4th place or the Uefa cup?

[kingfunk]

This poll is tight as a nuns crack.

[Neil Young]

I'm going to vote for whichever option is better for Big Business, even though it makes things worse for everyone else.

[Historyrepeatsitself]

i can understand players wanting to win silverware but i cant get my head around fans willing to give up 4th and the prestige that follows to claim a ****ing disgrace of a cup. if ur happy with winning the europa league i gues you'd be happy to win the carling cup and finish 6th!!

small mentality IMO. granted it is a trophy but it is not a prestigious one.

Have you EVER played football at any level? Even in the playground at school?
My 5 year old boy hates losing and already grasps the concept that LFC winning is everything.

LFC exists to win trophies, not finish 2nd, 3rd or that "prestigious" position that is 4th.

Players will never look back on a career and wish they had finished 4th more often; they will look back and wish they had had more winners medals around their neck.

[Norbs]

**** forth place, there's no pride in that, lets win a trophy then smash the champions league winners in the super cup to show who the true giants of european football are, finally then we can spend next season doing what is needed.......WINNING THE PREMIERSHIP without the distraction of the champions league so Rafa can't get his priorities wrong again.

Amen, brother

[Norbs]

How do we strengthen the squad sufficiently (or at all) enough to win the Premier League, without the kind of money that consistent participation in the CL brings?

Hasn't helped us compete in the last 5 years, Craig. Chances are that we'll not see any of the CL money anyway so **** the yanks and let's hit them in the pocket even more.

I still think our squad's good enough to win the PL, as it is. We'll shed 3 in the summer and bring in 2 and if Torres stays fit we'll win it in 2011

[Roboklopp]

Uefa cup has taken over. Wow.

As for realism, this poll was never about that, just preference given the choice.

[Darth Marty]

id take 4th

[Craig_H]

Have you EVER played football at any level? Even in the playground at school?
My 5 year old boy hates losing and already grasps the concept that LFC winning is everything.

LFC exists to win trophies, not finish 2nd, 3rd or that "prestigious" position that is 4th.

Players will never look back on a career and wish they had finished 4th more often; they will look back and wish they had had more winners medals around their neck.

Let's put it in the simplest terms:

Consistently playing CL football = far better chance of consistently challenging for and winning things. Fact.

[Craig_H]

Hasn't helped us compete in the last 5 years, Craig. Chances are that we'll not see any of the CL money anyway so **** the yanks and let's hit them in the pocket even more.

I still think our squad's good enough to win the PL, as it is. We'll shed 3 in the summer and bring in 2 and if Torres stays fit we'll win it in 2011

2 things mate.

1 - we competed last season. Do you think we'd have signed players like Torres, Mascherano & Johnson without having played CL football for the past however many seasons? How many top players happily go to clubs that arent in the CL?

2 - Regarding not seeing the CL money - the interest payments HAVE TO BE PAID regardless of whether we're in the CL or not. If we're in it, there's less chance of having to sell players JUST to pay debt interest.

If we're not in it, we'll still have to clear the debt and pay interest - we'll just have to do it without the circa £30m per year that we earn from the CL. So we'll need to find the money via other means. So players will have to be sold, and once we've done that, we'll be left with a squad that wont even be good enough to be in the europa league, let alone win it.

So basically, we'll only have 2 possible trophies to win per season - the FA Cup and the League Cup. Because our squad, heavily weakened by player sales, will certainly not be able to compete for the league or get into europe.

[Leyton388]

4th is gone so the Uefa cup for me. Lets win the thing and get back on track for next season. Lets give torres and co some silverware to end the season with.

It is sad that we live in a time when finishing 4th in the league is more important than winning silverware.

[anfieldanfield]

It's ALL about trophies. And we have won **** all in four years.

We need to win this trophy more than we need Champions League football next season.

[Craig_H]

It's ALL about trophies. And we have won **** all in four years.

We need to win this trophy more than we need Champions League football next season.

Yeah but how can we consistently compete for trophies, with even less money and by being forced to sell key players due to missing out on CL revenues?

I agree that it's all about trophies. But exactly that - trophieS. Not just this one, and then most likely nothing for another decade. CL football will bring us the money that gives us a chance to win trophies.

[anfieldanfield]

Yeah but how can we consistently compete for trophies, with even less money and by being forced to sell key players due to missing out on CL revenues?

I agree that it's all about trophies. But exactly that - trophieS. Not just this one, and then most likely nothing for another decade. CL football will bring us the money that gives us a chance to win trophies.

It's too boring chatting about the business side of football. Next season and beyond, revenue, money, new stadium, Hicks Zzzzzzzz....

Just start figuring out your route to Hamburg!

[Craig_H]

I am.

You going to madrid?

[Scaramanga]

One season out of CL would allow us to concentrate on the league at least. Do we really think not finishing 4th would cause an exodus of players and less money than is likely to be available anyway??

I honestly dont think our club is so dependant on CL qualification for survival - if they are and no contingencies are in place for at least one poor season then the leadership need to question their ability to run a business effectively