It's a competition for clubs who finished outside the Champions League qualifying places or who come from leagues with a low co-efficient. It should not be for clubs who failed in the Champions League. It won't be an achievment if we win it, it will mean nothing.
What will we have achieved? We can say we, one of the biggest clubs on Earth, won Europe's reserve competition because we failed in Europe's Premier Competition. The only thing good about that would be depriving Man City of a trophy.
Or we can just dispense with the pretentious bullshit and just say we won a european competition. You're speaking as though United have some divine right to be in the most prestigious competitions. Well, we don't, we have to be good enough to qualify and be good enough to make it a decent campaign. We failed on one count. So we have no right to be in Europe's most prestigious competition. We can take the sting out of that by still winning a european trophy. Get off your high horse and get behind the team in their campaign!
We should not be in the Europa League. We should be out of Europe all together. Have you seen what the players and Sir Alex have been saying about the Europa League? They don't give a **** about it either.
Well the players were at least talking of their embarrassment at being in the Europa League. I'm sorry but I can't see Man Utd taking it seriously.
I really want United to go for this competition. You are in it, so go out there and win it. Meanwhile, I'd be glad if my beloved Spurs fails to progress, as I feel that we have bigger fish to fry in the EPL
As do we yet according to some people I'm supposed to be overjoyed about Man Utd playing in the Europa League
Don't exaggerate you tart. I'm just saying don't belittle it so arrogantly. The fact of the matter is, is that in European terms, this is uniteds standard.
Now whos exaggerating. Standard by its definition is the normal, or usual, level. Europy league is not and has never been Uniteds standard. This is a blip, hardly the norm. Its a second rate competition that looses all validity by having the CL failures taking part. If you want a second tier competition for almost rans to play in Europe then keep it that way. Hope SAF plays the kids in it, it'll be good experience for them playing in "Europe" and hopefully they can show a bit more hunger and desire than the team showed in the CL.
Standard can also be used to mean a required level that must be met, which I think is what Jones is referring to. We haven't met the standard required to compete in the CL this season, and hence we have to accept that the EL is the standard we are at this season. We aspire to be of a higher standard than that, but we currently aren't. And let's face the harsh reality - having failed to beat Basle and Benfica either home or away, we have to accept that we are also-rans in Europe this season. Heck, the only reason the third placed CL teams go into the EL is that clubs like Utd, Liverpool, City, Ajax, Porto etc wanted the safety net (both financial and trophy wise) in case they **** up and fail to get out of the group stage. If we go on and win the competition, we will earn about £5m in prize money, £5m in TV money, and about £10m from four relatively full home games. Which would be roughly equivalent to the money we'd get from reaching the CL quarter /semi final, so the financial blow from going out would be minimal. The Europa parachute is undoubtedly of benefit to the third placed CL teams, any way you look at it.
Obviously us United fans are not happy that we are in the Europa league but now we are in it, we should go and attempt to win it and judging by the managers comments, i think he will take it seriously. Lets also remember it is the only trophy the gaffer has not won (Including the UEFA cup) so hopefully he can add this to the clubs honors.
I agree in part, no CL teams for sure, then it will mean a little more and not a consolation for losers. You are wrong about winning it meaning nothing, ever played for a team, a club, if you want your players to be what you wish them to be they have to give 110% in every game, anything less is bollox. And ye celebrated the Carling win, I think the europe is a bigger trophy than the carling cup
I agree - I'll be happy if we win it, no doubt. A trophy is a trophy and at the end of the day we will have to beat some decent teams to get it. Tho' the focus on the CL has devalued the EL quite a bit. I don't agree to be honest. The Carling Cup does involve all the best teams from England, even if they don't try their best. Whereas the EL doesn't usually have any of the top European sides in (this season aside of course ). I reckon the Europa League is probably rated on a par with the Carling Cup by most managers, the only reason they'd prioritise it is the fact that it's a bit more exclusive, with only a few English teams in it. As for celebrating the Carling Cup, the last three times we've won it the celebrations have been very formulaic and pretty forced imo, particularly when compared to the celebrations for winning the league.
you see it that way because you choose to. He was being a petulant twit. All he had to say was 'it is disapointing to go out of the CL', why did he have to put down the Europa as well? Spite
I dunno, I can kind of see his point. Back in 2005 when we went out we went clean out and that was it. We're out of Europe, deal with it and move on. But if we're in the Europa it's harder to move on - every time we play a Europa match we'll be reminded that we failed in the group stage, this isn't the CL, and we are now playing in the second tier competition. He did phrase it quite badly, but I think the sentiment is fair.
Teams not trying to get into the CL do not rate it, neither do I. It is great fro all teams below that watermark, I like it but any team that wins europa gets a european title and great PR, they get fk all for winning the Carling though it is an achievement for teams that don't often win trophies. Fulham did far better for themselves being in the Europa final than by being in the carling final I would say
'We'll' We're talking the club and players. It is positive to still be involved in european competition. What irks people is that United are just not used to being in that tournament, especially after mocking so many others for years for being in it, that's added a bit to the 'embarrassing' feeling otherwise it would be hypocritical a little to now say it is fine, this is fans I talk of. Senior players will not be into it until either near the final Or decent competition, anyone decent in it?, a Spurs United final would be actually quite a good final indeed and worth progressing for
