Bellamy: I don’t care if we lose final
LIVERPOOL striker Craig Bellamy insists he is not driven by medals and won’t lose any sleep if the Reds are beaten in this weekend’s Carling Cup final.
They face Bellamy’s hometown club Cardiff, for whom he played last season, but it is not the dream tie for the Wales international many would have expected.
And, while the 32-year-old obviously wants to win his first major trophy in England, he says he’s experienced enough not to let it bother him.
“Honestly if I win I win, if I don’t I don’t. I won’t lose one second of sleep over it,” he said.
“I’ve had a great career and enjoyed it but is it defined by trophies? No – and it never will be.
“I don’t even know where the Scottish Cup medal I won in 2005 with Celtic is.
“I try to win every game I can and I’ve achieved more than I ever set out to.
“I’ll carry on that same approach and if I win, great. But if I don’t I can walk away knowing I’ve enjoyed it working as hard as I can and giving my all for the team.”
Ambition
Well-travelled Bellamy has a host of former clubs but facing Cardiff – the city of his birth – presents a different prospect.
“It’s a strange situation,” he added. “It’s something that I’ve really not looked forward to doing, to be honest.
“My father is a Cardiff fan – it’s the club I used to go to when I was young.
“I had an ambition in my life and that was to play for them – and I was able to do that – but it’s funny how football works out.
“It’s a great final, but football can sometimes be very unpredictable.
“I didn’t really look at this and plan on playing a cup final against Cardiff, or with them.”
Asked what he would do should he score against the Bluebirds at Wembley, Bellamy said: “I certainly wouldn’t celebrate.
“However, I tried that against Man City in the semi-final, but with the occasion and the moment you can get carried away!” LIVERPOOL boss Kenny Dalglish believes a place in the Carling Cup final is just reward for treating the competition with respect.
The Reds boss, who has routinely named strong sides even against lower-league opposition throughout their run to Wembley, criticised other clubs for putting out weakened teams.
From the start the Scot targeted winning the Carling Cup as an achievable goal and they are within 90 minutes of completing that mission.
Dalglish believes other clubs have missed an opportunity to win the first silverware of the season.
“I don’t think the League Cup has regained all the credibility it had in years gone
“We’re grateful to all of them, to the owners and supporters and everyone who has stood by us.”
On Sunday Dalglish will lead Liverpool out in their first final since 2007, and their first appearance at Wembley since 1996 in the days of the old stadium, to face Championship side Cardiff.
Their last trophy came in 2006 in the FA Cup and in