| Anyone 22:33 - Jan 29 with 3417 views | backwaywhen |
Else think the champions league is an utter mess and farcical cock up with this new format , Jesus give me the straight forward draw and knock out anytime ……shambles .
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| Anyone on 22:34 - Jan 29 with 2988 views | cressi |
Like most things today all about money 💰 | | | |
| Anyone on 22:36 - Jan 29 with 2965 views | WestSussexBlue |
Seems all a bit “all over the place”. Agree, group stage, knockouts, Final done. | | | |
| Anyone on 22:38 - Jan 29 with 2950 views | Freddies_Ears |
I thought it was a fascinating and mostly successful experiment, a vast improvement on the previous format that had zero jeopardy for the biggest clubs. Easy to understand, and a great night tonight with so many changes almost minute-by-minute.
No Europa League dropouts either, an added bonus. | | | |
| Anyone on 22:42 - Jan 29 with 2890 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Anyone on 22:38 - Jan 29 by Freddies_Ears |
I thought it was a fascinating and mostly successful experiment, a vast improvement on the previous format that had zero jeopardy for the biggest clubs. Easy to understand, and a great night tonight with so many changes almost minute-by-minute.
No Europa League dropouts either, an added bonus. |
Ex pros in the media mostly seem for it too. I’m not interested, but I wasn’t in the old format either. |  |
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| Anyone on 22:43 - Jan 29 with 2897 views | Vaughan8 |
I think it turned out better than I thought but its still very long winded and for sure its for money.
144 games to eliminate 12 teams..............
Then another 16 games to eliminate 8........
Many go out who you didn't expect? Maybe Bologna and Leipzig?
Me being cynical, its just a way for the big teams to not go out despite if they're aren't very good (i.e. City) | | | |
| Anyone on 23:12 - Jan 29 with 2686 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
To be honest, whatever the format, I generally dont watch much until the quarter finals.
From what little I have seen, I do think the league is better than the old groups though. |  |
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| Anyone on 23:26 - Jan 29 with 2575 views | quirkie |
I quite like this format, used to get far too many dead rubbers in the former group stages.
The old European Cup with straight KOs is never going to happen nowadays. |  |
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| Anyone on 23:42 - Jan 29 with 2539 views | FBI |
It's dragging on longer than the opening rounds of University Challenge.
I liked it when it was actual champions playing in a knockout but, as has been said, nowadays it's basically the Inter-European Competitive Banking Trophy, really.
Bah. |  |
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| Anyone on 23:43 - Jan 29 with 2535 views | J2BLUE |
City to face Real Madrid or Bayern in a play off game.
If it's Real Madrid I fully expect Perez to kick off and start trying to get the super league back on the table. How dare they have to earn their way into the final 16? |  |
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| Anyone on 00:13 - Jan 30 with 2446 views | flykickingbybgunn |
I think what they have come up with is a half way stage to the European Super League that caused all the up roar.
Next will come calls for reducing domestic games. Perhaps smaller EPL, perhaps rejecting the League or FA Cups.
Thin end of the wedge. |  | | |
| Anyone on 00:33 - Jan 30 with 2373 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Anyone on 00:13 - Jan 30 by flykickingbybgunn |
I think what they have come up with is a half way stage to the European Super League that caused all the up roar.
Next will come calls for reducing domestic games. Perhaps smaller EPL, perhaps rejecting the League or FA Cups.
Thin end of the wedge. |
I don't mind there being a European league or two being above the national leagues. What I really care about is the there being no promotion or relegation. Eg. Tottenham don't deserve to be there. [Post edited 30 Jan 0:34]
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| Anyone on 00:44 - Jan 30 with 2358 views | RIPbobby |
| Anyone on 23:26 - Jan 29 by quirkie |
I quite like this format, used to get far too many dead rubbers in the former group stages.
The old European Cup with straight KOs is never going to happen nowadays. |
Football as a rule has lost itself. Ultimately it's a load of good players playing against more good players with a random club badge next to the name. It's poor by city finishing so low with all epl money behind them.
I would prefer to see players capped to nationality more otherwise it is as I said earlier good players v more good players next to a random badge. Even fans are tourists now. |  | | |
| Anyone on 01:17 - Jan 30 with 2328 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| Anyone on 00:13 - Jan 30 by flykickingbybgunn |
I think what they have come up with is a half way stage to the European Super League that caused all the up roar.
Next will come calls for reducing domestic games. Perhaps smaller EPL, perhaps rejecting the League or FA Cups.
Thin end of the wedge. |
They knock the Premier League down to 12 teams and remove relegation. It’s pretty much an open secret that they’re going that way. |  |
| An East Anglian Town overtaken by Londoners |
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| Anyone on 01:21 - Jan 30 with 2317 views | berkstractorboy |
I like the league it has kept the games more competitive to end of this stage unlike the leagues.
This next bit seems farcial. The knockout out now should be
9th vs 24th in a one-off game with 9th at home and the winner plays 8th place.
