4th Champions League spot

[C-man]

My favourites are Everton now, with a great 1-0 vicotry over manure tonight. Heres the league table as its stands around this area:

Pos-Team-P-GD-Pts

4 - Everton-33-7-57

5 - Liverpool-34-13-54

6 - Bolton-34-6-53

7 - Tottenham-34-4-48

8 - Middlesbrough-33-2-46

Whats everyone elses thoughts?

[john_lcfc]

one of the thieving scouse teams

[Sparky]

i think everton will get 4th but if liverpool win the champions league then everton will not be allowed to play in next season competition as england are only allowed to enter 4 teams . and liverpool would qualify as holders

[Bert]

Everton... hope they do it as well because they have worked really hard this season, coped well without Rooney, (and this does show imo that they relied too much on Rooney) and I prefer Everton to Liverpool!

[Random Burglar]

Everton all the way!!

[Simon]

i think everton will get 4th but if liverpool win the champions league then everton will not be allowed to play in next season competition as england are only allowed to enter 4 teams . and liverpool would qualify as holders

96332[/snapback]

Not exactly true. It would be up to the FA who to enter- I can see the arguments coming now.

In any case I think (and hope) Everton will get it

[Sparky]

liverpool will be entered by the f.a. as holders of the competition (if they win it) theres no way uefa would allow 4th place in the prem to qualify in front of the champions league winners

[Knighton Matt]

liverpool will be entered by the f.a. as holders of the competition (if they win it) theres no way uefa would allow 4th place in the prem to qualify in front of the champions league winners

96423[/snapback]

actually sparky i remember the FA saying that even if liverpool won the comp they wouldn't necessarily go in ahead of everton should everton get the fourth spot. in fact i thought i remembered them saying there was a possibility both would be entered as england would get one more champoins league spot if liverpool won but could be wrong about this?

[Simon]

liverpool will be entered by the f.a. as holders of the competition (if they win it) theres no way uefa would allow 4th place in the prem to qualify in front of the champions league winners

96423[/snapback]

actually sparky i remember the FA saying that even if liverpool won the comp they wouldn't necessarily go in ahead of everton should everton get the fourth spot. in fact i thought i remembered them saying there was a possibility both would be entered as england would get one more champoins league spot if liverpool won but could be wrong about this?

96431[/snapback]

No we dont get an extra spot. That has already been confirmed by UEFA. What I have said previously has also been confirmed by UEFA (if you look at the FA's website the permutations are there).

[Sparky]

another reason the fa may chose liverpool is that liverpool would automaticly qualify for the group stage . everton would have to play a qualifier so the fa may play safe with the reds

[Random Burglar]

Would really hack me off if everton didnt get it!!

[shen]

another reason the fa may chose liverpool is that liverpool would automaticly qualify for the group stage . everton would have to play a qualifier so the fa may play safe with the reds

96444[/snapback]

Well it's A LOT more unlikely that Liverpool will win the competition outright than grab the 4th spot anyway

[TrickyTrev]

I don't see why people would want Everton to qualify, they would be an embarassment. I do think they will qualify and if they come above Liverpool they will deserve it, but it will mean we only have 3 teams in the competition capabale of competing with the top teams.

[Deathside]

I don't see why people would want Everton to qualify, they would be an embarassment. I do think they will qualify and if they come above Liverpool they will deserve it, but it will mean we only have 3 teams in the competition capabale of competing with the top teams.

96990[/snapback]

An embarassment to who???

[davieG]

I don't see why people would want Everton to qualify, they would be an embarassment. I do think they will qualify and if they come above Liverpool they will deserve it, but it will mean we only have 3 teams in the competition capabale of competing with the top teams.

96990[/snapback]

On that basis TT why bother to even have a 'competition' to see who should be eligible just let Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool and Arse can go every year, well assuming another suger daddy doesn't come along. Or better still tell them to piss off and play in their own cosy little Euro League and let Real Madrid , Barcelona and Man U take turns in winning that.

The only reason it's diificult for other teams to not be an 'embarrassment' as you so unjustifiable describe it is because of the totally unbalanced distribution of financial rewards in the world of football that maintains the status quo of the so called big clubs. Even so what if Everton did do ok thus sweeping up a lot of £s then it's not onconceivable that they could maintain some presence in the competition subsequently.

It would be totally unfair if Everton finished 4th and were denied entry to let Liverpool play and if my memory serves me right seriously ironic as the last time Everton won the Championship they were denied entry into the REAL Champions Cup by the banning of English teams in Europe duein no small part to the behaviour of the Liverpool fans against Juventus at Heysel.

[TrickyTrev]

I don't see why people would want Everton to qualify, they would be an embarassment. I do think they will qualify and if they come above Liverpool they will deserve it, but it will mean we only have 3 teams in the competition capabale of competing with the top teams.

