Clyde1998 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 UEFA have made some changes to the format of both European competitions: Champions League The top four sides from Spain, Germany, England and Italy will automatically qualify for the group stages of the competition. France and Russia have their top two automatically in the group stages, plus an additional side each in the 'league path' of the third qualifying round. The champions of Portugal, Ukraine, Belgium and Turkey will qualify for the group stages, while the second placed sides in each country will start in the third qualifying round. Six additional sides will reach the group stages through the qualifying process - and only four of them will be national champions. The Scottish champions will start in the first qualifying round and will have to progress through four rounds before reaching the group stage of the Champions League. Europa League The three Scottish sides that qualify start at the same stages as before - Cup Winners at the second qualifying round, second and third placed teams at the first qualifying round. Every side that is knocked out of the Champions League prior to the group stages is transferred into the Europa League and go into their separate section of the qualifying tournament, similar to how champions and non-champions are separated in the Champions League - eight of the teams that have moved from the Champions League to the Europa League qualifiers will reach the group stage. Coefficient Rankings Scotland have fallen to 26th in the UEFA Coefficient rankings, which is based on teams performances in European competition. Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Serbia have risen above us. Sides ranked 15th or above gain additional teams in European competitions. Overall, the fact that it's now harder for teams outside the top countries to reach the Champions League group stages is negative. Even the Dutch, who had a team in the Europa League final last season, will have to pass through two qualifying rounds to make the group stage. However, having a separate 'Champions League drop-out' section in the Europa League may help Celtic reach the group stage of that competition. The changes probably won't affect our other sides in Europe. I wonder how long it will be before UEFA start taking the smaller countries out of the Champions League altogether in order to enable more teams from bigger countries to play in it. You may yet see separate competitions for the biggest countries and the smaller countries with the way UEFA are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I fucking hate modern fitba’. It’s run by a shower of wanks. It’s not a competitive sport anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumnio Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Fucking ridiculous, but our teams have been utter shit, so its where we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lairdyfaeinverclyde Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Could be the first step to a European League. Hope it goes tits up for UEFA......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Cyprus went zooming past us as well, compensated by Belarus dropping 8 places I happened to watch last night the build up, and goals from Aberdeen in 83 playing against Bayern Munich & Real Madrid That tournament in 83 included Bayern, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, Tottenham, Inter Milan, Red Star Belgrade, IFK Gothenburg, AZ Alkmaar (Finalists of Uefa cup few years back beaten by John wark) - lot of good teams Swansea actually won a 2 leg game 17-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Looking back - I forgot John Wark scored 14 goals in that 81 tournament - crazy as a midfielder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 11 hours ago, Lairdyfaeinverclyde said: Could be the first step to a European League. Hope it goes tits up for UEFA......... It can only go tits up when the fans stop watching it on tv. That isn’t going to happen. More money will now filter to the top teams in the top leagues without them barely trying. They will continue to sign up huge squads, hoovering up the young talent to prevent other teams getting them and eventually they will get their closed door league to keep the elite at the top. This will continue dilute domestic competitions, England being the prime example of this so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mox Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 15 hours ago, Lairdyfaeinverclyde said: Could be the first step to a European League. Hope it goes tits up for UEFA......... What they should do is just have their own comp between teams from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France and let the rest of us get on with our own competition. The top teams in those leagues are so far ahead of everyone else in finance and subsequently ability. Some of the results and teams that have taken a bleaching in the last 16 is ridiclous. Besiktas, Porto and Basle, all good sides with a rich history have been humiliated to the point where the 2nd leg is meaningless, it can't go on like this, but it will so just let those leagues have their own thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lairdyfaeinverclyde Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 47 minutes ago, Mox said: What they should do is just have their own comp between teams from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France and let the rest of us get on with our own competition. The top teams in those leagues are so far ahead of everyone else in finance and subsequently ability. Some of the results and teams that have taken a bleaching in the last 16 is ridiclous. Besiktas, Porto and Basle, all good sides with a rich history have been humiliated to the point where the 2nd leg is meaningless, it can't go on like this, but it will so just let those leagues have their own thing. Agree with this. Might not be a bad thing having a tournament with Scottish, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish etc. Could improve our game and stop the ridicule of teams getting pumped in European competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 The knockout stages of European cup, cup winners cup and eufa cup of old school football didnt suit the greedy corrupt bastards of the so called UEFA that’s why it was changed inte first place why would they not change it to suit the clique that’s what makes them money in Manila envelopes it’s human nature to be a greedy bastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde1998 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 27 minutes ago, jcs