The Champions League

[Alan Whittle]

@EverTheOptimist
The two yanks in the Chelsea consortium were invited in by Parish and have 18% ownership each. They, like your two saviours Hicks and Gillet (how’s that new stadium by the way?) are only in it for the money. That’s why they’re off to one of your Super League buddy clubs. All the operational control is from Parish. I appreciate that your vested Super League interests would want to diminish his contribution to the wider interests of football, but your take, as usual, is bollox.

 

[EverTheOptimist]

@EverTheOptimist
The two yanks in the Chelsea consortium were invited in by Parish and have 18% ownership each. They, like your two saviours Hicks and Gillet (how’s that new stadium by the way?) are only in it for the money. That’s why they’re off to one of your Super League buddy clubs. All the operational control is from Parish. I appreciate that your vested Super League interests would want to diminish his contribution to the wider interests of football, but your take, as usual, is bollox.

Like I said he has no pull in Football, I just cannot see him preaching on his pulpit like he's doing now and the likes of Oliver Kahn, Florentino Perez, Joan Laporte, Avram Glazer, Andrea Agnelli etc etc etc taking any notice, needs someone with a bigger profile to preach about the ills of modern day football, not some geezer who drives around London in a yellow Ferrari, I can just see Agnelli getting the memo and someone saying to Agnelli ( who' s family owns Fiat Ducatti Maserati Ferrari)..." you know this guy preaching about Football he drives a Ferrari in yellow".

And those two guys, after reading that I hope they end up at Chelsea.

 

[Alan Whittle]

Like I said he has no pull in Football, I just cannot see him preaching on his pulpit like he's doing now and the likes of Oliver Kahn, Florentino Perez, Joan Laporte, Avram Glazer, Andrea Agnelli etc etc etc taking any notice, needs someone with a bigger profile to preach about the ills of modern day football, not some geezer who drives around London in a yellow Ferrari, I can just see Agnelli getting the memo and someone saying to Agnelli ( who' s family owns Fiat Ducatti Maserati Ferrari)..." you know this guy preaching about Football he drives a Ferrari in yellow".

And those two guys, after reading that I hope they end up at Chelsea.

So do we all, they are only in it for the money.
I’m sure your with your Super League ambitions you find it uncomfortable that someone is speaking for football and against greed and the best you’ve got to discredit him is the colour of the car he drives.

 

[davek]

D'you know what...and this is absolutley no word of a lie...I cant even be arsed they're into the final.

I get about as worked up about this boring arse European Carabao Cup as I do about our League Cup.

They all gave the game away last year when they wanted to desert this moribund competition and set up their Euro Scab Feeding Trough competition.

 

[caughtbythefuzz]

D'you know what...and this is absolutley no word of a lie...I cant even be arsed they're into the final.

I get about as worked up about this boring arse European Carabao Cup as I do about our League Cup.

They all gave the game away last year when they wanted to desert this moribund competition and set up their Euro Scab Feeding Trough competition.

Agreed. I've not watched the "competition" since itv lost it. Used to love it back then but it's completely lost its appeal. I can hand on heart say that's not sour grapes talking too... ?

 

[davek]

Agreed. I've not watched the "competition" since itv lost it. Used to love it back then but it's completely lost its appeal. I can hand on heart say that's not sour grapes talking too... ?

Liverpool and the rest of them didn't want to be in this anymore. I dont blame them. It's 'kin tripe.

 

[Eggs]

D'you know what...and this is absolutley no word of a lie...I cant even be arsed they're into the final.

I get about as worked up about this boring arse European Carabao Cup as I do about our League Cup.

They all gave the game away last year when they wanted to desert this moribund competition and set up their Euro Scab Feeding Trough competition.

….remember at the end of last season, you getting giddy saying they wouldn’t even qualify. I knew then it was the kiss of death. You just never tempt fate with that lot. The icing on the cake was when you said the title race was over in January. Ludicrous.

I agree, our own situation does make me less bothered than i would normally be but I’m sure after our inevitable fate is sealed the site of window banners & car flags will be particularly depressing.

it would be good if you kept your useless predictions to yourself, especially where they are concerned.

 

[davek]

….remember at the end of last season, you getting giddy saying they wouldn’t even qualify. I knew then it was the kiss of death. You just never tempt fate with that lot. The icing on the cake was when you said the title race was over in January. Ludicrous.

I agree, our own situation does make me less bothered than i would normally be but I’m sure after our inevitable fate is sealed the site of window banners & car flags will be particularly depressing.

it would be good if you kept your useless predictions to yourself, especially where they are concerned.

Farhad Moshiri

...I quite like Moshiri being here.

www.grandoldteam.com

How about you just piping down forever?

