4th place or the Uefa cup?

[Vermilion]

You know..a wise man once said..."Liverpool FC exist to win Trophies", he was right.

The club also exists to make us fans feel proud to support it...and players must feel proud to play for it, winning trophies imo does this.

[dww]

It is only money talking when we look at having fourth. I know it's different times these days but I can't help looking back at the days where only the league champions entered the CL/Euro Cup, it made the other cups so much more special and interesting. It is sad that only teams like Fulham actually see it as a glittering prize these days, and that many would rather have a league position that really means **** all than a trophy. I mean we don't even get a medal consolation medal for fourth as you do third.

It is a very odd situation. There are actually a lot of good teams in the Europa league but the fact you drop into it from the CL and that a lot of teams try their best to get knocked out early during the 4000 game slog phase really makes it feel second rate.

I find the modern attitude to getting a better position for money as being seen as an achievement as a bit odd. People seem to find it hard to understand that Pompey supporters would trade their FA cup win for their PL status. I completely agree with them. It must be a lot more fun to be competitive in the Championship than getting beaten every week in the PL. Reasonable comparable clubs in the PL who didn't try and cheat financially to stay up are Hull and Burnley and both after initial good times have been having a nightmare - I would hate to be a fan of either at the minute - week after week of turgid crap not even leavened by the odd victory or hope of anything different next season if they do miraculously stay up.

[Shanks]

I'm guessing our match with Chelsea will now be moved to the Sunday?

I think it will all be decided by that weekend..

[Matt]

But 4th and entry into the newly strengthened CL pre-tournament draw is something other than a Pyrrhic victory? Neither are really glittering prizes. At this stage I just want us to win every game we play until the end of the season so that I can go into next season with hope of real glory.

I think there is more glory in winning anything than there is in finishing 4th.

You're right, we're battling for scraps and neither 4th nor winning the Europa cup would have been seen as a success last August. I'd be willing to forego 'glory' to have a chance at playing in the elite competition next season.

[PTP]

i don't know anymore - surely winning the the europa league has to be more important than finishing 4th -the worry is what will happen if we don't finish 4th, don't get investment, city finish 4th and then run away from us a bit.

But maybe, no champions league might be what forces the yanks to sell, some investment to come in, and next year without the distraction of champions league the players can purely focus on the league as a priority.

[sinbad]

Paying of the Yank Loan or Silverware............

I'd take the silverware, and pray the Yanks will **** Off when they default on their loans.

[MrMichael]

UEFA cup (I refuse to call it anything else). Finals are fun, winning trophies is fun. Coming fourth is the sensible choice for the club's future, but sod sensible.

Its not really a fair contest though, we have as good a chance of winning the cup as any of the other 3. Wheras it'll take a minor miracle for us to take 4th.

[the rev leeroy brown]

i can understand players wantin gto win silverware but icant 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.

[PTP]

would now be a good time to point out that we could still finish 7th and not win the europa cup.







*runsforcover*

[Kenneth]

Probably

[the rev leeroy brown]

would now be a good time to point out that we could still finish 7th and not win the europa cup.







*runsforcover*

now is a great time to point it out. its a distraction and nothing more.

[Darkon]

i can understand players wantin gto win silverware but icant 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.

what prestige do you put in finishing fourth? Is it the hope of getting in to the CL on wildcard through a tough qualification?

Tbh. I see no prestige whatsoever in finishing 3rd and 4th every season without ever winning anything. It's not exactly like we have been gifted with silverware lately and that is in the end what gives you prestige and history. Trophies and not secondary league positions give glory and history.

I mean how much prestige do you put on clubs like Valencia, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Sevilla (know they won a bit a couple of years back), Atletico Madrid etc. that are pretty much in the CL every year but never relly win any trophies?

[the rev leeroy brown]

what prestige do you put in finishing fourth? Is it the hope of getting in to the CL on wildcard through a tough qualification?

Tbh. I see no prestige whatsoever in finishing 3rd and 4th every season without ever winning anything. It's not exactly like we have been gifted with silverware lately and that is in the end what gives you prestige and history. Trophies and not secondary league positions give glory and history.

I mean how much prestige do you put on clubs like Valencia, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Sevilla (know they won a bit a couple of years back), Atletico Madrid etc. that are pretty much in the CL every year but never relly win any trophies?

by prestige i mean playing in the greatest club comp in the world. the europa league IMO is a small time comp and an embarressment to a club like us to be even involved in.

i'd happily take CL and the spoils that come with it every day over a cup barely above the carling cup.

[Darkon]

But to me we would just be another of those clubs in Italy, Spain, France, Germany that never win anything but are still present in the CL.

To me we really need to win the odd trophy for us to having any long terms hope of being a big club. Trophies are what makes our history and it is what we will be remembered for. Nobody will remember the years we finished 3rd, 4th and played in the CL till somewhere between the second round and QF's, heck even the semi finals will not be remembered.

It might be fun being in the CL and playing some of the biggest teams in europe year after year, but if we win nothing all along then we have settled for mediocrity IMO.

P.S. the carling cup should just be abandoned all together

[dww]

I actually really like the Carling Cup. It always seems quite fun and young players often get given outings by a number of teams. It's not something that I care greatly about winning (or even really who wins it) when it starts but by the final 4 it is usually competitive and full of good sides. It also comes at the right time in the calendar.

The Europa league is a horrid competition structurally and sprawls across the season.

At this point while I would rather win the Europa league than finish 4th the thing that really concerns me is the chances of a proper tilt at the title next year.