Football (Soccer) Thread

[Josquius]

Sunderland are in the Europa league

And just to show off my honour I still think the Europa and conference leagues are dumb 

The champions league should be for champions only.
The Europa league should be for those finishing 2-7 or whatever. In essence what the champions league is now.
The conference league shouldn't exist. In its place should be the Cup winners Cup.
Winners of the other two get a champions league space next year.

[Syt]

Time for Series 4 of "Sunderland Till I Die?"

[Sheilbh]

My big idea on European football is to follow the Americans and have conferences (I'd like East/West but I think practically it would be as competitive) on North/South to slightly split up the big teams and increase chance they knock each other out and mean you'd never have a final with two clubs from the same country.

So Spain and Portugal, Balkans (including Greece and Turkey), Italy etc leading to one wing of the final and England, Germany, Benelux, Nordics, Poland etc in the other. Separate tournaments basically leading to the final.

Unsure on where France belongs.

That and bringing back the Cup Winner's Cup!

[Duque de Bragança]

My big idea on European football is to follow the Americans and have conferences (I'd like East/West but I think practically it would be as competitive) on North/South to slightly split up the big teams and increase chance they knock each other out and mean you'd never have a final with two clubs from the same country.

So Spain and Portugal, Balkans (including Greece and Turkey), Italy etc leading to one wing of the final and England, Germany, Benelux, Nordics, Poland etc in the other. Separate tournaments basically leading to the final.

Unsure on where France belongs.

That and bringing back the Cup Winner's Cup!

Can't be both.
First one is pure closed League NA-style crap.

[Norgy]

My big idea on European football is to follow the Americans and have conferences (I'd like East/West but I think practically it would be as competitive) on North/South to slightly split up the big teams and increase chance they knock each other out and mean you'd never have a final with two clubs from the same country.

So Spain and Portugal, Balkans (including Greece and Turkey), Italy etc leading to one wing of the final and England, Germany, Benelux, Nordics, Poland etc in the other. Separate tournaments basically leading to the final.

Unsure on where France belongs.

That and bringing back the Cup Winner's Cup!

I suggest making a cheating bastards conference with Italian, Turkish, Serbian, Greek, Israeli, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian and just for fun, Swiss clubs. See how your neutrality works now, wankers.
A Benelux-German-French conference.
Mitteleuropa conference with the Germans and Austrians, and again, just for fun, the Croats.
The Aryan conference with the Nordic countries.

The English will win everything anyway, so let them fight out in their own conference with the Scots to test the hypothesis that Celtic and Rangers would be top six clubs in the EPL.

The Portuguese and Spanish teams will be banned. Bye, bye.

[Sheilbh]

Can't be both.
First one is pure closed League NA-style crap.

The first one would still be as with leagues now so whoever wins in the Leagues.

I think the current set up is far more closed league. UEFA's structures are broadly to try and maximise the chances that the "big" teams that generate lots of revenue don't get knocked out early. Every single change UEFA make is to reduce chance and jeopardy and increase security for the big teams so they won't try and do a super-league again.

I think a conference/play-off model would still most often likely result in a final of Bayern/PSG/English club v Real/Barca/Italian club. But it would never be two from the same country and I think it would lightly increase the chance of a surprise run.

[Sheilbh]

Mitteleuropa conference with the Germans and Austrians, and again, just for fun, the Croats.

Wading foolheartedly into the "who is in the Balkans" debate

The English will win everything anyway, so let them fight out in their own conference with the Scots to test the hypothesis that Celtic and Rangers would be top six clubs in the EPL.

I think you also need some specific way of accounting for Unai Emery in the Europea League (for clubs with "villa" in their name)

Edit:

The Portuguese and Spanish teams will be banned. Bye, bye.

Kicking Jose Mourinho out of the competition/off the TV:

[Duque de Bragança]

Edit:

The Portuguese and Spanish teams will be banned. Bye, bye.

Kicking Jose Mourinho out of the competition/off the TV:

All propositions don't care much about timezomes, specially Sheilb's. 
Even worse that the current state we have now, due to the EPL dominance, "tempered" by a "plastic" club or two, that is when it's an EPL plastic club.

A new Iberian alliance will be needed for the first time since the Reconquista (Napoleon does not count due to Olivença). 

[Josephus]

I'm excited about the World Cup...have been since the first one I followed back in 74.
That said, my enthusiasm is less not for political reasons so much. Honestly, I think politics will not have a big effect on the World Cup, and it will be successful. No, the problem I'm having right now is getting excited over the fact there are so many teams, and with 32 of 48 teams qualifying to the next round, it makes the first round very meaningless.
I mean...who's not looking forward to the grand spectacle that will be Congo v. Uzbekistan. Or Cabo Verde v. Saudi Arabia.

Having 48 teams has watered down this tournament.

Back in 74, there were 16 teams in all.

[Duque de Bragança]

Did you manage to secure tickets?

[Josephus]

Did you manage to secure tickets?

Me?

No. I entered the lottery for one of the 6 games in Toronto back when they were first announced, but didn't "win."

There have been a few more chances since, but honestly ticket prices are so expensive I kinda lost interest.

[Sheilbh]

All propositions don't care much about timezomes, specially Sheilb's. 
Even worse that the current state we have now, due to the EPL dominance, "tempered" by a "plastic" club or two, that is when it's an EPL plastic club.

Surely it'd be the same timezones as now to the extent that's a problem?

[Duque de Bragança]

Hardly surprising, unless you were member of a national squad fan or supporter association.

[Sheilbh]

Wut? Genuinely not sure what you mean about timezones being a problem.

[Duque de Bragança]

All propositions don't care much about timezomes, specially Sheilb's. 
Even worse that the current state we have now, due to the EPL dominance, "tempered" by a "plastic" club or two, that is when it's an EPL plastic club.

Surely it'd be the same timezones as now to the extent that's a problem?

Your Portugal to Turkey (conference won't be very practical or of much interest.

Major Spanish clubs like most of their games one time zone away at most.
Super (closed) League heavyweights would dictate the tempo.

Your proposal is Gianni-like, even worse than the current sorry state.

Besides, a new C2 would be all over the continent.