No Champions League Footy not the end of the World

Definite sky subscriber theory there.

 

Yep I have Sky, the reason I have Sky? Well its too watch sport. Funny that. I certainly don't subscribe to many of their views and I dont get fooled into what others do just because some blokes tells me to. Funny thing here for you. Guess what? Thats right I actually watched football long before Sky! Amazing to think that, so how the fukk I am some kind of Sky loving football inbred just for watching Sky Sports and believing that Liverpool is too big a club to be happy with Europa Cup football?

I would like us to win the Europa League. We can't belittle that competition just because it plays second fiddle to the Champions League but there are alot of good teams in the Europa League as well.

I just don't like the fact that we have to play every Thursday and Sunday cause I enjoy Saturday kick offs.

I'm not sure Bill Shankly would agree with you on what is essentially the UEFA cup mate.

The Europa league will be a good learning curve for the lads in our squad who haven't played European football before and the kids to get games in the group stages.

As you rightly say its a cup and you want to win it.. To bloody right, we need to get back towards where we should be and winning that will show people across Europe we are on that way.

They killed off that once great Cup long ago mate. Totally different format to both that and indeed Big Ears these days (more's the pity)

Agree, it is a good learning curve & I hope we learn and improve on the back of it. Improve enough to get back into the top 4 indeed!

Agree again, if we are in it I want us to win it & I'll be supporting us all the way.

It's UEFAs fault it's deemed to be a lesser competition than it historically was by pissing around with it constantly. Letting 3rd placed clubs in the CL groups drop into it bring the worst.

When it was the UEFA cup it has prestige.

I'd like to think we treat it with respect and set out to win it if that's where we end up next season.

There are some excellent and fair comments on here; from both sides of the debate.

In a way I'm torn between the actual topic "not the end of the World" which is patently true and what Shabs (for e.g.) says... again very accurate.

Missing out in Champions League football undeniably has an impact on both who we may be able to recruit and our finances. However the financial aspect can and should be redressed by F.S.G. digging that wee bit deeper in the Summer.

Bear with me... had we have spent or been able to spend (I don't know if we tried or not) £50m on a couple of top class signings in the Winter window; we would have been gambling £50m to 'win' £20m and I'm not sure that this was a gamble worth taking... (remember at that time we were looking an awful lot better for a top four finish than now).

We now realise, with the advantage of hindsight, the gamble (if it was indeed that) may not pay off.

Come the Summer window, however, when there's more players to choose from and they tend to be cheaper; F.S.G. will surely dig that little bit deeper. Kenny will have had the benefit of a full season to assess the situation and strengthen where needed without rushing in. To my mind (with increased sponsorship revenue, wages 'saved' & money left over from sales) we can comfortably afford to spend circa £60m plus money from any player sales.

I don't mind sticking my neck out here but irrespective of any noises indicating a quiet window: I believe we will see two, maybe three, quality signings amongst others.

That happens and missing out, this season, is no big loss. It doesn't and although it will never be "the end of the World"; it will leave us sorely disadvantaged and playing catch up for longer than we need.

It's UEFAs fault it's deemed to be a lesser competition than it historically was by pissing around with it constantly. Letting 3rd placed clubs in the CL groups drop into it bring the worst.

When it was the UEFA cup it has prestige.

I'd like to think we treat it with respect and set out to win it if that's where we end up next season.

Totally agree with all this mate, I just feel we should be at the top table though.

Definite sky subscriber theory there.

What kind of an argument is that? Yes kids grow up watching Sky and the CL - I can not judge them that they want to support the best clubs, playing the better football. Kenny himself said it a while back - we are loosing on young support with our mediocre display the last seasons.

I must write it 50 times .......

" I am a Liverpool supporter but I really must manage my unreasonable expectations "


Bollox

Was not our shirt sponsors Fee according to our status in european football more so champion league,money talks in footy and to attract the best you have to be the best and you cannot be the best without investment in all forms.

Adidas, Nike and other brands too like too see their brands endorsed at the highest level in sports by the players they sponsor, so the knock on effect runs deep as some players may need to be participating in a champions league team.

Losing out on potential monies is negative impact on the club we have to be in the top 4 its where we belong, after all we are european royalty.

The longer we are out the easier it becomes for that c**t down the east lancs road getting closer to our 5 tally, they have done it in the league by having the money through sponsorships and endorsements something which we have lagged behind for the past 20 years,we should be aiming higher and no talk of blooding the youth, we have spent good money in the summer to aim at a top 4 finish and i don't see why we cant do both league and Europe at once.

Why we not ready for champions league we won it with a worse team.  People can rubbish tony Evans all they want he was absolutely spot on last summer.  Pretty sure champions league is a massive part of Fsg business strategy. Next season wont be any easy to qualify for it.  Arsenal and Chelsea will get better.  Im sure utd city and spurs will spend while we will have the added hassle of the europa league on thursdays

What kind of an argument is that? Yes kids grow up watching Sky and the CL - I can not judge them that they want to support the best clubs, playing the better football. Kenny himself said it a while back - we are loosing on young support with our mediocre display the last seasons.

