So do I. The pitfall with that is that countries with politically sensitive relationships are usually next door to each other (Russia and Ukraine for example) and you frequently have instances where they are deliberately kept apart due to that (Gibraltar and Spain is an example at international level).
I don't think any of the three ideas are workable.
1. The Champions League teams would refuse to play on a Thursday. They already struggle with their domestic games at the weekend after the Wednesday. I also think that fans wouldn't be keen to watch the games on a Thursday irrespective as to who is playing. Even the CL has a limited number of big draw sides and, due to the seeding, a rarity of big clashes as the big sides are pitched against the minnows for as long as possible to keep them in the competition.
2. The CL teams that are dropped into the Europa league can't be arsed with it. They would prefer not to bother. They play their reserve sides as they can get away with it. I can't see any of the big European sides playing their best eleven in these games so they will be just as meaningless and will prevent the other sides in the competition from playing a big side as the number of big sides in it will drop from eight to one. I can't see the broadcasters going for it either. In truth they'd be better off not allowing those from the CL in the Europa cup at all.
3. This idea demeans the whole concept of a European competition. I would wager that the difference between a flight across Europe and a small hop to the country next door is insignificant in terms of time, and probably cost, with petrol being so expensive. The whole point of these games is that you get to see other European sides play. The poorer leagues will end up playing sides from other poorer leagues - I can't think of anything worse. Compare this to the FA Cup, none of the sides outside of the Premier League have any realistic aspirations of getting to the Final. However 'The Magic of the Cup' is in the smaller, lower league sides, getting drawn to one of the big boys. This must also be true of the European competitions. Regionalise it and the draw becomes meaningless. We all know that there is little, if any, interest in any of these competitions until the knock-out stages as the sides are, deliberately, so mismatched that we might as well give all the big boys a buy until after Christmas. Produce regional leagues and they will end up with too many of the fancied teams being knocked out and the others will feel that after qualifying for the tournament in the first place (from the season before) they then need to qualify again to get to play in just one big tie.
The sad truth is that back in the day when only one side from each nation, plus the current winner, were allowed in the European Cup the UEFA Cup had some of the biggest sides in Europe and often had the teams that went on to win their domestic league, that season, in it. Now with the CL having up to four sides from each country in it the EL is a second class competition and there is nothing they can do to change that. It's a bit like having your cake and eating it. You can't take just about every side that anyone cares about (almost literally out of their home nation) and put them in a premier competition and then expect anyone to give a toss about the also rans. I'd be interested to see how many of the teams in the Europa League have won their domestic championship in the decade before. I'd be surprised it there's more than a handful, and none from the 'major' leagues.
Despite their insistence that 'scrap it' is not an option one must remember that both Liverpool and Spurs were open about fielding weaker sides in the Premier League towards the end of the season, a few years ago, as they didn't want to qualify for crappy games on a Thursday night, across Europe, against teams that would struggle to avoid relegation in the Championship, on pitches that made our effort last season look acceptable.
Basically the current CL is the old UEFA Cup (with the domestic champions added in) and the Europa League is the JPT. Scrap it. While we're at it the League Cup might as well be scrapped at the same time, and the JPT. All the clubs play their kids and reserves. No one cares about it until the Final (or maybe the semi-final).
I think I have added enough positivity to this thread now. My work is done.
Champions League: Change it back to the European Cup... It becomes the League Champions from every nation...
- Chelsea and Manchester City not in it one season... Oh well - Barcelona and Real Madrid not in it together one season... Tough.
Its not like you see El Classico in the Champions League with them playing each other all the time.
Yes your going to have matches like Barcelona v X team from Northern Ireland where its going to be one sided but it'll give the latter more prize money, will allow them to improve the standing in their league by being able to afford better players and eventually you'll see the gap close, rather than widen as it is now
Europa League: Call it the UEFA Cup again... The team that finishes 2nd from each Nation goes into this competition
Cup-Winners-Cup: Bring it back... The Cup winners from each nation goes into it, in cases where there is an FA Cup / League Cup... Create a PlayOff between the two.
At the end of the day this system wasnt broken so didnt need fixing
Why dont they have cup winners (domestic) in the CL too, so we'd get 3 places, obviously if the same team wins all 3 then go on league positions then at least they can call themselves champions playing in it. The europa league returns to a knockout cup competition and 3 teams from league positions 2, 3 & 4 (obs depending on cup winners)
I'm torn tbh. I've got good and bad memories of the UEFA cup/Europa League. Have been to a dozen or so away days over the years and European competition is important for clubs like Spurs.
