The Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’ could become part of a new-look Champions League.

[leicesterseddon]

So if I understand this correctly...

 

In England, you have to finish in the top 4 in the Premier League to qualify for the ‘new’ Champions League (as now).

 

The main change is that a further two teams could also qualify irrespective of their league position.

 

But to do so, they would have to have the two highest UEFA coefficients across all of Europe? 

[Muzzy_Larsson]

55 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

The first nail in the coffin was deciding to rig the World Cup so Dubai could host it.... a completely ridiculous place to host a World Cup. Football generally has become too big and too grand, and now the powers that be only want the most profitable organisations to compete against one another. 
 

Do they not sit there and just see how embarrassing it all is? Particularly when you have United being shagged in the CL? Nothing surprises me in the world anymore, but footy has been heading down the shitter for a few years now, even the FFP is a total farce as city got away with it..... is football now being run by a bunch of spoilt 14 year old brats? 
 

It was better with shit up pitches, stadiums that stunk of piss, and semi-alcoholic party boys scoring goals from 40 yards for a laugh. 

We still have this in spades in Scotland

[Carl the Llama]

38 minutes ago, leicesterseddon said:

So if I understand this correctly...

 

In England, you have to finish in the top 4 in the Premier League to qualify for the ‘new’ Champions League (as now).

 

The main change is that a further two teams could also qualify irrespective of their league position.

 

But to do so, they would have to have the two highest UEFA coefficients across all of Europe? 

Yep, and since the PL is the only league where teams with high coefficients (which were already introduced to protect the established order) are regularly finishing outside the qualification spots it's pretty obvious what the motivation is here.

Edited 11 December 2020 by Carl the Llama

[Footballwipe]

1 hour ago, Lako42 said:

The meaning of all competitions is just being eroded. As a proper supporter of any club it just wont be worth following in 5 years time IMO.

 

Football as a sport is very nearly dead, football as a business the killer. 

 

At least I had a tortuous time following us for 25 years, I almost remember what it felt like to be fully engrossed in it all, the passion, the living and breathing of all things Leicester City. I would even end relationships over it when I was younger, I was angry at times and would defend my home city to a ridiculous level........the feel and truth off it all has gone i'm afraid. 

 

 

 

Sadly I agree with this. I was the same in terms of fervent support. Not being able to go to stadia isn't helping, but I'm continually disinterested in football now. I don't get excited for games, barely even LCFC games. There's a long, droning post behind this, but the truth is that I look back at the old season reviews, even back to 15-16, and yearn for it again.

 

59 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

The first nail in the coffin was deciding to rig the World Cup so Dubai could host it.... a completely ridiculous place to host a World Cup. Football generally has become too big and too grand, and now the powers that be only want the most profitable organisations to compete against one another. 
 

Do they not sit there and just see how embarrassing it all is? Particularly when you have United being shagged in the CL? Nothing surprises me in the world anymore, but footy has been heading down the shitter for a few years now, even the FFP is a total farce as city got away with it..... is football now being run by a bunch of spoilt 14 year old brats? 
 

It was better with shit up pitches, stadiums that stunk of piss, and semi-alcoholic party boys scoring goals from 40 yards for a laugh. 

Qatar

 

Unfortunately it's adapt or die, really. Remember that we don't matter that much anymore individually. Collectively we matter to keep the Sky/BT money flowing, but when clubs are continually chasing the millions of untapped fans across the world, it shows where it's going.

 

Giving automatic places for the "top" clubs is only the start. It'll creep with more and more and suddenly you'll wonder what on earth you're competing for. What is the point?

 

This hyper modernisation is fine and dandy, but it's not something I, or many long-standing "traditional" (if that's the right word) want. The teams who are proponents for this don't care, though. Their match tickets, corporate seats will be taken by the next in the very long line of people waiting, and even if that waiting list runs dry, the football tourism will take over.

 

200 fans jetting over from Norway for a Liverpool home game, paying top whack for tickets and spending £££ in the club shop probably bring in more money than the 200 fans who have had a ticket for 30 years but spend nothing on merch. And when those 200 fans have gone home, the next batch will be out from Norway, or the plethora of other countries where their fans reside.

