The Big Europa Conference League Adventure 2022-23

ScotHammer

buffybegood said:

claretandbluesky said:

I have always felt they should scrap the system which allows knocked out teams to jump into the next stage down competition.

100%, always felt it's really unfair on Europa League teams to have the CL 3rd placed teams drop into the knockout stages, and now likewise the EL teams dropping into the ECL.

As usual, it's UEFA pandering to the bigger teams rather than any degree of fairness.

I think UEFA started to lose it when they let the fourth best team from a country into a ‘Champions’ League. IMO it is a super league just given a different name, although at least you do need to qualify for it!

buffybegood

ScotHammer said:

I think UEFA started to lose it when they let the fourth best team from a country into a ‘Champions’ League. IMO it is a super league just given a different name, although at least you do need to qualify for it!

Although the latest amendments mean some places are now going to be awarded on a "legacy" basis, which makes a mockery of it and is further pandering to the bigger clubs.

ScotHammer

buffybegood said:

ScotHammer said:

I think UEFA started to lose it when they let the fourth best team from a country into a ‘Champions’ League. IMO it is a super league just given a different name, although at least you do need to qualify for it!

Although the latest amendments mean some places are now going to be awarded on a "legacy" basis, which makes a mockery of it and is further pandering to the bigger clubs.

You’re not suggesting there is some sort of bias/favouritism going on? 😜⚒

ASLEFshrugged

claretandbluesky said:

I have always felt they should scrap the system which allows knocked out teams to jump into the next stage down competition.

UEFA simply want to make as much money as they can and this guarantees that the big clubs that draw the TV audiences stay in European competition e.g. Barcelona and Juventus dropping from the Champions League to the Europa League this season

ASLEFshrugged

MrsGrey said:

It's not (never was?) a football stadium though?

I think the whole German/Russian thing was in play back in the 30s. There was also a 'home grown' Nazi thing going on. After which the Communists took control. I think they were keen on gymnastics too..

I was in the Strahov district last summer - impressive monastery, library and brewery.

The stadium thing passed me by...

No,it was far too big for football

Czechoslovakian politics between the wars was pretty centerist/liberal, it wasn't until the late 30s the Sudenetland Germans started gaining influence

Apparently the whole mass gymnastics thing dates back to the 1860s and a bunch called Sokol

buffybegood

ASLEFshrugged said:

claretandbluesky said:

I have always felt they should scrap the system which allows knocked out teams to jump into the next stage down competition.

UEFA simply want to make as much money as they can and this guarantees that the big clubs that draw the TV audiences stay in European competition e.g. Barcelona and Juventus dropping from the Champions League to the Europa League this season

We know why they're doing it, doesn't make it right though 🤬🤬🤬

ASLEFshrugged

buffybegood said:

We know why they're doing it, doesn't make it right though 🤬🤬🤬

Wow. Just wow

The Europa Conference League only exists because of UEFA's greed and if it weren't for that we would not be heading towards our first European final since 1976

So I'm happy that we are benefiting from UEFA's greed

buffybegood

ASLEFshrugged said:

buffybegood said:

We know why they're doing it, doesn't make it right though 🤬🤬🤬

Wow. Just wow

The Europa Conference League only exists because of UEFA's greed and if it weren't for that we would not be heading towards our first European final since 1976

So I'm happy that we are benefiting from UEFA's greed

I've no issue with a 3rd Eurpoean competiton; there always used to be 3 from when I was a kid until UEFA did away with the Cup Winners Cup. What I don't think is fair is UEFA allowing teams to drop into another competition once they've been knocked out of the one they qualified for, simply to try to get a more, in their eyes, prestigious winner. The UEFA Cup as was (before the creation of the Champions League) didn't play a few rounds and then have someone who's just lost in the European Cup come in to get a second chance to win something.

ASLEFshrugged

When I was a kid European football didn't have group stages, they were knockout competitions. Only one English team qualified for the European Cup, one for the Cup Winners Cup and a couple for the UEFA Cup

When we won the Cup Winners Cup we played eight matches against four team to reach the final. This season we've played 14 matches against seven teams to reach the final

UEFA have expanded their competitions, not for the love of football but to generate more revenue and allowing big teams to drop down into the next level is just another way of squeezing the maximum revenue from the competitions they control

I have absolutely no complaints about UEFA being greedy because if they weren't we'd still have three knockout competitions and West Ham wouldn't have played in any European competitions since 1981

Fortuneseeker

ASLEF, I don’t see it as being greedy having expanded versions of the original 3 competitions what is wrong is them engineering the “top” teams being allowed to remain in Europe after they have been eliminated. I am waiting for the time UEFA decide the two teams with the biggest coefficient who have been knocked out of both the CL & EL can play in the last four of the ECL against the sides who would normally expect to be the finalists.

chicagohammer

It really is so blatant and ridiculous - we have three separate European competitions for which a level of prior performance in a domestic league or recognized cup competition is required in order to participate.

