The Martin O'Neill thread (with added sacking #2188)

[eastie]

Newcastle aren't the first team to suffer from the problems of a small squad and the additional strain of European football. It shows that qualifying can be something of a poisoned chalice as it doesn't bring the financial rewards that enable you to strengthen.

True.
The financial rewards of the UEFA/Europa League are pretty meagre.

I remember seeing the figures somewhere, might have been on here.

Meagre is generous Mark. It's one of the major reasons that the tournament is completely dead, there's no great incentive to it.

The fact it takes 19 games to win and the ridiculous idea to let champions league group third place teams join it at the knockout stage does no favours either.

[pauliewalnuts]

Newcastle aren't the first team to suffer from the problems of a small squad and the additional strain of European football. It shows that qualifying can be something of a poisoned chalice as it doesn't bring the financial rewards that enable you to strengthen.

True.
The financial rewards of the UEFA/Europa League are pretty meagre.

I remember seeing the figures somewhere, might have been on here.

Meagre is generous Mark. It's one of the major reasons that the tournament is completely dead, there's no great incentive to it.

The fact it takes 19 games to win and the ridiculous idea to let champions league group third place teams join it at the knockout stage does no favours either.

The CL teams dropping in is an insult, to be honest.

You get teams who started qualifying rounds in July in that competition, but then you have CL bozos dropped in halfway through, it really is pretty insulting stuff.

I'd be livid if that year we lost in Moscow, our group had had Man City or United dropped into it.

[eastie]

Newcastle aren't the first team to suffer from the problems of a small squad and the additional strain of European football. It shows that qualifying can be something of a poisoned chalice as it doesn't bring the financial rewards that enable you to strengthen.

True.
The financial rewards of the UEFA/Europa League are pretty meagre.

I remember seeing the figures somewhere, might have been on here.

Meagre is generous Mark. It's one of the major reasons that the tournament is completely dead, there's no great incentive to it.

The fact it takes 19 games to win and the ridiculous idea to let champions league group third place teams join it at the knockout stage does no favours either.

The CL teams dropping in is an insult, to be honest.

You get teams who started qualifying rounds in July in that competition, but then you have CL bozos dropped in halfway through, it really is pretty insulting stuff.

I'd be livid if that year we lost in Moscow, our group had had Man City or United dropped into it.

The Europa league is very badly thought out and I could see in a way why o Neill would not take it seriously but the fact that we had played so many games to get that far and then chuck it in Moscow was bizarre- if you are not going to go for it then why play all those games to qualify and then get through the group stage only to toss it away in a knockout round.

[Mazrim]

The Europa is bollocks. An absolutely pointless competition that's far more trouble than it's worth and a disgrace to what used to be a fantastic competition (UEFA Cup).
I really don't care if Villa ever play in it again in its current format.

[Concrete John]

The strenthening of the Champions League, and by that I mean extension to include more clubs, has naturally hurt the UEFA Cup and it's bastard offspring.  The money is so much less as there are so many less top clubs in it. 

The answer is as obvious as it is unlikely to happen.

[Drummond]

When they merge it with the Champions League and have one European Competition, the better as far as I'm concerned.

Alternatively, return back to the good old days of three competitions, but we all know that won't happen.

[Villadroid]

The Europa is bollocks. An absolutely pointless competition that's far more trouble than it's worth

I would go much further and suggest that if you were designing a means to protect the Champions League as a monopoly for the richest clubs and wanted to make it as difficult as possible for clubs of the second tier to break that monopoly, you could not do much better than invent something like the present Europa League system.

It absolutely ensures that no club of the second tier can possible have two good seasons in a row because their resources are stretched to the limit while even if they win it the money is not enough to strengthen their squad.

In short, it's a poisoned chalice.

[eastie]

Wouldn't it be nice if as this topic reaches page 100 tonight mr o Neill finds himself out on his ear after a defeat tonight.

[Davey B]

Wouldn't it be nice if as this topic reaches page 100 tonight mr o Neill finds himself out on his ear after a defeat tonight.

Not really Eastie!  It would be better if it reached 100 pages while we rose up to 15th for a while! I like my proposal much better! 

[eastie]

Wouldn't it be nice if as this topic reaches page 100 tonight mr o Neill finds himself out on his ear after a defeat tonight.

Not really Eastie!  It would be better if it reached 100 pages while we rose up to 15th for a while! I like my proposal much better! 

You old scoundrel davey, hope you enjoy the 0-0 tonight!

[Villadroid]

Wouldn't it be nice if as this topic reaches page 100 tonight mr o Neill finds himself out on his ear after a defeat tonight.

Unfortunately, Sunderland losing would not make Villa any better.

Or, Villa winning make Sunderland any worse.

[eastie]

Wouldn't it be nice if as this topic reaches page 100 tonight mr o Neill finds himself out on his ear after a defeat tonight.

Unfortunately, Sunderland losing would not make Villa any better.

Or, Villa winning make Sunderland any worse.

Maybe not but it will br nice to see the football world see through the myth of mon and him depart in shame.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

ONNNNNNNNNNNNNE HUNDRED!

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I said ONNNNNNNEEEEEE HUNDRED!

[Rip Van We Go Again]

And I can't fucking count!