 

Football is a country mile away from what I remember growing up, when it first caught me, and this was in an era of early commercialisation, France 98, Euro 2000, Total 90 Nikes, a fresh 32-team UCL. I don't want to go back to the stone age but I do want leagues to be intriguing, to be marginally unpredictable, to have European competitions where anyone can (in theory) qualifies.

[Pliskin]

2 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

 

Sadly I agree with this. I was the same in terms of fervent support. Not being able to go to stadia isn't helping, but I'm continually disinterested in football now. I don't get excited for games, barely even LCFC games. There's a long, droning post behind this, but the truth is that I look back at the old season reviews, even back to 15-16, and yearn for it again.

 

Qatar

 

Unfortunately it's adapt or die, really. Remember that we don't matter that much anymore individually. Collectively we matter to keep the Sky/BT money flowing, but when clubs are continually chasing the millions of untapped fans across the world, it shows where it's going.

 

Giving automatic places for the "top" clubs is only the start. It'll creep with more and more and suddenly you'll wonder what on earth you're competing for. What is the point?

 

This hyper modernisation is fine and dandy, but it's not something I, or many long-standing "traditional" (if that's the right word) want. The teams who are proponents for this don't care, though. Their match tickets, corporate seats will be taken by the next in the very long line of people waiting, and even if that waiting list runs dry, the football tourism will take over.

 

200 fans jetting over from Norway for a Liverpool home game, paying top whack for tickets and spending £££ in the club shop probably bring in more money than the 200 fans who have had a ticket for 30 years but spend nothing on merch. And when those 200 fans have gone home, the next batch will be out from Norway, or the plethora of other countries where their fans reside.

 

Football is a country mile away from what I remember growing up, when it first caught me, and this was in an era of early commercialisation, France 98, Euro 2000, Total 90 Nikes, a fresh 32-team UCL. I don't want to go back to the stone age but I do want leagues to be intriguing, to be marginally unpredictable, to have European competitions where anyone can (in theory) qualifies.

Yea that one 

[OntarioFox]

On 11/12/2020 at 07:10, Footballwipe said:

 

Sadly I agree with this. I was the same in terms of fervent support. Not being able to go to stadia isn't helping, but I'm continually disinterested in football now. I don't get excited for games, barely even LCFC games. There's a long, droning post behind this, but the truth is that I look back at the old season reviews, even back to 15-16, and yearn for it again.

 

Qatar

 

Unfortunately it's adapt or die, really. Remember that we don't matter that much anymore individually. Collectively we matter to keep the Sky/BT money flowing, but when clubs are continually chasing the millions of untapped fans across the world, it shows where it's going.

 

Giving automatic places for the "top" clubs is only the start. It'll creep with more and more and suddenly you'll wonder what on earth you're competing for. What is the point?

 

This hyper modernisation is fine and dandy, but it's not something I, or many long-standing "traditional" (if that's the right word) want. The teams who are proponents for this don't care, though. Their match tickets, corporate seats will be taken by the next in the very long line of people waiting, and even if that waiting list runs dry, the football tourism will take over.

 

200 fans jetting over from Norway for a Liverpool home game, paying top whack for tickets and spending £££ in the club shop probably bring in more money than the 200 fans who have had a ticket for 30 years but spend nothing on merch. And when those 200 fans have gone home, the next batch will be out from Norway, or the plethora of other countries where their fans reside.

 

Football is a country mile away from what I remember growing up, when it first caught me, and this was in an era of early commercialisation, France 98, Euro 2000, Total 90 Nikes, a fresh 32-team UCL. I don't want to go back to the stone age but I do want leagues to be intriguing, to be marginally unpredictable, to have European competitions where anyone can (in theory) qualifies.

The problem is that things could turn ugly if existing fanbases feel completely ousted from the matchday experience and are left with nothing better to do. That even goes for those supporting the so-called 'big six', or even groups from their rival clubs. I dunno about you folks, but i've gotten the vibe that, over the last half decade in particular, the undercurrent in the game from fans on the terraces has been shifting towards something less pleasant anyway. The frustration, murmurings and occasional spilling over from fans hints at clouds forming to me.

