Celtic have only just won a knockout game European tie for the first time in 14 years which I think says how good they really are. Sure they have some good young talent but you would feel still need big investment to compete at the top level in the Premier league for example. Even we have got decent results against the top sides on occasions at home.
Unfortunately all the smaller leagues in Europe have slipped behind the big 5. Celtic, Anderlecht, Ajax and Benfica are all great clubs but they will never really challenge in Europe again. The decline is the most marked in the Netherlands - the Eredivisie was once ranked the 4th strongest league in the World, but is now ranked 24. Nobody invests in Dutch or Scottish football clubs, and players from the much famed youth academy at Ajax leave the club at 19 whereas in the past they became established players first. There was talk about combining the Dutch and Belgian leagues a while back, which would make sense. Perhaps the smaller leagues should join forces.
The term 'slipped back' can be slightly misleading though - quite possibly the standard of play has slipped (or, more likely, hasn't increased at the same rate as that of the Big 5), but average attendances generally show an increase over the last forty years in most European leagues - and two of the clubs you mention above showing considerable increases. That suggests to me that, from the spectators' point of view, enjoyment levels have increased over that period. And as far as I'm concerned, that's what matters in football. The fans of most clubs have a sense of where they are in the pecking order - they may crave for their clubs to be successful, but at the end of the day they are realistic - and happy if they have been entertained by some skill and effort from the players of their chosen clubs, regardless of the result.
By 'slipped back' I actually meant on the pecking order BB. The increased crowds at Ajax were down to the move from the old De Meer Stadion (29,500 capacity) to the Johann Cruyff Arena (52,000) - always sold out in both cases. Ajax fans particularly would pay just to watch the grass grow but still instinctively think that they should be measuring themselves against Juventus rather than NAC Breda or Utrecht. There is just the big one against Feyenoord, and the minor one against PSV and the rest of the season consists of routine visits to 15,000-20,000 stadiums like Kerkrade. A few years back Ajax beating Man. City was described as 'a major sensation' - how times have changed ! The slip in standards in the Netherlands has also hit the national team badly - which has seen a whole generation go missing. We saw this season how Feyenoord could be deserved champions and then be humiliated in European competition. The same is true for Anderlecht and Celtic - great clubs with great traditions (far bigger than Paris St. Germaine) yet can no longer compete on the top European stage. Benfica can partially stop the rot only because they have access to so much Brazilian talent.
I think you're still missing my point though - people are still going in increased numbers regardless of how successful or otherwise their teams are. The standard of football being offered up doesn't really matter. Yes it may be nice to compete in Europe, but, for many, being competitive at home against local teams is just as satisfying. I don't really follow International football very much, preferring to watch my clubs - but I suppose that's understandable, living where I do. I think my interest in it waned completely in 2009 when Craig Levein became manager, and played a 4-6-0 formation against the Czech Republic - hardly a recipe for entertainment. I've watched a few games with Strachan as manager - but that was mainly because Ikechi Anya was playing.
One of our youngsters who moved to a big English club and now finding a new lease of life in Germany. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43147821
Good win for QSF as his Espanyol side beat Real Madrid 1-0. Vital one too as they are close to the relegation zone.
Ashley Young has developed into a decent full back - probably didn't see that when he first started his career !
I agree. He was impressive. Amazing how the change of wind direction affects him far less now at the defensive end of the pitch.
Sounds like John Joe O'Toole sent off - be a loss for Northampton as he still seems to have an eye for goal .
Matthew Briggs, whose absolute failure to tackle Knockaert resulted in TD9 scoring against Leicester, has been released by Barnet.