Europa League opportunity or curse?

mike65

As things stand Spurs or Liverpool are the teams most likely to finish 5th and so secure a spot in the Europa League. Harry Redknapp has made it pretty clear he'd sooner have nothing to do with the competition and indeed enginered an early exit in the 2008/09 season playing a very second string in both legs against Shakhtar Donetsk. So far the attitude of Kenny Dalglish isn't known if only because he doesn't yet know if he'll have any competitions to worry about. The chit chat on the megathread here and elsewhere is that LFC should use the game time to develope the crop of young players just starting to break through with a sprinkling of more seasoned first team players. Spurs could do likewise (dunno what their youth propects are like)

So should either club or indeed any club throw a game to avoid qualification or should every competition be embraced (if not fully?).

dreamers75

Kind of embarrassing play all season to get into Europe then not play in it.

Throw a game? :eek:

No.

Europa cup means cash for the club. No brainer.

daithijjj

It used to be a great comp. Anyone who watched this comp before xmas would have seen some of the most dire displays of football known to man. Up to 21 extra games, why are cl rejects thrown in?, it needs serious reorganisation before its even worth the bother. In a nutshell, reduce the games and give a cl place to the winner. Otherwise is should go the way of the dodo and the intertoto imho.

ShamoBuc

You try to finish as high as you can in the lge - something like a million in prize money per place. If pool get a european place having gone near the relegation zone at one stage, suffice is to say - delighted with the turn around.
As to playing in the Europa - it will give the squad players aswell as some of the up and coming players valuable european experience. From travelling to european matches, atmospheres, playing time, tactics, experience etc, all this will surely help for when we are in the CL the following year!

dreamers75

ShamoBuc wrote: »

. From travelling to european matches, atmospheres, playing time, tactics, experience etc, all this will surely help for when we are in the CL the following year!

This:


What if your not? Not much chance of you taking one of the top four spots anytime soon.

ShamoBuc

dreamers75 wrote: »

This:


What if your not? Not much chance of you taking one of the top four spots anytime soon.

Our first team have a fair bit of european experience it is fair to say!

If we do not get europa, then it means less opportunuties for some players to make an impression and gain some european experience. The lge will of course be priority number one next year.

You think we don't have much chance of a top 4 finish any time soon...... suppose you thought the same of the pool getting a european spot this year a few short months ago:rolleyes:

dreamers75

ShamoBuc wrote: »

You think we don't have much chance of a top 4 finish any time soon...... suppose you thought the same of the pool getting a european spot this year a few short months ago:rolleyes:

Not really everyone else is ****, but the top four have money and will better their squads.

Suppose it comes down to pools spending during the summer.

d22ontour

Maybe if the 'UEFA Family' proportioned a decent prize fund into it then it would be a lucrative prize for entrants.As it stands it is nothing more than a league cup with kids played till the semis if you happen to be faced with a decent team.Only problem with my analogy is that most teams need money from it to survive and as my initial point, should have a bigger prize fund.

flas

mike65 wrote: »

As things stand Spurs or Liverpool are the teams most likely to finish 5th and so secure a spot in the Europa League. Harry Redknapp has made it pretty clear he'd sooner have nothing to do with the competition and indeed enginered an early exit in the 2008/09 season playing a very second string in both legs against Shakhtar Donetsk. So far the attitude of Kenny Dalglish isn't known if only because he doesn't yet know if he'll have any competitions to worry about. The chit chat on the megathread here and elsewhere is that LFC should use the game time to develope the crop of young players just starting to break through with a sprinkling of more seasoned first team players. Spurs could do likewise (dunno what their youth propects are like)

So should either club or indeed any club throw a game to avoid qualification or should every competition be embraced (if not fully?).

thats because harry redknapp knows diddly squat about developing players, which this competition would be great for doing!

bUILDERtHEbOB

It's a trophy, it's Europe, Liverpool haven't won anything since 2006 and anyway, clubs in other leagues/positions would kill for any kind of European football and what, Liverpool are too big for it? Bollocks to that. Anyway, mid week is boring without watching Liverpool play, even if it is a depressing dull death of a 0-0 against some random Eastern European team.

d22ontour

bUILDERtHEbOB wrote: »

Anyway, mid week is boring without watching Liverpool play, even if it is a depressing dull death of a 0-0 against some random Eastern European team.

