Football

[bb21]

I agree. Wigan earned the right to play in the premiership in 2005 and for the next seven seasons they earned the right to remain in the premiership. In their eighth season they failed to acquire enough league points and as a consequence they forfeited that right.

Whatever teams you 'like' and 'dislike', we all knew that three would go down, and this time it was the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa etc who earned the right to premiership football next season.

I absolutely agree.

Bad decisions that can cost games play a part though, along with some teams/players that seem to think cheating or trying it on is perfectly acceptable.

And in society is it considered acceptable as fans don't have a problem when it's their team, as winning is ultimately the aim however you do it.

Unfortunately the Premiership have to take some of the blame for it. Their refusal to share a larger proportion of the revenue with the Football League and the increasing wealth gap between the leagues meant that an extra year in the top division is worth extra £££££'s. Football clubs are businesses. No business would turn its back on a substantial sum of money for morals.

 

[jon0844]

I live in the real world, so I accept why it happens. Just wish it didn't!

 

[SS4]

How's this for an unlikely story...

Supposing Chelsea vs Everton finishes a draw, an Arsenal win at Newcastle should see them finish 3rd. However, if said win is by one goal, and Arsenal score exactly two more than Chelsea (i.e. 0-0/2-1, 1-1/3-2, etc), then the two will be dead level after 38 games!

In this situation, a play-off will be required to determine automatic Champions League qualification. A neutral venue (I would expect Wembley) would be needed for such a match, which would then presumably go to extra time and penalties if required.



Surely the solution is to introduce a third tie-breaker - record against one-another? It works well enough in Spain, so why not? It should be held back for exceptional situations like this one instead of having it take priority over Goal Difference as is true there however. (In this scenario, Chelsea's two 2-1 wins over Arsenal this season would see them take the automatic qualification spot.)

I would put goals conceded before head to head results but then that wouldn't fly with the FA's unofficial policy of punishing defenders

 

[bb21]

I would put goals conceded before head to head results but then that wouldn't fly with the FA's unofficial policy of punishing defenders

If goal difference is the same and goals scored is the same, surely goals conceded would be the same too, or am I missing something?

 

[SS4]

If goal difference is the same and goals scored is the same, surely goals conceded would be the same too, or am I missing something?

Yeah, I can't do maths today.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Europa League final tonight, with two Champions League drop outs contesting it. And Uefa wonder why people view it in such jest / contempt? An absolute joke of a competition, but as I suspect the only reason 3rd-placed teams enter the Round of 32 in the Europa League is for money purposes perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised...

 

[Liam]

Europa League final tonight, with two Champions League drop outs contesting it. And Uefa wonder why people view it in such jest / contempt? An absolute joke of a competition, but as I suspect the only reason 3rd-placed teams enter the Round of 32 in the Europa League is for money purposes perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised...

Bring back the Cup-Winners Cup.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Moral of the story? You can't be crap until February/March and expect to escape every time.

Are we supposed to read "in between the lines" of your quote and think of other Premiership clubs than Wigan this current season who met your criteria of "crap until February/March" ?

 

[Butts]

Bring back the Cup-Winners Cup.

And The European Cup with just Champions battling it out - which means the return of The UEFA Cup as well
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Europa League final tonight, with two Champions League drop outs contesting it. And Uefa wonder why people view it in such jest / contempt? An absolute joke of a competition, but as I suspect the only reason 3rd-placed teams enter the Round of 32 in the Europa League is for money purposes perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised...

Having said that I still hope Chelsea Win with a Torres brace -some hope :roll:- of the last bit anyway.

 

[SS4]

Are we supposed to read "in between the lines" of your quote and think of other Premiership clubs than Wigan this current season who met your criteria of "crap until February/March" ?

I didn't mean to include anyone else but I guess you could. We've certainly been terrible and pulled it together in March but really Wigan were the poster boys and it all but became a meme than Wigan would perform.

 

[Butts]

Rock on Chelsea 2-1 victory over Benfica .... Europa Cup Winners

 

[Darandio]

Congratulations Rafa Benitez. Bloke actually deserves it given the stick he has had.

