Europe

[Craig_H]

Bucharest

[Neil Young]

I don't think that the cups should get a champions league place. The Champions League is designed to have the best sides in Europe and is more of a European Super League than a Champions League IMO. (Whether this should be the case or not and whether the CL should just have the league winners in it is another debate) But while it is the case, the most effective method to judge who are the best teams is over a whole season (38 games) rather than 6 or 7 where you might not even meet the best teams.

The FA Cup doesn't need the promise of a Champions League place to keep it's prestige most clubs have more interest in winning trophies than in the European rewards. In fact many clubs find Europe a distraction from their main goal of Premiership survival hence the Europa League not being taken seriously by a number of sides

I disagree. The reason many sides don't take the Europa League seriously is because they know they've little chance of winning it and there's no money in it. They'd have even less chance of winning the Champions League but would make a lot more money and this would give them the chance to move up a level.

So for bottom ten teams, they could spend big and make survival much more of a given.

For a middle-ranking Premiership team it would mean they could realistically start to consider the possibility of competing for the top four.

Perhaps a one-off CL season wouldn't do much good but should any such club (as I've already said somewhere) win it twice in a row then it could be a real boost for their long-term prospects.

Of course the Big Boys would take it more seriously too so reducing the chance of upsets.

And anyway it isn't going to happen because it leaves too much to chance. But that's exactly why I'm kind of warming to the idea.

[DannyMan2006]

Bucharest

Let's see if we can get in the competition first, but it would be great to actually be in a European final again, regardless of where ever this may be

[Reece]

Imagine Stoke in the Champions League

Oh wait, they were - got knocked out by Barca if I recall.

[Craig_H]

Pain in the arse to get to though.

[Neil Young]

Pain in the arse to get to though.

It's a direct flight.

[Craig_H]

Easyjet dont fly there from London

[Exiled_red]

I disagree. The reason many sides don't take the Europa League seriously is because they know they've little chance of winning it and there's no money in it. They'd have even less chance of winning the Champions League but would make a lot more money and this would give them the chance to move up a level.

So for bottom ten teams, they could spend big and make survival much more of a given.

For a middle-ranking Premiership team it would mean they could realistically start to consider the possibility of competing for the top four.

Perhaps a one-off CL season wouldn't do much good but should any such club (as I've already said somewhere) win it twice in a row then it could be a real boost for their long-term prospects.

Of course the Big Boys would take it more seriously too so reducing the chance of upsets.

And anyway it isn't going to happen because it leaves too much to chance. But that's exactly why I'm kind of warming to the idea.

I think that there is a reasonable amount of money available for a decent run in the Europa League I read Fulham got ~£10m for getting to the final last year (I can't recall the source I'm afraid). That type of figure is not insignificant to most Premiership clubs, but few clubs are interested in it.

In my opinion this is because most teams outsdide the top 6 know that if they take Europe seriously they don't have a big enough squad to cope with the total number of fixtures they will have and as a result their Premiership form will suffer. If this happens a club that was comfortably in midtable the previous year could find itself in a relegation battle. If you look at the table at least half of the clubs main aim this season was Premiership survival.

Even if you are an established Premiership club who usually finish close to the European places you could easily get dragged into a relegation battle.

Even if they had the added incentive of a larger pot of money that the Champions League provides that wouldn't enable them to improve their squad enough for the season they are in the CL, because when the transfer window is open they would normally have a qualifier to play and can't afford to gamble that they will make it. The money only comes to them when they have been in the competition at best they would be able to spend it in January but if they're PL results have suffered they could be in a relegation battle.

[Neil Young]

Yes, there's much in what you say. I think though it would make more of a difference if a team should happen to retain the FA Cup. Like I said.

(By the way, I think there's no way a place should go to the loser, if a top 3 team beats them in the final.)

Also, well done for posting in the right thread. What happened to you yesterday evening?

[Shaggy]

Yes, there's much in what you say. I think though it would make more of a difference if a team should happen to retain the FA Cup. Like I said.

(By the way, I think there's no way a place should go to the loser, if a top 3 team beats them in the final.)

Also, well done for posting in the right thread. What happened to you yesterday evening?

[billy_mac]

Bucharest, Romania.

The misses is from Romania, so I have a bit of knowledge on this. They are only building the stadium now so brand new for the final much like the stadium in Dublin. They've ben building it for 3-4 years stop and start. Some fairly dodgy dealing going on with the building, politics and financing. Seems to go with building stadiums anywhere.

I thought I was all set up for me to walk to Lansdowne Road to see us in action in the final this year. I might have to go see the in laws next year!

[Exiled_red]

Yes, there's much in what you say. I think though it would make more of a difference if a team should happen to retain the FA Cup. Like I said.

(By the way, I think there's no way a place should go to the loser, if a top 3 team beats them in the final.)

Also, well done for posting in the right thread. What happened to you yesterday evening?

What can I say, I was having a bad day