Europa Conference League 25/26

[spacemunky]

21 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

Congrats to palace.

 

 

This competition needs to die, its horrendous.

It just needs a few more tiers 

[Jattdogg]

1 hour ago, spacemunky said:

It just needs a few more tiers 

Why dont they just  bring out a champions league for 2nd and 3rd tier leagues

 

 

[LCFCJohn]

6 hours ago, NZ_Foxile said:

Europa and Confernece both tougher when we played in them. Also, it now seems that fifth place gets Champions League every season, but only top four when we finished fifth twice. We were good at the wrong time 

 

No, I’m not bitter, honest!

The point about 5th getting in now does sting (slightly helped by the fact Forest still failed to get that last season). Despite us choking twice, we still finished in a position that would now qualify. But it is embarrassing than a team can finish 4th let along 5th and be in the ‘Champions’ League anyway I guess. And had 5th qualified, bottler Rodgers would surely have found a way to finish 6th!

 

 

 

[LCFCJohn]

It does look like there are weaker teams in this tournament particularly.

 

But let’s not forget we got to play Randers, and lost to Zorya Ludhansk and went out the Europa in the first season to Slavia Prague before finishing behind Spartak Moscow in the group the next season. Not Rangers, Sparta Prague and CSKA Moscow. We played poor sides that in the latter two cases aren’t even the best sides in their cities in sub-par European leagues. The other PL sides are dispatching the dross that is the main difference. 
 

Villa beat Lille (3rd in Ligue 1) and Bologna (finished 8th in Serie A but a solid top half side who were in the CL recently) so hardly minnows. I get that yes, people will point to the relative level of those two examples being similar to perhaps PSV and Roma in the Conference League. 

[Super_horns]

Well done Palace .

 

A great send off for Glasner and finally get into the Europa league 

[purpleronnie]

I understand with the recent wins by english clubs people saying english clubs will win it again next season, especially as champions league teams don't drop down.  But thats a very english type attitude I feel .  There was a time when english teams rarely won the europa and what did people say then?  That the clubs didnt take it seriously.  Dare I say its a bit of holier-than-thou attitude.  Just like when england win a group match and suddenly we've won the world cup already.  I personally don't think Brighton will win the europa next season and it does look a tougher competition next season.  Guess we'll see you all could be right. 

[Sunbury Fox]

Just be glad the red shite cheated their way into the Europa League as it could have been them winning a trophy last night, with the prospect of a second European season to follow.

[Stuntman_Mike]

You can only beat what's in front of you, but Palace have been lucky with who they've played. 

 

I'm not bitter, but compare it to our year and who we faced it's been a lot easier. Fair play to them though.

[Fox92]

9 hours ago, CrispinLA in Texas said:

 Palace got Glasner in 2024.....while we got Steve Cooper 🙄

Palace went 8 games without winning at the start of that season, everyone here would have wanted him out.

[CosbehFox]

I don't want to sound like that bloke, but the competition really is losing its way a little bit with the English winners and the dominance of the bigger leagues to then drop off in opposition. No teams from the middle tier of Europe are ever in it now. 

 

Having 9 teams from one nation in European competitions is not healthy in the slightest. For anyone. 

Edited 28 May by CosbehFox

[RowlattsFox]

At least it's different teams winning it. 

You'd have to ban English team from it to stop them being favourites, if you reduced the teams qualifying for Europe you'd have one of the big boys from our league in this competition. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

I do like the fact that no one drops down from the Europa into this anymore but it's basically a free trophy for the English team isn't it. The mismatch in resources is ridiculous. 

[howie]

1 hour ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

You can only beat what's in front of you, but Palace have been lucky with who they've played. 

 

I'm not bitter, but compare it to our year and who we faced it's been a lot easier. Fair play to them though.

Randers, Rennes, PSV and Roma compared to AEK Larnaca, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Rayo Vallecano.

