Football League Play-offs | Page 12 | Vital Football

Football League Play-offs

Who's Going Up?


  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
It's a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest,not that I watch it of course, having Australia in it! If I am buying an orange that's what I want not a lemon.Maybe it's me but it contradicts itself.If you gonna change the way it's run then change the name of it....simples.
At the same time Ingy, what does it matter?

These things are about entertainment. The only thing worth discussing is whether Eurovision is more entertaining with Australia in it.

It could hardly be less entertaining so why not?
 
In fairness, all the champions of Europe are in it.
See now that’s pedantic! ?

It’s also potentially wrong from a certain view point.

Assuming you agree that the CL actually starts at the ‘league’ stage, many of the actual Champions have been knocked out by then in the qualifiers.

Effectively you have some Champions having to qualify for the Champions League proper when some sides who haven’t won their domestic league in decades don’t have to.

You may well disagree but it’s inherently wrong in my view.
 
It's a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest,not that I watch it of course, having Australia in it! If I am buying an orange that's what I want not a lemon.Maybe it's me but it contradicts itself.If you gonna change the way it's run then change the name of it....simples.

You mean when you buy a fisHcake you want a fisHcake chap!
 
See now that’s pedantic! ?

It’s also potentially wrong from a certain view point.

Assuming you agree that the CL actually starts at the ‘league’ stage, many of the actual Champions have been knocked out by then in the qualifiers.

Effectively you have some Champions having to qualify for the Champions League proper when some sides who haven’t won their domestic league in decades don’t have to.

You may well disagree but it’s inherently wrong in my view.

I was talking about the competition as a whole.

I have no desire to see the Champions of Northern Ireland or northern Macedonia ahead of Real Madrid.

No one has ever won it without having been champions at some point either. Only forest have won it more times than they have won the league.

Is it entertaining? Yes, it bloody is.

Is it all about entertainment? Yep.

Would what you are talking about lower the entertainment level? In my view, most likely. I want to see exciting football, not Man City demolishing the champions of Malta, but it's ok because at least it fits the name now
 
Not one part of the history of the CL supports what you are saying.

The European cup was actually invented to test a British media assertion that Wolves were the best team in Europe. In its first 20 years only Feyenoord and Celtic won it outside of the elite clubs.

Now in the last 20 years we have had Porto win it and possibly Spurs. Given the vast influx of cash that you seem to think is harmful, what has actually changed?

I disagree with your definition of leveller completely. Something that is a leveller does not need to make things exactly equal at all, merely more equal. I find it hard to support an argument that the German league would be more equal it Bayern Munich were the sole German representatives for seven consecutive years.

And you are completely wrong IMO about where the financial issues are coming from- naieve in fact.

The clubs absolutely have done it themselves but it has nothing to do with the CL or an agenda by UEFA. The only agenda I can discern from UEFA is simple survival in the face of breakaway threats.

The real money is coming from the commercial and sponsorship revenue around the world. It's very easy to lambast UEFA and the CL for ruining things, it even sky; yet it is not their fault that in the last 20 years Man Utd have gained an official pillow partner and an official snack partner. It isn't their fault that Real Madrid can sign players like Ronaldo 10 years ago on outrageous contracts because they expect to make the revenue back in far east shirt sales.

It's not their fault either that PL clubs are desperate for a long winter break; not so they can rest players but so they can get in on the lucrative exhibition match market.

What some of you seem to actually want is to reduce the quantity and quantity of a competition that I actually enjoy based on some autistic pedantry and misty eyed belief that the way it was when you were a kid was right and how things are now is wrong. I only have to look at the current state of politics to know how much harm that attitude is doing to the country
And on that point we will have to agree to disagree as I find your interpretation of it totally alien to how I view the game.

Porto had at least won their league whereas next week we face the prospect of the so-called Champions League being won by a team that either hasn’t won the league in 20 years or hasn’t won the league in over 40.

I also find it bizarre that you would compare the first few years of the competition to now in that way.

The teams then were all Champions of their leagues and nothing back then was artificially inflated by the financial strength of the league or the amount of prize money won.

And it’s got nothing to do with misty eyed reminiscing. I have my beliefs as to what is right and what is wrong and that is that.
 
At the same time Ingy, what does it matter?

These things are about entertainment. The only thing worth discussing is whether

It could hardly be less entertaining so why not?
On yes chap! When they change Strictly Come Dancing to include magicians we will see how you feel then chap!
 
I was talking about the competition as a whole.

I have no desire to see the Champions of Northern Ireland or northern Macedonia ahead of Real Madrid.

No one has ever won it without having been champions at some point either. Only forest have won it more times than they have won the league.

Is it entertaining? Yes, it bloody is.

Is it all about entertainment? Yep.

