Rossy Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just watched 20 minutes of Everton -Krasnodar....soulless, atmosphere-less, turgid crap, with a reserve Everton side who are only vaguely interested. What the f*ck has European football become these days ? I feel sorry for anyone under the age of 30 who simply can't remember what European football was like, when it used to be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringo Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just watched 20 minutes of Everton -Krasnodar....soulless, atmosphere-less, turgid crap, with a reserve Everton side who are only vaguely interested. What the f*ck has European football become these days ? I feel sorry for anyone under the age of 30 who simply can't remember what European football was like, when it used to be interesting. Mostly shit sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just watched 20 minutes of Everton -Krasnodar....soulless, atmosphere-less, turgid crap, with a reserve Everton side who are only vaguely interested. What the f*ck has European football become these days ? I feel sorry for anyone under the age of 30 who simply can't remember what European football was like, when it used to be interesting. Spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exglasgowasc Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Agree Rossy. Even with top price of 15 quid at goodison tonight when the game is as meaningless as it is then it's pointless. Champions league group stages have totally irrelevant games and dead rubbers. Revert to free for all draw home and away knockout. Oh and make champions league for champions. Wait a minute - it's all cash driven so never going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khana Lagur Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Got to agree on that. There's too much of it. I can still remember Celtic games v Athletico, Leeds, Ajax, etc from the 70s. Not cos I liked the team but they were rare TV events and knock-out football and even if you didn't like either of the teams playing it was still all wee boys talked about at school for days. Can't even remember the score from the Spuds game earlier. Used to be the old Cup Winners Cup was considered the hardest cup to win as it had a extra round to contest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 There are just far too many teams involved in the Europa League for it to be of any interest. The numbers need to be cut down for it to be of any interest. The early qualifying rounds they have for it are ridiculous. If it were up to me I'd bring back a third European competition and put at least half the current Europa League in that competition. Makes it more interesting as you have a better chance of winning a cup rather than in the currently bloated Europa League format. The Champions League as alluded to previously should be guaranteed entry for champions only with perhaps the runners up from half the leagues playing off against one another to get entry. Giving a team that finished fourth in their league a spot in the Champions League is just rewarding failure. The Europa League should be for 3rd and 4th placed teams. 5th and 6th placed teams to get in a hypothetical third competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossy Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 In the old days, a European game had Goodison rocking...check out YouTube for some highlights from the 80's. Now, it's like a morgue. A European game comes after the League Cup in importance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khana Lagur Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 What's the reason Legia have no spectators at their game tonight? Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringo Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 There are just far too many teams involved in the Europa League for it to be of any interest. The numbers need to be cut down for it to be of any interest. The early qualifying rounds they have for it are ridiculous. If it were up to me I'd bring back a third European competition and put at least half the current Europa League in that competition. Makes it more interesting as you have a better chance of winning a cup rather than in the currently bloated Europa League format. The Champions League as alluded to previously should be guaranteed entry for champions only with perhaps the runners up from half the leagues playing off against one another to get entry. Giving a team that finished fourth in their league a spot in the Champions League is just rewarding failure. The Europa League should be for 3rd and 4th placed teams. 5th and 6th placed teams to get in a hypothetical third competition. Agree with 99% of that but I'm not sure how far down the league is justified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exglasgowasc Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Were they not fined and ordered to play behind closed doors after racist chanting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 (edited) Agree with 99% of that but I'm not sure how far down the league is justified. It's just my idea but I'd put it like this as far as the English premiership goes. Take last season's top six (Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Spurs) as an example: Manchester City automatically go into the Champions League. Liverpool have to play a qualifier against another second placed European team to get into the Champions League, if they fail they drop down to the Europa League. Chelsea go automatically into the Europa League. Arsenal must win a qualifying round to play in the Europa League, if they fail they go into the brand new *Europa Challenge Shield* competition. Everton go automatically into the European Challenge Shield and Spurs must win their qualifying round or go without European football at all. *Just a random name I made up. Admittedly it has flaws because you'd have to take in FA cup winners and such like. Not sure how I'd apply it to Scotland, I think UEFA are usually a bit generous with the amount of European places we get. Edited December 11, 2014 by ErsatzThistle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringo Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 It's just my idea but I'd put it like this