4, yes, I was going to mention that I had a memory of Duncan clipping the crossbar (near the upright?), in front of the Everton end, but wasn't sure if it was a mis-filed memory.

7, Paul W, yes, I also have a memory of a few of them calling it the Mickey Mouse Cup before they won it. But it then became a term we used to play down their success in the League Cup. Yes, they have won it more than anyone else.

Philip#11

I know where you are coming from, but we have to keep the expectations alive. In the Premier League other teams( as Robert says, are moving on and Everton need to be moving forward.
Moyes probably suits TFG at the moment,but they will have to build the squad, as they have been trying, and move beyond Moyes glass ceiling,I for one, like others, will not let them forget that.

So glad a few of you remember Duncan mckenzie hitting the bar in '77..I was behind that goal on the day but over the years I began to think I dreamt it
Terrible game I was at the replay on the Thursday at Hillsborough ended 1-1 bob latchford equalised in the last minute.
Is he available for tomorrow/Saturday?

It's alarming how many of us are still haunted by that 1977 crossbar moment.
Perhaps we should get Duncan McK there on Wednesday for a special half-time hit the bar competition.

I genuinely think that any Evertonian under the age of 30 deserves a medal.

I mean, that’s real commitment to the cause, not having any actual first-hand memories of us winning a cup. Hats off to them.

Moyes would have to be pretty dumb to play a weakened team, especially after last season’s debacle. Hopefully, the fact that we’re playing Wolves and need to bury our most recent memories of the league cup will fire him and everyone else up.

A trophy win would be immense. Literally any trophy!

UTFT!!

Tony # 18, I've often thought the club should try to coordinate and play in some friendly tournaments in summer just to get that winning feeling back. Rather than ad hoc friendlies against the likes of Lille - a proper tournament against teams of that calibre from France, Italy, Spain and Germany etc. Pointless in many respects, but a bit of a rehearsal for our (hopefully inevitable before too long) return to Europe.

Robert#19

Good idea.

Hey Mike, belatedly yours is great article and it's well overdue but we prioritise EPL survival but generations of our fans haven't seen an Everton captain holding a trophy.

Robert and Jerome, the competition sounds OK but UEFA wouldn't like it unless they got a big slice of the revenue.

Anyone remember the Texaco Cup? I'm sure I went to a game at Goodison.

Apologies to Messrs Fagen and the late Walter Becker but contrary to my recent posts. I'm not one to look behind.

I know that times must change
But over there in bramley Moor
They do things very strange.

7. It was Phil Thompson on Kick Off who derided Everton’s march to the 1977 final who dismissed it as “ The Micky Mouse Cup” as they hadn’t got near it. Of course that all changed conveniently a few years later