I'm a modern baby, so all I've known is Champions League. But surely a competition with Barcelona AND Real Madrid would be better than Barcelona only but with (no offence) Sparta Prague for arguements sake? It might be more money spinning, but from the way I see it, surely the CL offers better competition?
The champions league is by far the tougher competition, all managers admit this. You could get lucky in the old format, you cant in this one, ALL the best teams of the current season and the last are for sure to be there.
You need to get your argument straight, according to most knobheads like you we were lucky to win in in 2005.
Yeah,Its not like the captain of the opposition would ever slip on his arse in the pouring rain on his run-up to take what would have been winning penalty. Get it right Coma a team can have luck in the group or knockout stages of the CL.
I wouldn't say you were outright lucky, but you did need some luck. Whether or not the "ghost goal" was actually over the line, it could well have been disallowed by a different ref or linesman. Likewise, if Shevchenko had finished that chance off properly it could have been a very different result in Istanbul. And, of course, without Jancker hitting the bar in 99 we may never have won the treble, and similar with Chelsea hitting the woodwork and Terry falling on his arse in 08. That, to me, is what makes the CL so much harder to win that the old EC - you could usually win the EC just by playing well and having a good team as you were mostly facing teams that were inferior to you. In contrast, in the CL you need the quality and the consistency and almost always need a bit of luck as you are mostly facing teams that are of similar or better quality, or at least have the players to hurt you if you don't play at your best. If you don't get that luck, then no matter how well you play or how good your team you are unlikely to win the competition. That, imo, is one of the main reasons no one has retained the CL - no one gets the luck they need two seasons in a row.
Rival fans always try to un-justify European cup wins in the old format. I've heard the argument that the Uefa Cup was the tougher competition back then because it had more top teams taking part like todays CL. They forget we also won that in '73 and '76.
Fergie and Shanks, both great managers Only one was/is a great man though. The other was/is a liar,hypocrit,bully.
Champions League - Harder to win but easier to qualify. European Cup - Relatively easy to win* but harder to qualify. *compared to the CL.
I made KPR's blood boil the last time we spoke before i got banned from the liverpool board! I told him that irish people couldnt not be called Sir's as they are not part of the united kingdom, he got angry and tolsd me "what about Sir Bob" lollllllllllllll thick bastard
