New Champions League Format

[Tokyo Blue]

It would be acceptable if all the national champions in Europe went straight into the league stage. The numerous non-champions can then play off for the other ten or so places.

Dream on.

This is designed to protect the munes, Arsenals and Liverpools of Europe; teams that have just fallen off or are about to fall off the gravy train.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Total crock of shite ... nice sneaky way of getting the European superleague they wanted ... Expect the 'excitement' of the Prem to deminish season on season if this comes in.

My thoughts exactly. It's all about boosting the power of UEFA whilst simultaneously diminishing the power of the domestic leagues, and nothing whatsoever to do with what's good for European football.

I wonder, as a spin-off, there's a sting in the tail against us ?

It's well known Platini has singled us out for criticism, on a number of occasions, when he's been selling his concept of FFP to all his acolytes, or to anyone else who will listen. If these accursed regulations were to be enforced and we were ever prohibited from playing in the Champions League on financial grounds, there would be a danger that, with the determination, ability and potential mindset of our owner, we might set up our own, break-away competition, which could eventually kill off UEFA as a governing body.

If there were to be a big new European Super-League (in effect) already in existence before we got excluded, then our efforts to form a rival organisation would be rendered all the more difficult and, apart from creating an even bigger gravy train, UEFA's precious existence might be more easily safeguarded.

Just a thought.

[dazby]

To take this point a little bit further, Platini has been outspoken against us and our spending power. Mancini has made some baffling decisions in Europe. Perhaps there is a link in that we are waiting to make a few more friends and influence more people before we take Europe by storm. It may very well be that if we won the Champions League in the first season, it would be viewed purely as a result of our spending power and UEFA would come down harder on us as a result. By performing poorly in the first two seasons we are showing that we aren't the big bad wolf and that our money isn't ruining football.

Just thinking aloud. It's probably bollocks but it would explain a lot of Mancini's strange Euro decisions.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

To take this point a little bit further, Platini has been outspoken against us and our spending power. Mancini has made some baffling decisions in Europe. Perhaps there is a link in that we are waiting to make a few more friends and influence more people before we take Europe by storm. It may very well be that if we won the Champions League in the first season, it would be viewed purely as a result of our spending power and UEFA would come down harder on us as a result. By performing poorly in the first two seasons we are showing that we aren't the big bad wolf and that our money isn't ruining football.

Just thinking aloud. It's probably bollocks but it would explain a lot of Mancini's strange Euro decisions.

Nice bit of thinking 'outside the box' there Dazby - and it would certainly give some potential insight as to why our form in Europe has been so variable this season.

It might also explain some of Bob's tactical decisions and team formations which, in this light, could be viewed as somewhat experimental.

Sometimes it's nice to mentally wander into areas that could be construed as purely figments of reality but, at the same time, there might be no smoke without fire ??