These three competitions offer different levels of rewards and associated prestige but all are considered desirable to take part in, and all teams strive to achieve qualification.

You qualify for one of them, you participate in it, you succeed or fall short and collect whatever reward and prestige that results.,

That is all there is to it, or at least, that is all there should be to it

But what do I know

ASLEFshrugged

The "top" teams generate more TV money and UEFA want them playing as many games as possible. UEFA don't want clubs like Barcelona or Juventus getting eliminated at the Group stage as to them that is revenue lost

There must have been a lot of cursing in Nyon when Barcelona drew Man Utd in the Europa League knock rounds, two teams with massive worldwide TV audiences and only one could qualify for the round of 16

Football is a business

Fortuneseeker

Let’s just agree not to have open competition in football! 😁. The top clubs according to UEFA can stay in the CL until they are knocked out but when they start their campaign there are guaranteed to be in a final. 🤷‍♂️. Daniel Levy the other day, yes him again, summed up one thing that is wrong with football when discussing the WSL. He said the best way of it gaining more investment would be to run it as a closed league with no promotion or relegation.

IronHerb

Of the 8 teams that dropped into the Conference League, this season, 5 were eliminated in the Knockout Round and the other 3 eliminated in the Round of 16. So little or no impact on the competition.

Fortuneseeker

Ironherb, UEFA will be looking into that and will I am sure be finding a way to correct that for future seasons. 😉

buffybegood

IronHerb said:

Of the 8 teams that dropped into the Conference League, this season, 5 were eliminated in the Knockout Round and the other 3 eliminated in the Round of 16. So little or no impact on the competition.

Since the 1999/2000 season when the 3rd placed team in the CL group stages were first dropped into the UEFA Cup/Europa League, those teams have made up 23 of the 48 finalists, so quite an impact there I'd say.

OutcastLondoner

I feel like the teams dropping down from the other competitions makes it feel like more of an achievement. I found the early stages were a bit underwhelming, personally.

ASLEFshrugged

Even the ones that dropped down from the Europa League to the Conference were pretty underwhelming

AEK Larnaca? Qarabag? Sheriff Tiraspol? Ludogorets Razgrad?

ASLEFshrugged

Fiorentina drew 1-1 at Torino this afternoon

OldCastleSwift

10th in Serie A, I believe. Not having a stellar domestic season, much like us, so it looks like it'll be a tight affair. O'Hara and Hendrie, those titans of punditry, think we'll win and I guess most on here do?

This far out, I think we probably should. But no doubt the closer we get to the night I'll be less and less confident. 43 years I've been waiting. I ain't got another 43 in me.

Lukerz

Could finish anywhere between 8th-12th. Very similar to Frankfurt last season.

IronHerb

I've got my ticket for Prague. 🥳🥳🥳 ⚒ 🇨🇿 ⚽️

MrsGrey

Woo hoo!!

OldCastleSwift

IronHerb said:

I've got my ticket for Prague. 🥳🥳🥳 ⚒ 🇨🇿 ⚽️

Are.... are you Knollsey?

IronHerb

Wanna fight? 🥊

jay_in_cpt

OldCastleSwift said:

IronHerb said:

I've got my ticket for Prague. 🥳🥳🥳 ⚒ 🇨🇿 ⚽️

Are.... are you Knollsey?

Or Moyes' 87 year old Dad !!!???!!

IronHerb

Oi Oi.

I've never been to Glasgow. 😂

chicagohammer

OldCastleSwift said:

IronHerb said:

I've got my ticket for Prague. 🥳🥳🥳 ⚒ 🇨🇿 ⚽️

Fantastic, you will be flying the flag for all of us on here, have a great trip

COYI

CleverTrevor

I also got my ticket today. Very excited. See you there IH! ⚒⚒⚒

Slacker

Have a look out for my boy over there, he’ll be the one in a West Ham top.
Ta.