Other games (2024/25)

[JUICE690]

Wow, amazing Lyon fucked that up. Did Man red get spawny decisions or was it just a mental game?

[Sempiternal]

Just now, Stifler said:

They need to sell to stave of relegation in anyway.

Low ball them and get him in, Howe can tame his supposed bad side 

[Ginola]

10 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

Fucking English fans thinking the PL is some kind of quality label  

Two bottom half PL teams are still in because they've had substantially more investment than other clubs in the competition. I get that you're trying to back the competition because a Norwegian team are still in it but his point is entirely valid

[Kaizero]

Just now, Wolfcastle said:

In the same way the ZDS cup was more entertaining than the FA Cup.

 

God bless «second rate» cup competitions, IMO.

[JUICE690]

I heard a load of supporters couldn’t get back in after bailing on their team. 

[Kaizero]

Just now, Ginola said:

Two bottom half PL teams are still in because they've had substantially more investment than other clubs in the competition. I get that you're trying to back the competition because a Norwegian team are still in it but his point is entirely valid

No, two PL teams have lucked their way to the semis against better opposition. I’ve always maintained that any match the EL and EC is streeta ahead of any CL fixture between the same old teams that play in the year in, year our. If you don’t support a team playing in it, watching a CL fixture feels like absolute torture. Boring, shit, predictive fixtures between team more aftraid of losing than they’d enjoy winning.

 

The CL is absolute shit, the saddest thing abour our own rise is that I won’t get to see us play another season in the EL before we join the cycle of repetitiveness ourselves.

[The Prophet]

1 minute ago, Kaizero said:

 

God bless «second rate» cup competitions, IMO.

 

If anything the League Cup has become more serious this decade. Largely due to Man City and Liverpool treating it with so much respect.

 

It's not a slight against Bodo, they've done incredibly well to reach the SF. But Bilbao were by far the strongest team left in the last eight. It doesn't mean that it's not entertaining, just that the quality of side involved has been diluted.

[McDog]

6 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

If anything the League Cup has become more serious this decade. Largely due to Man City and Liverpool treating it with so much respect.

 

It's not a slight against Bodo, they've done incredibly well to reach the SF. But Bilbao were by far the strongest team left in the last eight. It doesn't mean that it's not entertaining, just that the quality of side involved has been diluted.

 

 

Not just that, although that is the main thing, but how hard it is to win that cup.

 

I am seriously backtracking as I said before the Man U final and only thought it before the Liverpool final that it wasn't a priority at all. One lad on here did sway me when he said his father was getting very old and he wanted to see his team win silverware while his dad was still around. That did resonate with me but I have to admit, I was DEAD WRONG. That final and that parade was the most fun I've had in more years than I can remember sporting wise. Onwards and upwards.

 

 

edit: I was thousands of miles away and still had a wonderful time.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 22:45 by McDog

[Ginola]

3 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

No, two PL teams have lucked their way to the semis against better opposition. I’ve always maintained that any match the EL and EC is streeta ahead of any CL fixture between the same old teams that play in the year in, year our. If you don’t support a team playing in it, watching a CL fixture feels like absolute torture. Boring, shit, predictive fixtures between team more aftraid of losing than they’d enjoy winning.

 

The CL is absolute shit, the saddest thing abour our own rise is that I won’t get to see us play another season in the EL before we join the cycle of repetitiveness ourselves.

Waffle. I watch plenty of football and the best by a distance has been PSG in the CL this season. Barca have also been brilliant to watch

[Wolfcastle]

13 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

 

God bless «second rate» cup competitions, IMO.

 

Second rate cups that include some of the best teams in Europe that are byed to the latter stages and the favourites to win the Europa

or second rate cups that don't include any of the best teams in Europe that will probably end up having two clubs that would be fighting relegation battles most seasons contesting the final of.

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 22:47 by Wolfcastle

[Kaizero]

1 minute ago, Ginola said:

Waffle. I watch plenty of football and the best by a distance has been PSG in the CL this season. Barca have also been brilliant to watch

 

You say what you say implying I don’t  watch any football  I’ve watched Peruvian 3rd tier matches just to watch football when nothing else has been on at 3am, among other random matches, since I was a child.

