Who wants to shell out 10s of millions to make a squad competent enough to win a competition with a top prize of 5million and risk premier league safety in the process? The champions league is a different kettle of fish, better prize money, better coverage. Europa league is farce and starting to look more like a punishment rather than a reward.
To be fair last season and all the seasons previously I'd have agreed. However the winners now get entry to the Champions League I believe (I think it's this season but could be next) which makes it much more worthwhile. The biggest farce with the Europa League is that the Champions League drop outs get to enter after everyone else has gone through a hard slog of group games. I also think the Europa League still holds some appeal to the foreign players.
Well lets face facts, the Europa league is total pish. Especially in the early rounds. Away to Reykjavik whale farmers fc or Gdansk shipyard club. Some of those clubs in the early stages are like pub teams man. ****ing hell, the Black Horse are better than some of those. Plus, the prize money is ****e. And I'll tell you what else gets on my tits about it. Two things, one is the fact they changed into a league system, it should have been left as a straight knockout competition. The other is the fact that the failures of the big one get to drop into it. UEFA are a bunch of ****ers. I hope that Frog **** Twatini gets rabies. As a competition, it's a heap of ****e.
I really think there should be some kind of return to a three cup Europe, Champions League, Cup winners and uefa, that means they can be streamlined an ease the burden and pressure on a smaller club who's having to take financial risks with large squads and large wage bills. Do that and I'd be happy. All giving champions league qualification to Europa League winners will do is make clubs take bigger risks with no guarantee. How many clubs compete in that competition and that perk only benefits just one of them. Half the time a team who went out in the Champions league will win it anyway.
I agree, can't beat the Champions League, Uefa Cup and Cup Winner's Cup format. Would love Champions Leaggue to be unseeded and in a knockout format from the very start too. Everything in football is currently geared towards helping the rich get richer.
Agreed fella, not only is it geared to get the rich richer, it's in complete disregard for the security of smaller clubs. It's almost like they're trying to kill the game for everyone except the elite.
How would it effect how many participants are in our domestic league fella? There were three European cups back when there were 24 to a league. **** knows fella, some kind of bizarre hair brain scheme that nobody could second guess probably.
I don't agree with it Bri, but every time they talk about the super league they talk about reducing the domestic leagues
Nobody is on about a super league though fella? Are they? Have I miss read something. I certainly don't want a super league, just a return to the old European formats. The ones that weren't broken when they tried to fix it.
Doesn't matter what you call any extra competition, the reason domestic leagues would be reduced is because of the additional games generated by it. You may be right mate but my fear is that Fifa are desperate to reduce the number of teams in our premier league as it is, another competition would give them a reason to do it.
Whatever the case, no one can deny that playing against unknown sides in far flung corners of Europe isn't a dream. In fact it's become a burden and Pardew never stopped moaning about the effect it had on his team. I expect Bruce to repeat the same old excuses about jet-lag, tiredness & injuries ...... I'll apologise if I'm wrong
