Champions League

[pork pie fox]

It's really disjointed. I haven't really watched any in recent years, so I'm not exactly the target audience, but the group format just makes it all seem very random. It's shit and only really worth looking at at the end of the group phase, at which point you'll be able to see roughly what happens from there on. The group phase has now been turned into an assortment of computer generated fixtures.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

Its all another symptom of the absolute death of football.

The CL now goes on endlessly. Used to stop before Xmas & come back in early March, giving everyone a break to concentrate on their domestic leagues.
Now it carries on all the way through to the end of January, has a break for about 15 minutes then comes back in February. Madness.

After all this ****ing faff, 2 thirds of the teams will still be involved.

The seeding system also ensures that the big clubs will still more than likely piss their way through to the last 16.

As I said, all just a symptom of the wider collapse of the game.

The stupid amount of teams that qualify in the first place, the complete dilution of quality in the Europa as a result, the completely ****ing pointless Conference League...& then at international level the equally pointless Nations League, plus the upcoming expansion of the World Cup to a million teams.

All just ends up with players playing constantly without any kind of acceptable break, leading to the inevitable drop in quality in favour of quantity.

European football used to be about being an elite event & they still sell it as such.

How in the name of **** can it be when teams finishing literally nowhere in their leagues can still qualify for europe?

SHITE

The last WC was proof enough. Despite the fact that the whole thing was a triumph of corruption & cynicism, it did produce probably the best tournament in years & certainly the best final of my lifetime.

Why? Because it was played in mid season when players are at the peak of fitness rather than in the summer when the current programme sees them all shagged out or playing with injuries.
The same programme that just got even worse thanks to this ****ing bollocks.

**** it all. I grew up with the european cup. A genuinely elite event with games spaced out so that they were real occasions, not just another bog standard league game.
& the UEFA cup was for teams that could genuinely challenge for league titles.

& no ****er qualified for europe by finishing 30 bastard points behind the champions.

Dogshit.

 

[Micky]

I looked at the fixtures last night and decided to go and watch Salford instead. Good night out.

 

[Brown Nose]

My recommendation is to completely ignore European football.

 

[pork pie fox]

My recommendation is to completely ignore European football.

The only interest I've had over the past few years has been when we've been in it.

 

[bocadillo]

It is very bizarre, they usually have a massive great list of stats and facts. Did he not even google it before the game?

Come now. You know that European football only started in 1992. Next thing you'll be suggesting that the game was played in England before the Premier League was introduced.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Come now. You know that European football only started in 1992. Next thing you'll be suggesting that the game was played in England before the Premier League was introduced.

The Champions League was just a rebrand for the European Cup, it’s not a breakaway competition by a separate organisation like the PL.

 

[M17TT C]

Well if you didn't watch Barca v Bayern tonight, you missed an absolute cracker of a game.

Personally I think the new format has shook things up nicely so far as usually after 3 games, the likes of Bayern, Athletic, Milan and PSG would probably be through already after all getting easy groups but they are looking uncertain to even make the play off round.

Villa, Monaco and Breast 3 of the top 5.

Much less chance to have non-eventful games as the results all have a big impact on the league.

It's not perfect and does seem a bit strange with a league where all the teams do not play each other but I'm happy to have given it a chance and it's been good quality so far, much better games than the majority of sky games in the PL from what I have seen.

Plus Prime show a game a week and most people seem to have that, and full highlights on BBC MOTD.

 

[martin peters]

I like breast?

 

[homer]

Saint Pep losing his third game on the spin

Lovely stuff

 

[Blue Maniac]

Man City getting smashed by the new Manyoo boss. Hat-trick by a former Coventry player.