TheBrownBottle Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 6 minutes ago, Alberto2005 said: I also don't like the group stages with the Europa League. From what I remember the UEFA Cup was just straight KO all the way through wasn't it? It was more fun when it was like that was almost like the CL was group stages and UEFA a straight KO. All European comps were straight knockouts until 1992 when the European Cup changed to ‘Champions League’ and added a group stage - though weirdly the groups decided the finalists. The group stages are only about two things: more money from more games, and ensuring the ‘big boys’ can recover from losses against ‘lesser clubs’. It’s sporting cowardice, but Berlusconi and co in the mid-90s were terrified of the AC Milans and Barcelonas of the world losing too early. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 @TheBrownBottle totally agree with you on all of that. Can't think of any good reason to dislike the existence of the Conference League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 3 minutes ago, Yorkie said: @TheBrownBottle totally agree with you on all of that. Can't think of any good reason to dislike the existence of the Conference League. Yeah, I think it’s definitely a good thing. One of the few ‘credits in the bank’ for UEFA in recent times Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DahnSahf Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 Ironically, considering recent events, the Champions League was introduced specifically to head off the threat of a breakaway European super league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 Surely more clubs having access to European football can only be a good thing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) Quote I think the group stages make sense even in Conference League. The monetary gains for clubs from smaller leagues are huge and the guaranteed six games are better than one home game and away game before being knocked out. If I calculated right, HJK Helsinki gained 3.9 million euros just from prize money from the Conference League. Their wage bill for 2022 is approximately 2 million so the money gained just from winning two games in the group stages is absolutely staggering. European games are a massive bonus for fans too, I have no idea why it would have to be limited only to the biggest clubs in Europe who are swimming in cash any way and whose fans are having hard time taking even Europa League seriously. This is a post a made a year ago in the same conversation. Conference League is class and the monetary gains are really meaningful. ~3 million euros to a random Armenian team is nuts and should hopefully really help whole country's player production in the future. Edited May 11, 2023 by Pata Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madras Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Pata said: This is a post a made a year ago in the same conversation. Conference League is class and the monetary gains are really meaningful. ~3 million euros to a random Armenian team is nuts and should hopefully really help whole country's player production in the future. Might it not just help that Armenian team pull away from its domestic competition and then its like most of the Western European leagues ie a closed shop. Edited May 11, 2023 by madras Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 4 minutes ago, DahnSahf said: Ironically, considering recent events, the Champions League was introduced specifically to head off the threat of a breakaway European super league. Yep, which is what Berlusconi was at the forefront of. John Hall used to love banging on about joining it. I’ve got on my bookshelf ‘A Pictorial History of Soccer’ published in 1969. In it, there is talk of the ‘inevitability’ of a ‘European Super League’ formed by clubs like Benfica, Celtic and Man Utd (it was 1969). This racket has been around for more than half a century - the constant ‘threat’ of breakaway. The ‘big clubs’ raise it every so often to get more and more of what they want. Ultimately it’s destroyed true European competition and replace it with a staid, boring European Cup with the same seven or eight clubs competing for it again and again and again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madras Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 11 minutes ago, DahnSahf said: Ironically, considering recent events, the Champions League was introduced specifically to head off the threat of a breakaway European super league. By creating their own super league with all the issues of any breakaway league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 11 minutes ago, madras said: Might it not just help that Armenian team pull away from its domestic competition and then its like most of the Western European leagues ie a closed shop. I honestly think it raises the profile of everyone playing in their domestic league. Alashkert appears to be 4th in their league this season and almost 20 points behind the leader, nicely named Banants. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Duper Branko Strupar Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) 34 minutes ago, The Prophet said: Surely more clubs having access to European football can only be a good thing? I agree with this, but at the same time it does feel a bit superfluous. To have a "winners" competition for the relatively average success achieved by those that participate is always going to struggle to garner much excitement for it from a purely competitive perspective. Give me the chance to go to a Conference game as a Newcastle fan though and Id snap your hand off. Edited May 11, 2023 by Super Duper Branko Strupar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 2 minutes ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said: I agree with this, but at the same time it does feel a bit superfluous. To have a "winners" competition for the relatively average success achieved by those that participate is always going to struggle to garner much excitement for it from a purely competitive perspective. Give me the chance to go to a Conference game as a Newcastle fan though and Id snap your hand off. What do you mean by 'winners' competition? None of the European competitions are comprised exclusively of 'winners,' the 'Champions' League especially. