itt liverpool not winning things; sandbox i love football

That was cruel, but it seemed weirdly inevitable, in real time, once Odense started breaking. I like Fulham but I couldn't stifle a LOL tbh.

Goosebumps from that video NN :-D

Ach, why can't I watch that video on my phone? It's just my type of thing.

I've got very warm feelings towards the Europa League right now. Extremely annoyed at clubs not treating it like a proper tourney - that's the basic reason for its low status, it's a self-fulfilling diss. And change its name back too please.

yeah-

Daer clubs that think ur above uefa league- ur not. it's the best tournament you could qualify for. stfu and play some senior players kthks

Yay, it worked that time - that's lovely, brought a tear to my eye. 'Embarrassed to be in the Europa League', up yours United.

Extremely annoyed at clubs not treating it like a proper tourney - that's the basic reason for its low status, it's a self-fulfilling diss

I think you mean English clubs not treating it like a proper tourney, AFAIA everybody else does.

Sorry, Premiership clubs

tbf it was Evra who said he was embarrassed, and we all know he's an arsehole

Ha, possibly that's true - my assumption was that PSG and Roma were halfway competent.

Don't agree with having the shite teams from the Champions League joining the competition halfway, that devalues it, then it becomes easier to dismiss it as the You're 'Opeless League

Hm, I see Roma didn't even make it - apologies for neglecting you my sweet Europa League, I've changed, things will be different from now on.

I've got much love for the Europa League too. And the "self fulfilling diss" IK speaks of is so otm. This will also be the reason why City and United won't come far in the tournament; Basel was keen on kicking Utd's arse, a lot of clubs in the EL will be the same if not more motivated to do the same.

dunno, if utd leave rooney out then they'll prob do ok

Yesterday: Barcelona will not sell David Villa (to Chelsea)
Earlier: Chelsea will not sell Torres 'at any price'
This just in: Villa breaks leg in Japan

First Putin fixes the election, now this

Don't agree with having the shite teams from the Champions League joining the competition halfway, that devalues it, then it becomes easier to dismiss it as the You're 'Opeless League

― Derek Pringles (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Thursday, 15 December 2011 12:29 (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

^^ this tbh

Yesterday: Barcelona will not sell David Villa (to Chelsea)
Earlier: Chelsea will not sell Torres 'at any price'
This just in: Villa breaks leg in Japan
Torres: Still shit

Don't agree with having the shite teams from the Champions League joining the competition halfway, that devalues it

Agreed, the parachuting in shite is the absolute worst.

"Well done, you managed to finish above GENK! You're in!"

Yesterday: Barcelona will not sell David Villa (to Chelsea)
Earlier: Chelsea will not sell Torres 'at any price'
This just in: Villa breaks leg in Japan
Torres: Still shit
John Terry is a cunt

that doesn't even rhyme tbh

The truth doesn't have to rhyme

Sad for Villa. Was he still the main frwd for the national team during qualifying?

God forbid they would have to resort to Torres this summer.

Maybe they'll give Soldado a go after 3/4 years in exile.

torres stinking up the bridge
Form so cold it's like a fridge
Barca wouldn't touch the sap
Oh wait- did i just hear a snap
John terry is a cunt

Ruud van Nistelrooy is the 'World Goalgetter of the first decade (2001-2010)', just before Henry and Drogba

If you can't do the time
Don't do the crime
It doesn't have to rhyme
John Terry is a cunt

love Villa, hope he comes back from this as good as ever.

liking this UEFA Cup revival as well, i'm sure it won't be spoiled by British football media behaving as if there's only 1 team in the competition now

Genuinely didn't know Ruud was also an alchemist in his spare time

where did van Nis come in the "World Elbowing Dudes in the Face of the First Decade" comp?

You won't catch me out that easily. we all know there are 2 NV
xp

They retired that trophy with Shearer. No one could compete xpost

You won't catch me out that easily. we all know there are 2 NV

Stoke and Man City

The 'Europa League' is a pile of shite. It's not just the parachuting losers in halfway through, it's also the group format and the pool of teams (i.e. 5th-7th-best instead of 2nd-4th best). Old UEFA Cup & Cup Winner's Cup >>>>>>>>>> Europa League.

Here's Neymar scoring a nice goal in the WCC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ntRlXNVggQ

tbf if the Europa was still 2nd to 4th best clubs then Man U wd still be taking part

I quite fancy watching Santos-Barca. Is it on Sunday?

(xp) next season, yeah, not this one - unless they introduced a rolling-impratical-where-you-are-in-the-table-right-now criterium

:D

Er, 'criterion', sorry (got bike racing on the brain)

Utd are going top on the weekend anyway

It's still the 2nd-4th best (or higher) for most countries, lamenting absence of the CL elite is very much a first world problem.

Yeah, but that wasn't how it used to work - it isn't 'still' 2nd-4th for those countries, because those countries would never have had three places in the old days.

According to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient
the top three leagues (currently England, Spain and Germany) get four CL spots and then three EL spots; then the next three (Italy, France and Portugal) get three of each; then the 7th to 14th leagues (from Russia down to Austria) get two places in the CL and either 3 or 4 in the EL. It's only once you get down to the 16th-best league (Cyprus!*) that the second-placed team goes into the Europa League. Of course it gets muddied by teams getting knocked out of the CL in the qualification stages or group stages and getting booted down a level and also whether cup competitions are used instead of your league placing.

Also according to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Europa_League
in the good old days (1980-1999), outside of the top eight leagues only one or two clubs would have been entered into the UEFA Cup.

*Scotland come 18th, just behind Israel.

* Oof, and that's with Rangers' 2008 Uefa Cup final run due to drop out of the counting shortly.

The elite players are nearly all with the top dozen clubs nowadays too; I'm fine with the competition below Harlem Globetrotters level being a broad church.

In fact it drops out next year (it's the single biggest year for anyone outside the top eight leagues) and without it Scotland drop down to football-failed-state level i.e. Hungary. A lot hinges on Celtic giving Serie A leaders Udinese a damn good thrashing tonight.

without it Scotland drop down to football-failed-state level i.e. Hungary

Failed a long time ago. Hungary are better than Scotland these days, aren't they? National team's a lot better than it was.

They do seem to have revived a bit. Probably roughly on a par these days, though Scotland losing their best player isn't ideal either. We need Hungary and Scotland back almost winning world cups imo.

D. Fletcher might be Scotland's best player but not when he's playing for Scotland

... so I don't think he'll be missed tbh