However, the current format does not work and Thursday night football is a killer on two fronts. Take the performances out of the equation for a moment. I can count on one hand the number of Saturday 3pm ko's we've had in recent years.
I'm all for European competition as long as there is a level playing field. Being forced to play a last 16 tie away from home 2 days before a cup final is wrong, especially when Chelsea had significantly longer to rest and prepare (not saying the result would have changed as we got Mourinho'd but it certainly would have had an effect!)
The year Spurs qualified for the CL, they had no Europa League distractions (dont quote me on that but think that was the case!). Same for Liverpool last year and Man Utd this year are in pole position.
However you look at it, the Europa is a distraction; it impedes on PL performances and as a result, hinders CL qualification in the process. Its a vicious circle...go back to the Fiorentina last 16 game 2 days before the League Cup Final.
What does Poch do? Does he rest players to attempt to win a Final, the result of which his team would be playing in a tournament where he would be looking to rest players next year if the same situation happened again? It makes no sense!
The only real 'solution' as it were is to go back to the old European Cup/UEFA Cup/ECWC format but as we all know, it'll never ever happen because of the money UEFA make out of the CL.
Its all one vicious circle and only the closed shop of the CL qualifiers benefit from it!
The games should be played midweek, not on a Thursday. If that has to be the case, then the PL should allow the clubs involved to play on a Monday night. The fans pay the consequences again!
Having said all that, as Spurs are the 6th biggest spenders on wages in the PL, it can be argued they are in and around the Europa for a reason!
I'm torn tbh. I've got good and bad memories of the UEFA cup/Europa League. Have been to a dozen or so away days over the years and European competition is important for clubs like Spurs.
However, the current format does not work and Thursday night football is a killer on two fronts. Take the performances out of the equation for a moment. I can count on one hand the number of Saturday 3pm ko's we've had in recent years.
I'm all for European competition as long as there is a level playing field. Being forced to play a last 16 tie away from home 2 days before a cup final is wrong, especially when Chelsea had significantly longer to rest and prepare (not saying the result would have changed as we got Mourinho'd but it certainly would have had an effect!)
The year Spurs qualified for the CL, they had no Europa League distractions (dont quote me on that but think that was the case!). Same for Liverpool last year and Man Utd this year are in pole position.
However you look at it, the Europa is a distraction; it impedes on PL performances and as a result, hinders CL qualification in the process. Its a vicious circle...go back to the Fiorentina last 16 game 2 days before the League Cup Final.
What does Poch do? Does he rest players to attempt to win a Final, the result of which his team would be playing in a tournament where he would be looking to rest players next year if the same situation happened again? It makes no sense!
The only real 'solution' as it were is to go back to the old European Cup/UEFA Cup/ECWC format but as we all know, it'll never ever happen because of the money UEFA make out of the CL.
Its all one vicious circle and only the closed shop of the CL qualifiers benefit from it!
The games should be played midweek, not on a Thursday. If that has to be the case, then the PL should allow the clubs involved to play on a Monday night. The fans pay the consequences again!
Having said all that, as Spurs are the 6th biggest spenders on wages in the PL, it can be argued they are in and around the Europa for a reason!
The thing is that despite the UEFA cup places going down as low as 5th in the past (with an extra place being given in light of one of the top four winning a cup, the teams that finished second, third and forth qualified. That made it comparable to the CL without the actual champions. Spurs qualifications back in the day were on the basis that they were one of the top four and they were equipped to go on and win it, even though for obvious reasons they didn't always do so.
To have a competition that only includes those teams that can't finish forth makes it a completely different proposition, and a lot less desirable as a consequence.
Travelling round Europe watching your club is, I'm sure, fantastic but it has less leaning when there is little, or nothing, resting on it - hence the lack of interest in the group stages. The competition only really gets interesting in the later knock out stages.
As for you playing on a Thursday night before a cup final, especially away from home in Europe, is so unfair it is not's even debatable. However, I would argue that it is as irresponsible to have this scenario before a League game. I recognise that it is the same for the CL playing on a Wednesday night and again on a Saturday, but that CL is a significantly more worth winning than the Europa League.
It's true that in smaller countries the Europa League is much appreciated. One of the most enjoyable experiences in my football life was being there on a freezing night in Plzen when Viktoria defeated Napoli. It was as much for the epic scenes in the pub afterwards, where the allegedly troublesome Napoli fans who came in were embraced by the Viktorka fans, plied with huge volumes of the best beer in the world (which they clearly couldn't handle) and shared each others songs.
