Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:31 pm

To me, this whole debate about whether Liverpool or Everton should qualify for next year's Champions League if Liverpool win the competition and Everton finish 4th has fundamentally highlighted a major flaw in the competition rules.

Reasons why the "Champions League" format is gubbins

1) A team that hasn't won their league for 15 years could win it

2) A team that hasn't won their league for 50 years could win it

3) English teams get the chance to enter the competition (2 via the qualifying stage) while only 1 Scottish team gets the chance to enter (has to enter in qualifying stage)

4) Number of clubs allowed from each country determined by that country's performance in European competition

5) English clubs get 7 chances to compete in Europe, Scottish clubs get 3 or 4

6) Last British side to reach a European final (before this year) Celtic

7) "Big" clubs wanting further seeding to avoid drawing other "big" clubs in early knock out rounds

8) The competition is just a money making scheme for the top clubs which means no other teams can threaten their monopoly.

9) The holders don't automatically get the chance to defend their trophy.

10) 4th Place in the Premiership is now seen as an achievement (In my opinion the reason why Liverpool and Newcastle are in the position they are in now - nowhere)

11) that stupid song at the beginning of all the matches

12) the blatantly unethical idea of keeping kids up past their bed time to wave a big white sheet of material around in the centre circle

13) Since when has Russia been in Europe?

The whole things a farce if you ask me.

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:51 pm

stmichael wrote:3) English teams get the chance to enter the competition (2 via the qualifying stage) while only 1 Scottish team gets the chance to enter (has to enter in qualifying stage)

Don't Scotland get 1 automatic place and one qualifying place?

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:53 pm

stmichael wrote:11) that stupid song at the beginning of all the matches

I love that music.

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:12 pm

Funnily enough StMike, I was kind of thinking of the same thing yesterday.

I was just thinking that the Champions League has lost some of its charm since they expanded the competition and introduce weekly fixtures, Also the UEFA Cup has lost a lot of credibility because the teams that used to compete in it are now in the Champions League, and you have like the third placed team in Israel playing in it. It just seems the competition has become more about money for clubs rather than the satisfaction of being amongst the best.

Personally I would like the Champions League to be reduced to 16 teams. Have 4 groups of 4, you play everyone in your group twice, you have a fixture every two weeks. Then straight into the quarterfinals, with the top two teams from each group qualifying.

1 automatic place should be given to all the major European countries who have performed well in Europe, and maybe a second qualifying place to the best nations like England, Spain, Italy, and possibly German, France and Holland. Countries like Turkey, Portugal and Greece could get 1 automatic place only. Countries like Israel could have 1 place in the qualifying rounds. At the moment I think there are two qualifying rounds, another one would probably have to be introduced.

But I don’t think that alone is enough to restore credibility in European competition. I think that the UEFA cup needs to mean a lot more. I would reduce the amount of money that is achieved through prize money in the Champions League and pump it into the UEFA cup, and I would definitely take it back to a straight knock out competition. The increased prize money and the better quality of teams would mean that the UEFA cup would have more credibility.

Liverpool FC Forum

Champions league - Why the format is wrong

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