10th vs 23rd @ 10th winner plays 7th
11th vs 22nd @ 11th winner plays 6th
etc to
16th vs 17th @ 16th winner plays 1st
or something like that rather than this draw that seems fixed to make sure some teams avoid each other but why. | | | |
| Anyone on 07:38 - Jan 30 with 1955 views | Stewart27 |
I love it. I think it’s easy just to knock something new because it’s not what we’re used to.
So many huge clubs now entering a play off.
Great entertainment last night too. | | | |
| Anyone on 07:46 - Jan 30 with 1901 views | AYACCA |
I'm old skool. Should be the league winners only in a knock out comp. Things lose value when there's an abundance of it. Music and film are an example, ruined by abundance of streaming, the excitement gone. When did you last get excited about a new album or film?
Same in football. The world cup format is pants, I've never watched Europa league. Go back to the 90s format |  | | |
| Anyone on 08:48 - Jan 30 with 1769 views | SaleAway |
I thought it worked much better than the old group stage did, where there were just too many pointless games.... this seemed to introduce a bit more jeopardy until the end, even if most of the big clubs managed to get out of jail... | |
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| Anyone on 08:52 - Jan 30 with 1752 views | hype313 |
It's basically the Super League isn't it? |  |
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| Anyone on 09:12 - Jan 30 with 1697 views | Rimsy |
| Anyone on 08:52 - Jan 30 by hype313 |
It's basically the Super League isn't it? |
This^^ Put in place to hopefully head off the possibility of the big clubs going their own way. |  |
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| Anyone on 09:21 - Jan 30 with 1652 views | Vaughan8 |
| Anyone on 08:48 - Jan 30 by SaleAway |
I thought it worked much better than the old group stage did, where there were just too many pointless games.... this seemed to introduce a bit more jeopardy until the end, even if most of the big clubs managed to get out of jail... |
I don't think many were in jeopardy.
A lot of teams just settled to be in the playoffs. Not many places moved much after say Half time yesterday.
The only late "drama" was SPorting eqiualised to drop Zagreb out and I suppose VIlla just needed to hang on for the win.
I definitely think the playoffs should be a 1 off game with the higher ranked team at home (i know its two legs for more money.......)
Presumably there is no difference between finishing 1st or 8th? | | | |
| Agree with you on 09:25 - Jan 30 with 1625 views | Dyland |
| Anyone on 22:38 - Jan 29 by Freddies_Ears |
I thought it was a fascinating and mostly successful experiment, a vast improvement on the previous format that had zero jeopardy for the biggest clubs. Easy to understand, and a great night tonight with so many changes almost minute-by-minute.
No Europa League dropouts either, an added bonus. |
Much more fun.
However, as others have commented it's the thin end of the wedge and there will be more seismic changes domestically. But football ate itself a while ago and it's now driven by money and profit above all else, so I'm done with it unfortunately. Course I'll continue to support Ipswich and will get riled by the bollix but I accepted ages ago that misty eyes nostalgia is my football pillow. |  |
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| Anyone on 09:25 - Jan 30 with 1626 views | tractordownsouth |
In the past 10 years there have been very few shocks in the Champions League. I think this is partly due to the disparity of money between leagues growing, but teams playing each other twice lends itself to the favourite working out the minnow tactically in the second game, thus reducing the chance of an upset. In World Cups you still get surprises, partly because they play each other once.
My preferred format would be to keep with the one big league system, but to only play six matches and put the top 16 through, with 17th-24th going into the Europa League instead of having a play-off zone. Then there's more variety of teams playing each other, but less player burnout and no safety net for the big clubs that mess up in the first few matches. |  |
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| Anyone on 09:34 - Jan 30 with 1584 views | Leaky |
| Anyone on 01:17 - Jan 30 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
They knock the Premier League down to 12 teams and remove relegation. It’s pretty much an open secret that they’re going that way. |
I think there would a huge fan backlash if that were tobe suggested |  | | |
| Anyone on 09:42 - Jan 30 with 1531 views | Basuco |
It "died" for me when it ceased to be a champions league, when it became a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place league, it is now just a boring money making scam for the big clubs, play more and more games and at the end it is the same teams playing for it. The only teams that changed things (for the better IMO) were Chelsea and Man City, they added a breath of fresh air to mix things up. The champions league needs more clubs like this to spend big and then we will see a few different clubs at the sharp end of the tournament and make it worth watching again. |  | | |
| Anyone on 09:45 - Jan 30 with 1510 views | ITFCson |
I am curious to what you found shambolic? Previous formats always saw minnows finish bottom on 0/1 points and the top seed qualify by game 4. This new format has seen Man City, Bayern, PSG and Real all struggle with at least 1 going out in the play offs.
We also have lesser european teams such as Villa and Lille make the top 8. Agreed it makes UEFA more money but for me this format is a vast improvement. | | | |
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