Unfortunately I can't see any of his - very intelligent - ideas working. I remember how the Viktorka fans ached to be drawn against Red Bull Salzburg (3 hours easy drive) and instead got Fenerbahce - on a closed doors ban. But he hasn't even put the Czechs and Austrians in the same group. And they also treasured the chance to go up against Man City (in the UCL) even though they got mullered at home. It's also true as he writes that you have to keep the group stage not just for the big clubs sake but for smaller clubs like Viktorka. The relative revenue gain is enormous. You pay maybe £4 for a seat at a league game, and £30 for the same seat to watch them against Napoli - if you can get a seat at all.
Anything that makes it as competitive as possible, would be a good thing. I'd rather see the UCL made smaller and for real champions. But that won't happen either.
I know it's the golden goose, but the Champions League format is dull. If it's necessary to have home and away group matches, then make it smaller - introduce the group phase as the last 16 and have the first round as a knock-out beforehand.
No automatic qualifiers for group phase - everyone has to go through some knockout. Keep the separate Champions and non-Champions route before the first round (possibly also in the first round) and no seeding in the first round.
Compensate the losing first round clubs for the lost group phase revenue.
So, as things stand, teams in the Europa League play on Thursdays and their league game gets put forward to Sunday. Well, how about the European game being played on the Saturday with the regular domestic league game moving to Tues/Weds? That way the fans would have a better/easier opportunity of getting to the European games than they do now.
Why do europa teams moan about playing on a Thursday and then having to play on a SUnday?
Surely same as Champ League team playing in a Wednesday and Saturday.
But the CL sides complain their arses off about it, especially if the PL don't, deliberately, give them a home game that weekend - besides most of them play on the Sunday or the Monday for TV anyway.
The big difference is that it is worth is for the CL and the money if pays, it's just not worth if for the runt of the European competitions.
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
Hope you enjoy prague and understand for teams in countries like the czech republic i can imagine it's a good competition
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
Hope you enjoy prague and understand for teams in countries like the czech republic i can imagine it's a good competition
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
Different conversation for a different day. However, it is so wrong that finishing in the top 4 domestically is given priority over partaking in what should be seen as a prestigious knockout trophy.
Similarly, I remember Bolton getting knocked out in the last 16 by Sporting Lisbon after resting players ahead of a supposedly "key" game against Wigan at the weekend, because apparently that's more important than qualifying for a European Quarter Final.
Hate modern football, I wish the top six would sod off and create their horrendous European Super League so the rest of us can take part in meaningful competitions again.
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
This.
Certainly the team that finishes 6th in the prem and are drawn away at Ganymede just off of Jupiter in the 12th hundred qualifying round on May 6th the day after the league finishes. If they qualify and see off Ganymede they go to old bohemians in Ireland and finish they're qualifying with a trip Komsomolsky in the siberian tundra
Champions League: Change it back to the European Cup... It becomes the League Champions from every nation...
- Chelsea and Manchester City not in it one season... Oh well - Barcelona and Real Madrid not in it together one season... Tough.
Its not like you see El Classico in the Champions League with them playing each other all the time.
Yes your going to have matches like Barcelona v X team from Northern Ireland where its going to be one sided but it'll give the latter more prize money, will allow them to improve the standing in their league by being able to afford better players and eventually you'll see the gap close, rather than widen as it is now
Europa League: Call it the UEFA Cup again... The team that finishes 2nd from each Nation goes into this competition
Cup-Winners-Cup: Bring it back... The Cup winners from each nation goes into it, in cases where there is an FA Cup / League Cup... Create a PlayOff between the two.
At the end of the day this system wasnt broken so didnt need fixing
Yes i can really see the top european sides approving that idea.
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
This.
A place in the CL for the winners is a bit of a game-changer though. Mourinho, ever the shrewdie, prioritised it last year and Wenger should do the same this time round
Bah! Got friends here:-) my buddy's next door neighbour is the Viktoria captain, David Limbersky. We've got comps:-) Realy funny though is that my buddy has just opened a new pub in the centre, where we are now. One of the guests is the head of Belgrade police, here to liaise with local plod, regarding the chaps in your foto.
