The FA Cup winners to the CL?

[Resu]

personally i think on balance it's a positive idea.

I think that it will give some lustre to the oldest football competition in the world, which can't be a bad thing. At least Rafa will take it seriously from now on eh? The FA Cup has been losing appeal to the big teams for ages, despite them seemingly winning every year.

Although I understand the idea that 6 jammy wins can get you to the CL maybe deemed a non-starter by those of us who support the big teams, for the rest of the league it'll be a massive incentive to do well in the Cup - even to the point of teams resting players in the league games running up to Cup Ties instead of in Cup Ties running up to league games. The romance of the Cup will be enhanced - those Millwall's will be able to dream, and for the good of football this has got to be a good thing.

In the league it'll have an equally serious effect. Instead of the procession we now have, we'll have [at the start] 4 chasing 3 places. In other words, a real competition. If one club ends up coming 4th for 2 or 3 years on the trot [especially if it's Arsenal] then they'll struggle financially to keep up, so we may end up with a big 3 instead of a big 4. However, if we end up taking turns coming 4th then the Newcastles and Spurs of this world will be able to compete better with us, as we won't have the guarantee of CL money every year. In the end, I think we'll have a more competitive league.

In conclusion, for Liverpool it's a bad idea as it will open up competition to us; but for football it's a good thing.

I think this a very important point.
What`s good for the biggest clubs, isn`t good for football in general.
I don`t like the FA cup winners to Cl idea, but the rest makes sense.
Platini might be arrogant, Liverpool hating idiot, but it looks like he`s trying give football back to the fans.
You might not like it, but the thruth is that clubs like Liverpool are turning the sport into a state where only the biggest clubs are given a real shot at the big money (CL).
One of the things I love about football is the idea that if a "small" club gets the right manager and players over a few seasons they may make it all the way. That doesn`t happend much anymore because as soon as anybody has a good season the bigger clubs buy them. In this seasons CL there is only one club that hasn`t been there before, and most clubs has been there may times.
So in short, I like many of Platinis ideas, even if it might not the best ones for LFC.

[Ritchi3]

Win 6 games and get CL football? Hardly fair.

Didn't we win just 8 or 9 games in 2005 to qualify? It seemed fair enough to us then.

I like the idea of giving everyone a chance of qualifying for the CL, it's a little repetitive having the same clubs every year with little or no challenge from else where. It should help bridge the gap between the top four and everyone else. We should stop being so elitist, and try and improve the standard of the game throughout the league and not just the top four. Think how big a thing it would be for the likes of Spurs or West Ham to actually get CL football.

[The Glove]

Winning 6 games should not get you CL football. It would kill off our league. Its not about being elitist at all. If at the end of October we are off the pace in the league, what do have left to play for? Rest half the players til January to make sure we thrash Northampton away, then rest them again to ensure we stuff Hull at Anfield, then rest again so we are at fuill stregth for Blackpool away, then another rest for Villa away, and again for the Semi against Arsenal before playing Utd at Wembley. So in reality there, our year would come down to 2 games. Yep, that CL football well and truly deserved and that could easily apply to any other team not just us.

[Ritchi3]

So are you saying that we should not have qualified for the CL in 2006? Essentially all we had to do is rest all our players and concentrate on the 9 games we won in Europe. Which is basiaclly what we did, considering how we did in other competitions. I do thing the FA Cup would need to be reformed in some way though. But given that it's been a top four club every year in the last 12 or so, it won't make a difference.

Something has to be done to break up the top four here. And something has to be done to re-instate the FA Cup as the great cup competition that it used to be. I'm not saying this is the perfect solution, but I'm struggling to think how we can improve the standard of the bottom 16 clubs in the league.

[The Glove]

Youre making out like we didnt try for 4th and that wasnt the case. We finished 5th because we were ****. Not because we rested players. We had plenty of chances to finish above Everton but getting turned over away to the likes of Palace cost us. Before we won the Cup it wasnt clear we would be in it so I doubt Rafa rested players in the weeks before as that couldve back fired if we lost wouldnt it?