You are utterly bankrupt.

 

[AndyC]

Er… let’s keep things civil eh ?

Our concentration should be on what’s best for Everton, not squabbling about the RS.

 

[perth_blue]

"Legacy fans".

 

[Saint Domingo]

Liverpool and the rest of them didn't want to be in this anymore. I dont blame them. It's 'kin tripe.

Consider United v Madrid the game that made Abramovich invest in football. I think that was an early knockout game or maybe a quarter final.

United beating Juve over two legs in 99, only to then have Bayern in the final. It was genuinely the biggest challenge in football to reach the summit of winning it.

The greatest Arsenal team of all time found themselves in a final against one of the best Barcelona teams and couldn’t win it. Fergie’s 08/09 United being put out by brilliant Milan teams and Barcelona teams.

Now all we have is doped up english teams punting absolute trash until they get to a final which is probably against a team they’ve already played at least three times that season. All of them start every season expecting as a minimum to get to the CL semi final (as a minimum) but their season is probably a failure if they don’t win it. This used to be the biggest prize in football, a once in a lifetime win for most clubs. Now it’s an exhibition match at the end of every season for any two of City Liverpool Chelsea and maybe sometimes Madrid.

Where are the star players, the star managers, those teams you couldn’t quite believe how good they were until you saw them against an English team, players so good they made premier league superstars look ordinary. The Zidanes , Ronaldos, Figos, Kakas, Messis, Iniestas etc. Players so good that kids used to have shirts of opposing teams because they liked these players so much. The best we have now are two players in their mid 30s from Real Madrid (Benzema, Modric).

Instead we’re given a diet of watching Liverpool score corners against no mark teams, and City score a number of drag back tap in goals from players that might not even be in their first PL 11 like Sterling Jesus Mahrez. Some teams they’re playing are barely even able to get a shot away against them.


It’s very very poor fare, but this is what people seem to want, as long as they can watch City Liverpool and Chelsea on BT Sport with Rio and Michael Own then they’re not bothered that the competition is a complete sham that’s been diluted by seedlings, fixed draws, dodgy refereeing, and more and more money being hoovered up by the PL.

 

[abcdef]

Consider United v Madrid the game that made Abramovich invest in football. I think that was an early knockout game or maybe a quarter final.

United beating Juve over two legs in 99, only to then have Bayern in the final. It was genuinely the biggest challenge in football to reach the summit of winning it.

The greatest Arsenal team of all time found themselves in a final against one of the best Barcelona teams and couldn’t win it. Fergie’s 08/09 United being put out by brilliant Milan teams and Barcelona teams.

Now all we have is doped up english teams punting absolute trash until they get to a final which is probably against a team they’ve already played at least three times that season. All of them start every season expecting as a minimum to get to the CL semi final (as a minimum) but their season is probably a failure if they don’t win it. This used to be the biggest prize in football, a once in a lifetime win for most clubs. Now it’s an exhibition match at the end of every season for any two of City Liverpool Chelsea and maybe sometimes Madrid.

Where are the star players, the star managers, those teams you couldn’t quite believe how good they were until you saw them against an English team, players so good they made premier league superstars look ordinary. The Zidanes , Ronaldos, Figos, Kakas, Messis, Iniestas etc. Players so good that kids used to have shirts of opposing teams because they liked these players so much. The best we have now are two players in their mid 30s from Real Madrid (Benzema, Modric).

Instead we’re given a diet of watching Liverpool score corners against no mark teams, and City score a number of drag back tap in goals from players that might not even be in their first PL 11 like Sterling Jesus Mahrez. Some teams they’re playing are barely even able to get a shot away against them.


It’s very very poor fare, but this is what people seem to want, as long as they can watch City Liverpool and Chelsea on BT Sport with Rio and Michael Own then they’re not bothered that the competition is a complete sham that’s been diluted by seedlings, fixed draws, dodgy refereeing, and more and more money being hoovered up by the PL.

I actually wish that the ESL would have happened. When UEFA bring in the "legacy" qualification route for big names that are too crap to qualify as of right, you'll have an effective closed shop anyway. So whilst Sky were piling in against the ESL last year for fear of missing out, UEFA were being portrayed as the good guys that they most definitely aren't. With the ESL, the split could have got rid of the elitists forever and left everyone else to crack on.

The CL will be expanded to a "Swiss" model of qualification with more boring group games and even more certain qualification for the big boys. It stinks. As you and davek have rightly pointed out, this is a much-diminished competition that is being purposely overhyped by those who make money out of it. The PL is the only true metric of greatness as a stand-alone competition.

 

[moyeslovechild]

Consider United v Madrid the game that made Abramovich invest in football. I think that was an early knockout game or maybe a quarter final.