Yeah but what about the away leg? :pac:

Paully D

This is what bugs me.

You'd have clubs willing to give anything to have a shot at the Europa League, who'd field their best 11 and try their very best when representing their club (and to an extent, country) on the European stage, but the clubs that usually qualify for it don't want to know. They decide that it isn't worth the hassle, field their kids and normally get knocked out before the business end of the competition before claiming ''it's a mickey mouse competition'' and the like.

I wish the managers who complain that it's not worth the hassle of the extra games would offer The FA a withdrawal for their club from the competition so that the next best placed club who actually want to take part in the competition would have the opportunity to do so.

markesmith

daithijjj wrote: »

...give a cl place to the winner...

This would have a huge impact on the tournament, especially from teams like Spurs/Villa/Pool/Newcastle/Sunderland, Villareal, Lazio, FC Twente, even teams like Hearts and Hibs.

Would also bring in more money, as the latter stages would become much more interesting. Participation in the CL is the ultimate place for top footballers.

Headshot

daithijjj wrote: »

It used to be a great comp. Anyone who watched this comp before xmas would have seen some of the most dire displays of football known to man. Up to 21 extra games, why are cl rejects thrown in?, it needs serious reorganisation before its even worth the bother. In a nutshell, reduce the games and give a cl place to the winner. Otherwise is should go the way of the dodo and the intertoto imho.

I like that idea but how would that work, one league will have to lose a place which is a bit unfair

daithijjj

Headshot wrote: »

I like that idea but how would that work, one league will have to lose a place which is a bit unfair

I think its the only way to revitalise the competition. Im sure something could be worked out. If sacrificing one team well down in one particular league can in turn revolutionise the entire europa league for 50 odd other teams i think its a no brainer really.

Edit. An i would even decline the winning team of the europa a prize pool from that, the cl place and money from that would go to them and in turn increase the prize pool for teams in the europa. I know it wouldnt be a big difference when its divided up but that is another inherent problem witht he europa league.

K-9

Paully D wrote: »

This is what bugs me.

You'd have clubs willing to give anything to have a shot at the Europa League, who'd field their best 11 and try their very best when representing their club (and to an extent, country) on the European stage, but the clubs that usually qualify for it don't want to know. They decide that it isn't worth the hassle, field their kids and normally get knocked out before the business end of the competition before claiming ''it's a mickey mouse competition'' and the like.

I wish the managers who complain that it's not worth the hassle of the extra games would offer The FA a withdrawal for their club from the competition so that the next best placed club who actually want to take part in the competition would have the opportunity to do so.

Liverpool have took it seriously enough over the last 2 seasons though obviously it means far more to clubs like Fulham.

I still value European football and drab 0-0 Away draws aren't just the preserve of the Europa Cup, plenty of them in the CL too and not that attractive opposition either.

With a few more signings and development of the young lads coming up, the likes of Suarez, Carroll, Robinson, Flanagan and Shelvey would thrive in it.

Headshot

daithijjj wrote: »

I think its the only way to revitalise the competition. Im sure something could be worked out. If sacrificing one team well down in one particular league can in turn revolutionise the entire europa league for 50 odd other teams i think its a no brainer really.

Its very hard to see what could be done, unless you take a spot away from one of the big leagues it will be very hard to implement

Maybe reduce the French league to 2 ?

daithijjj

Headshot wrote: »

Its very hard to see what could be done, unless you take a spot away from one of the big leagues it will be very hard to implement

Maybe reduce the French league to 2 ?

Im uncertain how workable it is but i think uefa should definitely be looking at something like that.

