No, you can only get Champs League through the domestic championship, i.e. PL, or through winning the CL. Basically: 1. If you finish 1-4 you go to the CL 2. If you finish 5 you go to the EL 3. If you finish 6+ and win the EL, you go to the EL Interestingly, if the 5th placed team wins the CL, they qualify for the CL next year but the 4th placed team doesn't. Which could potentially be very funny. If, for example, Chelsea finish 4th and Spurs win the CL then Spurs will qualify for the CL but not Chelsea.
Is that correct? sounds dodgy. surely spurs would just have to play every qualifier like we did in 2005?
I know it sounds weird, but it is correct. It happened to Zaragoza in 2000/01 - they finished in 4th ahead of Real Madrid in 2000, but Madrid got the CL spot as holders. It used to be up to the respective FA to decide who qualified, but UEFA changed the rules after 2005 cos the FA were originally insisting that Everton get the 4th CL spot and 'pool go into the UEFA Cup. UEFA didn't want the CL taking place without the holders so they had to fudge the format about to fit 'pool in. They changed the rules so that wouldn't happen again. There was almost a big controversy about the new rule in 2006, cos Arsenal were in the final but Spurs were 4th in the PL at the time. So had Arsenal beat Barca and finished 5th, they would have taken Spurs' place. Spuds would not have liked that.
I remember that The spurs team then all went and got food poisoning and fluffed up their chances of CL football. As much as I despise spurs (personal reasons) I'd love for them to win the CL, finish 5th and chelsea finish 4... but only if spurs got knocked out of the CL at the earliers oppertunity the following season
Gotta be honest...I'd much prefer for Spurs to finish 4th and Chelsea to finish 8th! A man can dream...
Thats it,that is the current rules.However when we won it and finished 5th we didn't get preferential treatment as the precedent was set by Real Madrid for the 2002/2003 season who won the champions league and finished 5th in the domestic league.They even though finished 5th entered the CL as European Champions.Personally in my opinion the holders should always go back in.Liverpool finished 5th in 1981 and went into the European Cup as Champions,and that was a time there was only one place for the domestic champions.
The defending champions entering had always been the precedent - t'was the same with Utd in 1968/69, although City also got in that season as English champions. It was only when they expanded the competition that they changed the rules - they only affected the countries with four places, probably to stop them dominating the competition even further, and possibly having five representatives in the quarter finals. And LFC definitely didn't get preferential treatment, they actually got ****ed over by the FA. When Real won it in 2000 but didn't qualify by the league route the Spanish FA gave them one of the Spanish places. But when Liverpool did the same the FA refused to transfer one of the league places to them, despite having promised to do that for Arsenal or Chelsea when they reached the quarters in 2004. I'm surprised you don't remember the cheeky ****s: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2005/may/06/newsstory.liverpool You ended up having to be bailed out by UEFA, who agreed an extra place. Which ended up being a complete **** up for England - Everton went out in the qualifying round and so our qualifying coefficient got nuked the next season. We ended up going from 1st in the rankings to 3rd
Swarbs. Excellent research pal. I totally agree.Liverpool got ****ed by UEFA.Liverpool as holders in 2005 should have got treated the same way as Real Madrid.Liverpool should have got Evertons place.Those that say Liverpool should never have been in the competition are morons.When has the European Cup not had the defending champions in it.?Its not just my opinion that Liverpool should have got Evertons place instead of going to the 1st qualifying round.
I said at the time and I say again if you asked any club whether they'd want the holders of a title in a competition they'd all say yes, unless there's a rivalry involved.
Muppetfinder General. Rivalry has nothing to do with it.Its plain and simple.Liverpool should by rights have taken Evertons place,they earnt the right to as reigning European Champions.I reckon the same principle would have applied if Barcelona finished 4th and Real Madrid were crowned Champions of Europe,so I completely disagree whether rivalry has anything to do with it.Everton by rights should have sucked it up,played in the Uefa cup.Liverpool as European Champions at the time had every right whatsover to defend their crown.
OMG. Poulsen is starting. Kenny,what on earth were you thinking.Sorry unless something drastic happens this game has 0-0 written all over it.Andy Carroll makes the bench.I hope Kenny gives him at least half an hour.
