Other Matches Thread

[Limerick Gooner]

This year’s Europa League is piss poor. Like proper piss poor. I flicked through most of the games and saw a cameo of each. There is literally no decent footballing side in it. United or Spurs could win it. Brace yourselves.

I think teams not dropping down from the CL has made it less competitive

If you win it now then you shouldn't get into the following year's Champions League. It just devalues it for the following year that dross that finish 14th and 15th in a domestic league end up getting in to it. At least when you had the teams dropping down, it kept the standard up but entry to the Champions League should be by league placing or winning it.

Agreed. And it brings me back to the point I made about timing in football. We have lost multiple UEFA Cup Finals when it was actually a challenge to win it. This season the standard is at an all time low. Literally it is stuffed with absolute crap. Complete chokka block with sides in the bottom of half of their domestic leagues or playing in absolute Pub Leagues. I would bet money on a United v Spurs Final if I was a gambler.

[rodders999]

The ghost of alco Fergie still looms large in UEFA towers looking at that joke penalty last night. It’s weak as piss this year with nobody dropping in from the CL, Even pubbers rangers are in the QF, so you’d have to be fearful of one of the *word censored* winning it.

[Perryashburtongroves]

This year’s Europa League is piss poor. Like proper piss poor. I flicked through most of the games and saw a cameo of each. There is literally no decent footballing side in it. United or Spurs could win it. Brace yourselves.

I think teams not dropping down from the CL has made it less competitive

If you win it now then you shouldn't get into the following year's Champions League. It just devalues it for the following year that dross that finish 14th and 15th in a domestic league end up getting in to it. At least when you had the teams dropping down, it kept the standard up but entry to the Champions League should be by league placing or winning it.

Agreed. And it brings me back to the point I made about timing in football. We have lost multiple UEFA Cup Finals when it was actually a challenge to win it. This season the standard is at an all time low. Literally it is stuffed with absolute crap. Complete chokka block with sides in the bottom of half of their domestic leagues or playing in absolute Pub Leagues. I would bet money on a United v Spurs Final if I was a gambler.

Eintracht Frankfurt will knock out the scum but Manure might be a decent bet to win it. Those teams left in are absolute nobodies knocking about in ban average leagues. Most European leagues these days have two decent teams and then about 5 average ones and the rest are shit. If you're in an average league and in the Europa League, that really tells you everything you need to know. The whole thing seems to exist to protect clubs like Manure or some of the Italian clubs from being out of the Champions League too long by giving them a backdoor for the following season. If clubs aren't dropping down any more then clubs shouldn't be allowed free entry just by winning a poor competition. Sevilla used to win it every year but then get knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League the year after.

[SE12red]

Didn’t watch the Utd game last night but I see that Zubimendi got a yellow and a shit Utd scored well above their average. Not great reading for our new £50 million DM (if you believe the rumours).

[Bob Bayliss]

The reason the Europa League standard is so poor is that the Champions' League has become a complete misnoma. Over the past 20 years it had already become too bloated; with the new format introduced this year even more teams are sucked in to the never-ending group/playoff stage before you get to the business end (last 16), where most of the usual suspects get through every time.

Five teams qualifying from the Premier League is a complete joke. The standard is pretty poor this year with only Liverpool and to a lesser extent ourselves playing at a level which is wortthy of being part of next year's "Champions' League" competition. City still have time to put a run together and get their shit together for next season, but the idea that two of Chelsea, Newcastle, Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth or Villa will qualify is ridiculous.

[the playing mantis]

Scum nailed on to win. Only consolation is it should keep bfa in the job longer. Which is a good thing.

Unfortunately forgot winner get in CL which is huge for them financially as another season without it would continue to fck up their finances and stadium debt.

If they don't win then BFA sacked and Iraoula comes in...

Although suppose they could do that even in BFA wins it.

[Bob Bayliss]

The reason the Europa League standard is so poor is that the Champions' League has become a complete misnoma. Over the past 20 years it had already become too bloated; with the new format introduced this year even more teams are sucked in to the never-ending group/playoff stage before you get to the business end (last 16), where most of the usual suspects get through every time.

Five teams qualifying from the Premier League this year is a complete joke. The standard is pretty poor with only Liverpool and to a lesser extent ourselves playing at a level which is worthy of being part of next year's "Champions' League" competition. City still have time to put a run together and get their shit together for next season, but the idea that two of Chelsea, Newcastle, Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth or Villa will qualify is ridiculous.

[Perryashburtongroves]

The reason the Europa League standard is so poor is that the Champions' League has become a complete misnoma. Over the past 20 years it had already become too bloated; with the new format introduced this year even more teams are sucked in to the never-ending group/playoff stage before you get to the business end (last 16), where most of the usual suspects get through every time.

Five teams qualifying from the Premier League is a complete joke. The standard is pretty poor this year with only Liverpool and to a lesser extent ourselves playing at a level which is wortthy of being part of next year's "Champions' League" competition. City still have time to put a run together and get their shit together for next season, but the idea that two of Chelsea, Newcastle, Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth or Villa will qualify is ridiculous.

When the Champions League could be confused for the Auto Windscreens Shield, you've got a problem.

[General]

Didn’t watch the Utd game last night but I see that Zubimendi got a yellow and a shit Utd scored well above their average. Not great reading for our new £50 million DM (if you believe the rumours).

Sociedad had a player sent off for Dogso and otherwise were pretty poor. Nothing about Zubimendi stood out and my main concern is his lack of physical presence. Arteta would be best advised to steer clear of another expensive project

[shu]

I came on the forum this morning for this subject , ffs we really don't want either spurs or manure winning this for sure. A champs league place will really help financially but out of the two i don't want manure getting that champs league place.

[General]

The reason the Europa League standard is so poor is that the Champions' League has become a complete misnoma. Over the past 20 years it had already become too bloated; with the new format introduced this year even more teams are sucked in to the never-ending group/playoff stage before you get to the business end (last 16), where most of the usual suspects get through every time.

Five teams qualifying from the Premier League is a complete joke. The standard is pretty poor this year with only Liverpool and to a lesser extent ourselves playing at a level which is wortthy of being part of next year's "Champions' League" competition. City still have time to put a run together and get their shit together for next season, but the idea that two of Chelsea, Newcastle, Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth or Villa will qualify is ridiculous.

Only 4 out of the top 8 from the group stages are left in the CL. It’s 7/8 in Europa which confirms the huge disparity in quality between both competitions.

[Limerick Gooner]

The reason the Europa League standard is so poor is that the Champions' League has become a complete misnoma. Over the past 20 years it had already become too bloated; with the new format introduced this year even more teams are sucked in to the never-ending group/playoff stage before you get to the business end (last 16), where most of the usual suspects get through every time.

Five teams qualifying from the Premier League is a complete joke. The standard is pretty poor this year with only Liverpool and to a lesser extent ourselves playing at a level which is wortthy of being part of next year's "Champions' League" competition. City still have time to put a run together and get their shit together for next season, but the idea that two of Chelsea, Newcastle, Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth or Villa will qualify is ridiculous.

Only 4 out of the top 8 from the group stages are left in the CL. It’s 7/8 in Europa which confirms the huge disparity in quality between both competitions.

The new format has made it harder to win the Champions League and much easier to win the Europa and the Conference League.

[Midz]

Perhaps we'd fair better in one of the latter then.

[OneBardGooner]

With Emery's record in European Football, I can see the Villains going further than us

[General]

Dippers have lost the right back with the long name for the rest of the season. Massive creativity loss