Aston Villa v Olympiacos - UECL Semi Final First Leg Pre Match

[Duncan Shaw]

There's a few tickets just popped up for anyone looking!

[Brend'Watkins]

5.1 - biggest home game in years, many years

It really isn't. It's important in our plight to win a trophy after so long but if you asked the club which was more important, CL qualification or 1st leg of the semi final of the 3rd rated European competition? I think you'd find it's level of bigness would be way, way down.

[Ads]

Why are we talking down a European semi-final? Why do we come up with these weird and/ors?

[Risso]

Why are we talking down a European semi-final? Why do we come up with these weird and/ors?

Natural Brummie pessimism and/or years of being Villa fans and not having nice things.

[Ads]

Why are we talking down a European semi-final? Why do we come up with these weird and/ors?

Natural Brummie pessimism and/or years of being Villa fans and not having nice things.

That was my thinking too. Makes more of a mockery of the Nose myth of us not being Brummies. Bring on the success and the non-Brummie gloryhunters.

[Demitri_C]

5.1 - biggest home game in years, many years

I would disagree with that brent tbh. Our first potential European final in my life time. Huge game !

It really isn't. It's important in our plight to win a trophy after so long but if you asked the club which was more important, CL qualification or 1st leg of the semi final of the 3rd rated European competition? I think you'd find it's level of bigness would be way, way down.

[Brend'Watkins]

I'm not talking down anything. Maybe it's an age thing, I've seen us win stuff over many years so I am not as hungry for this newish competition as say fans 20 or 30 years younger who are starved of a trophy and I get that.  If we were two or three places lower in the league then yes, it would be of the utmost importance. We're not, we've already qualified for the Europa next season, guaranteed 4th or at worst 5th in the league. Winning this trophy would be the cherry on top of the icing already on the cake and I hope I am lucky enough to get a ticket for the final should we get there.

[ChicagoLion]

Its massive in comparison to the DAF Leyland Vehicle Trophy.

[jon collett]

But it’s pretty much the continuation of the Intertoto which we’ve won.

And I don’t remember the winning the trophy brigade during zenith data systems cup!

[Risso]

But it’s pretty much the continuation of the Intertoto which we’ve won.

And I don’t remember the winning the trophy brigade during zenith data systems cup!

It's nothing of the sort. It's a major European trophy. Sure, it's the third most important of the three, but then so was the old Cup Winners Cup. It's simiar to the League Cup being the third trophy behind the league and FA Cup in domestic football.

[jon collett]

It’s one below the old UEFA Cup which used to be the Intertoto.

Interesting matches and travel experiences but that’s what it is !

[Sexual Ealing]

It’s one below the old UEFA Cup which used to be the Intertoto.

Interesting matches and travel experiences but that’s what it is !

It really isn't.

[Risso]

The Intertoto was all played in the summer break, and was nothing more than a qualifying campaign for the UEFA Cup, and so they felt more like friendlies. Also teams could, and did, choose not to take part,and there were three 'winners' a year.

I actually find it a bit sad that two days before an important semi-final for our first shot at a proper trophy in nearly 30 years, that somebody's actually suggesting it's not a real competition and isn't worth winning. They're the sorts of arguments they're making over on smallknuckledragger.com

[coreyfeldman]

Never inviting you lot to a party I swear

[danno]

You only have to see how Roma and Mourinho (who has won everything) thought of the competition, or see West Ham's  reaction to winning it to see its far more significant than winning the three or so games it took to win the intertoto.