The European Leagues 2013-14 Thread (1 Viewer)

[washingcattle]

So a non-top flight team could make the Champion's League?

Highly unlikely, but gas all the same to think about.

You are just fuelling the fire of my hatred.

Okay it is kinda funny but not if it's your team finishing 30 odd positions higher every season and getting fuck all.

 

[Hector Grey]

Hmmm. I think it's a decent idea to shake it up, but they kind of shoot themselves in the foot by allowing the CL failures to join in February.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Hmmm. I think it's a decent idea to shake it up, but they kind of shoot themselves in the foot by allowing the CL failures to join in February.

Exactly.

The Europa is good for a bit of team cohesion.
Gives the team a chance to travel together and gel and get abused in foreign tongues, have coins of different currencies flung at them, all valuable experience.
If you've already gone through that in the CL, there seems to be limited value in parachuting in to lower level misery.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

You are just fuelling the fire of my hatred.

With respect, that's not all that hard to do.

 

[washingcattle]

Hmmm. I think it's a decent idea to shake it up, but they kind of shoot themselves in the foot by allowing the CL failures to join in February.

I wouldn't agree there to be honest. You want good teams in European competition if the EL was shaken up properly, if the prize money was better plus the CL qualification etc, then maybe teams who knew they were on their way out of the CL might try to push a bit harder to qualify for the EL there might not be so many dead rubbers in the last couple of rounds of the CL group stage.

It's the playing Thursday night then Sunday morning thing that's the killer though. The old UEFA cup used to take place on the same nights as the European Cup and there was rarely a problem, but I suppose it's TV rather than actual football that's driving the show with regards scheduling.

 

[Hector Grey]

I wouldn't agree there to be honest. You want good teams in European competition if the EL was shaken up properly, if the prize money was better plus the CL qualification etc, then maybe teams who knew they were on their way out of the CL might try to push a bit harder to qualify for the EL there might not be so many dead rubbers in the last couple of rounds of the CL group stage.

It's the playing Thursday night then Sunday morning thing that's the killer though. The old UEFA cup used to take place on the same nights as the European Cup and there was rarely a problem, but I suppose it's TV rather than actual football that's driving the show with regards scheduling.

Thursday-Sunday thing doesn't work for the Premier League, apparently. But every year, there's some team that wins it, regardless. How can this be? The Prem doesn't care, though, does it?

Anyway, the CL failures are all teams that are in the top of their leagues to begin with. Benfica and Juve are hardly playing for a champions league spot, are they? And if you're some pluky underdogs like Manchester's United and you fancy winning it and getting in the back door to the champions league and all of a sudden all the big lads turn up with their superior players and what have you, you'd be pissed off.

 

[washingcattle]

Thursday-Sunday thing doesn't work for the Premier League, apparently. But every year, there's some team that wins it, regardless. How can this be? The Prem doesn't care, though, does it?

Anyway, the CL failures are all teams that are in the top of their leagues to begin with. Benfica and Juve are hardly playing for a champions league spot, are they? And if you're some pluky underdogs like Manchester's United and you fancy winning it and getting in the back door to the champions league and all of a sudden all the big lads turn up with their superior players and what have you, you'd be pissed off.

Well no because the point is to play against the best players. I mean hwo doesn't want to play against Juve or Benfica or whoever, so long as they actually want to play. That's the problem. You draw someone like United and turn up to play against their B team it benefits no one.

 

[Hector Grey]

Well no because the point is to play against the best players. I mean hwo doesn't want to play against Juve or Benfica or whoever, so long as they actually want to play. That's the problem. You draw someone like United and turn up to play against their B team it benefits no one.

Yeah, maybe. But if a top team drops into the EL from the CL, and they're sitting pretty at the top of their respective league, then they're less likely to give a shit. I think it would be more interesting kept to the, um..., second tier teams. Because some of them are good. Like Bilbao, or maybe Roma or Arsenal. Either that or they'll just be too good, like Juve. I'd be interested now for the facts. How many CL failures have gone on to win the EL?

 

[washingcattle]

Maybe they could make it so that your EL finishing place more heavily affects your seeding for the CL so Juve for example would move from Pot 2 to Pot 1 if they won it ? I'm not sure how to fix it but it does need fixing.

Yeah, maybe. But if a top team drops into the EL from the CL, and they're sitting pretty at the top of their respective league, then they're less likely to give a shit. I think it would be more interesting kept to the, um..., second tier teams. Because some of them are good. Like Bilbao, or maybe Roma or Arsenal. Either that or they'll just be too good, like Juve. I'd be interested now for the facts. How many CL failures have gone on to win the EL?

Just Chelski I think but that's only because the Europa League has only been around in it's current format since 2010. Before that it was stupidly overcomplicated so it's a bit hard to compare. In it's current format it's only had 3 winners Atletico, Porto and Chelski.

I know that's a bit of a cop out but before the changes the groups stage of the CL and EL were totally different so that when the CL teams arrived the EL teams were already on something like game 15 or something fucking insane like that.

 

[washingcattle]

Sorry Porto actually qualified for the CL but went out in qualifying. So Atletico are the only winners who've been in the competition all the way through, but they played two qualifiers before the group stages (just like they would in the CL) rather than having to go through the extra 2 rounds that the likes of Spurs have to.

 

[Hector Grey]

Maybe get the CL failures to play each other.
It seems harsh that some mid table team from Hungaria might have to put all they have into beating Lokeren and Wigan in the group stages only to find out they've got Chelsea in the next round.

 

[washingcattle]

Maybe get the CL failures to play each other.
It seems harsh that some mid table team from Hungaria might have to put all they have into beating Lokeren and Wigan in the group stages only to find out they've got Chelsea in the next round.

Well yes and no. It depends on which way you look at that. Take Rovers for example, we got through to the group stages of the EL and faced Spurs. I was a bit disappointed to be honest I was hoping we'd get Atletico or Napoli but had we got one of them that in itself is huge. It's the same as in the FA cup, the point isn't really to win the fucking thing, I mean you know that's not going to happen, not if you play for Lewisham Celtic, the point is to play against the best. There was that all too brief period against Spurs where we were one nil up at White Heart Lane, that's as much as you can hope for really. Chelski aren't exactly the perfect example but seriously if you're some Estonian side who do you want to play a quarter final against some Lithuainian side ? or have a trip to the Mestalla ? I know which one i'd choose. Then I'd bang on about it to my kids for fifty years. Lets not forget it's a shop window as much as anything else. If you're 19 years old you'd want to go and play out of your skin at Stamford Bridge rather than go out to fucking Hibs on a freezing cold thursday.

 

[Hector Grey]

I f you get Valencia in the group stages, they're there legitimately. If you get out of the group and get Arsenal, great. What I'm saying is it would stick in the craw to work hard and get a game against a CL dropout. Slumming it, like.

I've lost my train of thought. Where were we?

So tired.

 

[washingcattle]

I f you get Valencia in the group stages, they're there legitimately. If you get out of the group and get Arsenal, great. What I'm saying is it would stick in the craw to work hard and get a game against a CL dropout. Slumming it, like.

I've lost my train of thought. Where were we?

So tired.

Yeah we're on the same page it would be shit to get a CL team "slumming it" but it would be fucking class to play a CL team who put out a full team and want to win.

Don't take this the wrong way but as a Liverpool supporter every time your lot have been in the EL you've been a little bit to big for your boots and typically played a bunch of kids or out of favour players and not really tried to win it. And why not ? i understand that. It was only a few years ago your lot were champions of europe and regularly playing competitive games against the elite. For the rest of us however we never get the chance to play the top european sides. In a way a tie against Juve or Valencia or whoever, that is the prize. That's what we all want. The last really big club we played was Bayern and that was in 1985!

Sure we want to win the whole thing, but even then I'd rather lose in the final after playing Napoli, Schalke, Benfica, Porto and Atletico on the way to there than win it by playing Sligo Rovers, Grasshoppers and Metalist Khirkev. The big sides are vital to keep it competitive. For the minnows it's a party, for the mid level sides like us, it's a real test of where you are as a club. And when it get's to the quarter finals you get games like last night's one. It's a decent competition but it could be fucking great.

 

[Unicron]

Diego Costa looks like he hurt himself pretty badly tonihgt

 

[washingcattle]

Diego Costa looks like he hurt himself pretty badly tonihgt

So I heard, smashed himself into the post. Fuck.

 

[washingcattle]

This tactic actually worked. Costa missed the penalty.


If it goes to a shoot out between Atletico and Chelsea I love to see Atletico fans will be waving their dicks at John Terry.

 

[Cormcolash]

Costa went off injured with a hard-on

 

[Hector Grey]

Costa went off injured with a hard-on

He had an exposed boner alright.

 

[Hector Grey]

Gaz Bale has just scored some goal for Real against Barca. He's a fast cunt altogether, isn't he?