F**k off, we're loosing out on our young support because they cannot afford to go the F***ing game unless accompanied by an adult and which 14 year old scouse lad wouldn't want to got the match with their mates. I did it at that age.

You just carry on bitching about mediocre displays though!

Wonder how many "big names" went to "Champions League" Clubs in the last few years and ended up playing in the Europa?

I want Champions League footy, same as the next person but I also want players here because they want to win everything with us, not just to play in the CL.

Let's just do what John Henry said on October 15th 2010.  We want to build a team/squad capable of competing and winning, not just once but year in, year out.  That is going to take 3-5 seasons, it's not going to happen over night.

we will have the added hassle of the europa league on thursdays

Personally, I think this is a potential upside for us.  We have a lot of talented youngsters that NEED 1st team opportunities.  If we approach the Europa League the way that Spurs did this season, we will not tire out our 1st team stars, and our youth players will get some much needed playing time and experience.  We could effectively field the following team and potentially be competitive in the Europa League:

                 Doni
Kelly  Coates  Carra  Robo
         Spearo  Shelvey
Maxi          Suso       Sterling
                 Kuyt

Maybe we get dumped out at the group stages, but it would give us a chance to evaluate some of our young talents to see who might actually be able to make the step up.

Let's just do what John Henry said on October 15th 2010.  We want to build a team/squad capable of competing and winning, not just once but year in, year out.  That is going to take 3-5 seasons, it's not going to happen over night.

He also said this too Debbs.

Kenny Dalglish spent last summer avoiding an answer to what Champions League qualification meant to Liverpool only for the club's owner, John W Henry, to state the obvious on the eve of the season. "Our main goal is to qualify for the Champions League," said Henry. "If we don't, it would be a major disappointment."
If it was a big ask after two years outside the European elite, Henry could justify his challenge with the £118m committed on new players – albeit with almost £70m recouped – since Fenway Sports Group took control. The hierarchy's sights have not lowered as a result of winning the Carling Cup. "Our goal is still to reach the Champions League but this has been a big day for us," said the chairman, Tom Werner, as Dalglish and his players soaked up the Wembley triumph last Sunday.

Every year outside the top four makes it more difficult to get back in. Liverpool have not had European football to complicate the task this season and Thursday nights in the Europa League await next year should they fall short again.

Without Champions League revenue and with a decision to make on the stadium, Fenway are unlikely to be so obliging in the transfer market this summer. Damien Comolli, Liverpool's director of football, said as much on Friday. "We signed nine players since Kenny came back so there will be a few adjustments but nothing massive," he said. "We have done the hard work and now it is a question of making some adjustments in certain positions."

There will be doubts over Luis Suárez's future should Liverpool go another season without Champions League football, although he owes them one less headache at least. Andy Hunter

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/02/champions-league-riches

Kenny Dalglish spent last summer avoiding an answer to what Champions League qualification meant to Liverpool only for the club's owner, John W Henry, to state the obvious on the eve of the season. "Our main goal is to qualify for the Champions League," said Henry. "If we don't, it would be a major disappointment."

Thats the kiddy.

How long has Tony Evans worked for FSG?

Look the champions league is where need to be of course, there is no doubt about it, but all this rubbish about second tier players is bollocks, it's about signing the right players and making them work out for you. Signing "world class" players guarentee you nothing, there are plenty of players out there that will improve us and I'm not in the group that think we need lots of players to improve us, I actually think we need 2 or 3 players.. That's not alot and i don't feel they need to be worldys to take us there.
Im not going to sit here naming players because that's pointless but if we pick up a couple of good players that will come here because of who we are and what pull we still have and where we are going and then add to that possibly 2 or 3 from the Ressies/youths, the likes of Raheem, Suso or even Texieria.. To the squad and they kick on that's  adding half a dozen new options, there is no point bringing these kids on and just buying "established" players or just forget the Academy.

The top 4 has extended from Rafa's time, we could be average over the season 5 years ago and get in there, but now City and Spurs have come along leaps and bounds since then and it's got tougher . The league if anything is more competitive as well, with others spending and improving below us.
We do need to get back into it ASAP but if we don't then yes disappointing, but a disaster? I'm not having that, look again in the summer, improve again and give it another go, but if we finish 6th this season then that doesn't mean we should only aim for 4th next season, aim higher, missing out on it again this year doesn't mean we can't aim higher.

I for one don't hate the Europa league if that's where we end up, we have a deep squad and we can bring on our talented kids through the early stages of that which will help them develop early on in the competition.


Anything less than first isn't good enough for this club but we have no divine right to finish anywhere we have to earn the right. It won't be a disaster it will just be a disappointment. And we go again next season.

