English Teams Fielding Weakened Teams in Europe

[Mendoza]

What is with our teams doing it?

We had the big "four" doing it in the group stages, and now Villa and Spurs doing it?

Teams that get into the Championship dream of one day getting in the Premiership, then spend a season surviving, then push for Europe. Teams outside the top 4, push for those much sort after European spots.

Then at the end of the season, when said teams have qualified for Europe, they then go on about how proud they are to have qualified, what a great achievement it was, how it will lift the city they are based in and bring the community together, then when they do get there, they insult the competition by fielding under stregth teams.

Even BOLTON did this. I think it is kind of insulting to some teams that try so hard just to get there, that we enter teams that arent even bothered.

We even get teams that finish 7th placed in the fair play awards getting in, we have teams supposed to be showing we are the best league in the world, yet they put out a bunch of teenagers knowing that win or lose they pocket a huge wad of cash.

I thought Europe was supposed to be the pinnacle of a players club career?

If we ever got to Europe, I hope we did the hounarble thing and fielded our strongest line up

 

[Brighton Breezy]

I remember United doing the same away to Barca and getting turned over.

And then a few seasons later half of that team winning the Champions League...

Not always a bad idea.

 

[CHAPPERS]

I can see why O'Neill is doing it. The UEFA Cup is a load of bollocks and they probably wouldn't win it anyway. Finishing 4th for them this season is massively important and easily takes precedance over the UEFA. Likewise with Bolton and staying up last year.

 

[sten_super]

I thought when Man Utd did it (with the class of '98, or whatever they were called) that was due to restrictions on the number of 'foreigners' (including Irwin and Giggs) that you were allowed to field in the competiton?

The answer to the OP is money. There is far more money in finishing higher up in the Premiership than there is in reaching the latter stages of Europe (unless you are going to win the thing, I'd imagine).

 

[Paxton Dazo]

I can totally see why we're doing it. It's not's just because we're in a relegation battle, but we have a Carling Cup final Sunday! Which is are only route into Europe for next year. Look at our team in the earlier rounds, I'm pretty sure we've fielded a full strength team in every round. We took a few youngsters to Nijmegen, but, why not? They came on for the last 10 minutes and had a good run out and gained some expirience.

I agree with you though, I never understood why Bolton did it. They had a good chance of qualifying and making the latter stages, but fielded a shite team - that still did will!

Also, looking at our squad for tonights game, it's not as bad as the papers have been saying..Palacios, Bale, Dos Santos, Gunter, Huddlestone etc, we will win 3-0

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

I think its rubbish !! the idea is that you try & win every competition you are in otherwise there is no point being in it !!!

 

[Knotty]

What is with our teams doing it?

We had the big "four" doing it in the group stages, and now Villa and Spurs doing it?

Teams that get into the Championship dream of one day getting in the Premiership, then spend a season surviving, then push for Europe. Teams outside the top 4, push for those much sort after European spots.

Then at the end of the season, when said teams have qualified for Europe, they then go on about how proud they are to have qualified, what a great achievement it was, how it will lift the city they are based in and bring the community together, then when they do get there, they insult the competition by fielding under stregth teams.

Even BOLTON did this. I think it is kind of insulting to some teams that try so hard just to get there, that we enter teams that arent even bothered.

We even get teams that finish 7th placed in the fair play awards getting in, we have teams supposed to be showing we are the best league in the world, yet they put out a bunch of teenagers knowing that win or lose they pocket a huge wad of cash.

I thought Europe was supposed to be the pinnacle of a players club career?

If we ever got to Europe, I hope we did the hounarble thing and fielded our strongest line up

If you were a manager of a team in Europe, you would do the same. You'd have no choice, or the choice would be made for you by injuries.

Why do you think they do it? Just for fun to annoy the fans?

Make no mistake, if the Albion were ever in that position, they'd do exactly the same.

 

[Napper]

its all shit , teams will drop players for carling and fa cup in favour of concentrating on premier league to get into europe. Then when in europe they drop players for the league.......makes no sense.

Cynics amongst us would say its done for the money of a higher placed league finish

 

[Percy Flage]

If you were a manager of a team in Europe, you would do the same. You'd have no choice, or the choice would be made for you by injuries.

Why do you think they do it? Just for fun to annoy the fans?

Make no mistake, if the Albion were ever in that position, they'd do exactly the same.

And it would be a good chance to give Kerry Mayo and Jonny Dixon a run out in the 1st team

 

[Marc]

I can see why O'Neill is doing it. The UEFA Cup is a load of bollocks and they probably wouldn't win it anyway. Finishing 4th for them this season is massively important and easily takes precedance over the UEFA. Likewise with Bolton and staying up last year.

Plus the Chairman probably gave Martin a little nudge and stated that the CL rakes in shit loads more cash so 4th is Priority over the JPT UEFA equivalent!