as far as the English premiership goes. Take last season's top six (Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Spurs) as an example: Manchester City automatically go into the Champions League. Liverpool have to play a qualifier against another second placed European team to get into the Champions League, if they fail they drop down to the Europa League. Chelsea go automatically into the Europa League. Arsenal must win a qualifying round to play in the Europa League, if they fail they go into the brand new *Europa Challenge Shield* competition. Everton go automatically into the European Challenge Shield and Spurs must win their qualifying round or go without European football at all. *Just a random name I made up. Admittedly it has flaws because you'd have to take in FA cup winners and such like. Not sure how I'd apply it to Scotland, I think UEFA are usually a bit generous with the amount of European places we get. Certainly better than we've got. I'd still limit it to closer to the old format - either champions only (or maybe a 2nd in a play off from one of the big countries - but then again why should 2nd get in?), 1 FA cup winner and 2 best placed league teams (maybe 3 at a push). If I could only make one change for starters, it would be to bring back the Cup Winners Cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wembley67lisbon Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Bugger second placed teams getting in. I've thought about it before, allowing 2nd from Spain and england etc but why? 2nd and 3rd from the big leagues, and 2nd from the other leagues into the Uefa cup as such. That competition would then be equally as good, if not better with a lot of quality teams taking part. Less teams should be playing in Europe. 50 odd countries in Europe. I'd have the first few rounds seeded, to get it down to a last 16 and then it's a free for all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just watched 20 minutes of Everton -Krasnodar....soulless, atmosphere-less, turgid crap, with a reserve Everton side who are only vaguely interested. What the f*ck has European football become these days ? Over-emphasis on the Champions League with an attempt to compensate by diluting all excitement out of the other tournament. Back in the 80s you had 32 teams in the European Cup and CWC. 64 teams in the UEFA Cup. Win a couple of games and you had a chance of getting a sniff of a trophy. Now there are over 250 teams competing in just 2 tournaments. Last year Seville had to play 19 games to win the Europa League! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larky Masher Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Agree Rossy. Even with top price of 15 quid at goodison tonight when the game is as meaningless as it is then it's pointless. Champions league group stages have totally irrelevant games and dead rubbers. Revert to free for all draw home and away knockout. Oh and make champions league for champions. Wait a minute - it's all cash driven so never going to happen. Sums the situation perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleboyblue Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Last year Seville had to play 19 games to win the Europa League! Did you need the calculator to work that out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleboyblue Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 There is no going back to what things were like 20 or 30 years ago so might we be better with an acceleration towards the top European clubs and broadcasters satisfying their thirst for European competition via a European league? Maybe the top 20 clubs initially in two divisions of 10, playing home and away with promotion/relegation. That would be 18 games, which is not a lot more than some teams play in the Champions League anyway. Maybe even resurrect the European cup, solely for league winners of top 16 seeded nations and a second tier competition for other nations' champions and all other 2nd - 4th placed teams. Maybe call it the UEFA Cup? It might need some agreement from FAs to limit the number of games in their respective top flights but the direction travel is only one way and money talks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Did you need the calculator to work that out? I like your suggestions btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 There's too many games for a start. Clubs like Everton spend the league season trying to win a trophy and qualify for Europe, only to then not take the tournament as seriously as the league the following season. Even the chumps league is boring and has been for years. Personally only the great Barcelona team of 09 - 12 kept it mildly interesting as a neutral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wembley67lisbon Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 CL gets good at last 8 stage because it's knockout. Far more to play for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoltanBuchan Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Just watched 20 minutes of Everton -Krasnodar....soulless, atmosphere-less, turgid crap, with a reserve Everton side who are only vaguely interested. What the f*ck has European football become these days ?. Can be summed up in two words. - group stages. The next time some bright spark suggests a full-season European league, they should be made to watch that game ten times in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McVinceSCT Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Europa League is a joke. I m only 29 but i remember watching UEFA cup and even cup winner's cup, it was great! Europa League is s****! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddardStark Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 dont think I have watched a CL game or a Europa game in full for three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenAngus Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 dont think I have watched a CL game or a Europa game in full for three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 dont think I have watched a CL game or a Europa game in full for three years. I wouldn't worry Eddard, it's pretty much the same teams playing each other as it was in 2010/ 11. pish. 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.