This all day long ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Kenny is building, the proof is there for all to see, first trophy in 6 years, playing eye catching football, right now i dont give a f**k about the CL, because i can see the bigger picture,

next season we will be even better, it's clear that some on here are of the glory hunting variety, wanting instant success, we have silverware already won only two weeks ago  we were all doing somersaults of joy, we were f***in robbed Saturday losing a match we controlled with the exception of ten second have minutes, and all of a sudden the neg-monsters start to appear, coming out of the woodwork,

you lot out there, go and have a wee w*nk everytime we lose points, at least that might put a wee smile on your face and stop you coming on this forum and dragging the rest of us down to your crappy defeatist attitude,

so f***in what we dont get 4th and the so called promise land, WE are in transition FF's, one step at a time, oh and, by the way,we ARE in Europe next season, or is the Europa league not good enough for ya, just like the league cup we have just won for a record 8th time, that was deemed not good enough either,

f***in pisses me right off the attitude of some of our supporters,

rant over,

We are not about finishing fourth, we are about winning League titles, domestic Cup competitions and being European Champions.

This is what we have been brought up on and this is what we expect. Circumstances always change but our expectations never change.

I'm not really going to get involved in a debate here but our expectations are massive, because we are a massive Club, that will never change.

I never thought i'd see the day when fans thought fourth was acceptable, it seems the times are a changing, not for me though. F**k, i'm turning into an old man slowly!.

I would like us to win the Europa League. We can't belittle that competition just because it plays second fiddle to the Champions League but there are alot of good teams in the Europa League as well.

I just don't like the fact that we have to play every Thursday and Sunday cause I enjoy Saturday kick offs.

Which haven't exactly been every week this year.

Playing Saturday games is no consolation for missing out on Europe. Not this year, not any year.

They killed off that once great Cup long ago mate. Totally different format to both that and indeed Big Ears these days (more's the pity)

It's UEFAs fault it's deemed to be a lesser competition than it historically was by pissing around with it constantly. Letting 3rd placed clubs in the CL groups drop into it bring the worst.

No they didn't. They altered the format, as with the other competition. The CL has plenty of teams that didn't get there by winning their own league. Does that devalue it too? I don't think so.

The European Cup is the biggest trophy in club football, the UEFA Cup the second biggest, and I want whichever one we're in. I don't believe in comparing the value of trophies. A trophy won is a trophy won.

I be happy if we win 2 cups & blood a few youngsters this season!2 trophies more than the other 18 other prem league teams is a start

We are not about finishing fourth, we are about winning League titles, domestic Cup competitions and being European Champions.

This is what we have been brought up on and this is what we expect. Circumstances always change but our expectations never change.

I'm not really going to get involved in a debate here but our expectations are massive, because we are a massive Club, that will never change.

I never thought i'd see the day when fans thought fourth was acceptable, it seems the times are a changing, not for me though. F**k, i'm turning into an old man slowly!.

Good Post   Hardcore.

Expectations are not unreasonable.
"Its OK dont worry if we dont come fourth" FFS.
Not top. We are talking f***ing Fourth.

What have we become?



PostScript for RedKenny.

Anything being undertaken in France is a "project".
E.G. Building an outside khasi is a project.
Damien Commoli is French.
Ergo. 
Damien Commoli is building an outside khasi.

No they didn't. They altered the format, as with the other competition. The CL has plenty of teams that didn't get there by winning their own league. Does that devalue it too? I don't think so.

The European Cup is the biggest trophy in club football, the UEFA Cup the second biggest, and I want whichever one we're in. I don't believe in comparing the value of trophies. A trophy won is a trophy won.

You obviously haven't read what I've been saying because I utterly agree that I want to win whatever we are in and all trophys mean as much to me.

But I'm not sure you will receive much support that the Europa league hasn't been devalued by UEFA over the years from when it was the UEFA cup.
That being said I did say earlier that if we end up in that I want us to take it seriously and try to win it. It would make Europe sit up again that we are on our way back.

There's no doubt that the UEFA Cup has lost it's sheen over the years and many of us were debating whether it was a big deal missing out on it last year given that Champions League football was not on the cards but the truth is i've hated not playing in midweek and not being involved in Europe this season. Like I said in the thread starter, it doesn't have to be the first string playing every match and I think it could be an excellent opportunity to properly blood some of the younger players because they need to be playing senior football next season.

No Champions League football not the end of the world.....Denial!!

It should hurt that we're not even challenging for fourth, How far we have fallen down in the last few years is embarrassing.

We have Arsenal 10 points ahead of us who have lost a lot of good players like us in the last few years, two of their best players this pre-season (Nasri/Fabregas.

Chelsea 4 points ahead in a season of turmoil and player not playing for the manager, and they've actually sacked their manager.

And Newcastle, a team who have not long come back from the championship... enough said.

Only so much of we're in transition/re building i can take. We have bought players for big prices and should be challenging for a champions league spot minimum.