Only this could save us now.....

[DJS]

Go on Platini lad!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20523405

[Hassony]

Last week Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the Europa League was more difficult to negotiate than the Champions League

How would he know?

[Nerik]

With the way the UEFA Cup has been devalued it may be the best way to go.

[stressederic]

The UEFA cup used to be brilliant.

[cymrococh]

The UEFA cup used to be brilliant.

It's great when you win it.

[The_MC]

The UEFA cup used to be brilliant.

 

So did the Champions League. These last few years somethings been missing from it though.

[aka Dus]

Think the CL is as good as ever TBH. Much prefer watching it than the premier league when we aren't involved.

 

I don't think this will happen BTW. It's just a headline.

[drvegapunk]

I quite like the EL but preferred when it was knockout legs throughout.

 

Unfortunately the EL winners would be lucky to get £10m while the CL winners get £50m or more.

 

With FFP coming in, this will just help cement the status quo more than ever.

 

64 teams in the CL will hopefully spread the cash more evenly, and for that I think I quite like the idea. Clubs like ourselves (currently), Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle etc could theoretically build up revenue to compete with United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal over the long/medium term and not just occassionally or with a sugar daddy.

 

Edit: it would also add more value to domestic cups.

Edited November 28, 2012 by drvegapunk

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

I actually wondered about this when watching our game vs Young Boys - I thought what's the point? Not for us, but for the neutral. It almost makes sense just to lump them together

[stressederic]

If there were 7 English teams competing I supposed that would mean that winning either of the English cups would get you a place in the Champions League. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Cobs]

If there were 7 English teams competing I supposed that would mean that winning either of the English cups would get you a place in the Champions League. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

 

good point

 

though i suspect the PL might have something to say about that

[Billy Talbot]

I think it's a good idea.

 

A 64 team "CL" would still provide loads of really good ties with groups of 4 and only one more knockout round, with that extra round filled with good teams that are dispersed widely throughout the Europa and rarely meet until the quarters / semis anyway.

 

No-one would miss the Europa. They should re-introduce a straight knockout for domestic cup winners. Not so many ties and knockouts would have neutrals interested in watching it. No-one in interested in Europa group games except fans of teams that are playing each tie.

Edited November 28, 2012 by Billy Talbot

[stressederic]

good point

 

though i suspect the PL might have something to say about that

 

Yeah so do I. Bit depressing in that sense isn't it?

[Hassony]

So did the Champions League. These last few years somethings been missing from it though.

 

yeah, us

 

:-(

[Billy Talbot]

Yeah so do I. Bit depressing in that sense isn't it?

 

Sort of. But surely the idea of extending the CL is to spread some finances down further into the domestic leagues, rather than provide odd windfalls for cup winners.

 

I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing, I'm just saying that's surely the rationale.

[Rimbeux]

Think I like it, solves a lot of issues, you'd have to find a nifty way to get the numbers down to 64, guessing first 4 would get in the group, the others go through qualifying for England

[Hassony]

Has platini contacted Knox and KAMF yet to design how this new tournment will work?

 

how about this

 

8 groups of 8 teams, each team play the other only once, 3 games at home, 3 games away and one game at a neutral ground (Doha, Dubai, Cape Town, Boston, Pattaya, Shanghai)

 

4 qualify from each group to go into the knock out stage

[Epic Swindle]

Eww, first time I've seen that Chelsea picture. Why not just call it the European Cup then.

[Rimbeux]

Has platini contacted Knox and KAMF yet to design how this new tournment will work?

 

how about this

 

8 groups of 8 teams, each team play the other only once, 3 games at home, 3 games away and one game at a neutral ground (Doha, Dubai, Cape Town, Boston, Pattaya, Shanghai)

 

4 qualify from each group to go into the knock out stage

 

Like it, but you'd guess they'll be dull and go for 16 of 4

 

 

Eww, first time I've seen that Chelsea picture. Why not just call it the European Cup then.

 

Branding

[Cam]

Supposedly 7 places but surely they'll give one of those to the FA Cup winers?

 

Also, why not just make it a permanent midweek European league?

[Eskimo]

Be a bit like a European League without actually being a European League

[kop205]

f*** me, they should be making it smaller.

[Falconhoof]

f*** me, they should be making it smaller.

 

just have Man U and Man City or Chelsea in every year for the next 2 decades ?

 

f*** that. this can't come soon enough.

[The_MC]

yeah, us

 

:-(

 

Bingo

[matty]

More money for BiG cLubz.

 

That's the only point. CL is getting really boring with more or less the same teams every f***ing year. Occasionally get a Malaga or a Napoli but that's as far as the interest goes.

 

Self-perpetuating hegemony is where it's at. Big clubs get Big TV audiences gets big sponsorship gets more money for Big Clubs and Big Uefa.

 

Shhhittte.