This is what makes the Champs League SHITE

[Easy 10]

EIGHT fixtures tonight:

Celtic v Villarreal
Dynamo Kiev v Fenerbahce
FC Porto v Arsenal
Juventus v BATE Borisov
Lyon v Bayern Munich
Man Utd v AaB
Real Madrid v Zenit St Petersburg
Steaua Bucuresti v Fiorentina

Each and every one of them is completely POINTLESS. Dead rubber. Meaningless friendly. Nothing riding on them whatsoever. ALL the big boys are through already. I ache, I ACHE for the old format of the European Cup, just Champions vs Champions all the way through, where everything is on a KNIFE edge in every single fixture.

Has there ever been a more meaningless night of European football than tonight ?

 

[Paxton Dazo]

. Nothing riding on them whatsoever. QUOTE]


They are playing to win their groups.

But , i agree Champs League is SHIT, UEFA Cup FTW.

 

[Djmiles]

But if you did a format where you had the Champions of each league only, BIG clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool would have to resort to playing in the UEFA cup, and we can't have that happening now, can we?

 

[Easy 10]

Winning the group doesn't make a jot of difference either though.
Real madrid, Porto and Bayern munich are lurking in 2nd place in their groups. You could just as easily win your group and still get a stinker of a draw in the knockouts. There's no incentive/advantage to coming top.

 

[Easy 10]

But if you did a format where you had the Champions of each league only, BIG clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool would have to resort to playing in the UEFA cup, and we can't have that happening now, can we?

Of course not.
That would almost make the UEFA Cup dangerously watchable again.

 

[Smythe]

for me the champions league has been shit this year, no particularly good games...it just drags on and on in bloody group stages. Hopefuly knock out games will improve.
It needs to go back to champions of each country only......like the good old days!!! and then as Easy says the uefa cup will become beter too.

 

[Marc]

thats whats BETTING is for Easy, makes the whole night more interesting

got an accumulator on, £1 = £330...NEVER gonna happen but FUN all the same!

 

[Easy 10]

for me the champions league has been shit this year, no particularly good games...it just drags on and on in bloody group stages. Hopefuly knock out games will improve.
It needs to go back to champions of each country only......like the good old days!!! and then as Easy says the uefa cup will become beter too.

AND it would be more prestigeous and meaningful to win it. When you get joke clubs like Rangers and Celtic making the UEFA Final, you know there is something seriously, seriously wrong somewhere.

 

[Easy 10]

thats whats BETTING is for Easy, makes the whole night more interesting

got an accumulator on, £1 = £330...NEVER gonna happen but FUN all the same!

It makes it pissing impossible though. I had Reading, Wolves, Roma and Barca last night...as soon as I saw the Barca yoof team lining up, I knew I'd f***ed up. I thought they'd rest a few players what with the madrid game this weekend, but the WHOLE XI ?!

Arse. Its all ARSE.

 

[Bluejuice]

Easy, once again you speak the TRUTH and I salute you for it. Tell it like it is big guy, tell it like it is

 

[Horsham Gull]

and none of it on terrestrial tv so half the people cant watch it

 

[clapham_gull]

Utter drivel that I very very rarely watch.

If it was straight knock out from the start, I'd might take an interest.

It really can all really be summed out by a response I had at my old place of work when I suggested a change to the qualification.

I'd to see the last European Cup places decided by a playoff in the premiership. Give a place to top two, but the rest have to struggle it out in a mini end to the season.

Works in every other league and would greatly enhance the end of the season.

The response ? "Well, you'll end up with shit teams in the Champions League..."

The premiership / champions league arrangements had led to boring perpetual success. That's a lovely phrase that I can't claim to have invented but in two words it beautifully sums up the state of the game at the top.

I'll say it again: perpetual success

The teams that qualify earn enough money to increase their squads, buy the best players and round and round it goes again. Players are attracted to clubs because of the "likelihood" of playing in Europe.

It ceases to be valid sport when success in the last season, almost guarentees success in the next. It becomes pure business and nothing else.

For those who think a change to the system penalises success, well try and think of it applied to something like Athletics where the winner of the 100m in one Olympics in given a 10 metre start in the next. That's exactly how the Premiership operates.

I laugh when I hear that clubs need X billions to "break into the top four", bollocks - just change the system, it works for everyone else.

