would a united v liverpool final be a farce?

[zippy]

After all, it is supposed to be the 'champions' league not 'champions and also rans'.

I think the champions league is starting to show signs of losing its credibility and a united v liverpool final would really be a bit of a farce.

This is how i would like the champions league arranged:

* only the league winners from each euro league will be entered.

* All entered teams are in the same group or division.

* Each team plays every other team twice, whomever is top of the division after all games have been played is the winner.

* If first and second place at the end are tied on points there will be a play off game to decide the winner (not goal difference)

There, a simple format but a true 'champions league' rather than a euro club version of the world cup. eufa should hire me.

 

[Stanley Road]

Originally posted by zippy:
<strong>After all, it is supposed to be the 'champions' league not 'champions and also rans'.

</strong><hr></blockquote>

You might just get caned for that there line

Speshly as we won it as runners up

 

[Cal?]

By the time we won it in 99, we were the CHAMPIONS!!

 

[zippy]

Originally posted by Stanley Road:
<strong>

You might just get caned for that there line

Speshly as we won it as runners up</strong><hr></blockquote>

regardless.... if they want to keep the competition in its current format they should drop the name 'champions league' and just call it the european cup or european club cup.

When a team works hard for a whole season to win their domestic league, it is not right to be kicked out of the competition by some other team that didnt just becuase they had an off night or other unlucky circumstance.

Lets have it right; if were going to have a competion between the elite of european football it should be only the best team from each country. Giving the 'other teams' a birth seems to me to be more of a 'cash grab' than anything else and lowers the standards of the whole deal.

 

[Cal?]

I agree they should change the name, afterall the Scousers haven't been champions for so so long.

But surely the standard of the 2nd-4th placed teams in the Premiership, La Liga & Serie A is considerably higher than the Latvian, Slovenian champions.

The quality of the competition is higher, it's harder to win.

 

[Davo]

Good thread..

Its name should be changed..

I'd prefer to win it as Champions, still worth winning tho as you found out...

 

[Neil Thomson]

If you were to keep a league format, but have one league as you suggest, then half way through its season half the teams would be out of the running and would start fielding youngsters like Juventus did, making a mockery of the competition. It would only work if it had relegation/promotion from the national divisions. I hope it never happens that Man United leave the premier league to play in a European league.

 

[GaryLifo]

A United V Liverpool final is highly unlikely. But agree the name of the tournament should be changed.

Perhaps to ....

The Liverpool not allowed to enter ever again Cup???

Or The no scouse bastards trophy.

 

[Niall]

Money talks these days I'm afraid and the Champions' League is only that in name. Uefa and all the big federations and clubs in europe want to fill their coffers with as much money as they can get. They all want a slice of the pie and so extending the tournament to include 2nd-4th placed teams from the top leagues is the way to do it.

It has destroyed what we all knew and loved as the Champions Cup but I guess it was inevitable the way things were/are going in football. It is essentially a European super league and will only get worse in the coming years.

I just hope they rejig the format because the current one is a farce designed to squeeze more money out of the thing. The tournament is at least 6 games too long now. It was perfect with just one group stage - less games but more big ones with higher stakes. The game is now saturated with European football and it's devaluing it as a spectacle.

....to sum up, Uefa are a bunch a money grabbing dicks!!

 

[The Red Machine]

Originally posted by Cal:
<strong>By the time we won it in 99, we were the CHAMPIONS!!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Let's not forget it is quite possible LFC will have won the league by the CL final...

I feel it is dangerous calling it the final between champs and 'also-rans' now, being a utd fan, since this one could well end up straight in your face...

Personally, I would revert to the European Cup principles of before this money-grab-would-be-league started... (even if that meant we wouldnt be in it now - which doesnt mean that we wont be happy if we win it obviously)

 

[King]

No , not a farce

Just a walk in the park for United.


<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />

 

[Knoxy]

Originally posted by zippy:
<strong>After all, it is supposed to be This is how i would like the champions league arranged:

* only the league winners from each euro league will be entered.

* All entered teams are in the same group or division.