500 Partizan fans, but only 300 with tickets.. we passed the others kettled in the park outside by more plod than Ive ever seen. Partizan also in parts of the main stand where we are. Including next to me ( Zoran, my Partizan buddy who lives in Prague
Comments
Like the regionalisation idea though
1. The Champions League teams would refuse to play on a Thursday. They already struggle with their domestic games at the weekend after the Wednesday. I also think that fans wouldn't be keen to watch the games on a Thursday irrespective as to who is playing. Even the CL has a limited number of big draw sides and, due to the seeding, a rarity of big clashes as the big sides are pitched against the minnows for as long as possible to keep them in the competition.
2. The CL teams that are dropped into the Europa league can't be arsed with it. They would prefer not to bother. They play their reserve sides as they can get away with it. I can't see any of the big European sides playing their best eleven in these games so they will be just as meaningless and will prevent the other sides in the competition from playing a big side as the number of big sides in it will drop from eight to one. I can't see the broadcasters going for it either. In truth they'd be better off not allowing those from the CL in the Europa cup at all.
3. This idea demeans the whole concept of a European competition. I would wager that the difference between a flight across Europe and a small hop to the country next door is insignificant in terms of time, and probably cost, with petrol being so expensive. The whole point of these games is that you get to see other European sides play. The poorer leagues will end up playing sides from other poorer leagues - I can't think of anything worse. Compare this to the FA Cup, none of the sides outside of the Premier League have any realistic aspirations of getting to the Final. However 'The Magic of the Cup' is in the smaller, lower league sides, getting drawn to one of the big boys. This must also be true of the European competitions. Regionalise it and the draw becomes meaningless. We all know that there is little, if any, interest in any of these competitions until the knock-out stages as the sides are, deliberately, so mismatched that we might as well give all the big boys a buy until after Christmas. Produce regional leagues and they will end up with too many of the fancied teams being knocked out and the others will feel that after qualifying for the tournament in the first place (from the season before) they then need to qualify again to get to play in just one big tie.
The sad truth is that back in the day when only one side from each nation, plus the current winner, were allowed in the European Cup the UEFA Cup had some of the biggest sides in Europe and often had the teams that went on to win their domestic league, that season, in it. Now with the CL having up to four sides from each country in it the EL is a second class competition and there is nothing they can do to change that. It's a bit like having your cake and eating it. You can't take just about every side that anyone cares about (almost literally out of their home nation) and put them in a premier competition and then expect anyone to give a toss about the also rans. I'd be interested to see how many of the teams in the Europa League have won their domestic championship in the decade before. I'd be surprised it there's more than a handful, and none from the 'major' leagues.
Despite their insistence that 'scrap it' is not an option one must remember that both Liverpool and Spurs were open about fielding weaker sides in the Premier League towards the end of the season, a few years ago, as they didn't want to qualify for crappy games on a Thursday night, across Europe, against teams that would struggle to avoid relegation in the Championship, on pitches that made our effort last season look acceptable.
Basically the current CL is the old UEFA Cup (with the domestic champions added in) and the Europa League is the JPT. Scrap it. While we're at it the League Cup might as well be scrapped at the same time, and the JPT. All the clubs play their kids and reserves. No one cares about it until the Final (or maybe the semi-final).
I think I have added enough positivity to this thread now. My work is done.
;-)
Champions League: Change it back to the European Cup... It becomes the League Champions from every nation...
- Chelsea and Manchester City not in it one season... Oh well
- Barcelona and Real Madrid not in it together one season... Tough.
Its not like you see El Classico in the Champions League with them playing each other all the time.
Yes your going to have matches like Barcelona v X team from Northern Ireland where its going to be one sided but it'll give the latter more prize money, will allow them to improve the standing in their league by being able to afford better players and eventually you'll see the gap close, rather than widen as it is now
Europa League: Call it the UEFA Cup again... The team that finishes 2nd from each Nation goes into this competition
Cup-Winners-Cup: Bring it back... The Cup winners from each nation goes into it, in cases where there is an FA Cup / League Cup... Create a PlayOff between the two.
At the end of the day this system wasnt broken so didnt need fixing
However, the current format does not work and Thursday night football is a killer on two fronts. Take the performances out of the equation for a moment. I can count on one hand the number of Saturday 3pm ko's we've had in recent years.
I'm all for European competition as long as there is a level playing field. Being forced to play a last 16 tie away from home 2 days before a cup final is wrong, especially when Chelsea had significantly longer to rest and prepare (not saying the result would have changed as we got Mourinho'd but it certainly would have had an effect!)