 

[Djmiles]

I find it funny how teams put so much emphasis on getting in to Europe, but when they DO actually reach UEFA & Champions League, they aren't prepared to field a full strength team because they want to focus on domestic competitions. And why? So they can get in to Europe

etc etc

 

[Mendoza]

I can totally see why we're doing it. It's not's just because we're in a relegation battle, but we have a Carling Cup final Sunday! Which is are only route into Europe for next year. Look at our team in the earlier rounds, I'm pretty sure we've fielded a full strength team in every round. We took a few youngsters to Nijmegen, but, why not? They came on for the last 10 minutes and had a good run out and gained some expirience.

I agree with you though, I never understood why Bolton did it. They had a good chance of qualifying and making the latter stages, but fielded a shite team - that still did will!

Also, looking at our squad for tonights game, it's not as bad as the papers have been saying..Palacios, Bale, Dos Santos, Gunter, Huddlestone etc, we will win 3-0

Since when has the Carling Cup become a massive comeptition for a Premier League club that competes for European places? Have Spurs fielded a weak team in the early rounds of the Carling Cup, and once theyve got to the Semi's thought about taking it seriously?

2 games in 4 days is hardly taxing on the body of a professional athlete being paid tens of thousands of pouns a week. Brighton have been playing Saturday and Tuesdays for ages now, and will continue to do so for the next 2/3 weeks.

Bringing on youngsters for 10mins experience is fine, but to start with them all because you have an appearace in a cup which top flight teams see as a joke is a bit stupid.

 

[Marc]

I find it funny how teams put so much emphasis on getting in to Europe, but when they DO actually reach UEFA & Champions League, they aren't prepared to field a full strength team because they want to focus on domestic competitions. And why? So they can get in to Europe

etc etc

again its money orientated though, if Villa were in 16th spot safe from relegation but no hope of a UEFA spot then you'd bet their best XI would be playing so they have a chance of winning the comp and remaining in a Euro Comp for next season. Likewise now as I said above they want CL next season as it brings in shit loads more cash!

 

[Djmiles]

again its money orientated though, if Villa were in 16th spot safe from relegation but no hope of a UEFA spot then you'd bet their best XI would be playing so they have a chance of winning the comp and remaining in a Euro Comp for next season. Likewise now as I said above they want CL next season as it brings in shit loads more cash!

And winning a European compeition doesn't bring in shit loads of cash?

 

[Marc]

And winning a European compeition doesn't bring in shit loads of cash?

well yeah but over a prolonged periods the CL would bring in shit loads more than winning the UEFA Cup!

 

[Hotchilidog]

I agree it's mystifying why bother trying to get into Europe if you do not take it seriously. I totally agree that the UEFA Cup is an overbloated competition, maybe the clubs should get together and try and get uefa to rationalise the competition into something more sensible, or even decline to enter altogether. Villa fans have paid out over a grand to head off to moscow this week and will end up watching the reserves.

 

[Knotty]

Villa fans have paid out over a grand to head off to moscow this week and will end up watching the reserves.

But they knew that would happen, anyway.

 

[Mendoza]

But they knew that would happen, anyway.

Its 1-1 in the first leg, they can get to the LAST 16 of a European Cup.
They are saying finishing 4th is their priority, and yet if they do finish in 4th they may not make it into the Champions League proper anyway. They still have numerous qualifying rounds to get through and may end up losing out to the 3rd best team in Moldova or some equally uninspiring team for the outer reaches of Europe, after being relieved that they werent paired against fenerbache

 

[Knotty]

Its 1-1 in the first leg, they can get to the LAST 16 of a European Cup.
They are saying finishing 4th is their priority, and yet if they do finish in 4th they may not make it into the Champions League proper anyway. They still have numerous qualifying rounds to get through and may end up losing out to the 3rd best team in Moldova or some equally uninspiring team for the outer reaches of Europe, after being relieved that they werent paired against fenerbache

They still knew that finishing 4th in the Premier League would be the absolute priority.

 

[Paxton Dazo]

Since when has the Carling Cup become a massive comeptition for a Premier League club that competes for European places? Have Spurs fielded a weak team in the early rounds of the Carling Cup, and once theyve got to the Semi's thought about taking it seriously?

2 games in 4 days is hardly taxing on the body of a professional athlete being paid tens of thousands of pouns a week. Brighton have been playing Saturday and Tuesdays for ages now, and will continue to do so for the next 2/3 weeks.

Bringing on youngsters for 10mins experience is fine, but to start with them all because you have an appearace in a cup which top flight teams see as a joke is a bit stupid.

Your talking on behalf of a top 4 club when they say that the Carling Cup means nothing. To us it's massive, as I said it's are only route to Europe and a chance to win only our 4th trophy since 1990. How anyone can say that isn't massive is a joke.

I agree that playing 2 games in 4 days is easy, and that players on 100k+ a week should easily play that many times, in the 20s/30s they used to play 3 games in 4 days! As I said take a brief look at our starting 11 tonight and your'll be suprised at how strong the team actually is, a team that is well capable of beat Shaktar 2-0.