Champions League bigger than the World Cup...

Rockee · 20-02-2008 06:25PM #1

I'm sure some of you guys caught Dunphys comment last night after the Liverpool match that the Champions League has now eclipsed the World Cup. Could he be right? Could the financial gain you receive playing for a club you only signed for 2 seasons ago who you helped to win the European Cup eclipse potentially lifting the World Cup for the country you were born and bred in?

chopperbyrne · 20-02-2008 06:28PM

No, not at all.

dubmick · 20-02-2008 06:28PM

Ferguson has been saying this for years.

pd101 · 20-02-2008 06:34PM

No. Its virtually the same teams every year in the CL, whereas in the World Cup even the "smaller" teams have a chance of doing well. You can buy success in the CL.

mike65 · 20-02-2008 06:37PM

I guess it depends what you want - the standard of football in the CL is higher than the WC thats for sure but far fewer intriguing games are likely to occure.

Mike.

Nalz · 20-02-2008 06:38PM

The CL is less predicable too

Galvasean · 20-02-2008 06:44PM

The CL will never eclipse the magic of the World Cup. The World Cup is a world wide event that attracts the attention of millions who don't usually follow football. The CL simply does not do this.

OPENROAD · 20-02-2008 08:05PM

From a supporting point of view, yes, actually for me the Community shield is more important to me than the World cup.

However taking my Arsenal cap off, the wc is still possibly bigger.

~Rebel~ · 20-02-2008 08:12PM

I love the champions league, but when the world cup comes around im the happiest man on earth and glued to the TV for pretty much every game. Just the fact that its 5 weeks of pure hardcore non stop football pips the champions league for me. Always end up with a few great nights out of it as well from going ot the pub for all a particular days games, watchin em all back to back and then, depending on the quality of football/results being on a high for a night of drunken giddyness.

I

the WC.

From the players POV, it depends on the player id say, as well as the country and club they play for. All in all id say world cup would be slightly ahead though still.

shane86 · 20-02-2008 08:12PM

It probably depends on the player. For S Gerrard Im sure lifting the cup for his native city and boyhood club would be equally important to lifting a title with England. Wheras Id expect any Irish player and fan to rate the national team before all else.

OpenRoad- :rolleyes: X infinity

tbh Id even rate the Euro championships above the CL. Everyone with an interest in football will follow every qualifier from San Marino to Germany. Compare it to the CL, a Man U mate of mine couldnt be arsed watching one of the group games (cant recall who) that they were almost certain to win.

Nunu · 20-02-2008 08:13PM

OPENROAD wrote: »

From a supporting point of view, yes, actually for me the Community shield is more important to me than the World cup.

However taking my Arsenal cap off, the wc is still possibly bigger.

that's the second time in as many days i've seen you say this. So we know you are an Arsenal nut...are you Irish?

OPENROAD · 20-02-2008 08:46PM

Nunu wrote: »

that's the second time in as many days i've seen you say this. So we know you are an Arsenal nut...are you Irish?

Thread overlaps, yes am Irish, but just for some reason can't get excited about International football, like to see how our (Arsenal) players are doing, and will always watch the world cup, but for me International football is getting less important for the players, or that is how it seems.

Bounty Hunter · 20-02-2008 08:53PM

The CL has better teams and players in it but the World cup is bigger and I would say winning the WC means a lot more to anyone than the CL does.

PHB · 20-02-2008 11:08PM

The CL has better teams, better matches, better eeverything.
What it doesn't have is that it's spread out over the year, not over a 4 week period. If the CL was at the end of every season, it'd be an amazing event.

herbieflowers · 20-02-2008 11:18PM

True but it can never have national pride!

PHB · 20-02-2008 11:22PM

Yeh, but national pride pales in comparison to the passion club fans feel for their clubs.
That said, national pride is bigger which is good too.

evad_lhorg · 20-02-2008 11:23PM

the world cup excites me more to be honest. I have this in head head all the time that I cant wait for chamions league to start every season but it can be quite boring and depressing watching your team play crap a lot of the time. world cup is just fun to watch I think. I watch any match during the world cup but I couldnt give a crap about Schalke and porto or sevilla and fenerbache yet Id watch Tunisia v Saudi arabia in the world cup no worries

Melion · 21-02-2008 12:29AM

Id much rather Liverpool win the champions league than Ireland win the WC

estebancambias · 21-02-2008 12:44AM

I could understand someone from Catalonia making a comment like that about Barcelona, but I see no logic seeing as your from Shannon.