96990[/snapback]

On that basis TT why bother to even have a 'competition' to see who should be eligible just let Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool and Arse can go every year, well assuming another suger daddy doesn't come along. Or better still tell them to piss off and play in their own cosy little Euro League and let Real Madrid , Barcelona and Man U take turns in winning that.

The only reason it's diificult for other teams to not be an 'embarrassment' as you so unjustifiable describe it is because of the totally unbalanced distribution of financial rewards in the world of football that maintains the status quo of the so called big clubs. Even so what if Everton did do ok thus sweeping up a lot of £s then it's not onconceivable that they could maintain some presence in the competition subsequently.

It would be totally unfair if Everton finished 4th and were denied entry to let Liverpool play and if my memory serves me right seriously ironic as the last time Everton won the Championship they were denied entry into the REAL Champions Cup by the banning of English teams in Europe duein no small part to the behaviour of the Liverpool fans against Juventus at Heysel.

97044[/snapback]

I did say that if they do managed to finish 4tht hey will deserve to go intot he competition and no one can deny them that right.

I just feel that in Europes premier competetion they will not be able to compete. They are not like the Leeds or Newcastle sides that have been able to break into the competiton at times, they just don't have the quality at their disposal. I want English football to achieve in europe and I feel the best chance we have of this sis if Liverpool qualify, I would still be fully behind Everton if they did get through.

[davieG]

I don't see why people would want Everton to qualify, they would be an embarassment. I do think they will qualify and if they come above Liverpool they will deserve it, but it will mean we only have 3 teams in the competition capabale of competing with the top teams.

96990[/snapback]

On that basis TT why bother to even have a 'competition' to see who should be eligible just let Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool and Arse can go every year, well assuming another suger daddy doesn't come along. Or better still tell them to piss off and play in their own cosy little Euro League and let Real Madrid , Barcelona and Man U take turns in winning that.

The only reason it's diificult for other teams to not be an 'embarrassment' as you so unjustifiable describe it is because of the totally unbalanced distribution of financial rewards in the world of football that maintains the status quo of the so called big clubs. Even so what if Everton did do ok thus sweeping up a lot of £s then it's not onconceivable that they could maintain some presence in the competition subsequently.

It would be totally unfair if Everton finished 4th and were denied entry to let Liverpool play and if my memory serves me right seriously ironic as the last time Everton won the Championship they were denied entry into the REAL Champions Cup by the banning of English teams in Europe duein no small part to the behaviour of the Liverpool fans against Juventus at Heysel.

97044[/snapback]

I did say that if they do managed to finish 4tht hey will deserve to go intot he competition and no one can deny them that right.

I just feel that in Europes premier competetion they will not be able to compete. They are not like the Leeds or Newcastle sides that have been able to break into the competiton at times, they just don't have the quality at their disposal. I want English football to achieve in europe and I feel the best chance we have of this sis if Liverpool qualify, I would still be fully behind Everton if they did get through.

97130[/snapback]

All well and good, but you're still advocating a closed shop by default - one of the reasons teams can compete in Europe is because they are in there - so if Everton got in the money they would make would enable them to strengthen their team and perform better in the Premier thus increasing their chances of getting in the Champs League again and a building process starts - how do you think the Arse manage to compete it's through the money they got from being in the Champs League.

Why do you think Man U are advocating a seeding system it's so they can maintain their closed shop - if they fail to qualify for just one year their buying power will decrease rapidly and a decline could set in and they would become 'embarrassing'

[toonboy]

they wouldn't be an embarassment they would be the rightful representative of english football in europe by finishing 4th. i think the FA would give liverpool the 4th spot if they won the champions league, but i can't see this happening anyway. everton might not get to the group stage and if they did would have very little chance of qualifying but no-one can say they dont deserve to be there. the only reason this could be bad for english football is because of the coefficients and the fact england could lose its 4th champions league spot, but this is at no immediate danger. newcastle did well when they got into the champions league for a couple of years and boro even did well in their first year in europe so there is no reason why everton shouldn't be there and no reason why they couldn't at least get into the uefa cup from it and no reason why anyone should be embarrassed by how well or how badly they do.

[filbertway]

they wouldn't be an embarassment they would be the rightful representative of english football in europe by finishing 4th. i think the FA would give liverpool the 4th spot if they won the champions league, but i can't see this happening anyway. everton might not get to the group stage and if they did would have very little chance of qualifying but no-one can say they dont deserve to be there. the only reason this could be bad for english football is because of the coefficients and the fact england could lose its 4th champions league spot, but this is at no immediate danger. newcastle did well when they got into the champions league for a couple of years and boro even did well in their first year in europe so there is no reason why everton shouldn't be there and no reason why they couldn't at least get into the uefa cup from it and no reason why anyone should be embarrassed by how well or how badly they do.

97206[/snapback]

Excellent post toonboy, totally agree.