 

[Smythe]

AND it would be more prestigeous and meaningful to win it. When you get joke clubs like Rangers and Celtic making the UEFA Final, you know there is something seriously, seriously wrong somewhere.

There is something wrong if they get to the knock out stages of the 'top 4 clubs in each country' league as well!!! No english club will ever be able to match Liverpools recored unless it goes back to straight knock out and laegue champions only.
A uefa cup win is pretty meaningless now as opposed to 20 years ago when it was up there with the european cup!!

 

[Smythe]

Utter drivel that I very very rarely watch.

If it was straight knock out from the start, I'd might take an interest.

It really can all really be summed out by a response I had at my old place of work when I suggested a change to the qualification.

I'd to see the last European Cup places decided by a playoff in the premiership. Give a place to top two, but the rest have to struggle it out in a mini end to the season.

Works in every other league and would greatly enhance the end of the season.

The response ? "Well, you'll end up with shit teams in the Champions League

The premiership / champions league arrangements had led to boring perpetual success. That's a lovely phrase that I can't claim to have invented but in two words it beautifully sums up the state of the game at the top.

I'll say it again: perpetual success

The teams that qualify earn enough money to increase their squads, buy the best players and round and round it goes again. Players are attracted to clubs because of the "likelihood" of playing in Europe.

It ceases to be valid sport when success in the last season, almost guarentees success in the next. It becomes pure business and nothing else.

For those who think a change to the system penalises success, well try and think of it applied to something like Athletics where the winner of the 100m in one Olympics in given a 10 metre start in the next. That's exactly how the Premiership operates.

I laugh when I hear that clubs need X billions to "break into the top four", bollocks - just change the system, it works for everyone else.

excellant post....sums it up really

 

[Easy 10]

Utter drivel that I very very rarely watch.

If it was straight knock out from the start, I'd might take an interest.

It really can all really be summed out by a response I had at my old place of work when I suggested a change to the qualification.

I'd to see the last European Cup places decided by a playoff in the premiership. Give a place to top two, but the rest have to struggle it out in a mini end to the season.

Works in every other league and would greatly enhance the end of the season.

The response ? "Well, you'll end up with shit teams in the Champions League..."

The premiership / champions league arrangements had led to boring perpetual success. That's a lovely phrase that I can't claim to have invented but in two words it beautifully sums up the state of the game at the top.

I'll say it again: perpetual success

The teams that qualify earn enough money to increase their squads, buy the best players and round and round it goes again.

It ceases to be valid sport when success in the last season, almost guarentees success in the next.

For those who think a change to the system penalises success, well try and think of it applied to something like Athletics where the winner of the 100m in one Olympics in given a 10 metre start in the next.

Spot on CG.
Lyon have won the French league 7 times in a row now (and are leading again). Olympiakos have won 10 out of the last last 11 titles in Greece. Our own top 4 has become practically impregnable. The vast sums sloshing around for qualifying for the CL has completely warped and stagnated many domestic leagues across Europe. Once you're in, you're in, everyone else can swivel.

 

[Walkers Cajun Squirrel]

Winning the group doesn't make a jot of difference either though.
Real madrid, Porto and Bayern munich are lurking in 2nd place in their groups. You could just as easily win your group and still get a stinker of a draw in the knockouts. There's no incentive/advantage to coming top.

Something about home advantage in the next round.

 

[vegster]

I remember those "European " nights in the 70's when Liverpool were so good. There was no draw advantage right from round one and you could draw anyone from Real Madrid to some obscure club from Cyprus. two legs, home and away, winner progresses. Thats the real way to win a European cup... oh and only genuine "Champions" of each country's domestic league allowed to enter......

 

[Bozza]

EIGHT fixtures tonight:

Celtic v Villarreal
Dynamo Kiev v Fenerbahce
FC Porto v Arsenal
Juventus v BATE Borisov
Lyon v Bayern Munich
Man Utd v AaB
Real Madrid v Zenit St Petersburg
Steaua Bucuresti v Fiorentina

Each and every one of them is completely POINTLESS.

Absolute twaddle Mr Easy.

Celtic can improve the Scottich coefficient thingummy if they win.

And that is what it is all about.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

I'd like to see the Champions League/Premier League bum-boys provide a viable arguement in response to clapham gull's post.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Aalborg 2-1 up at Old Trafford....