World Cup has more magic, has more emotion, more meaning, more history.

The very fact its once every four years makes it more important.

I can accept some people not having an interest in International Football, although I don't agree but wanting a franchise, a business to win the world cup more than your country is bull****.

_blank_ · 21-02-2008 12:45AM

shane86 wrote: »

Id expect any Irish player and fan to rate the national team before all else.

Well, I, as an Irish football fan, certainly don't, tbh.

PHB wrote: »

Yeh, but national pride pales in comparison to the passion club fans feel for their clubs.

QFT.

Melion wrote: »

Id much rather Liverpool win the champions league than Ireland win the WC

I'd much rather Shels won their friendly against Pats on Friday than Ireland won the world cup.

By the way.

I love, LOVE, the Champions League. It is the absolute pinnacle of the sport I live and breathe.

shane86 · 21-02-2008 12:46AM

Melion wrote: »

Id much rather Liverpool win the champions league than Ireland win the WC

:rolleyes:

So you cried buckets in 2005 and nearly collapsed from the emotion?

Personally I cheered my throat out and my joy was mainly fuelled by knowing how upset Man U heads would be. re if Ireland won the Euros/WC I probably wouldnt stop drinking and celebrating for 3 weeks and wouldnt give a **** if I lost my job.

And yes, I would have cried buckets.

Unless you are from Liverpool, and a new FIFA rule meant all players must be from the city itself, I really cant get over this bull.

estebancambias · 21-02-2008 12:46AM

Des, don't you claim to be like a staunch Irish fan and go to every game?

cson · 21-02-2008 12:50AM

Some really fantastic players never get to play at the World Cup. George Best and Ryan Giggs are two off the top of my head. Thats where the Champions League is the great leveller; if you are good enough, you will get to play in it. Giggsy has a CL medal for example.

_blank_ · 21-02-2008 12:52AM

estebancambias wrote: »

Des, don't you claim to be like a staunch Irish fan and go to every game?

AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

:D:D:D:D

No.

estebancambias · 21-02-2008 12:58AM

Seriously? Damn.

In relation to your 'hahah' comment about the Shels friendly, putting that aside I can sort of understand your stance on supporting Shelbourne more than the National team. You pride yourself on being an individual, so obviously you will go out of your way to portray this facade, thus supporting an obsolete Irish team.

Xavi6 · 21-02-2008 12:58AM

The World Cup is clearly the pinnacle of football. It's the only pretty much the whole lot of us on this board would agree with each other. This extends to the barstoolers/armchairers as well. The whole country becomes united against every other country. How can it get better than that?

(And yes I'm prepared for the inevitable "You're team hasn't even been in the Champions League so how would you know?" comments)

cson · 21-02-2008 01:00AM

You get a better standard of team in the Champions League.

_blank_ · 21-02-2008 01:01AM

estebancambias wrote: »

Seriously? Damn.

Ya srsly.

estebancambias wrote: »

In relation to your 'hahah' comment about the Shels friendly, putting that aside I can sort of understand your stance on supporting Shelbourne more than the National team.

Do you?

I don't feel the Irish National Team represents me. Too many Clint-on mercenary types. I don't relate to them.

estebancambias wrote: »

You pride yourself on being an individual, so obviously you will go out of your way to portray this facade, thus supporting an obsolete Irish team.

Oooh, thanks for the free amateur psych report.

Nice one.

Facade? It's not a facade. Anyone who knows me will tell you that.

Xavi6 · 21-02-2008 01:05AM

Everyone knows Des only became a Shels fan during the glory days of 2006. He expected Shels to dominate Irish football for years to come in a Man Utd kind of way. He wanted to be one of the cool kids (God knows there's plenty running around Tolka). Unfortunately it's all gone tits up but as much as he would love to now jump on the Drogheda bandwagon, his reputation on this board has to be upheld.

estebancambias · 21-02-2008 01:06AM

My last line was a joke, but I do believe there is an element of truth to it, obvious though, right? As you said yourself, you don't feel the national team represents you, on the contrary Shelbourne do.

OPENROAD · 21-02-2008 01:12AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

The whole country becomes united against every other country. How can it get better than that?

(And yes I'm prepared for the inevitable "You're team hasn't even been in the Champions League so how would you know?" comments)

Personally CL or not, it makes no difference for me, what you describe with the country being united is how I feel about my club week in week out, which is why I'm a st holder. I'm very passionite about my club for a number of reasons,the players, the fans,the city.

Can't see why people are getting upset.

Champions League bigger than the World Cup...

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