* Each team plays every other team twice, whomever is top of the division after all games have been played is the winner.

* If first and second place at the end are tied on points there will be a play off game to decide the winner (not goal difference)
</strong><hr></blockquote>

I really don't that idea would work as you would have loads and loads of meaningless games. How dull and uninteresting would it become if say Real Madrid went straight to the top and just ran away with it? you wouldn't even have a relegation battle. There'd be far too many games an' all. The European cup has always been a knockout competition by nature and whilst the league bit in the current guise changes this a little bit, the latter stages still ring true to this ideal.
re us vs you in the CL final would belittle the competition. how so? Real Madrid and Valencia played each other 2 years ago, how is the potential situation you are mentioning any different to that?
You lot won the tournament in 1999 when only one (I think?) of the semi finalists had actually won their title the year before, Does that make your treble year tainted?
The Champions League has ceased to actually be that for years, is there any reaosn you are suddenly bringing this up now? <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

 

[Neil Thomson]

Pana v Barca (damn!)

 

[Neil Thomson]

Bayern v Real !!! bang goes one!

We got Depor!!

 

[Neil Thomson]

Those lucky scousers therefore got Bayer!

 

[Neil Thomson]

And we could get liverpool in the semi's!!!

 

[Renfurm]

Originally posted by Niall:
<strong>....to sum up, Uefa are a bunch a money grabbing dicks!!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Correction: The G-14 clubs are a bunch of moneygrabbing dicks.

It was their moaning and crying about it not being fair that their supposedly big clubs couldn't play at the highest European stage every season because proper Champions from other countries took up too much space.

 

[michael owen's mum]

it's beacause the most likely alternative to the name 'champions league' would be 'european super league'.

and that would mean bye-bye domestic competition.

this current format is only avoiding a full euro-league by the skin of its teeth....

 

[True Treble Reds]

Originally posted by michael owen's mum:
<strong>this current format is only avoiding a full euro-league by the skin of its teeth....</strong><hr></blockquote>Correct.

 

[$ukhjit]

If we had all winners for the European Cup, these are the teams who would qualify. I am FOR this because at the end of the day, a champion of a country deserves to enter automatically and it would prove a team is European Champion from all the clubs who won their national competition/league.

EUROPEAN LEAGUE WINNERS 2000/2001

COUNTRY - LEAGUE WINNER
Albania - Vllaznia Shkoder
Andorra - FC Santa Coloma
Armenia - Araks Ararat
Austria - Tirol Innsbruck
Azerbaijan - FK Shamkir
Belarus - Slavia Mozyr
Belgium - Anderlecht
Bosnia-Hercegovina - Zeljeznicar Sarajevo
Bulgaria - Levski Sofia
Croatia - Hajduk Split
Cyprus - Omonia Nicosia
Czech Republic - Sparta Prague
Denmark - FC Copenhagen
England - Manchester United
Estonia - Levadia Maardu
Faroe Islands - VB Vágur
Finland - FC Haka
France - Nantes
Georgia - Torpedo Kutaisi
Germany - Bayern Munich
Greece - Olympiakos
Holland - PSV Eindhoven
Hungary - Ferencvaros
Iceland - KR Reykjavik
Israel - Maccabi Haifa
Italy - AS Roma
Latvia - Skonto Riga
Lithuania - Kaunas
Luxembourg - F'91 Dudelange
Macedonia - Sloga Jugomagnat
Malta - Valletta FC
Moldova - Serif Tiraspol
Northern Ireland - Linfield
Norway - Rosenborg
Poland - Wisla Krakow
Portugal - Boavista
Republic Of Ireland - Bohemians
Romania - Steaua Bucharest
Russia - Spartak Moscow
San Marino - SP Cosmos
Scotland - Glasgow Celtic
Slovakia - Inter Bratislava
Slovenia - NK Maribor
Spain - Real Madrid
Sweden - Halmstad
Switzerland - Grasshopper
Turkey - Fenerbahce
Tunisia - Espérance ST
Ukraine - Dynamo Kiev
Wales - Barry Town
Yugoslavia - Red Star Belgrade