i wonder if any of you BEFORE this years competition considered the uefa champions league format to be unfair/wrong etc. in respect of the structure for seedings, amount or allocation of teams from certain nations was unbalanced (or even too many). or indeed if the whole mini-league within, framework WAS working?
obviously from a commercial standpoint the format IS successful in revenue/media coverage terms.and mssrs moores and parry would not argue otherwise, im sure.
and in hindsight they'd wish that had been the case 4 times previously...
but thats my point. hindsight/retrospect/nostalgia/memory lane....etc.
personally i have to admit, that, up until our investiture as EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS i too hankered for the days of knockout football in europe, where, albeit as champions of that country's league, you could within reason meet ANY body.at any stage, and therein lay the hidden magic? ok, im pretty certain there was a seeding structure back then although limited to the respective title holders of each league? the mists of time have blurred that memory for me, but there is the discussion point i wanted to pursue.....
i.e was it REALLY all good back then, was it, EASIER to win back then (less games etc) or did it MEAN as much back then? forget financially, im talking about things like.. prowess as a fan, walking into work with a manic grin....opening the front door at nigh on midnight after the game and screechin' out all manner of liverpool related expletives! with shirt removed/belly out/ doin a mad kind of giraffe dance up the street....goin shopping still weeks later with a manic grin....swelling with pride at every recollection of it kind of thing....
question is, is it BIGGER to win now......................YES
thats obvious.
but.. compare hindsight with foresight for a moment..already to look back 10 weeks i still cant get me head round HOW it happened, i just know im proud that it did. but....it felt like that 20-30 years ago didnt it? and when i look forward i STILL cant see how/when/if well do it again.. i just THINK we will.
not many times in my life have i had CAUSE to be pessimistic with liverpool f.c (90's aside) and im not being now, but how many of you, with regard to how the compo is set-up REALLY believe we can win it again? (bearing in mind squad size, competitions played in, uefa/fifa red tape etc)
good old days or bright horizons?