The year Spurs qualified for the CL, they had no Europa League distractions (dont quote me on that but think that was the case!). Same for Liverpool last year and Man Utd this year are in pole position.
However you look at it, the Europa is a distraction; it impedes on PL performances and as a result, hinders CL qualification in the process. Its a vicious circle...go back to the Fiorentina last 16 game 2 days before the League Cup Final.
What does Poch do? Does he rest players to attempt to win a Final, the result of which his team would be playing in a tournament where he would be looking to rest players next year if the same situation happened again? It makes no sense!
The only real 'solution' as it were is to go back to the old European Cup/UEFA Cup/ECWC format but as we all know, it'll never ever happen because of the money UEFA make out of the CL.
Its all one vicious circle and only the closed shop of the CL qualifiers benefit from it!
The games should be played midweek, not on a Thursday. If that has to be the case, then the PL should allow the clubs involved to play on a Monday night. The fans pay the consequences again!
Having said all that, as Spurs are the 6th biggest spenders on wages in the PL, it can be argued they are in and around the Europa for a reason!
To have a competition that only includes those teams that can't finish forth makes it a completely different proposition, and a lot less desirable as a consequence.
Travelling round Europe watching your club is, I'm sure, fantastic but it has less leaning when there is little, or nothing, resting on it - hence the lack of interest in the group stages. The competition only really gets interesting in the later knock out stages.
As for you playing on a Thursday night before a cup final, especially away from home in Europe, is so unfair it is not's even debatable. However, I would argue that it is as irresponsible to have this scenario before a League game. I recognise that it is the same for the CL playing on a Wednesday night and again on a Saturday, but that CL is a significantly more worth winning than the Europa League.
Unfortunately I can't see any of his - very intelligent - ideas working. I remember how the Viktorka fans ached to be drawn against Red Bull Salzburg (3 hours easy drive) and instead got Fenerbahce - on a closed doors ban. But he hasn't even put the Czechs and Austrians in the same group. And they also treasured the chance to go up against Man City (in the UCL) even though they got mullered at home. It's also true as he writes that you have to keep the group stage not just for the big clubs sake but for smaller clubs like Viktorka. The relative revenue gain is enormous. You pay maybe £4 for a seat at a league game, and £30 for the same seat to watch them against Napoli - if you can get a seat at all.
Anything that makes it as competitive as possible, would be a good thing. I'd rather see the UCL made smaller and for real champions. But that won't happen either.
No automatic qualifiers for group phase - everyone has to go through some knockout. Keep the separate Champions and non-Champions route before the first round (possibly also in the first round) and no seeding in the first round.
Compensate the losing first round clubs for the lost group phase revenue.
That way the fans would have a better/easier opportunity of getting to the European games than they do now.
Surely same as Champ League team playing in a Wednesday and Saturday.
The big difference is that it is worth is for the CL and the money if pays, it's just not worth if for the runt of the European competitions.
So looking forward to this, in an hour or so I will be heading down the motorway on this sunny but freezing day to Plzen, where the whole town is gearing up for a big Euro night. They hold the advantage over Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1, and since then -at least IMO - effectively won the league on Sunday by drawing away at Sigma, their nearest challenger. Their lead is 14 points with 13 games to go.
If Partizan were playing at Arsenal , the Emirates would struggle to sell half the seats, but Viktoria sold out by Monday. In a league where some away teams bring less fans here than players, this is the big time, the glamour, where Europe comes to a small proud city nestling in the Bohemian countryside with no competition until you reach Prague. The money from this round of the Europa league can ensure they will compete for players in summer with the big boys from Prague and their dodgy owners. But most of all, a win will take them through to around where the big boys lie in wait. A chance for wide eyed kids to see players they normally see only on their laptops, right there in Plzen, like the kids in Rochdale in touching distance of Harry Kane. So don't tell me the Europa League doesn't matter. Tonight the place will rock, and if they win, the brewery will switch on emergency night shift. I am staying the night; this is football as it should be. An Event.
It would easily improve the competition.
for english teams chasing the cl it must be a real ballache
Similarly, I remember Bolton getting knocked out in the last 16 by Sporting Lisbon after resting players ahead of a supposedly "key" game against Wigan at the weekend, because apparently that's more important than qualifying for a European Quarter Final.
Hate modern football, I wish the top six would sod off and create their horrendous European Super League so the rest of us can take part in meaningful competitions again.
Enjoy the game PA.
All the 'big' clubs moan about too many matches so there will be less using this format. Problem solved????/