Would you rather we played a Champions League qualified Arsenal = Definite qualification for Europe? Or Wigan = A great chance to win the FA Cup?
Arsenal. This team surpasses expectations on a regular basis. What could be a better end to the season than to beat the London press and media darlings in their own back yard? FA Cup Final FT: Arsenal 0-3 Hull
I mean even if we didn't go to europe having won it. It made more sense in my head. But like, if we had one or the other and no possibility of both... sod it i need to drink more
Wigan - lets win the thing! If we have to be in the Europa League (great experience, but usually messes up a teams league form - see Swansea this season) then let's have a trophy to show for it
Arsenal of course. I would rather we guarantee ourselves the Europa League and play in the Final of the FA Cup. Knowing us Wigan beats Arsenal and then we lose to Wigan and miss out on the FA Cup and Europe. Lets just take the guarantee and still have 90 minuets to win ourselves the Cup.
Don't understand people complaining about the Europa. Eventually we will almost certainly go back down to the championship and if all we do is stay up it doesn't exactly give us any memories. Going to our first European match away against some **** team from Russia or wherever would be one of my proudest moments as a city fan and is just as exciting to me as winning the FA cup. I don't think we need to be too worried about the possible extra games anyway, we've played brilliantly this season despite missing Brady/Aluko/Chester/McShane/Dudgeon/Quinn through injury.
If we get into Europe I would like a group consisting of a Belgian and Dutch team, and probably a French or Scandinavian one. Perfect for the ferry.
Simply could not agree more! We've been in the Premier League two years and some deluded folk on here think we should just keep our head down and focus on the league. Remember what got us here people DARE TO DREAM
how about that small mater of a semi final ? ... sorry to piss on anyones parade but this game will be very difficult ..
I don't doubt that, I will be absolutely cacking myself come kick off but we have to believe it is possible so I see no harm in talking beyond the game. Come KO I will absolutely be taking them seriously, league position means nothing.
If we want to be self sufficient and not rely on the Allams pocketbook then the most important thing is guaranteeing the Europa League. Just playing in the Europa League nets us a minimum of 1.3 million Euros then more for progressing and then a share of TV revenue. It is a far bigger pay day then even the FA cup itself. Similar to the UEFA Champions League, the prize money received by the clubs is divided into fixed payments based on participation and results, and variable amounts that depend of the value of their TV market.[13] A group stage participation in the Europa League awards a base fee of €1.3 million. A victory in the group pays €200,000 and a draw €100,000. Also, each group winner earns €400,000 and each runner-up €200,000. Reaching the knock-out stage triggers additional bonuses: €200,000 for the round of 32, €350,000 for the round of 16, €450,000 for the quarter-finals and €1 million for the semi-finals. The losing finalists receive €2.5 million and the champions get €5 million.[14] First qualifying round: €120,000 Second qualifying round: €130,000 Third qualifying round: €140,000 Play-off round elimination: €150,000 Base fee for group stage: €1,300,000 Group match victory: €200,000 Group match draw: €100,000 Group winners: €400,000 Group runners-up: €200,000 Round of 32: €200,000 Round of 16: €350,000 Quarter-finals: €450,000 Semi-finals: €1,000,000 Losing finalist: €2,500,000 Winners: €5,000,000
Of course. But its easy to see that the most important thing for us financially is that Arsenal beats Wigan. It doesnt mean we still cant win the FA Cup, but the most important thing especially if you are against the name change is us getting this extra infusion of cash.