 

Quite similar strength of competition.

[Super_horns]

Not really a fair competition as such but as said above Palace aren’t Chelsea who probably saw the tournament like a second team run out opportunity so fully deserve to celebrate.

Also won a trophy to get into Europe originally which is kudos enough.

[Stuntman_Mike]

15 minutes ago, howie said:

Randers, Rennes, PSV and Roma compared to AEK Larnaca, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Rayo Vallecano.

 

Quite similar strength of competition.

Randers aside, our run was much more difficult imo.

[AKCJ]

15 minutes ago, howie said:

Randers, Rennes, PSV and Roma compared to AEK Larnaca, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Rayo Vallecano.

 

Quite similar strength of competition.

Not sure about that.

 

We played against the likes of Jeremy Doku, Martin Terrier, Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke, Tammy Abraham and Lorenzo Pellegrini. 

 

 

[TheGoldenGod]

2 hours ago, howie said:

Randers, Rennes, PSV and Roma compared to AEK Larnaca, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Rayo Vallecano.

 

Quite similar strength of competition.

Talking absolute rubbish. It's a fact the inaugural tournament was the strongest...honestly not sure why either but ever since that one, the quality of non English opposition has been poor on route to the final!

[when_you're_smiling]

37 minutes ago, TheGoldenGod said:

Talking absolute rubbish. It's a fact the inaugural tournament was the strongest...honestly not sure why either but ever since that one, the quality of non English opposition has been poor on route to the final!

Partly because the third placed group teams from the tiers above aren’t dropped in it. Teams not in the last 16 who might have dropped into the Conference include Lille, Fenerbache, Celtic/Rangers, Panathinaikos, Feyenoord, Basel etc.

 

Any English team’s budget is going to dwarf those in the competition now. I know it was the UEFA final but Frieberg haven’t spent as much money in their history as Unai Emery has done himself while at Villa. I’m pretty sure Forest would have won that final if they’d got through too.

[howie]

1 hour ago, TheGoldenGod said:

Talking absolute rubbish. It's a fact the inaugural tournament was the strongest...honestly not sure why either but ever since that one, the quality of non English opposition has been poor on route to the final!

The inaugural tournament was stronger overall as you had teams dropping down from the Europa league. 
 

I wasn’t comparing the overall quality of the competition I was comparing the teams we faced in the knockout rounds to the ones Palace faced. Quite similar levels in my opinion.

[Super_horns]

Palace seemed to do better when they faced strongest sides as struggled in the group stages having to to through a play-offs.

 

 Maybe that was down to complacency and playing a weaker teaam? 

[Stuntman_Mike]

4 hours ago, howie said:

Randers, Rennes, PSV and Roma compared to AEK Larnaca, Fiorentina, Shakhtar Donetsk and Rayo Vallecano.

 

Quite similar strength of competition.

PSV and Roma are a whole different level to Fiorentina (had a really poor season) and Shakhtar (effected by the war).  

 

Rennes also finished 4th in the French league which despite people calling it a farmers league, is stronger than the Cypriot league.

[Corky]

8 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

I don't want to sound like that bloke, but the competition really is losing its way a little bit with the English winners and the dominance of the bigger leagues to then drop off in opposition. No teams from the middle tier of Europe are ever in it now. 

 

Having 9 teams from one nation in European competitions is not healthy in the slightest. For anyone. 

And only one has to play in the qualifying round.

[Sunbury Fox]

3 hours ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

PSV and Roma are a whole different level to Fiorentina (had a really poor season) and Shakhtar (effected by the war).  

 

Rennes also finished 4th in the French league which despite people calling it a farmers league, is stronger than the Cypriot league.

Agree strongly. Playing the second leg of a semi in a full Stadio Olympico against a team managed by Mourinho can hardly be compared to Palace beating a team unable to play at their home ground and denuded of their star players by an ongoing war. 

Edited 28 May by Sunbury Fox