Roto Volgograd vs Djugardens and it’s LIIIIVVVE
It’s an Italian concept from start to finish.
I’d like to see a UEFA Nations League style four division system introduced for the Champions League, with the winners of each pathway® qualifying for the semi-finals.
The A Division would consist of teams from leagues which are in the top quartile of national co-efficients, the B division would consist of teams from leagues in the second quartile of national co-efficients, and so on.
So the Champions League semi-finals could theoretically end up as:
Bayern Munich (winner A Division) v Linfield (winner D Division)
Red Star Belgrade (winner B Division) v Legia Warsaw (winner C Division)
3 Likes
they renewed it to have control over it an to stop it being used
I’d rather they split Europe into three regions be it west/central/east or north/central/south and have 6 groups of 6 and have teams from similar enough areas playing each other and building rivalries between leagues.
Teams out of the running would be more motivated to try and stop a rival qualifying or to get one over them rather than just playing out a game against another side from 500 miles plus away. Would also give teams from outside the big handful of leagues a fairer shot and would lead to a better competition.
Less travel too and would save teams having to trapse across Europe to play games
Would also cut down on carbon emissions too
cc @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy
7 Likes
24 hours later I really wonder have we thrown the baby out with bath water in being so quick to dismiss The Super League.
What about all the good stuff the ESL proposed? The company men have washed that away too - salary caps, proper financial fair play and a mooted draft / pick system for weaker clubs.
As I pointed out, a lot of the UEFA shills like @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy and @Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy have zero interest in actually stamping out greed/corruption or improving the game. They just wanted their little patch looked after and couldnt give a fuck about the rest.
2 Likes
I’m criticising UEFA’s plan here.
You’re defending it like you defended the Super League as it benefits the greedy 12.
The Super League was a confirmation that the top level is a closed shop, the new format allows the illusion of some sort of equal competition to remain.
Within 10 miles of the 2 Manchester clubs Bury, Stockport, Macclesfield and Bolton have all either gone bust or been days away from going bust in recent years. Oldham, Rochdale, Wigan and Altrincham are not too healthy either. And this is the system people want protected!
2 Likes
You won’t hear Carragher and Neville grandstanding about this.
Assholes.
Unless a club has a billionaire investor now it can forget about being competitive. That’s Sky and UEFA legacy.
1 Like
agents need regulation. They are operating in an unregulated market, creating demand by encouraging players to move clubs so they can get fat off the back of transfers, contracts and fees. They are creating an artificial market so they can get wealthy. Forget about the top 5 or 10% of super transfers. It’s the guys of similar ability moving around for the sake of moving contracts around, sucking the life out of clubs. Agents encouraging players to move laterally every few years. Clubs need to get better at protecting themselves contractually from these agents and players also, for example Jack Rodwell sitting on his arse at Sunderland earning 100’s of K’s a week. There seems to be very little rainy day planning when these guys get their day in the sunshine also. They suckle at the breast for a while and one guy gets rich, he’s done. So it’s not just at the top level where the problems are.
Throwing more money at the lower league won’t fix their problems long term. It needs regulation from the ground up. Salary caps. Agents need to be regulated. Transfers and contracts need regulation. Clubs need protecting from players and agents. There needs to be a power shift back to the clubs, players need to become employees again and not dictate through their agents
2 Likes
What part of ‘I dont support this’ did you need quiet grasp?.. You’re a UEFA shill and clearly happy to have your own patch looked after and nothing else.
You were cheerleading on the Super League yesterday. We won’t forget.
Incorrect.
I expressed ambivalence as i’m dismayed by the corruption that permeates through soccer from top to bottom. We got a lot of waa, waa, waa in relation to greed and corruption but it seems it was all about vested interests. Where’s the outpouring against FIFA and Qatar, UEFA bribery — it seems because this doesnt affect any vested interests no one gives a fuck.
We’re either all in to stamp it out or we’re not in at all. Yesterday wasnt a victory soccer, it was just a move to keep the status quo - Agents, admin staff, broadcasters, players, managers, media - executives/ governing bodies… they’ll all return to their own troughs now to gorge.
Sickening.
1 Like
Do you really need 10 clubs within a 10-15 mile radius of each other?
He does… he’s a prick like that.
Exactly, and the current system encourages conmen to try buy clubs in the hope of getting them a promotion or 2 and then selling them on again with a big profit. The Super League could have put an end to that as that very remote hope would have been extinguished. It would also mean smaller TV revenues outside the SL and therefore the power returning to the match going fans again. But Sky were against it as were the gullible clowns who talk about history and tradition. Now the ‘dream’ lives on that Ipswich and Swindon may one day be Kings of Europe.
2 Likes
You do because they are all their own distinct places and the club helps give the place its own identity. The fact they all existed without issue for 100 years* should tell you that surely.
*I don’t know how many years most of them have been in existence