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Duper Branko Strupar Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 Just now, Yorkie said: What do you mean by 'winners' competition? None of the European competitions are comprised exclusively of 'winners,' the 'Champions' League especially. Its why I put winners in inverted commas. Over the years these "best of" competitions have expanded to include more teams. To give more opportunity yeah maybe, but there was the happy accident of increased revenue. Im not necessarily against or particularly critical of it, just that the wider you cast the net, the less prestigious its going to become. If you say we beat Inter Milan its always going to hit different to we beat say Villareal or Club Brugge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnNUFC Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 2 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said: No, it’s absolutely correct that all European nations have entries. I detest the smug elitism of the ‘big five’ European leagues. As if fucking PSG or RB Leipzig have better pedigree than Dynamo Kiev, Steaua Bucharest or Red Star Belgrade. Okay I get that, but why not just expand the CL and EL instead? Extra teams in the group stage, a round of 32 in the CL and an extra round post group stage in the EL? I don't see why that couldn't have happened instead of a tertiary competition being created. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 I don't see how saturating existing competitions with more fodder for the usual suspects is better than having a competition of its own, where teams are competing with others of a similar standing, and have the opportunity to progress/have meaningful success. Rather than "aww, you got to the last 32 of the CL? Cute!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 Conference League would probably be better if the top UEFA coefficient leagues with 4 CL teams didn’t get a spot tbh albeit I get why they have a spot to add potential prestige and big games depending on the teams qualified. Wouldn’t be averse them making the winners a CL group qualifier either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubaricho Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 2 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said: All European comps were straight knockouts until 1992 when the European Cup changed to ‘Champions League’ and added a group stage - though weirdly the groups decided the finalists. The group stages are only about two things: more money from more games, and ensuring the ‘big boys’ can recover from losses against ‘lesser clubs’. It’s sporting cowardice, but Berlusconi and co in the mid-90s were terrified of the AC Milans and Barcelonas of the world losing too early. 100%. It should be straight knockouts. No dropping to Europa. Etc. But money is too prevalent now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnNUFC Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 17 minutes ago, Yorkie said: I don't see how saturating existing competitions with more fodder for the usual suspects is better than having a competition of its own, where teams are competing with others of a similar standing, and have the opportunity to progress/have meaningful success. Rather than "aww, you got to the last 32 of the CL? Cute!" Not a chance that the likes of Slovan Bratislava, Larnaca, Mura and Djurgarden get past the sides in the Conference League that have been usual suspects in the higher competitions, like. The quarter finalists and semi finalists of this season's and last season's UECL have proved that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 I’m not sure they’re supposed to tbh. The main aim is to give teams at that level the group games and potentially a knockout. I get it to a degree but it’s sad that football is so far gone it’s resulted in this and will only get worse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 As it stands Basel will become the first Swiss side to get to a European cup final, an opportunity they wouldn't have had if the competition didn't exist. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbandit Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 Does Ashley own Coventry’s stadium? I do t mind Coventry, have fond memories of them from when I was a kid and I felt for them when they had a disastrous time with the Ricoh Arena but if Ashley stands to benefit from them going up I don’t want them anywhere near the PL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordie Ahmed Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 1 hour ago, gbandit said: Does Ashley own Coventry’s stadium? I do t mind Coventry, have fond memories of them from when I was a kid and I felt for them when they had a disastrous time with the Ricoh Arena but if Ashley stands to benefit from them going up I don’t want them anywhere near the PL Ashley does own it and recently agreed a 5 year deal for Coventry to use it No doubt he'll find a way to plaster his tat all over so aye don't want them getting promoted for that reason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRaspberryJam Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 Whys Billy Bob Thornton managing Lecce? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 De Gea in nets for Sheff Wed it would appear Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 2-0 Pboro. Strrroooiiiikah. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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