Serial, you're right,reducing the CL will never happen because the top clubs would all lose out.

What saddens me is that most cup competitions these days are seen as annoying distractions from the main event. and the ironic thing is that most of the CL groups games are pretty insignificant. In the early games a loss can be compensated for in later games and in the later games a draw or even a loss can be enough for teams.

I'm old enough to remember the days when the FA cup was a big competition and the final was a huge event. It would be nice to get back to that

I think it's a terrible idea, the whole point of the competition should be Europe's elite fighting for the prize.

You want the best players coming up against the best players from around Europe.

How do you get a fat girl into bed.......piece of cake

How do you get a Scottish bird into bed......piece of píss.

Bit out of order, Fellani?

@Serial,

What do you add apart from fat jokes....




...being made about you.

Right now I think we have a good balance between competition in the CL, generating revenue through the CL and keeping qualification for the CL interesting.

Having 7 places for CL qualification in England would be a big blow to the league (the race for the CL is a very interesting battle).

Bad idea in my opinion

It's already daft calling it the champions league as it is

If this idea was implemented it would just be another step towards the European League...

Here's a question, rather than top 4, should it be top 2 and the winners of the domestic cups that get in?

Would add more weight to the FA Cup and Capital One Cup and stronger teams would be fielded

Only problem being, Arsene would miss out on his 4th place trophy

Right now I think we have a good balance between competition in the CL, generating revenue through the CL and keeping qualification for the CL interesting.
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You have to look at it from a perspective other than United. In the top 4 you have 2 clubs that have spent heavily to get there. You then have a club who have traditionally massive and command massive commercial revenue. That 3 places sealed up.

So really there's only 1 place on offer, and even that is for a qualification round, rather then straight in the tournament.

Clubs like Everton, Tottenham, Newcastle and Liverpool will get a massive boost from this.

Kaiser....I think you are wrong, when Liverpool won the Cl and didnt re quailfy via a league place the next season, English teams were only allowed to nominate 4 teams and this would have meant excluding Everton ( from 4th spot) to include Liverpool. It was UEFA that allowed Liverpool a qualifying round entry and after that season the rules were changed which allowed the FA to nominate Chelsea for this season's CL

Copied from the BBC sports web
" Liverpool have been given the chance to defend their Champions League crown after Uefa handed them a place in the first qualifying round for next season.
The Reds beat AC Milan in last season's final but, because they finished out of the Premiership's top four, were not guaranteed entry in 2005-2006.

Uefa's executive committee changed its rules on Friday to allow Liverpool in. "

most people I know like the cup qualification route idea

I like it too but it should really just be the FA Cup and not the milk cup

TKT, what if 1st place in the league and the FA Cup gave you automatice entry

2nd place and the C.O.C put you into the playoff?

my mistake - was letting Real madrid into the CL in identical circumstances a one-off and not a rule change then?

they used that as precedent for letting us in, we weren't the first to qualify that way.

POTN now you're getting complicated.

In that situation it should just go to Liverpool

Only problem being, Arsene would miss out on his 4th place trophy
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Not only Arsenal, but quite a few of the elite clubs in Europe would oppose this idea. Of course, its the national FA discretion on who gets qualification to in what why, but the massive revenue generated by the CL would mean that a return to the old 2 places quali is just a no goer.

If anything they should scrap the Champions league, make a proper European Cup competition where only league winners can enter, scrap the Europa and make a secondary cup for teams places 2nd, 3rd and 4th kn their leagues.


Of course this would mean less revenue for poor little UEFA, but it would be better for football.

Since when did UEFA care about football

I think winners only is a terrible idea

having only one of Real Madrid and Barca in makes devalues the comp as they're the two best teams in it.

Top 2 In England Qualify for the CL and then a play-off between

3rd place
4th place
C.O.C winners
F.A cup winners

3rd play C.O.C in semi
4th play F.A cup in other semi

of course if 3rd or 4th win a cup as well, denote next place to 5th

Play-offs

If anything they should scrap the Champions league, make a proper European Cup competition where only league winners can enter, scrap the Europa and make a secondary cup for teams places 2nd, 3rd and 4th kn their leagues.
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That would be no different from no apart from the elite teams losing out on CL revenue. The secondary cup will no doubt be a poor attempt at the CL which only serves to distract the clubs efforts in the league.

How does it help out those on the fringes of the current CL places?

having only one of Real Madrid and Barca in makes devalues the comp as they're the two best teams in it.
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Exactly. And then you have Atletico Madrid who would test out most elite clubs.

They should let every team that has ever won it compete every season.
Well thats what my Forest supporting friend thinks.