 

Honestly, I could see groups of former 'fans' with nothing better to do ending up at stadia with the express intention of causing trouble. The sort of stuff we haven't seen on the regular since the late 80s. Would make the corner flag schism at West Ham look like child's play. I guarantee there will be groups of fans considering more unsavoury approaches to 'defending' their traditional matchday experience in the event that a breakaway actually happens.

 

Hard to sell a product to tourists if the experience is considered unsafe. And this messing around with the established formula makes me incredibly uneasy because, frankly, while the bigwigs see it as progress I can see it causing so much animosity that it takes football back to the dark ages.

Edited 12 December 2020 by OntarioFox

[Raw Dykes]

The moment they start handing out Champions League places to clubs because of who they are, and not on merit, is the moment the sport dies to me. They might as well just write up the league table in August based on each club's bank balance and save us all the charade.

 

It's just a coconut shy with coconuts nailed to the shelf, or a rifle range where the sights are off.

 

I just can't believe the nerve. Do the big clubs not think they have enough of an advantage as it is? It's just disgusting if they're still not happy.

 

I'll always love the club, but if this happens, I'll be following the Panthers, instead.

[CosbehFox]

I hope the TV partners and investors are watching tonight 

[Dorkingfox]

Turgid

[bluebeau]

I believe that the Foxes can & will become regulars in the top 6 at the end of each season.

We must be sure to retain the services of Brendan Rogers & his coaching staff. Also we have to hold on to our scouting /recruiting staff.  These guys have the skill & knowhow to discover some relatively unknown gems who a couple of seasons later have become extremely valuable assets. This brings me on to a matter that  is extremely important i.m.o.

 

We have to stop selling our best players to our Premiership competitors!  Do you see Man. United, Man. City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool,or Arsenal  selling their top players to their opposition ?  How can we become a 'BIG' club if we carry on doing this?   For sure the clubs I have just named will be coming in with offers for several of our outstanding players in 2021 but we have to tell them  NOT FOR SALE  & we must mean it !!!

[Frank Large's Black Book]

10 minutes ago, bluebeau said:

I believe that the Foxes can & will become regulars in the top 6 at the end of each season.

We must be sure to retain the services of Brendan Rogers & his coaching staff. Also we have to hold on to our scouting /recruiting staff.  These guys have the skill & knowhow to discover some relatively unknown gems who a couple of seasons later have become extremely valuable assets. This brings me on to a matter that  is extremely important i.m.o.

 

We have to stop selling our best players to our Premiership competitors!  Do you see Man. United, Man. City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool,or Arsenal  selling their top players to their opposition ?  How can we become a 'BIG' club if we carry on doing this?   For sure the clubs I have just named will be coming in with offers for several of our outstanding players in 2021 but we have to tell them  NOT FOR SALE  & we must mean it !!!

Would agree but sadly that would mean no-one would sign for us if they (or their agents) know their way onwards will be blocked.

 

Not happy with it but it's true.

 

Stuff the big6

[Raw Dykes]

14 minutes ago, bluebeau said:

I believe that the Foxes can & will become regulars in the top 6 at the end of each season.

We must be sure to retain the services of Brendan Rogers & his coaching staff. Also we have to hold on to our scouting /recruiting staff.  These guys have the skill & knowhow to discover some relatively unknown gems who a couple of seasons later have become extremely valuable assets. This brings me on to a matter that  is extremely important i.m.o.

 

We have to stop selling our best players to our Premiership competitors!  Do you see Man. United, Man. City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool,or Arsenal  selling their top players to their opposition ?  How can we become a 'BIG' club if we carry on doing this?   For sure the clubs I have just named will be coming in with offers for several of our outstanding players in 2021 but we have to tell them  NOT FOR SALE  & we must mean it !!!

I believe we've already lost and replaced members of the scouting/recruitment staff and we still dig up gem after gem. I think we know how to scout scouts well, so I wouldn't worry about that.

