Football Programmes Centre

albion99 · Joined: 03 Dec 2011 Posts: 243 Location: Peterborough UK

So they are considering extending the number of teams from the Premier League eligible to play in the Champions League?

May I propose they go a stage further and allow all Premier League clubs to participate, rather than every other year finding some way of increasing the number!

Champions League der, am I missing something, its very title is a joke, but you have to hand it to the perpetrators a joke which generates millions and millions year on year.

This one competition, rules our domestic football, or at least those upper echelon teams of modern day football, with a realistic chance of reaching one of those current four positions in the Premier League.

On a not to dissimilar subject, I've never come to terms with play off's, that any team can "flog its what nots" all season before possibly suffering the ignominy of watching another team points behind them in the league gaining promotion to a higher level...!!!!!

Some of what goes on today in our modern game presupposes the game is broken, and needs fixing?

Sure, there are and always will be times when the game or its rules need tweaking (leaving Var aside at the moment) is there anything more controversial in football than "The Offside Law" why not do away with it, perhaps then the whole of the playing field could be used, just a thought, IMO no dafter than Champions League or Play Off's!

There now I've had my rant, and will be left wondering where it will all end!

Grumpypants · Joined: 09 Feb 2012 Posts: 491

Totally agree with everything said by albio99. Initially, the competition was a good idea, only when it was known as the European Champions Cup. Since the inception of this competition, I have shown no interest in this competition what so ever. It seems to me to be one of the most pointless of all competitions and making it more of a joke, is that when a team gets knocked out of this competition, they are then allowed to participate in the Europa League.
I thought the whole point of this competition, formerly the European Champions, was a competition to determine the overall Champions of Europe for those teams that won their respective countries top division.
How can a team finishing, say third, in their countries respective league, be 'deemed' eligible to participate in a competition deemed only for Champions?? Makes no sense to me at all.

BlueFinn · Joined: 15 Jul 2018 Posts: 45

Totally agree!
Please bring back the European Cup, the good old days.
All the teams who win their League in Europe, names all go into a hat and the wee boys can get a money spinning tie against the big boys.
Brings me back to 1966/67, when a wee team from Northern Ireland (Linfield) made it to the quarter Finals, only to go out on the away goals rule.
No chance of that happening now.
Money talks.

Driver8 · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 146

I think this current talk of a Champions League expansion is to ward off any threat of a break away league which has been mooted recently.
I do agree the 'Champions' part of the competition name needs replacing.
oh.....and how long before AC Milan get involved and think they should be given a wild card each year based on them being a previous winner?

One small point, and not wishing to knit pick but Linfield lost to CSKA 3-2 on aggregate, not away goals. Nevertheless an amazing achievement - the furthest any team from Northern Ireland has gone in the senior European club competition.

BlueFinn · Joined: 15 Jul 2018 Posts: 45

Sorry, my mistake, old age!

Dorking · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 2529

Champions League does nothing for me whatsoever, I have absolutely zero interest in it.

I would be delighted of my club (Palace) could ever qualify for Europe properly though, albeit it now looks like that would be via the new 'third' competition that is to be started a UEFA 'Conference'!

I'm not particularly fussed what it is called though if we do ever manage it, as so far the best I have has was a trip to Turkey in 1998 in the Intertoto Cup by being the only team in the Premier League who even bothered to put their name forward for the place (despite finishing 20th!)

We don't even have the situation any more that 'small' teams (I am realistic about what we are) can qualify for European football via being FA Cup runners up (if the winners have already qualified) as that changed a few years ago.

The dominance of the same half a dozen teams in the largely closed shop league means that even some big clubs (Forests, Sheffield Wednesdays and Leeds etc) haven't played in Europe for what 20 years+?

I know that Wigan, Pompey and Birmingham City have managed it in relatively recent years, but it shouldn't be a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Maybe clubs should set up their own tournaments and competitions - bring back the Anglo Italian Cup or the Anglo Scottish Cup!

Even a couple of National League clubs get to play in the Tunnocks Cup each year!

As for play offs, I would remain in favour, it usually keeps the top half of a league exciting until the last few games of the regular season.

martino · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2021 8:34 pm Post subject:

Extending and revising the Champions League format arose out of recent discussions when it was revealed that plans for the top clubs in Europe to form a breakaway European League were very advanced.

Obviously UEFA do not want this to happen.

Whatever the new format is the big European Clubs will been guaranteed more money from T V rights and other money pots.