Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

Don't be such a bell end.

Says the person who a) starts a reply like that and b) from the next part of your post obviously doesn't get the evidence.

What I actually said was, what is that makes it 'such an inferior trophy' to what is was eight years ago? It perhaps has declined a touch but not massively. .

I pointed out that there are more teams in the CL, fourth hasn't always got a CL spot - bell end.

And therefore the quality of teams is weaker - bell end.

Got it now? Jesus, if ever there was an irony at calling someone a name you've just nailed it on the head bell end. Someone calling someone elsea bell end to start/resume an argument makes them the bell end. Can't you argue a case without name calling? The CL drop outs may have slightly increased the quality of sides, but not that much because the sides finished THIRD in their groups and with up to four teams from the better countries like Italy, England and Spain going through, it wouldn't necessarily be the sides that would improve it anyway

[Owzat]

I take your point Owzat that the Europa league doesn't perhaps contain the same quality as the old uefa cup. However lookiing at the teams that are still in it there are some good sides in there many with good european pedigree.

This term we could have quarter finals featuring, PSV, Villareal, Galatasaray, Benfica, Roma, Liverpool, Juventus and Valencia.

Ok, it's not the premier european competition but there's still some more than tasty opposition in there.

You didn't need to call me names to counter-argue my point, what's wrong with you? Oh, you must be older than twelve 

It wasn't that bad back then, it isn't that good now - even with CL dropouts. Back in the old days the third or fourth best teams in a league would play in the UEFA Cup, and domestic cup winners post-CWC. Or had people forgotten that England only relatively recently gained that fourth CL spot?

I'd say the gloss has been taken off the competition, I was pointing out to the petulant insult merchant that it had nothing to do with us being too accustomed to the CL, and as much to do with the quality of teams in the UEFA Cup dipping and it therefore being a less prestigious title. It doesn't help that the CL is now so loaded with better teams that there is really only one European competition, you could even argue "Alaves - who da feck are dey?"

I do take on board the point about the team names being different, I wasn't suggesting that wasn't true any more than when idiotic rival fans dismiss teams we beat back in our heyday because they are nowhere these days - they were still Champions of their league so therefore finished ABOVE the sides which the rival fans hold such high regard.


But even back when we won the UEFA Cup, did we rank it higher than the Champions League, League or FA Cup? Were we thrilled because we won it, or because it completed a cup treble? The League Cup has become devalued by the attitude teams have towards it, that has become more prevalent in all competitions bar the Champions League. The other reason the UEFA Cup has become less of a competition is because the Champions League is where the big money is, reportedly or factually. TV wants the big teams, UEFA has granted that wish and the fact that the UEFA Cup, Champions League and Cup Winners Cup used to have a night each, and now the Champions League has two nights to the UEFA Cup's one - Thursday being very demonstrative of its status, few managers are that happy about Thursday night football so close to a league fixture at the weekend. Thursday night football is almost as much a 'filler' as Monday and Friday night football

[LFC2007]

Don't be such a bell end.

Says the person who a) starts a reply like that and b) from the next part of your post obviously doesn't get the evidence.

What I actually said was, what is that makes it 'such an inferior trophy' to what is was eight years ago? It perhaps has declined a touch but not massively. .

I pointed out that there are more teams in the CL, fourth hasn't always got a CL spot - bell end.

And therefore the quality of teams is weaker - bell end.

Got it now? Jesus, if ever there was an irony at calling someone a name you've just nailed it on the head bell end. Someone calling someone elsea bell end to start/resume an argument makes them the bell end. Can't you argue a case without name calling? The CL drop outs may have slightly increased the quality of sides, but not that much because the sides finished THIRD in their groups and with up to four teams from the better countries like Italy, England and Spain going through, it wouldn't necessarily be the sides that would improve it anyway

Thought you might struggle to let that one go    

The simple fact is that the latter stages of the Europa League contain a similar standard of side to the UEFA cup of eight seasons ago. No amount of selectivity in your stats will prove that the best of this season's bunch in the likes of Juventus, Roma, Bremen, Hamburg, Valencia, Villarreal, and Benfica are much the inferior to the class of 2001 in the likes of Roma, Barcelona, Inter, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Parma, Porto and Deportivo. (If you want to argue that the latter are vastly superior, I'm all ears...or if you want to compare every team in the last 32 with 2000/2001, let's do it...). The main reason it is being perceived as a notably inferior trophy now is predominantly because of our (mostly) successful involvement in the Champions League over the past five years, not because of a decline in the level quality of sides participating.

[cavehill-reds]

hi guys
If they play the Europa game on the Thurs 25th Feb 2010 will they move the Saturday game against Blackburn to the Sunday 28th, can't see anything in the offical fixtures?

[maypaxvobiscum]

Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni, who will face Liverpool in the last 32 of the Europa League in February, have parted company with coach Dan Petrescu.

The former Chelsea defender guided Unirea to their first-ever Romanian title last season but his surprise exit has left the club looking for a new man to take over the reins.

General manager Mihai Stoica told GSP television: "We'll try to see what coaches are available. We propose to bring in a technician from abroad."

Unirea lie second in the Romanian league, level on points with leaders CFR Cluj after 17 games.

The club came close to reaching the last 16 of the Champions League but finished third in Group G behind Sevilla and Stuttgart.

