Brendan Rodgers

[red g]

Personally, I think this is a load of ****.


Last time I checked, Europe was Europe, no matter how the **** you got in it.

Yes it is, it jsut starts earlier that was his issue i think. Beginng of July!!

[SERVO2]

Are you saying that there's no chance of us attaining a place in the Europa League through the fair play thingy?

I'm saying there is a huge difference between a sure gone thing & a may be & the club that we have criticised for years for being poorly run should be judged according.

[TheElephantMan]

So are we in contention for a Europa League spot or not?

[SERVO2]

[QUOTE=TheElephantMan;2637051]So are we in contention for a Europa League spot or not?[/QUOTE

From what people have said today no!

[red g]

1 NOR 8.252
2 SWE 8.243
3 FIN 8.205
4 ENG 8.166
5 NED 8.127

this is the only table i can find, it seems it was last updated 31st December

[SERVO2]

[quote=SERVO2;2637052]

So are we in contention for a Europa League spot or not?[/QUOTE

From what people have said today no!

Sorry someone said earlier ATM we are 2nd in the fair play league in England (Arsenal r 1st) BUT England r 4th when only the top 3 qualify

[TheElephantMan]

Well all I'm saying is let's not throw away an opportunity to play in Europe if there is an opportunity to do so. Exhibition matches and friendlies are rubbish. If there is a chance of us playing in Europe next season then we must grasp it.

[ChesterDave]

IF we where top of the fair play league in England AND England where in a qualifying place I couldn't agree more BUT their not & their not so.....

If the tour gives us an extra fiver to throw in the kitty this is what we need to do.

We are effectively top because Arsenal are already going to qualify for Europe by other means and we are second in the fair play table.

Granted England still need to finish top 3 but who knows what that is like now. It hasnt been updated for 4 months!

[red g]

last I saw only soton were anywhere near us and they got 2 red cards at the weekend,

We will qualify from our league but **** knows what has happened elsewhere

[red g]

Well all I'm saying is let's not throw away an opportunity to play in Europe if there is an opportunity to do so. Exhibition matches and friendlies are rubbish. If there is a chance of us playing in Europe next season then we must grasp it.

although we would start in July, You Would hope our reserves would win the first few games!!!

[MrMichael]

I disagree. The Uefa cup / Europa league has been messed around with and devalued so much now to the point of it simply being an annoyance to many participants in it. The meaning and nature of "European football" has changed an awful lot. Sure it is a chance to give some more players some experience of European competition, but it also royally messes up many clubs' league seasons. Travelling to Maldova, Israel or wherever for games on Thursday nights then back to play in the league on a Sunday against a team that has had all week to prepare requires at the very least a strong, deep squad, the sort of which we don't really have right now.

While Liverpool football club should always aspire to be playing in Europe, we should also be aspiring to win things and to appear in the top competition; if having one year out of the Europa gives us a much better chance of fulfilling either or both of those goals then I think it is worth it. Now sure, if we qualified through a strong result in a competition, and didn't have to play endless qualifying matches that screw up our pre-season, then that's one thing. But the fair-play nonsense is just that, nonsense, and I can totally see the argument that actually we would be better off in the short term and the long term giving it a miss for one year. If it meant the difference between getting and not getting 4th next season I can't see one single fan objecting.

The Premiership is viewed by far more people, in far more countries, than random Europa games against unpronouncable teams from Albania. In terms of "building our brand", a higher league position and potentially getting into the CL will do FAR more for that than the Europa ever would.

[Shackanory]

IF we where top of the fair play league in England AND England where in a qualifying place I couldn't agree more BUT their not & their not so.....

If the tour gives us an extra fiver to throw in the kitty this is what we need to do.

An extra fiver in the kitty? We've got billionaire owners and **** knows how many sponsorship deals for **** sake. It doesn't matter whether England are third or not. It's the principle. Rodgers has effectively said he'd rather play the ****ing Capital One Cup rather than European football. Expectations of the club are being lowered and it's not ****ing on.

