when are they going to rename this competition
"The UEFA Champions, runners up & back door qualifiers league"
as thats what it has become. I think allowing these teams into it via the tradesmans detracts from its prestige. For me it's not the same as the competition I grew up to know as "The European Cup" so dominated in the 70's & 80's by Liverpool and the mighty Villa!!!
looking at the tv last night you think that celtic had won the bloody thing, not earned the right to stay in for another go!!!
We are the Champions of Scotland therefore should not have to go through these qualifying stages, no team who are Champions of their resective league should, runners up of whatever league should.
And when a team wins in a penalty shootout after a dramatic game what do you expect,my nerves were shot to bits there last nite, bit like like city fans doing the Mardi Gras on the streets of Stockport after your victory over United.
That logic doesn't work because then you'd have to give automatic berths to the champions of Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, etc.
That logic doesn't work because then you'd have to give automatic berths to the champions of Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, etc.
You might reply "well then, only give the automatic champions births to the strongest UEFA countries." To which I'd reply by pointing out that this is exactly what happens!
It's all based on the performance of a country's teams in Europe in the previous few years. Scottish teams just haven't done well enough to keep an automatic birth.
I can point to one example I know - the champions of Russia went straight into the group stage this year after previously having to qualify. And Russia has a qualifying spot for the number 2 team for only the 2nd time this year.
I'm sure you know how this works... so why would you possibly think Celtic deserves an automatic birth?
It's based on several years performance of your team and other teams from your federation. Not just one year, no matter how good it was. So no, you shouldn't have been able to bypass the qualifyers.
So, are you advocating a 53-team tournament of only national champions?
Real Madrid v Neftchi Baku, Dinamo Kiev v Total Network Solutions, Grasshoppers v Manchester United, etc, etc. You'd only have top European clubs playing each other in April. Real Madrid v Neftchi Baku etc' welllllll.....it would be champion on champion & thats what it was all about of course, once in the day...when men where men and footballers were called Stan & Jack...
Ha ha ha...ere y'are...spot the yank advocating a competition played only between
Man u, liverpool, chelski, barca, real madrid, bayern munich, milan, inter, juve & roma and call it "The European Championship"
where have we seen this before......hmmmmm? oh yeah....the "world series"