Granted a top 4 club has won the FA Cup for the last 12 years but the Cup didnt have the CL as a prize. More teams are gonna try much harder if thats the prize.

[Ritchi3]

Granted a top 4 club has won the FA Cup for the last 12 years but the Cup didnt have the CL as a prize. More teams are gonna try much harder if thats the prize.

And surely that's a good thing?

[The Glove]

For the FA Cup yeah. For the leagues European standing then no.

Our country gets as many places as it does thanks to the club teams performances in Europe. When teams with little or no European points get into such comprtitons they will get drawn straight off against a European heavy weight and probably get spanked. This then lowers our leagues performance which then sees us lose European places, thus less teams qualify, so rather than spreading the wealth, it eventually cuts it off making the rich get richer and the poor, poorer.

Bring back the Cup winners cup and change the UEFA cup around.

[sonsofthedesert]

For the FA Cup yeah. For the leagues European standing then no.

Our country gets as many places as it does thanks to the club teams performances in Europe. When teams with little or no European points get into such comprtitons they will get drawn straight off against a European heavy weight and probably get spanked. This then lowers our leagues performance which then sees us lose European places, thus less teams qualify, so rather than spreading the wealth, it eventually cuts it off making the rich get richer and the poor, poorer.

Bring back the Cup winners cup and change the UEFA cup around.

All the top european leagues are going to have this happen so we wont be he only country to be effected.
You are right though, the cup winners cup should not have been killed off, woud love it t come back.

[calvoboy]

Yep - I appreciate that he wants to restore the importance of domestic cup competitions, but this could be done by bringing back the cup winners cup.

I totally agree with his other measures though. Minimum 75,000 capacity to host the final. Move towards 75% of tickets going to the fans of the two clubs. Moving the game to a Saturday night. These are all very sensible ideas that would make a big difference.

I love the Saturday idea. Not just for the ease of travelling, but I'd imagine it would increase the worldwide viewing figures too.

[TheStig]

Yep - I appreciate that he wants to restore the importance of domestic cup competitions, but this could be done by bringing back the cup winners cup.

I totally agree with his other measures though. Minimum 75,000 capacity to host the final. Move towards 75% of tickets going to the fans of the two clubs. Moving the game to a Saturday night. These are all very sensible ideas that would make a big difference.

I love the Saturday idea. Not just for the ease of travelling, but I'd imagine it would increase the worldwide viewing figures too.

This might sound silly.....but I hate it.

The European Cup Final is meant to be on a Wednesday night!

[The Glove]

All the top european leagues are going to have this happen so we wont be he only country to be effected.
You are right though, the cup winners cup should not have been killed off, woud love it t come back.

Our league has the highest standing tho, all 4 teams in the top pot yesterday prove that. It'll be taking from us and giving to Europe. Probably France and Italy knowing that ****.

[The Glove]

Saturday afternoon is the best time for a final. You have a few hours before for dringking then the rest of the night for drinking. Wednesday night, well you only get a few hours in then.

[calvoboy]

This might sound silly.....but I hate it.

The European Cup Final is meant to be on a Wednesday night!

I know what you mean, but having had the hassle of trying to negiotiate extra days annual leave, arrange flights at late notice, and then having to rush back soon after the final for both Athens and Istanbul, I think it makes perfect sense for it to be on a Saturday.

If the only argument against it is that the final has always been on a wednesday, then I think it's a losing argument.

[calvoboy]

Saturday afternoon is the best time for a final. You have a few hours before for dringking then the rest of the night for drinking. Wednesday night, well you only get a few hours in then.

It's for that reason that I'd have more interest in the finals we are not involved in. If it is on a Saturday then you can invite a few mates over, have a few beers and all watch the final together. Or all head into town and watch it in the pub. At the moment though I watch it on my own at home because we've all got work the next day...

[sonsofthedesert]

Have never understood why they never put it on a Sat anyway, it is after the end of the season so it wouls make sense, esp for world audiances.