Liverpool - Football's Drama Queen

[carrsim]

To be fair, the FA supported Liverpools inclusion and helped us with the campaign to UEFA to get included

but there was no need to. all they had to do was make the decision themselves. the fact that they supported our claim means tehy knew the champions had to be in but bottled it because it meant upsetting everton.

if the FA thought we were out of line (by going over the fa's head we were basically saying they made the wrong decision) then they would have come down on us like a ton of bricks. Instead they left it all in someone else's lap as they were afraid of repercussions

The spanish FA didn't hesitate to make the call and i bet more of the spanish FA support Real than Zaragoza. They didn't care in perceptions of favourtism, they did what was naturally the right thing to do and let champions play

[Red Chilli]

Sorry Polo, I disagree.

If the FA had entered us as the 4th team then I would be quite happy with that as it was the fair and proper thing to do and there was a precedent.

[jonesie]

Sorry Polo, I disagree.

If the FA had entered us as the 4th team then I would be quite happy with that as it was the fair and proper thing to do and there was a precedent.

Look at Judge John Deed here!

[disco]

Decisions or non-decisions that have gone Chavski's way....

Tapping up of Ashley Cole (amongst others!)
Abramovich indirectly owning CSKA Moskow
Their theft of Mikel (Was it?) from Man U - wasn't even investigated!
John Terry's racism being swept under the carpet

Oh, and 6 minutes of Injury time in CL semi-final

[TheStig]

One player may not play for two clubs in one period, and then sign for another one within a certain time period.

When there are untruths like that at the start of an article, I find it very hard to read the rest (I did though, and found it quite funny).

As for the CL issue, I think Red Chilli has a point, although we should obviously have defended our trophy.

[Red Chilli]

Re: TNS.

It's not the same to say "We'll play you for the right to represent the Welsh league" as it is to say "here have our place because you've been unfairly treated".

TNS knew that they'd lose. They also knew they'd probably get more fans in the millenium stadium to watch Liverpool that they would if they got through to the 3rd round of the qualifiers.

It was a win-win proposal for them.

[JRC]

What you all conveniently forget is that another team missed out on Champions league qualification because of our rule change.

Is that fair?

No-one dropped out of the 16 who didn't have to qualify - didn't they just adjust the qualification rounds to eliminate one more club, but they still got to play in those rounds?

And don't forget, the UEFA rules allow the CL Winners to qualify as Number 1 Seeds, so if we had been from any other country than England (and technically also Spain or Italy, but their FA's would have entered the CL Winners ahead of the 4th place team, so practically, ONLY England), then UEFA would have simply put in place their provisions for dropping the 16th qualifier into the qualifying rounds, plus knock-ons.

[jonesie]

Decisions or non-decisions that have gone Chavski's way....

Tapping up of Ashley Cole (amongst others!)
Abramovich indirectly owning CSKA Moskow
Their theft of Mikel (Was it?) from Man U - wasn't even investigated!
John Terry's racism being swept under the carpet

Oh, and 6 minutes of Injury time in CL semi-final

I still can't believe how they were allowed to do that.

[disco]

but there was no need to. all they had to do was make the decision themselves. the fact that they supported our claim means tehy knew the champions had to be in but bottled it because it meant upsetting everton.

if the FA thought we were out of line (by going over the fa's head we were basically saying they made the wrong decision) then they would have come down on us like a ton of bricks. Instead they left it all in someone else's lap as they were afraid of repercussions

The spanish FA didn't hesitate to make the call and i bet more of the spanish FA support Real than Zaragoza. They didn't care in perceptions of favourtism, they did what was naturally the right thing to do and let champions play

I'm probably in the minority who think the FA made the right decision to force UEFA's hand, and protect ALL the clubs in England.

Even if Everton lasted 2 games

[AFII]

Erm - if the authorities are willing participants in the conspiracy to make things easy for Liverpool - how come the FA didn't just put us straight into the CL instead of Everton, as they were entitled to do by the rules, as was established by precedent (Real Madrid), as they stated explicitly on their website that they would do the previous season, as corresponded with natural justice (in that CL Winners from any country other than England, Spain and Italy qualify as number 1 seeds without demur or delay, even if they get relegated in their own league) and which was implicit in any less-than-cursory reading of the errant and now replaced rule (which detailed what should happen to the displaced 4th place team but not the CL Winners, because UEFA assumed the FA would choose the CL Winners, as Spain did and the Italian FA said they would because it was no-brainer) - especially with Scouser and Red Brian Barwick in charge.

That's some failed conspiracy in that we had to go through the hassle, the UEFA about-face (admittedly) and qualification instead,

(The true conspiracy is that the influence of David Dein at the FA prevented Arsenal having to navigate the qualifying rounds)

You forgot about Gartside, the Bolton Chairman. Bolton had a chance to play in the CL when the FA had that statement on their site.

[Red Chilli]

No-one dropped out of the 16 who didn't have to qualify - didn't they just adjust the qualification rounds to eliminate one more club, but they still got to play in those rounds.

And don't forget, the UEFA rules allow the CL Winners to qualify as Number 1 Seeds, so if we had been from any other country than England (and technically also Spain or Italy, but their FA's would have entered the CL Winners ahead of the 4th place team, so practically, ONLY England), then UEFA would have simply put in place their provisions for dropping the 16th qualifier into the qualifying rounds, plus knock-ons.

That would have been quite fair as it was stated in the rules.

I can't see how adding ONE club to the cometition doesn't result in one club missing out.

[Red Chilli]

I still can't believe how they were allowed to do that.

There was a transfer fee involved though.

[disco]

That would have been quite fair as it was stated in the rules.

I can't see how adding ONE club to the cometition doesn't result in one club missing out.

I think the lowest ranked team entered into the Uefa cup instead. Presumably at that stage of the competition the financial difference is precisely dick.

[Red Chilli]

Decisions or non-decisions that have gone Chavski's way....

Tapping up of Ashley Cole (amongst others!)
Abramovich indirectly owning CSKA Moskow
Their theft of Mikel (Was it?) from Man U - wasn't even investigated!
John Terry's racism being swept under the carpet

Oh, and 6 minutes of Injury time in CL semi-final

Ahsley Cole - they were found guilty as were we with Ziege
Abramovich - well technically he hasn't broken any rules.
Mikell - was it 16 million chavski paid Man Utd to steal him?
Terry - rumours without evidence

I'm not a chavski apologist, all those claims are irrelevant.

[Red_Polo]

Sorry Polo, I disagree.

If the FA had entered us as the 4th team then I would be quite happy with that as it was the fair and proper thing to do and there was a precedent.

It would not have been fair at all on Everton. The only fair way would have been us starting off in the group stage AND Everton in the 3rd qualifying round.

We're talking precedents for qualification here. You do this - you get that. Real won it - they qualified because they won it and for no other reason. Same should've gone for us. All this talk of the FA's discretion is bollocks, it makes a mockery of the whole idea of 'rules' that an FA can just decide on it's own whim. UEFA designed the rules with the intention of ensuring champions always enter the competition they just made an oversight.