[Knighton Matt]

they wouldn't be an embarassment they would be the rightful representative of english football in europe by finishing 4th. i think the FA would give liverpool the 4th spot if they won the champions league, but i can't see this happening anyway. everton might not get to the group stage and if they did would have very little chance of qualifying but no-one can say they dont deserve to be there. the only reason this could be bad for english football is because of the coefficients and the fact england could lose its 4th champions league spot, but this is at no immediate danger. newcastle did well when they got into the champions league for a couple of years and boro even did well in their first year in europe so there is no reason why everton shouldn't be there and no reason why they couldn't at least get into the uefa cup from it and no reason why anyone should be embarrassed by how well or how badly they do.

97206[/snapback]

totally agree mate and besides they couldn't be any more of an embarassment than millwall in the uefa cup this year could they?

there is potentially a massive decision to be made though if liverpool win the european cup (admittedly a BIG if!) as then one of these teams is rightfully going to be v upset and the fact that they are arch rivals, and the enormous amount of money at stake leaves the FA potentially with a VERY difficult decision to make.

[shen]

Well speaking in strict terms, no team other than Chelsea deserve to qualify for the CHAMPIONS League. I can't see one legitimate FOOTBALL reason to even have 3rd or 4th place qualifying, but that is of course a totally different discussion.

In the case of Liverpool winning the title, I'd want the FA to stage a kind of playoff between Everton and Liverpool to determine who gets the 4th spot, y'know, just for the sake of business

[toonboy]

Well speaking in strict terms, no team other than Chelsea deserve to qualify for the CHAMPIONS League. I can't see one legitimate FOOTBALL reason to even have 3rd or 4th place qualifying, but that is of course a totally different discussion.

In the case of Liverpool winning the title, I'd want the FA to stage a kind of playoff between Everton and Liverpool to determine who gets the 4th spot, y'know, just for the sake of business

98740[/snapback]

Well UEFA passed the buck to the FA so that would be a good way of getting out of it without having to make a decision. I doubt very much that it would happen though.

Apparently a few years ago the Spanish FA had the same decision to make and put Real in and put the 4th place team in the UEFA cup. Obviously it would be an even bigger decisions as they are such fierce rivals but i think the same thing would be done here.

Maybe the winners should automatically qualify for the tournament the next year but this would then mean only 3 places from the league. If liverpool won the champions league and then qualified for the next season that would end any potential fight for the other places.

The footballing reason to have 4 English teams in the champions league is that Man U and Liverpool, the 3rd and 4th teams, pose a bigger threat and have a better chance of winning than the champions of Georgia or Albania.

[shen]

Well speaking in strict terms, no team other than Chelsea deserve to qualify for the CHAMPIONS League. I can't see one legitimate FOOTBALL reason to even have 3rd or 4th place qualifying, but that is of course a totally different discussion.

In the case of Liverpool winning the title, I'd want the FA to stage a kind of playoff between Everton and Liverpool to determine who gets the 4th spot, y'know, just for the sake of business

98740[/snapback]

Well UEFA passed the buck to the FA so that would be a good way of getting out of it without having to make a decision. I doubt very much that it would happen though.

Apparently a few years ago the Spanish FA had the same decision to make and put Real in and put the 4th place team in the UEFA cup. Obviously it would be an even bigger decisions as they are such fierce rivals but i think the same thing would be done here.

Maybe the winners should automatically qualify for the tournament the next year but this would then mean only 3 places from the league. If liverpool won the champions league and then qualified for the next season that would end any potential fight for the other places.

The footballing reason to have 4 English teams in the champions league is that Man U and Liverpool, the 3rd and 4th teams, pose a bigger threat and have a better chance of winning than the champions of Georgia or Albania.

99148[/snapback]

It's pure business.... nobody wants to see teams for Georgia or Albania hopelessly getting trounced by teams like Chelsea or Milan. But because teams that are 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the domestic league qualify, I don't think the tournament warrants it's "Champions" League title. If you want a Champions League, fine... take the Champion from each country and put all the vice-champions et al into the UEFA Cup

[alieren7]

And I still cant understand why they quited Cup Winners cup. It was an exciting competition.There were many surprises.

[Anish]

I hope Everton get 4th.

If Liverpool do win the Champions League and Everton finish 4th, I hope the FA give the spot to Everton. Throughout the season the common belief was that 4th place ensured a Champions League spot. Teams like Liverpool, Newcastle, Boro etc all started the season with the aim to get into the top 4. It would be a joke to the Premiership if the FA decided at the last hour that 4th place does not guarantee a champions league place - they shouldn't be allowed to change their minds and undermine the whole Premiership by allowing Liverpool to take Everton's 'spot' when the rules were clear from the start.

It's all hypothetical I know and I doubt that Liverpool will win the competition, but the rules were set out back in August and should remain in place.