Liverpool through if half time score stands.
Liverpool through if half time score stands.
Good stuff.
4 English clubs in the last 8 of European cup
How many English players? How many English managers?
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Could probably count them on yer fingers. Might have between 5 & 10.
Out of 4 full teams,
A quick scan through the lineups of each team's previous match, i make it about 13 (would probably be less if Manchester United were able to field a stronger team, and if Manchester City had felt the need to field a full strength team).
The whole competition is a joke really. Despite the efforts of UEFA and the tv companies to make it into effectively a super-league, it's still a cup competition, and should be regarded as such... were Liverpool the best team in Europe in 2005? What about Porto in the early 2000's...? I highly doubt it.
The view that the quarter-final lineup makes England the 'best league' is ridiculous... the Champions League is skewed so that English, Spanish, German clubs dominate, and with yearly fluctuations (appears to be our turn this year) this is what happens.
We (as a footballing country) are so ignorant of this fact... the attitude of "we're alright Jack..." seems to prevail. We regard the French league as a joke league, which is effectively because UEFA don't think there's enough money to be made from giving them more champions league places, which in turn restricts the amount of money in their league, and the amount of top players who will go there. Why do great footballing nations like the Yugoslavian nations, Sweden, Russia, Turkey, etc, get such a raw deal.
We're ok though, because we get the thick slice of the pie.
The Champions League (a laughable title really) is basically a vehicle for UEFA and the TV companies to maximise revenue. The football is an inconvenience really... i have no doubt that is they could get away with showing 90minutes of advertising, that's exactly what they'd do... the football is just the vehicle to get large amounts of viewers (and hence the advertisers) on board... anyone who thinks differently i would suggest is being rather naïve.
Totally agree Travs. It has not really interested me since it stopped being The European Cup when only the top team from each country could enter. The current position where some countries have 4 entries and others have one is a complete farce. Apart from hoping Liverpool don't win it I couldn't give a shit.
As pointed out by Wheeze in another thread The Six Nations is poised to sell its soul and will similarly end up being an advert fest.
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Yes i intended to mention that rugby (both domestically and internationally) looks like it will eventually head in the same direction. Whilst i am not necessarily a big fan of rugby, i am following developments with interest, as it closely relates to the situation in Coventry, with Wasps (imposters), CCFC and CRFC.
Also wholeheartedly agree with Liverpool, hopefully they get rogered senseless in the next round, not to mention cocking it up in the premier league.
Yes, it has ultimately wrecked the European competition system... the European Cup was the premier competition, but the original UEFA Cup was an extremely strong competition and arguably as difficult as the European Cup. The cup-winners-cup was exciting due to the variety of teams which could pop up. I am fairly convinced that we would have had a great shout at winning the ECWC the year after we won the FA Cup in 1987, if we hadn't been banned from Europe due to everyone's favourites Liverpool...
The Champions LEague/Europeam Cup should quite obviously be the league winners from each nation, the winners from the previous year, and could argue a case for the winners of the UEFA cup to get in as well.
I think the number of teams per country is based on that country's coefficient. This is calculated on how those teams have done in recent years. France is currently awarded three teams. I do recall England only getting three teams, which at the time was a shame for my team Leeds who finished fourth, third and then fourth again between 1999 and 2001. They only qualified for the Champions League in 2000 (and went on the reach the semi-final). I think it was fairly soon after that England was given four teams but by then we had begun our spectacular free fall.Originally Posted by Travs
Very true. The UEFA cup's successor competition, The Europa League is devalued completely as a result and I have to admit I never watch it.
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