Perhaps a one off game like a super cup or charity shield type event. The winner of the europa v the team with the lowest coefficient to qualify through their domestic league across europe. The winner goes to cl and the loser pockets all money from that game, obviously im clutching at straws there but you get the jist. The important thing really is having a prize worthy enough where it couldnt be scoffed at. At the moment, the winner of the europa league pockets 25% roughly of what the team who finishes 4th in the english league, doesnt seem right to me.

bamboozling

I think for the likes of Liverpool the Europa league doesn't mean much but for small clubs like Fulham it would mean quite a bit.

I was surprised that Manchester City didn't try harder this year considering they haven't won a trophy in nearly 35 years.

ArmaniJeanss

Headshot wrote: »

Its very hard to see what could be done, unless you take a spot away from one of the big leagues it will be very hard to implement

Maybe reduce the French league to 2 ?

Why should the French league suffer because English teams don't take the Europa League seriously enough?

eagle eye

Always loved the Cup Winner's Cup, not so much the Uefa Cup but it was good as well.

This new format basically comes across as the Europa 'competition for teams not good enough for the Champion's League' Cup and it will never get any real respect. Big clubs and their fans are not really interested in playing in it.

Imo they should bring back the old Uefa Cup and the Cup Winner's Cup. Make them knockout competitions just like the old days and also because it makes them different to the Champion's League.

Woody_FX

Opportunity definitely. I can only understand a team wanting out of it if they are genuinely in with a good shot of Champions League qualification.

Diabhal Beag

Its worthless without offering a Champions League spot to the winner. Seeing teams like Unirea Urziceni in there while better teams like Liverpool are in Europa League weakens both competitions.

rossie1977

should go back to a straight knock out competition

like this year liverpool had to play a qualifying round and a playoff round BEFORE getting to the group stages, it would have required them to play 19 matches to win the competition, thats insane, they won the competition in 2001 playing 13 games

Sappy404

How about the winners of the EL get a place in the CL qualification stages for the following season at the expense of the lowest-finishing team from the winner's league?

EG if the Premier League Finished

Utd
Chelsea
Arsenal
Man City
Liverpool

... then Man City would have to qualify. But if Liverpool won the EL, then they'd get Man City's place in the qualifying round.

UpTheSlashers

Thats grand for England, but a bit unfair in leagues where there is only 1 CL place.

population

Woody_FX wrote: »

Opportunity definitely. I can only understand a team wanting out of it if they are genuinely in with a good shot of Champions League qualification.

Napoli had an entertaining and often thrilling run in the Europa League this year, but when it looked like there was a risk of burnout to the thin group of truly top class players in the squad, the general consensus was to not get too upset if we went out of the competition as securing Champions League was the real aim for this season. We lost to Villareal but imho didnt really turn up to the 2 legs as at that point there was a collection of 3 or 4 clubs gathering around waiting to nick the Champions league spot. I am not suggesting the games were thrown but I certainly felt there were no tears shed when they were knocked out.

Sappy404

UpTheSlashers wrote: »

Thats grand for England, but a bit unfair in leagues where there is only 1 CL place.

It's basically the rule they have in place at the moment for winners of the CL. If the CL winners don't finish in the CL places in their domestic league, they qualify in place of whatever team finished in the last qualification position.

It would certainly be a big step by UEFA to apply the same rule to the EL, but a big step is what's needed IMO.

flahavaj

eagle eye wrote: »

Always loved the Cup Winner's Cup, not so much the Uefa Cup but it was good as well.

This new format basically comes across as the Europa 'competition for teams not good enough for the Champion's League' Cup and it will never get any real respect. Big clubs and their fans are not really interested in playing in it.

Imo they should bring back the old Uefa Cup and the Cup Winner's Cup. Make them knockout competitions just like the old days and also because it makes them different to the Champion's League.

Why the Cup Winners Cup? It was always the weakest by far of the old 3 competitions, especially when you consider the dimished status that the domestic cup competitions have/had in many countries across Europe?