[Owzat]

Toss up between doing a separate thread and reviving this one. For those who care :

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/reds-name-europa-squad

Liverpool have announced their squad numbers for the Europa League.

January signing Maxi Rodriguez is not included because he is ineligible having played in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid.

Promising youngsters from John McMahon's reserve team squad including David Amoo, Daniel Pacheco, Swedish winger Alex Kacaniklic, Gerardo Bruna, Steven Irwin and Robbie Threlfall have also been included in the squad.

Rafael Benitez's side take on Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League with the first leg at Anfield on Thursday, February 18.

Liverpool's Europa League squad:

1 Diego Cavalieri
2 Glen Johnson
4 Alberto Aquilani
5 Daniel Agger
8 Steven Gerrard
9 Fernando Torres
11 Albert Riera
12 Fabio Aurelio
15 Yossi Benayoun
16 Sotirios Kyrgiakos
18 Dirk Kuyt
19 Ryan Babel
20 Javier Mascherano
21 Lucas
22 Emiliano Insua
23 Jamie Carragher
24 David Ngog
25 Pepe Reina
26 Jay Spearing
27 Philipp Degen
28 Damien Plessis
31 Nabil El Zhar
32 Stephen Darby
34 Martin Kelly
36 Steven Irwin
37 Martin Skrtel
38 Robbie Threlfall
39 Nathan Eccleston
40 Daniel Ayala
41 Martin Hansen
44 David Martin
45 Alex Kacaniklic
46 David Amoo
47 Daniel Pacheco
48 Gerardo Bruna

I wonder what line-up Rafa will put out. I'm sure he's more concerned about finishing 4th than winning this two-bit competition, not that all fans on here share such a view. I wonder if we'll manage to score more than one goal in a cup game this season, this (competition) is our very last shot at doing so.

[kazza]

I am not too bothered whether some are downplaying this competition or some are hyping it to be honest. I am happy that as a supporter I get to watch my team play more matches because after all I enjoy watching the team play. The better we do the more we play, cannot be more simple than that. Obviously fourth is more important than this cup but why can we not do both. A confident team that is winning transcends all competitions and should continue to win.

[shawnk]

I am not too bothered whether some are downplaying this competition or some are hyping it to be honest. I am happy that as a supporter I get to watch my team play more matches because after all I enjoy watching the team play. The better we do the more we play, cannot be more simple than that. Obviously fourth is more important than this cup but why can we not do both. A confident team that is winning transcends all competitions and should continue to win.

Potential injury to key players to fight for fourth place.
I would love to watch my team play but to me this is just European coca cola cup (or whatever mickey mouse cup you call it). It a good competition for bench warmers to show their skills and hopefully it changes Rafa's stubbornness to try them.

[Owzat]

Quite right shawnk, fans would bitch something chronic if Gerrard tweaked his little toe playing for England, but are happy to see him huff and puff over 45+ games a season and be unable to sustain his best form.

There is no reason we can't win the cup and finish fourth, well except for being dire, missing players and sometimes something has to give. It's called PRIORITISATION, sometimes it is necessary when your back-up is mid-table standard and we're already calling on it in the league. Teams like Chelsea and the mancs cope easily with more than one competition, there's "no reason" we can do the quadruple other than a) it's a pipedream I don't believe anyone has achieved (in real life) and b) it's a bit much to ask of our squad.

I think it's all going to be rather academic, we've been poor in the cups since we last reached a final two and a bit seasons ago. Was Reading really such a shock? Probably not, so why would half-decent European clubs struggle where a Championship struggler succeeded?!?

[heimdall]

Unless we start playing a lot lot better then I don't think we will get too far in this competition but I am looking forward to the matches anyway as I always hope we will play well, that is why I'm in such a bad mood this season. 

[babu]

Unless we start playing a lot lot better then I don't think we will get too far in this competition but I am looking forward to the matches anyway as I always hope we will play well, that is why I'm in such a bad mood this season. 

really? when where you in a good mood?

[supersub]

I'll be happy to be in Hamburg come May.....

[heimdall]

Unless we start playing a lot lot better then I don't think we will get too far in this competition but I am looking forward to the matches anyway as I always hope we will play well, that is why I'm in such a bad mood this season. 

really? when where you in a good mood?

I was in a good mood last night, had nothing to do with football though. 

[babu]

Mail order dwarf donkey arrived then?

[Ben Patrick]

I am not too bothered whether some are downplaying this competition or some are hyping it to be honest. I am happy that as a supporter I get to watch my team play more matches because after all I enjoy watching the team play. The better we do the more we play, cannot be more simple than that. Obviously fourth is more important than this cup but why can we not do both. A confident team that is winning transcends all competitions and should continue to win.

Potential injury to key players to fight for fourth place.
I would love to watch my team play but to me this is just European coca cola cup (or whatever mickey mouse cup you call it). It a good competition for bench warmers to show their skills and hopefully it changes Rafa's stubbornness to try them.

Dont mean to sound like am kicking off like but some of our fans need to behave, this isnt the champions league but it is still a decent trophy.
There are plenty of big names in there and it wont be easy to win.
If we were to get to the final i would be made up.

I dont stick up for Rafa often but clearly he has raised the bar by that much that we feel that this competition is not worthy of us being in it