said: The knockout stages of European cup, cup winners cup and eufa cup of old school football didnt suit the greedy corrupt bastards of the so called UEFA that’s why it was changed inte first place why would they not change it to suit the clique that’s what makes them money in Manila envelopes it’s human nature to be a greedy bastard This. It should really just be straight knockout with unseeded draws. That way you can get excitement at every round and not have sides effectively confirmed in the next round before the draw by virtue of being ensured a game against a 'lesser' side. The group stages are simply there to maximise the number of fixtures that sides can play in Europe - UEFA don't want to chance Barcelona or Bayern Munich being knocked out of the competition after a single round. It's a shame that football has gone the way it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lairdyfaeinverclyde Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Does anyone know if UEFA will rename the competition? Always wondered why it was called the 'champions' league????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flure Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Lairdyfaeinverclyde said: Does anyone know if UEFA will rename the competition? Always wondered why it was called the 'champions' league????? Suggestions for the new name? The Uefa TV Tournament? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumnio Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 The cha-ching cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 (edited) “The vanderark14 wouldn’t watch it if it were being played in his garden shield” slips off the tongue 😛 Edited February 25, 2018 by vanderark14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenfrewBlue Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 24 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: “The vanderark14 wouldn’t watch it if it were being played in his garden shield” slips off the tongue 😛 To be fair it'd need to be some size of shield to engrave that name on it! 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lairdyfaeinverclyde Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 The Sepp Blatter Trophy (I know he was with FIFA)...........Still a corrupt cvnt tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckielugger Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Well i HAVE stopped watching champions lge entirely (and i support a team still in it)...it has become utterly monotonous...its now a tv treadmill of billion pound club v billion pound club. The changes now made just make it even more ridiculous. MAYBE all the countries outside the top four should quit UEFA and form their own association with its own cup competitions...radical but its what this Is leading to ultimately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde1998 Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 4 hours ago, buckielugger said: Well i HAVE stopped watching champions lge entirely (and i support a team still in it)...it has become utterly monotonous...its now a tv treadmill of billion pound club v billion pound club. The changes now made just make it even more ridiculous. MAYBE all the countries outside the top four should quit UEFA and form their own association with its own cup competitions...radical but its what this Is leading to ultimately I've stopped watching it too - although that was partially because it's only on BT Sport now. Now I've got access to some BT channels, as part of my mobile contract, I still don't watch the Champions League. It's no surprise that over the last fourteen years, there have only been finalists from the top four nations (22 years discounting 2004 - between two sides from the fifth and sixth best nations) - they've got all the money and can hoover up all the best talent from across Europe. Sure that may be good for Germans, Spaniards, Italians and Englishmen, but it's no good for the rest of us. UEFA's change in the TV deal for the Champions League a couple of years ago, just keeps more of the money at the top. It's no wonder we hardly ever see clubs from Scotland, Belgium and the Netherlands (to name a few) doing well in Europe anymore - the clubs haven't got the money to compete and probably never will again while this structure is in place. One club per country in the Champions League would make it a lot better and probably more popular across Europe, as more countries would have representation in the latter stages of the competition. Looking at the list of clubs in the knockout stages of the Champions League - it was all from the top four nations, expect three. The Swiss (Basel) and Turkish (Besiktas) clubs were hammered, being unable to compete, while the Ukrainian club (Shakhtar Donetsk) has a chance of reaching the quarter-finals. This graph tells the whole story: The distribution of finances is starting to cripple competition in the top national leagues. Juventus have won the last six Serie A titles, Bayern Munich have won the last five Bundesliga titles and are on course for their sixth in a row, Spain has seen a Real Madrid and Barcelona as the top two for eleven out of the last thirteen seasons and in France the two clubs with rich owners (PSG and Monaco) are miles ahead of the rest of the league. Only in England has there been variation and that's only due to the scale and fairly equal distribution of the Premier League TV deal - albeit you've huge gulf between the top six and the rest. I think it's seriously time that the "middle sized" nations put their heads together and do something about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckielugger Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Spot on analysis, Clyde. And it is surely inevitable that the non top 4 nations will have to so something. The latest changes have left no alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde1998 Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Only real positive in Europe this season is that the Europa League have eight different nations represented in the quarter-finals - Austria, England, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia and Spain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wembley67lisbon Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Should just have one tourney, knockout. top 4 from every country in Europe. no seedings. vote me for yoofa pres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 7 hours ago, wembley67lisbon said: Should just have one tourney, knockout. top 4 from every country in Europe. no seedings. vote me for yoofa pres You’d have my vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.