[Shackanory]

I disagree. The Uefa cup / Europa league has been messed around with and devalued so much now to the point of it simply being an annoyance to many participants in it. The meaning and nature of "European football" has changed an awful lot. Sure it is a chance to give some more players some experience of European competition, but it also royally messes up many clubs' league seasons. Travelling to Maldova, Israel or wherever for games on Thursday nights then back to play in the league on a Sunday against a team that has had all week to prepare requires at the very least a strong, deep squad, the sort of which we don't really have right now.

While Liverpool football club should always aspire to be playing in Europe, we should also be aspiring to win things and to appear in the top competition; if having one year out of the Europa gives us a much better chance of fulfilling either or both of those goals then I think it is worth it. Now sure, if we qualified through a strong result in a competition, and didn't have to play endless qualifying matches that screw up our pre-season, then that's one thing. But the fair-play nonsense is just that, nonsense, and I can totally see the argument that actually we would be better off in the short term and the long term giving it a miss for one year. If it meant the difference between getting and not getting 4th next season I can't see one single fan objecting.

The Premiership is viewed by far more people, in far more countries, than random Europa games against unpronouncable teams from Albania. In terms of "building our brand", a higher league position and potentially getting into the CL will do FAR more for that than the Europa ever would.

Send the reserves to play it. It's what they're there for. Suarez isn't banned from European games so the Europa League could keep him fresh. Unless Rodgers is planning on selling him.
The precedent for Liverpool Football Club should be European football, not refusing it to see if it helps our league position. We've been out of Europe for months, has it improved our league performance? No.

[MrMichael]

An extra fiver in the kitty? We've got billionaire owners and **** knows how many sponsorship deals for **** sake. It doesn't matter whether England are third or not. It's the principle. Rodgers has effectively said he'd rather play the ****ing Capital One Cup rather than European football. Expectations of the club are being lowered and it's not ****ing on.

Oh come on, that's ridiculously overplaying it. Stop acting like the Europa league is a competition for the ages. It isn't. Its only existed for about a decade. Its a ****ty second rate trophy for also rans and at the early stages especially is full of utterly random sides, with a ridiculous format and then the absurdity of failed CL teams dropping into it half way through. The current competition bears no resemblance to the UEFA cup of old and deciding we don't want to play in it once, to give us a better chance of actually succeeding in domestic competitions, especially the league (which everyone surely agrees is the defining competition for our club at the moment) is not lowering expectations at all, its raising them if anything. We don't just want to participate for the sake of it thanks to some arbitrary, made up criteria, if we're going to be in it we want that to be by virtue of us winning things.

[MrMichael]

Send the reserves to play it. It's what they're there for. Suarez isn't banned from European games so the Europa League could keep him fresh. Unless Rodgers is planning on selling him.
The precedent for Liverpool Football Club should be European football, not refusing it to see if it helps our league position. We've been out of Europe for months, has it improved our league performance? No.

Ahhh, actually, yes it has. And our league position too. Our worst start for how many years was it? While also playing Europa football. We've gotten better since we were knocked out, no doubt about it for me.

And no, that isn't what the reserves are for. We don't have reserves any more, they are the U21s and most of them are just kids. How does sending a bunch of 18 yr olds who really shouldn't be playing for the first team yet off to Latvia on a Thursday night really represent our proud heritage or demonstrate the value in the competition? A bit of experience, sure, but look at the sides we played this year. Some of them were scratch but some of them, by necessity, involved a lot of first teamers. The management, back room staff etc all have to travel too, we don't just send the kids over on their own you know.

Look at what's happened to other clubs playing that competition too. Newcastle would no way be at risk of relegation this season were it not for the strain the Europa put on them. Remember Fulham a couple of years back and how they died on their ass after so many games?

I'll say it again, this concept of "European football" you are promoting did not develop with the prelim stages of the Europa league in mind. Far from it.