 

[ReverendFozz]

Is it just me or does Michel Platini always have a face like a smacked arse

Marxista Fozz

 

[familyguy99]

Well Done Chelsea and well done Benitez, Chelsea fans may not like him but he got good record in European competition, surely Chelsea should offer him manager job then Mourinho.

Why did Demba Ba got medal knowing he be cup tie for Chelsea?

 

[richw]

Not sure why ba got one, should only have been the pre declared Europa squad

 

[bb21]

More egg on certain people's faces it would seem.

 

[TOCDriver]

Like I have said previously, little clubs like Wigan cannot hold on to good players they raise or find without the big money clubs coming in for them. As a result, they will always struggle in the top leagues simply because they are always having to rebuild their team. Wigan have done a fantastic job these past 8 seasons and they will be back. If everybody was given a budget limit of say 20 million, Wigan would never be relegated

 

[richw]

Lampards post match interview almost definitely confirmed he is on verge of signing new contract, assumingly at the directive of the new manager.

Who was the guy the in memory dedication was for at the end?

 

[jon0844]

Looked like a cameraman!

 

[Butts]

Benitez for Manchester City ?????

 

[richw]

I believe Chelsea have become the first team ever to win Europa league/ UEFA cup whilst defending the champions league

 

[Butts]

I believe Chelsea have become the first team ever to win Europa league/ UEFA cup whilst defending the champions league

They are holders of both until a week on Saturday when CLT is off to Deutschland

 

[Donny Dave]

Just seen something on the BBC website about Torres .....

"For the next 10 days, Fernando Torres is a reigning World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Europa League winner. If we play football until the end of human civilisation, will the planets ever align for one man like that again?"

Regardless of what sort of form he's been in for the past few years, that's an incredible achievement!

 

[Bevan Price]

Like I have said previously, little clubs like Wigan cannot hold on to good players they raise or find without the big money clubs coming in for them. As a result, they will always struggle in the top leagues simply because they are always having to rebuild their team. Wigan have done a fantastic job these past 8 seasons and they will be back. If everybody was given a budget limit of say 20 million, Wigan would never be relegated

Agree - football has been ruined by money from Murdoch and other TV companies, and from multi-billionaire overseas owners. Small clubs may occasionally win a domestic cup, but under the present system, I doubt that any club outside the current top 6 or 7 will ever win the Premier League.
The danger for Wigan will be to try to avoid the fate of teams like Portsmouth, Burnley, Luton or Northampton, who all reached the top flight, sometimes briefly, and then plunged headlong into the depths..... Some survived in the Football League (just), others sank to Conference level.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The danger for Wigan will be to try to avoid the fate of teams like Portsmouth, Burnley, Luton or Northampton, who all reached the top flight, sometimes briefly, and then plunged headlong into the depths..... Some survived in the Football League (just), others sank to Conference level.

Hard to believe but Oldham Athletic were amongst the clubs who were founder members of the Premiership. At least they are still in League 1, having gone no further down.

 

[Butts]

Hard to believe but Oldham Athletic were amongst the clubs who were founder members of the Premiership. At least they are still in League 1, having gone no further down.

Are they the lowest placed of the founder members of the Premiership ?

 

[Darandio]

Are they the lowest placed of the founder members of the Premiership ?

Not really, as the Wimbledon that were there no longer exist.

 

[Bevan Price]

For anyone interested in past (English) football records, some branches of Book Clearance Centre have been selling a book of English League Tables 1888 to 2012, reduced to 99p. Book also includes results of FA Cup & League Cup semi-finals & finals.

 

[Geezertronic]

Glad Chelsea won, but not for the fans though. They have been terrible since Benitez was appointed. With all the crap about Di Matteo and Mourinho I think Benitez did well to guide Chelsea to 3rd place let alone a European Cup win as well

 

[SS4]

Like I have said previously, little clubs like Wigan cannot hold on to good players they raise or find without the big money clubs coming in for them. As a result, they will always struggle in the top leagues simply because they are always having to rebuild their team. Wigan have done a fantastic job these past 8 seasons and they will be back. If everybody was given a budget limit of say 20 million, Wigan would never be relegated

I'd say everyone except Chelsea and the Manchester clubs are little clubs these days. Anybody those three want they get.