posted Dec 1, 2007

The essential facts you have to remember from Britain's point of view are
1.We play too many matches.
2.That is unlikely to change,because club chairmen can't see beyond the cash-bottom-line..
3.While our top clubs have the squad strength to rotate and play extra matches,lower-placed teams don't,so anything that involves extra matches is bad news for us.
4.Certain people in EUFA continue to resent Britain having more than 4 teams in the Champions' League.
So the news on the 4th placed team having to work hard to qualify is bad.The news on the EUFA cup groups is worse.
What this is really all about is guaranteeing lots of European games.That's why it won't change the way we want it to - which would be a straight knockout competition in the EUFA Cup,with no entry from the Champions' league.As things stand,we have the ridiculous spectacle of Bolton resting Anelka and Diouf from what is supposed to be a prestigious competition, because too many matches are required to win it.That actuall looks like getting worse.

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posted Dec 1, 2007

Too many matches in England?

The number of league teams is fine. Every major country in Europe except Germany where they have an extended winter break,, now has twenty teams.

The FA Cup should be a one off game with extra time and pens. The League cup should be scrapped or else become a Championship Cup (non Prem). Would actually allow a lower division to win a trophy and with a Wembley Final, a bit like Palace did with the Zenith Data Systems Cup in the nineties. Remember around 60000 at Wembley to see us trounce Everton 4-1 in the final after extra time!

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posted Dec 1, 2007

I agree with many here who feel that this format helps the rich stay rich and marginalizes the smaller clubs. If you've been knocked out of the CL then that should be the end. It's not fair for the clubs who have battled through pre-qualifying & group stages of the UEFA cup to then meet a 'big' club on a second chance ticket.

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posted Dec 1, 2007

its just change for change sake

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posted Dec 1, 2007

They need to change the format to give some of the smaller countries something to play for rather than getting a couple of qualifying rounds and being dumped out. Better to have qualifying groups of three with the winners getting through that way all qualifiers get a couple of games, possibly against a side that will give them a chance to make some money on a home gate.

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posted Dec 2, 2007

Another thing which nobody has mentioned is the fact that losers from the Champions league qualifiers also go in to the early stages of the UEFA Cup,so thats 2 lifelines for Champions league failures.

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posted Dec 2, 2007

Firtly, 'Champions' League is a joke name, as the teams are not all champions and ...well ...it isn't a league.

One day there may be a real european league - perhaps the premiership could start the ball rolling by inviting celtic and rangers

But one thing I disagree with most people is that I enjoy the current CL. Just look at the quality of the quarters and semis. The past Euro Cup would nearly always have some lame teams even up to the semis, even some finals were hugely one-sided. I'm happy to see new teams come through, but they should be on merit rather than luck of the draw or seeing the best knock each other out.

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posted Dec 3, 2007

rycharde,the lame teams that got through in past Euro Cups did get there on merit,they beat the teams they played against,isn't that what football is all about?
The whole point of the CL now is to make money for the 'bigger'teams, and minimise the risk of these teams of going out too early in a one off shock result to a 'smaller' team.when that is exactly what cup football is all about,the chance of an upset.If that is a good way to go,why not make every domestic cup competition the same to make sure a big team wins it? Fans in England would soon complain that the romance of the FA Cup had gone.

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posted Dec 3, 2007

newbulgaria - I take your point, I just think the current CL is a compromise between a real european league and a cup competition. Looking at the current CL teams there are a few 'big clubs' missing (Juventus (we know why), Ajax, Bayern Munich) so things are not completely sterile. It also includes teams nobody had heard of 10 years ago, like Chelsea!

Maybe we will agree to disagree - I'm not so hot on the 'romance' thing, prefer to watch the best teams have a real go at each other.

Perhaps to avoid watching the same dozen teams every season the CL could have 16 groups, would only need one extra round of games. Looks like they are already tweaking the competition.

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posted Aug 30, 2008

corzellian (U9314173)
posted Dec 1, 2007

"Teams who fail to qualify in the CL should not be allowed to drop to the UEFA Cup.

Would like to see more groups of three teams with only one qualifying. This would make every game important and reduce the number of dead rubbers which tend to produce too many artificial results once teams have already qualified in the group stages."


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A very good idea, but the 'I'm alright Jacks' wouldn't let it happen.

Getting rid of group games everywhere would also be a good start.

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