Would what you are talking about lower the entertainment level? In my view, most likely. I want to see exciting football, not Man City demolishing the champions of Malta, but it's ok because at least it fits the name now
And yet I find most of the games now boring as hell. I would rather see teams I haven’t seen before at some point.

Plus you are also ignoring the fact that most of the minnows would be knocked out pretty early unless you got a few giant killings which I would actually find more entertaining than watching Real Madrid buy the competition again.
 
And on that point we will have to agree to disagree as I find your interpretation of it totally alien to how I view the game.

Porto had at least won their league whereas next week we face the prospect of the so-called Champions League being won by a team that either hasn’t won the league in 20 years or hasn’t won the league in over 40.

I also find it bizarre that you would compare the first few years of the competition to now in that way.

The teams then were all Champions of their leagues and nothing back then was artificially inflated by the financial strength of the league or the amount of prize money won.

And it’s got nothing to do with misty eyed reminiscing. I have my beliefs as to what is right and what is wrong and that is that.

The comparison is made to show that the money hasn't actually changed anything in terms of who won it.

The same major teams were winning it with much the same frequency in the first 20 years as they have in the last 20 years.

I don't care how long it is since the finalists won the league. Both have beaten several champions. Liverpool beat the champions of Spain. Spurs beat the champions of England and the Netherlands. Both are worthy winners
 
The comparison is made to show that the money hasn't actually changed anything in terms of who won it.

The same major teams were winning it with much the same frequency in the first 20 years as they have in the last 20 years.

I don't care how long it is since the finalists won the league. Both have beaten several champions. Liverpool beat the champions of Spain. Spurs beat the champions of England and the Netherlands. Both are worthy winners
And if you believe that the money hasn’t changed anything then there’s nothing more I need to say.

In the first 20 years there were 10 different winners. In the last 20 there have been 8. In the middle 24 years there were 16. I know which period I would rather watch.

I would also much rather see a Champions competition that is actually made up of Champions and won by a Champion. I don’t mind last year’s winner qualifying as technically they were the champions of Europe.

All of this constant striving to change things or improve what doesn’t need improving just doesn’t interest me and I honestly don’t believe it has improved anything at all, just made it a closed shop for the haves.
 
And if you believe that the money hasn’t changed anything then there’s nothing more I need to say.

In the first 20 years there were 10 different winners. In the last 20 there have been 8. In the middle 24 years there were 16. I know which period I would rather watch.

I would also much rather see a Champions competition that is actually made up of Champions and won by a Champion. I don’t mind last year’s winner qualifying as technically they were the champions of Europe.

All of this constant striving to change things or improve what doesn’t need improving just doesn’t interest me and I honestly don’t believe it has improved anything at all, just made it a closed shop for the haves.
Of course money has changed things- but not necessarily for the worse in the CL. The last three and the first five were won by Madrid- what has changed?

My point for the last two posts has been that champions League money isn't the thing that has changed anything.

Look, we have a fundamental disagreement that means there is little point carrying on. I think the CL is quite exciting and you think it is boring. There is not going to be anything I can say to make you feel differently about it and visa versa. I agree to disagree, but thanks for an interesting and amicable debate
 
Of course money has changed things- but not necessarily for the worse in the CL. The last three and the first five were won by Madrid- what has changed?

My point for the last two posts has been that champions League money isn't the thing that has changed anything.

Look, we have a fundamental disagreement that means there is little point carrying on. I think the CL is quite exciting and you think it is boring. There is not going to be anything I can say to make you feel differently about it and visa versa. I agree to disagree, but thanks for an interesting and amicable debate
Certainly been an interesting discussion, thank you. ?
 
If you only had one champion from each coumtry you would start decentralising the power base as the money would be more evenly spread around the countries and make let's say the Swiss or the Polish league for example a more attractive option both financially and competitively for players.
 
If you only had one champion from each coumtry you would start decentralising the power base as the money would be more evenly spread around the countries and make let's say the Swiss or the Polish league for example a more attractive option both financially and competitively for players.

Not they wouldn't. Not even remotely

Poland and Switzerland would get the same money that they do now.

A handful of British, German, Spanish and Italian clubs would intermittently get less from that source.

So they will get it from somewhere else. By pushing far east markets, by charging more for admission. In England the teams would break away from collective bargaining and sell their own TV rights

And of course, the obvious one is the breakaway European league.

You might say 'fine, fuck off then'. A nice sentiment, but one day I would very much like my children to be able to come to a game with me and see some of the best players in the world on the pitch. Once a European league begins that possibility is gone for the vast majority of paying fans and everything our clubs ever do will, in the media at least, be relegated to non-league
 
Worth pointing out that Tranmere have been promoted to L1 today.

They have this fine, lean specimen of a man in their defence- Steve McNulty. Anyone fancy a double signing with Akinfenwa? gettyimages-546077546-612x612.jpg