 

We don't have to stop selling our best players to our rivals. I think it's the only way we will continue to challenge them for the foreseeable future. They have far bigger income than we do. Without cashing in big on a player every so often (has been just one per season for a while now), we wouldn't have the money to buy the players we need to push on. Would you have turned down £80m for Maguire? £35m for Drinkwater? £50m for Chilwell? I know I wouldn't. Just think of the players we have got, and can get, with that money. I think we're excellent at both buying and selling. I wouldn't want us to do anything differently.

 

Maybe one day Leicester City will be one of the nation's giant clubs and we won't have to sell anyone we don't want to, but it won't be any time soon.

[Aus Fox]

What would happen if Arsenal were to get relegated? (I am not saying they will, but who knows) 

In this format would they still get a champions league spot?

Imagine Rotherham away on Saturday afternoon, Bayern at home on Wednesday followed by a visit of Wycombe Wanderers.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

 

Goes a long way to crushing this idea if true. 

[StanSP]

Everyone else to the those 'big six' right now 

 

[davieG]

12 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

 

Goes a long way to crushing this idea if true. 

They'll just find other ways like getting even more of the overseas revenues which they've already altered in their favour. This will not stop them looking for ways to tighten their grip on European places and more of the revenues.

[casablancas]

Just now, davieG said:

They'll just find other ways like getting even more of the overseas revenues which they've already altered in their favour. This will not stop them looking for ways to tighten their grip on European places and more of the revenues.

Maybe not. But it’s a start at least. 

[Footballwipe]

3 minutes ago, davieG said:

They'll just find other ways like getting even more of the overseas revenues which they've already altered in their favour. This will not stop them looking for ways to tighten their grip on European places and more of the revenues.

Only winner from that are lawyers, who will probably be scrambling to be signed up by the players unions and confederations for the inevitable court battle over being able to enforce this.

 

That's not to say it isn't good news. If it stands up in court it's fantastic news to protect the integrity of national domestic competition. I suspect some of the "Super" teams in a breakaway would be desperate to come back when they've languished in the bottom of the "Super League" for a couple of years.

[Corky]

Just as we were about to be invited in, too...

[Arriba Los Zorros]

4 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

 

Goes a long way to crushing this idea if true. 

Good, FIFA finally get something right.

 

Had enough of these money clubs getting pissy they can't always buy success on the pitch and then using teams of lawyers and lobbyists to try and buy success off it. If you profit off the game being so popular because it is unpredictable and smaller teams can win, live by the sword and die by it, stop having your cake and trying to eat it too, ****ing balance sheet crunching bell ends.

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

Good, FIFA finally get something right.

 

Had enough of these money clubs getting pissy they can't always buy success on the pitch and then using teams of lawyers and lobbyists to try and buy success off it. If you profit off the game being so popular because it is unpredictable and smaller teams can win, live by the sword and die by it, stop having your cake and trying to eat it too, ****ing balance sheet crunching bell ends.

It's good that FIFA have stepped in and done something about it but it'll be financially motivated.

 

The amount of money that FIFA receives is surely astronomical from world cups.

 

If a European super league was formed the amount of sponsors, tv companies etc pouring money into that would probably mean reduced amounts being given to FIFA. 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

It's good that FIFA have stepped in and done something about it but it'll be financially motivated.

 

The amount of money that FIFA receives is surely astronomical from world cups.

 

If a European super league was formed the amount of sponsors, tv companies etc pouring money into that would probably mean reduced amounts being given to FIFA. 

Ahhh you're probably right. Depressing how this sport is ruled by money and corporate suits who've probably never played football in their lives (like everything else in the world). At least if their interests clash they can cancel each other out.

[Fox in the North]

 

[fuchsntf]

So Leicester will be the last decent club to win the FA.cup.....

Then the corrupt house of cards, will Begin their Merciless path of rotting the Heart

out of all & everymans sport....

 

So lads with jackets for goalposts, will have to start & Build it all up again....

Minus 10/12-6times Previous  Top Club names...Like Barcelono, Bayern, .L'pool,both manchesters,3 London clubs & fans will be sent to Coventry..!!!

Asian/African ,& home Grown plastic fans....can Enjoy themselves...with Plastic Football TV competitions.....enjoy!!!!

 

 

 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

2 minutes ago, Fox in the North said: