"Champions" League - UEFA finally gets the point

Can't remember what paper it's in, but SSN has reported today on UEFA thinking up new rules on how people are entered into the Champions League.

Apparently, they're finally deciding that the cup competitions of the larger countries (ones that already take three or four clubs to the CL) should be made to offer one of those places by the country's cup. So, for example, England would have three CL places in the league up for grabs, with the FA Cup providing the final one.

Frankly, if this happens, it's the best thing UEFA have ever, ever done. Now, i'm normally pretty critical of FIFA, their ideas of reducing the Premier League to 18 teams being the coup de grace for me really, but this, to be fair, is a truly excellent idea, as it would finally give much needed strength and importance to the FA Cup, and give someone other than the big four a realistic chance of getting into the CHAMPIONS league.

Thoughts?

crap idea. doing well over more than 30 games should always take precedence over winning 5 or 6 cup matches.

It's a nice idea. Because a team who end at 4th is not a CHAMPION (the same with 2th, and 3th), and yeah.. It's nice to see they finally wake up a little.

I like the idea, but just one stupid question, if, for example Chelsea would win the Premier League + the FA Cup, than the FA Cup's loser would be in "fourth" place?

This s*cks. This way a lucky third division club who comes out as a real cup fighter can manage to enter the CL. What would you think if a club like Cambuur Leeuwarden enters the CL?

If you want champions in the Champions League than this is certainly not a good idea. I think the best clubs of a country should represent their country in the CL. This is best decided by just looking at last season's league table. I do object to the fact that number 4 of the premiership can still enter the Champions League.

Carlos*ie4;2385655 said:

crap idea. doing well over more than 30 games should always take precedence over winning 5 or 6 cup matches.

Click to expand...

crswind17;2385677 said:

I like the idea, but just one stupid question, if, for example Chelsea would win the Premier League + the FA Cup, than the FA Cup's loser would be in "fourth" place?

Click to expand...

I agree. The FA cup is usually won by one of the top 3 anyway. However i suppose with the added incentive of getting into the Champions league at the end it may inspire some lower teams. But saying this, some teams may decide their squad is not strong enough for Europe and therefore discard going for the FA cup final win due to their lack of squad strength and keep focus on the prem. Bad idea me thinks.

It's a terrible idea in my opinion. A club can just focus on the FA Cup instead of the league just to gain entry to the CL. It makes watching the league matches of these clubs pointless because they would be just playing their fringe players before an FA Cup game.

Only the champions should be allowed to play in the Champion's League. Meaning you have to win the league to compete.

I have a good idea, without this one.
Only 1st place reach the CL - without qualify, and you don't need to play 2,4 or 6 matches to get through. Then you are secure one team from every european country.

Carlos*ie4;2385655 said:

crap idea. doing well over more than 30 games should always take precedence over winning 5 or 6 cup matches.

Click to expand...

I agree. Bad idea.

Hepoas;2385695 said:

I have a good idea, without this one.
Only 1st place reach the CL - without qualify, and you don't need to play 2,4 or 6 matches to get through. Then you are secure one team from every european country.

Click to expand...

That's how it once started...

I don't see how this is a bad idea. I mean im a liverpool fan and it'd hurt me but i still think it's good.

This would put the importance back into the FA Cup, i mean there was a time when the cup was far far far more important than the league, this would help it get back to that stage. Oh, and your post made me laugh Max, i like that you say a club that fights in the Cup all the way to the final doesnt deserve to enter the Champions League The CL is meant to be the creme de le creme of football, and, for a Championship side to win they would need to beat the likes of (in England at least) Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal or Liverpool... So where's the problem?

The CL, is, in itself, a cup competition anyway with a small league to start with. It's a cup, not a league. I just don't understand how this is a bad idea in anyway, it goes someway to breaking the dominance of the big four, cos a club like Tottenham could beat two of them on the way to winning the cup, and for doing that - fair play to them, you get entry to the 3rd qualifying of the CL.

The Premier League has too much power as it is, be nice to see the FA Cup get some back, since that's where football started. Mind you, most people here can't remember pre-1992.

I agree with Tom here. It's not only on England, the cups are losing their mystic in every league around Europe.

Yeah, it could make 3rd division sucker club go to the CL, but that is almost impossible. And actually, a cup champion...is a champion! There, "Champions" League...anyone?

Tom;2385760 said:

This would put the importance back into the FA Cup, i mean there was a time when the cup was far far far more important than the league, this would help it get back to that stage. Oh, and your post made me laugh Max, i like that you say a club that fights in the Cup all the way to the final doesnt deserve to enter the Champions League The CL is meant to be the creme de le creme of football, and, for a Championship side to win they would need to beat the likes of (in England at least) Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal or Liverpool... So where's the problem?

Click to expand...

Well it's not so unlikely. I remember not so long ago Millwall was in the final of the FA Cup, FC Utrecht won the Dutch cup twice in a row something like 2 years ago, Alemannia Aachen did the same in Germany and I'm sure there are more examples that I can't come up with now. The point is those clubs are all but the best clubs of their country.

Winning 5 or 6 games with a bit of luck is not so unlikely for a small insignificant club(with all do respect). Moreover the road to the final is not so hard if you only play a few games. With a lucky draw you can go all the way to the final. For example last year we had RKC Waalwijk U21, ADO Den Haag, Haarlem, Willem II, RKC Waalwijk before we finally met our first real opponent in the final versus AZ. You see what I mean, the cup is just to short and to uncompetitive to decide who's going to represent the country's football in the best competition in the world. To be honest, I think a UEFA Cup spot is already a big enough reward for winning the cup.

I'm sorry, i just completely agree. You're looking at it and saying, well the best clubs win the league, and therefore should go into the CL. The problem with that, as we've seen, is that the big clubs keep getting richer and keep winning, that's why we have the mythical 'big four' in England. It's impossible for anyone to break into because of the financial implications and problems.

If you suddenly say, well lads, you get your act together for six games then you're in the CL, it opens it up FAR more.

And this is my point, the reason a cup competition is still as fair as the league, is for the very reason that Carlos*ie said in the first post. He said "crap idea. doing well over more than 30 games should always take precedence over winning 5 or 6 cup matches."

He's wrong, but the fact of the matter is that the only teams in the big leagues that can win 30 games in a row or whatever, are the teams with the biggest squad, the best players and the most money - the only reason they can do that is because of the Champions League revenue.

A cup competiton might be shorter, but it's still the most effective way of finding out who deserves to win, and sure, maybe the best team doesn't win every year, but 95% of the time, the team that wins deserves to win, and therefore, i think they should be allowed to go and command their presence in Europe, however ****e they are.

I have read somewhere that Norway is just beat by England and Spain for the cups. Is weird that our nation have a big cup, almost as big as England's. If you compare the people who wants to see our cupfinal, and england's, and compare with the people who lives in Norway (4,5 M) and England (??) is actually almost equal.

This can help FA Cup to be more interrest by the smaller teams too, I think it's a good idea.

Hepoas;2385847 said:

I have read somewhere that Norway is just beat by England and Spain for the cups. .

Click to expand...

how do you mean "just beat by England and Spain"?

do you mean in terms of the crowd at the final?

I ask because there's always more than 50 thousand at the Scottish Cup Final.

England has 4 teams and then the rest, but that's their problem. Not all the leagues are as predictable as the EPL.

I don't think the Champions League needs a different format.

4 years ago Sevilla were poorer than any midtable team from the Premiership and now they'll play the CL. It's not a miracle, they just spend their money wisely.

Carlos*ie4;2385855 said:

how do you mean "just beat by England and Spain"?

do you mean in terms of the crowd at the final?

I ask because there's always more than 50 thousand at the Scottish Cup Final.

Click to expand...

Read one more time, and you will see what I mean. What we have compared with.

Dream Team;2385861 said:

I don't think the Champions League needs a different format.

Click to expand...

No-one is saying the CL needs a new format. Fair point about Sevilla though.