Liverpool FC Forum

[red37]

does he have valid points?  well in some part i believe he does....already the Champions league by name alone is wholly inaccurate. as is the expectation of winning it, for at least two-thirds of its entrants. but of course its the TV exposure and its revenue that keeps most of the participants at an optimistic enough level to have been able to generate such massive interest the competition holds. (therefore raising the standards of expectation and performances within the seperate leagues around europe - that cant be a bad thing?)

though when he says the likes of AS Roma and Seville have little realistic hope of winning the tournament...he displays a little ignorance of the facts that have gone before recently. Porto (even Liverpool to some extent) took the continent by surprise of late. and your not telling me THAT didnt make folk sit up and take the thing even more seriously! ...but is it more entertaining now when one of say, 8-10 clubs do have the wherewithall to go on and lift the trophy. or would people prefer it to represent only the champions and there immediate contemporaries for the individual countries top division titles. Prestige only for the elite few? sounds very familiar that... (as is the preference of Monsieur Platini, should he be invited to the post).  back in the seventies and eighties it used to be the case where, you win the league - you enter the  'European Champions Cup' strangely, there was nothing wrong at all with calling it that...its what it is anyway. maybe the fact it became known as the Champions League, albeit same silverware-different format, was the reason there remains so much confusion and points of disagreement now. i think the issues surrounding the format, still arent totally resolved. rather than have it as a knockout tournament (which tbh was more exciting imo) the competition became 'bogged' down in pre-qualifying, seedings, a league phase (two at one time) then a knock-out stage, before you even get to the business end....perhaps it does need a re-vamp. one that makes sense to the clubs in it and the demands that places on their players over an already marathon season domestically. its too much. some of the charm of the 'european cup' has been lost forever i believe, way back when.- none of the pulling power has though. and as long as the money men rub their hands in anticipation of the big paydays that matchdays 1 through god knows how many keep swelling the coffers...the silence may well be deafening im afraid mon ami.

as for the Uefa cup...well that too has been tinkered with beyond all hope of any attraction outside that of providing a further 'cushion' for the casualties of the former.. something within UEFA needs to be addressed where both competitions are concerned, above and beyond 'logos' and 'theme tunes' (which for me isnt as dynamic as last years..small point but again, indicative of the snake chasing its tail approach all too prevalent within Nyon's Halls of power)

i do though find his comments about linesmen interesting. anyway here is the article:

***********************************************
 
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United could soon find themselves battling for only two Champions League places in the near future, thereby losing their security of qualification for Europe's top tournament.

Uefa presidential candidate Michel Platini has said he would like to limit each country's participation in the Champions League to three clubs.

Should Platini take over from current president Lennart Johansson, England, Spain and Italy, the three countries who qualify to have four Champions League entrants would all lose a spot.

It should be remembered that it was due to the consistent performances of Manchester United in the Champions League along with Liverpool winning and Arsenal reaching the Uefa Cup Final that enabled England to oust Germany as a Country to have four teams along with Spain and Italy.

Given Chelsea's financial advantage it would be difficult to see them dropping out of the top three in the near future, which would leave one of the ‘big four' out of Europe's top competition. However, football often moves in cycles and maybe one day this will effect Chelsea also.

Platini said: "Four clubs are too many, for the country itself, the fans and TV rights. Three should be the limit.''

"There are not enough national champions in the last 32 of the tournament and that cannot be right."

However, Platini added that "I am not so stupid as to want to change the current format".

The change would effect England rather more than Spain or Italy as in reality the English teams all have chances to win the competition, but the Spanish and Italians only really provide three teams each that could succeed.

Italy's ‘big three' are AC Milan, Juventus (assuming they eventually return) and Inter Milan (who perennially under-achieve, but should not be disregarded), where as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia regularly represent Spain.

There are obviously many other good sides in both Countries; but it would be unlikely for teams like Roma or Sevilla to go on and win a Champions League.

Furthermore, this particular could prove somewhat detrimental to English football in terms of other teams in the League.

A couple of seasons ago Everton managed to qualify for the Champions League, and Tottenham was very close to emulating that feat last season. To ask these clubs to now finish in the top three effectively closes the door on them. Platini didn't comment on any subsequent Uefa Cup changes; where we might assume that a place in that competition is also taken away?

Another point to be discussed should also be the make-up of the group stage. In the present format it has long been the case that some of the latter matches mean little to teams that have already qualified, and with three lesser sides in the competition (Champions of Latvia maybe?) there is a good chance this situation would increase.

Any changes would have to be carefully negotiated however, and of course there would be the growing power of the G14 clubs to manoeuvre around.

The 51-year former France international also sees other areas in European football where he feels radical change is necessary.

He added: "We have to fight for youth players. If a club develops a player between the age of 12 and 18 and another club then buys him, he has to carry on playing.''

‘'Players are developed to play, not to be sold."

On another subject he would like to introduce four linesmen in professional football to replace the present two.

"We have to help referees who can't see everything and I believe two more assistants on either side of the pitch would do this," he said.

"It would help judging offside decisions as well as a range of off-the-ball incidents."

But he said he would never embrace video evidence; apart from goal-line technology.

He added: "I am totally against refereeing by video. Where would it stop?''

‘'If you start with videos, you will finish with videos and there would be no more referees."

He also said he supported automatic relegation for clubs who are unable to pay their debts, no matter how powerful they are.

"It can't be right that some clubs in some countries get relegated for being heavily in debt while others can go on and win the Champions League," he said.

[zarababe]

The Champions League, is the stepping stone to the 'European Super League' which the football bosses and big guns really want. In fact the existing competition is just that.

I don't think Platini can win on this one, because the money and viewing figures generated by the inclusion of the 4 teams form the main footballing leagues, which generate the most interest and are home to the best players, is the life blood of the whole concept.

If the quip is about the name, then just call it the 'the European Super League' .

[red37]

chopping and changing/rotation/keeping up viewing figures? change for changes sake...or the streamlining of a highly marketable product. either way the chief execs are left wetting their lips in anticipation of vast sums of revenue for their clubs.

and whatever you prefer to call it, we are all sucked in arent we. next thing is, you'll have the likes of Maccabi Haifa, Shaktar Donetsk etc up in arms solely because of their geography and their obvious limitations in terms of practicality should Platini prevail. then you could argue is that fair? in any case that is another debate not wholly irrelevant, but certainly not pertinant -yet.

best left alone for me. or at the least alter the structure for 'seeding' to include only the champions of each country. the rest takes their money and try their hand. perhaps a nod to the past, or a compromise if you like...but it is a valid point in saying teams including and even outside the top 4, all have players who consider themselves eligible to sit at the highest table. and quite rightly expect their share of the pie as a result.

[neil]

platini can curry favour with the purists all he wants, the g14 or whatever rule this roost mate.

[66-1120597113]

platini can curry favour with the purists all he wants, the g14 or whatever rule this roost mate.

excuse me while i sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Come on Neil.......Funny Neil  

[neil]

been on the juice again? shoight

[The Manhattan Project]

Leave it as it is.

And reduce the UEFA Cup to a straight two legs knock-out tournament.