Europa League - second rate competition

[TBM]

Spurs qualify in 5th place
Stoke qualify via FA Cup final runner up
(relegated)Birmingham qualified via Carling Cup win
(relegated)Blackpool qualify via fair play leauge

[AthleticoSpizz]

matter of opinion

the UEFA Cup as was is still an integral part of the football calender accross the continent.

I see that you ommited Liverpool from you list

[TBM]

I see that you ommited Liverpool from you list

thats cos they haven't qualified for it

[AthleticoSpizz]

EXACT bloody LEE!

[TBM]

Aaaaha i get ya

[papereyes]

It used to be quite a high profile thing.

I guess the expansion of the CL ate up some of the better teams that used to play in it and the expansion of Europe dropped in a bunch of less good teams.

And there's a fraction of the money in there, so that doesn't help.

[Svlad Cjelli]

And the increase in the number of games hasn't really seen a proportionate increase in TV income.

[papereyes]

but that's a direct result of the teams that are now in it, surely?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Partly yes - but I think someone at UEFA made the assumption that increasing matches would increase TV income proportiontately, but it's not been like that at all.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Said it before and I'll say it again the CL is overloaded with a load of crap also rans while missing the champions of various other countries, while the UEFA CUP is full of even more non entities and under achievers.

The CL should be revamped so that the also rans (i.e. teams finishing 3rd and 4th) play in the UEFA Cup and the clubs finishing 5/6/7 in leagues, or that win obscure competitions miss out on Europe altogether.

The big mistake was dropping the Cup Winners Cup, it would have made more sense for that to have remained and the meaningless UEFA Cup/Europa League to be dumped

[papereyes]

I think you can't get over the fact that in 1992, when the CL started, UEFA had 39 countries in it (from number of countries in WC qualification starting that year) and now it has 53. That's an extra third again.

UEFA cup wasn't meaningless at the time the Cup Winners Cup got dumped, iirc.

[Jackson Corner]

It should go back to the sraight home and away knock out format. Less games more exciting. With brum and Blackpool in it that will mean Chamionship games on a Sunday?

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Looks like a quite season for Brum then.

46 League games
8+ Europa League if they make the groups.
League Cup
FA Cup
and may be play offs.

60-70 game season maybe?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Looks like a quite season for Brum then.

46 League games
8+ Europa League if they make the groups.
League Cup
FA Cup
and may be play offs.

60-70 game season maybe?

I'm sure Kevin Phillips is up to it.

[Toon Toon Blue army]

Should just be a straight knock out competition. It really has lost its credability in the last 5 years

[Wax Jacket]

true although some decent teams have won it - Sevilla, Zenit, Porto

[Terminal Boardom]

UEFA should award the winners with a CL spot. And it was the clubs who wanted more fixtures

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

The big mistake was dropping the Cup Winners Cup, it would have made more sense for that to have remained and the meaningless UEFA Cup/Europa League to be dumped

They could have kept them both, but dropped the numbers in the UEFA Cup. There's no reason at all to add the CL losers.

Two knockout cups with just 32 teams in each (after some qualifying rounds) would be much better.

[Super_horns]

UEFA should award the winners with a CL spot. And it was the clubs who wanted more fixtures

Porto have though for example

I did think they were dropping letting those Champions league 3rd placed sides going into the Europa league.

Agreed there are too many games..

The knockout stages actually saw lots of goals and decent football.

[1871 Royal]

The knockout stages involving Liverpool actually saw no goals and horrifically boring football.

Corrected for you