 

I’d rather watch a Legia Warzaw vs. Red Star Belgrade EL qualifying fixture than than being forced to watch a Barcelona/Real Madrid vs. Inter/PSG/Bayern (or any other of the repetitive turgid clubs usually getting there) final - 10 out of 10 times. It’s the final result of FIFA & UEFA’s dream; turning football into a soulless money printing machine in competition format.

 

At the moment, for now at least, the EL and the EC feel like the anthesis of that.

[Kaizero]

12 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

 

Second rate cups that include some of the best teams in Europe that are byed to the latter stages and the favourites to win the Europa

or second rate cups that don't include any of the best teams in Europe that will probably end up having two clubs that would be fighting relegation battles most seasons contesting the final of.

 

There’s no reason for you to even try, your «competition value» double-standard is so god damned high you might seriously injure yourself in the fall down.

[CallumG6]

You could argue the recent competition format change for the EL and the EC have been an attempt to squeeze more money out of the European competitions, and have absolutely nothing to do with giving the lesser clubs a chance at a European cup.

 

 

[Pata]

25 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

No, two PL teams have lucked their way to the semis against better opposition. I’ve always maintained that any match the EL and EC is streeta ahead of any CL fixture between the same old teams that play in the year in, year our. If you don’t support a team playing in it, watching a CL fixture feels like absolute torture. Boring, shit, predictive fixtures between team more aftraid of losing than they’d enjoy winning.

 

The CL is absolute shit, the saddest thing abour our own rise is that I won’t get to see us play another season in the EL before we join the cycle of repetitiveness ourselves.

 

Two days after that Villa-PSG spectacle?

[Yorkie]

9 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

 

You say what you say implying I don’t  watch any football  I’ve watched Peruvian 3rd tier matches just to watch football when nothing else has been on at 3am, among other random matches, since I was a child.

 

I’d rather watch a Legia Warzaw vs. Red Star Belgrade EL qualifying fixture than than being forced to watch a Barcelona/Real Madrid vs. Inter/PSG/Bayern (or any other of the repetitive turgid clubs usually getting there) final - 10 out of 10 times. It’s the final result of FIFA & UEFA’s dream; turning football into a soulless money printing machine in competition format.

 

At the moment, for now at least, the EL and the EC feel like the anthesis of that.

 

I agree with you; I've always preferred this competition, but the problem is that - certainly on the basis of this season - it's being undermined by various things now. Most of all the Premier League's financial strength, but secondly because of the format changes. The CL dropouts entering never felt 'fair' but it gave the competition that necessary gravitas and ensured there were teams capable of dispatching PL opponents (see Sporting and Sevilla a couple season's back).

 

None of this takes away from Bodo's achievement in getting so far. 

[Pata]

12 minutes ago, CallumG6 said:

You could argue the recent competition format change for the EL and the EC have been an attempt to squeeze more money out of the European competitions, and have absolutely nothing to do with giving the lesser clubs a chance at a European cup.

 

 

 

In the case of Conference League it's actually the exact opposite and they are giving relatively big money to clubs and countries who got nothing before.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 23:14 by Pata

[Ginola]

No, it didn't at all. It was implicit that I watch enough football to have a comprehensive view of what's entertaining or what's not "absolute torture". You might not realise it but ultimately entertainment comes down to preference. For me, when it comes to football, quality factors in quite substantially when it comes to preference, which is why I've enjoyed watching the likes of PSG/Barca vs Peruvian 3rd tier (who can't qualify for EL btw). The initial point was that lower PL teams still have too much financial clout than other European nations so they'll continue to dominate the EL, which still stands. I also fine PSG/Barca much more entertaining than Man Utd/Spurs so +1 CL for me

[Kaizero]

4 minutes ago, Pata said:

 

Two days after that Villa-PSG spectacle?

Yes, I just got to watch the Lazio-B/G spectacle. Perhaps one of the most exciting games I’ve watched as a neutral. 
 

On a personal level, I’d rather B/G didn’t get to the final - I especially hope they don’t win it. Them advancing to the Semis now mean the Norwegian UEFA coefficient will be gigh enough got one of our teams going straight into the CL group stage without having to play a qualifying round first. 

If B/G win it, my hometown will forever be doomed to live in Bodø’s shade - so, fuck that! Go Spurs/Frogmen/Bilbao!