United beating Juve over two legs in 99, only to then have Bayern in the final. It was genuinely the biggest challenge in football to reach the summit of winning it.

The greatest Arsenal team of all time found themselves in a final against one of the best Barcelona teams and couldn’t win it. Fergie’s 08/09 United being put out by brilliant Milan teams and Barcelona teams.

Now all we have is doped up english teams punting absolute trash until they get to a final which is probably against a team they’ve already played at least three times that season. All of them start every season expecting as a minimum to get to the CL semi final (as a minimum) but their season is probably a failure if they don’t win it. This used to be the biggest prize in football, a once in a lifetime win for most clubs. Now it’s an exhibition match at the end of every season for any two of City Liverpool Chelsea and maybe sometimes Madrid.

Where are the star players, the star managers, those teams you couldn’t quite believe how good they were until you saw them against an English team, players so good they made premier league superstars look ordinary. The Zidanes , Ronaldos, Figos, Kakas, Messis, Iniestas etc. Players so good that kids used to have shirts of opposing teams because they liked these players so much. The best we have now are two players in their mid 30s from Real Madrid (Benzema, Modric).

Instead we’re given a diet of watching Liverpool score corners against no mark teams, and City score a number of drag back tap in goals from players that might not even be in their first PL 11 like Sterling Jesus Mahrez. Some teams they’re playing are barely even able to get a shot away against them.


It’s very very poor fare, but this is what people seem to want, as long as they can watch City Liverpool and Chelsea on BT Sport with Rio and Michael Own then they’re not bothered that the competition is a complete sham that’s been diluted by seedlings, fixed draws, dodgy refereeing, and more and more money being hoovered up by the PL.

I do agree with you somewhat but these things go in cycles. How many did Real Madrid win on the trot? Bayern were getting to the semis or final every year for a few years too. Before that Barca had a period they were number 1. Those 4, PSG and Juve definitely have the resources to compete at least. It would be nice if the other big Italian clubs could properly establish themselves again for sure.

 

[Ron Swanson]

City and Liverpool were always gonna be in around the final teams.

Consider United v Madrid the game that made Abramovich invest in football. I think that was an early knockout game or maybe a quarter final.

United beating Juve over two legs in 99, only to then have Bayern in the final. It was genuinely the biggest challenge in football to reach the summit of winning it.

The greatest Arsenal team of all time found themselves in a final against one of the best Barcelona teams and couldn’t win it. Fergie’s 08/09 United being put out by brilliant Milan teams and Barcelona teams.

Now all we have is doped up english teams punting absolute trash until they get to a final which is probably against a team they’ve already played at least three times that season. All of them start every season expecting as a minimum to get to the CL semi final (as a minimum) but their season is probably a failure if they don’t win it. This used to be the biggest prize in football, a once in a lifetime win for most clubs. Now it’s an exhibition match at the end of every season for any two of City Liverpool Chelsea and maybe sometimes Madrid.

Where are the star players, the star managers, those teams you couldn’t quite believe how good they were until you saw them against an English team, players so good they made premier league superstars look ordinary. The Zidanes , Ronaldos, Figos, Kakas, Messis, Iniestas etc. Players so good that kids used to have shirts of opposing teams because they liked these players so much. The best we have now are two players in their mid 30s from Real Madrid (Benzema, Modric).

Instead we’re given a diet of watching Liverpool score corners against no mark teams, and City score a number of drag back tap in goals from players that might not even be in their first PL 11 like Sterling Jesus Mahrez. Some teams they’re playing are barely even able to get a shot away against them.


It’s very very poor fare, but this is what people seem to want, as long as they can watch City Liverpool and Chelsea on BT Sport with Rio and Michael Own then they’re not bothered that the competition is a complete sham that’s been diluted by seedlings, fixed draws, dodgy refereeing, and more and more money being hoovered up by the PL.

English football is doing great now, but may not be within 4 years. Pep and Klopp gone, chelsea living within their means. There have been several times before where English teams dominated. This will inevitably pass.

 

[EverTheOptimist]

I do agree with you somewhat but these things go in cycles. How many did Real Madrid win on the trot? Bayern were getting to the semis or final every year for a few years too. Before that Barca had a period they were number 1. Those 4, PSG and Juve definitely have the resources to compete at least. It would be nice if the other big Italian clubs could properly establish themselves again for sure.

AC Milan are the next Sportswash program for a despotic Middle East regime who love killing, torturing and subjugating the majority Shia population in the country, so could see them back dining at the top table soon.

If that happens the Agnelli family will be forced to match the spending at Juve.

Bahrain royal family have offered $1.1 billion, should be a done deal when the season is done.