Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

I hate Scouse FC as much as any self-respecting Man United fan, but I have to say I'm pleased that common sense has prevailed and they will rightfully be in Europe next year :)

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

:shocked: I cannot belive i am reading this! UEFA have already bent the rules for Liverpool to enter the competition and they are still complaining! I think that they were lucky to get in the competition at all and should be grateful, not annoyed about having to qualify.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

bent the rules :Yikes: they have had them rewritten becuase the teams who will win the cup after liverpool will also be automatically entered in to the champions league.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

I am happy they are in the competition but did I read it correctly that if Liverpool get beaten in a round they still progress? or was it sarcasm.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

No, the post from gazzae was official, every word is true.:angel:

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

The champions usually got entered into the competition even if they are outside their league qualification places. The problem here was the number of teams - UEFA rules state that no country can have more than 4 teams. If England only had 3 teams which entered the champions league then there wouldn't have been a problem.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

oh right, the article on the BBC site did not make the bit about automatic qualification irrespective of league position clear.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Well, I had my application come through today to renew my membership at Old Trafford, and I binned it :upyours: Glazer

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

its going to be a killer if all the financial data that has been publsihed goes through, i know he has to make money from somewhere, thats the diffarence though, he is a business man hes not in it for the health of the football end of the club.

:mad:

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Liverpool: It's only common sense. Back in the day, when it were winners only, then the champions got in even if they didn't win the league.

When we won it in 1979 we wouldn't have been able to (successfully) defend it the year after having finished second, had this silly rule been in place.

I can see why it's applicable to international comps because there it's easier to qualify and keeps the teams off meaningless friendlies- but the games are more in the league, and let's be honest, fixture congestion makes it more a squad game these days anyway.

Glad to see UEFA have made some common sense decisions now. They aren't getting it easy but they're in it. And that should be a bonus for them.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Chelsea poised to outbid United again.

It seem's united will have to take a back seat in the transfer market for a few year's to come.
Unless fortune's change, united could end up being a mid table side.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

I think this shows Chelsea dont have a clue what they are doing or who to buy, they did it with Robben and it looks like they are going to do it again. I wathched Park Ji-Sung play against Milan in the champions league and i wouldnt value him at £7 million which is what PSV want, now Chelsea are involved.

I dont think its if United's fortune's change they will be a mid table side, i think everybodys fortunes will have to change to be able to compete with Chelsea outbidding on any decent player a team wants to sign. :(

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

But the Champions are allowed to defend it. The problem here was the number of teams. UEFA rules stated that no country can have more then 4 teams.

When this happened before in Spain - Real Madrid finished 5th but won the European Cup - the spanish FA excluded the fouth placed team, I think it was Real Zaragotha, and included Madrid in their four representatives. UEFA leave it to the countries FA to decided what teams are nominated - the Spanish FA made a decision, the English FA didn't have the balls to make one.

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

exactly the Fa have engineered us getting 5 teams in because they can't make their minds up about what to do so did nothing in the end.. The FA should have just put the holders in instead and have done with it..

of course if UEFA hadn't ruined the comp in the first place this wouldn't have happened anyway

Re: The Football Thread 2005/2006 Season
 

Yes but what's happened here, is the winners have fallen outside the normal qualifying places and because they've taken away the automatic place then they can't defend it. ie, they're assuming the holders qualify by virtue of their league position.

When they only let league champions in then the holders got in anyway, all I'm saying is if this stupid rule about holders not being allowed in had been around then, countless champions who didn't win their league the season they won the EC wouldn't be allowed to defend it.

The problem is the silly rule about the coefficients. Normally it works well but when you have a situation like this, you can't NOT send a side who have qualified by virtue of a position in the league, and you can't NOT enter the holders. If the rule had been "one team per FA" back then, do you send the holders or the Champions?

The matter is there should be a special entry place for the holders and that should be independent of their league position- ie, the only logical way is for five English sides to enter, the normal 4 (Chelsea, Arsenal, **** and Everton) who finished there by rights of their league position, and the holders, who won the competition but finished outside the top 4. They all deserve to be there, as they've satisfied the requirements to be there.

I also think Man City should take the extra European place too.