 

The fact I enjoy the EL/EC more has nothing to do with Bodø/Glimt. The implication itself would be comparable to someone asking a NUFC fan “surely, you must hope Boro win the final - making the whole of North Eastern England proud??”

 

[Kid Icarus]

I think there's a certain generation and older that remember how good, competitive and important the UEFA Cup was before the Champions League was expanded, and now kind of balk at the idea of the Europa League being something to laud. It hasn't felt the same since about 1998 and its importance and overall quality has never recovered.

 

The Champions League is still often brilliant and hoys up the highest quality and most dramatic football going. It's lulled recently because imo Real Madrid's somehow-still-win-despite-being-awful routine, combined with them being a hateful club has absolutely stunk out the competition, as well as being post-Messi/prime Barca, but it's not in a fixed state of being inherently boring like, that's frankly just bollocks.

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 23:33 by Kid Icarus

[ianbeany]

57 minutes ago, JUICE690 said:

Wow, amazing Lyon fucked that up. Did Man red get spawny decisions or was it just a mental game?

 

A bit of both really, Jacob.

[Disco]

8 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

I think there's a certain generation and older that remember how good, competitive and important the UEFA Cup was before the Champions League was expanded, and now kind of balk at the idea of the Europa League being something to laud. It hasn't felt the same since about 1998 and its importance has never recovered.

 

The Champions League is still often brilliant and hoys up the highest quality and most dramatic football going. It's lulled recently because imo Real Madrid's somehow-still-win-despite-being-awful routine, combined with them being a hateful club has absolutely stunk out the competition, as well as being post-Messi/prime Barca, but it's not in a fixed state of being inherently boring like, that's frankly just bollocks.

 

 

 

 

 

Europa League is near always drama central in the knockouts mind. Quality isn’t what is was but such is life. Can say exactly the same about the second tier of English football to a lesser but still comparable degree. 

 

25 minutes ago, Pata said:

 

In the case of Conference League it's actually the exact opposite and they are giving relatively big money to clubs and countries who got nothing before.

Even though it’d be detrimental to us they should fuck off clubs with 4/5 CL spots out of it. If Chelsea win it this season it’ll be a stain on the competition. 

[Kid Icarus]

5 minutes ago, Disco said:

Europa League is near always drama central in the knockouts mind. Quality isn’t what is was but such is life. Can say exactly the same about the second tier of English football to a lesser but still comparable degree. 

Aye, it's more a defence of the CL really. The Europa is entertaining because of the drama but like you say the quality isn't there to the same extent and that's a big part of the entertainment for me. The CL doesn't always have both, but it quite often does in the latter stages I reckon. It's part of the reason I dislike Real Madrid so much, because they're always sniffing about and the matches they're not getting beaten in are nearly all absolutely honkin' 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 23:40 by Kid Icarus

[ponsaelius]

Yeah basically I think the Europa league needs more quality dropped into it - but conversely the Conf League needs the the top 3 or top 5 leagues taken out of it to be more true to its intentions.

[Disco]

6 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Aye, it's more a defence of the CL really. The Europa is entertaining because of the drama but like you say the quality isn't there to the same extent and that's a big part of the entertainment for me. The CL doesn't always have both, but it quite often does in the latter stages I reckon. It's part of the reason I dislike Real Madrid so much, because they're always sniffing about and the matches they're not getting beaten in are nearly all absolutely honkin' 

 

 

 

Know what you mean. I’ve always been and probably always will be that that the CL like major international tournaments has so much riding on it and interest in it that the latter rounds they’re inherently watchable and entertaining near regardless of what happens unless it’s some bozo team getting through and then getting pieced. Quality these days is absolutely off the charts too.

 

Have to say the massive league thing and to a lesser extent the pointless playoff round has hugely turned me off it this season though. Can’t be arsed with all that shit.

[ponsaelius]

If the Europa has the play-off round losers from the CL drop into it and had the current Conference League entrants from the top 5 leagues from the outset - would make it a stronger competition again.

 

Everything is just spread too thinly now for me. You've got a massive bloated CL where most of the clubs will be present but never come close to winning it - teams that would have previously had a good shot of winning the EL. Then you've got everybody else left over strewn across two other massive competitions.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 23:47 by ponsaelius