Quote Originally Posted by TheHeathens View Post
Let's have a look at the mighty European Champions that you beat on your run to the cup:

Valur (who?)
Dynamo Berlin (on away goals)
Dynamo Kiev
Anderlecht
Bayern Munich

IMO, the current format is harder to win. Look at the knockout stages from when Liverpool won it in 2005:

Bayer Leverkusen
Juventus
Chelsea
Milan

Only one less knockout round as well. Don't get me wrong; what you and Forest did was a great achievement but let's not pretend it was harder to win then just because you had to win your domestic league to be in it.
do you hoestly think you have made a point here. firstly villa won a league which had the winners of the previous four years european champions in it and then they beat bayern munich in the final who prior to the four previous years of domination of the english clubs had won the cup three years on the trot. under the same conditions liverpool would not even have been in the competition because they could not win their own league. plus liverpool were also in the cup the year villa won as defending champions.just because you have to play a few lesser teams in a mini league prior to the knock out stages doesn't make the trophy harder to win than having to win a season long division prior to the knock out stages of the cup