Football (Soccer) Thread

[Ed Anger]

As for which team I follow, I just watch what the mothership tells me.

[Josquius]

Wow. I haven't been following things in Glasgow at all, sounds like crazy developments there.

Hopefully this will be the start of the unwinding of the Scottish league and their joining the English league.

Yeah, Neil would become gay before that ever happens. Scotland would rather have a one-team league than join the perfidious English.

I dunno. Some Rangers and Celtic fans would support it, it would really help their teams become actual European competitors....eventually.

[Razgovory]

Huh.  I just found out that my Grandfather is in the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame.  I guess he did a lot stuff.  I just thought of him as a Mailman/criminal.

[Gups]

Wow. I haven't been following things in Glasgow at all, sounds like crazy developments there.

Hopefully this will be the start of the unwinding of the Scottish league and their joining the English league.

Yeah, Neil would become gay before that ever happens. Scotland would rather have a one-team league than join the perfidious English.

You're kidding. They've been desperate to for years but the English have told them there's no chance. They also tried to set up an Atlantic league with Portugal, Denmark and a few others but that didn't work.

The Scottish League is absolutely terrible. Two big teams who would struggle in the Championship let alone the Prem, a few others who might do OK in League 1 or 2 and nasty secterian fans. We wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

[Syt]

Similar in Austria. 10 or so teams, of which only two or three are not horrible. There was a motion once to put some of the South East European teams together to have a competitive league (with, e.g. Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Rep. etc.), but UEFA shot it down before this could be substantiated.

[FunkMonk]

Somewhat related question: I know this comes up every few years, but how likely is it that the top European teams will form a "super" league amongst themselves?

[Josephus]

For all intents and purposes, there already is the Champions League.

[Josquius]

Wow. I haven't been following things in Glasgow at all, sounds like crazy developments there.

Hopefully this will be the start of the unwinding of the Scottish league and their joining the English league.

Yeah, Neil would become gay before that ever happens. Scotland would rather have a one-team league than join the perfidious English.

You're kidding. They've been desperate to for years but the English have told them there's no chance. They also tried to set up an Atlantic league with Portugal, Denmark and a few others but that didn't work.

The Scottish League is absolutely terrible. Two big teams who would struggle in the Championship let alone the Prem, a few others who might do OK in League 1 or 2 and nasty secterian fans. We wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

I dunno. Rangers as they stand are only Championship worthy but with their fanbase and the potential to play in the top leagues they could build up a pretty good team and get themselves into the premier.
Likewise some of the smaller teams have decent enough fanbases that with the opportunity the English league offers they could get themselves up to scratch.

[Gups]

I agree. Both Rangers and Celtic are big clubs with big fanbases. A few years of sky money and the ability the attract players and they'd be challenging for top 4 places.

But what's in it for the English clubs? Two teams woudl have to drop out of the ELP to make space for the Glaswegians. The top 5 or 6 will have more competition for CL places. The costs of policing will go through the roof (remember Rangers in Manchester a few years ago).

No club in the EPL will vote to admit Celtics or Rangers.

[Syt]

For all intents and purposes, there already is the Champions League.

Indeed. Long ago, when there were the original cups (Champions Cup, Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup), the UEFA Cup was often the most fun to watch, because it gathered a lot of big teams from all over Europe, and not just one per country. This is basically what the Champions League has become. The Euro League (or whatever the former UEFA Cup is called these days) is basically division 2 in this context.

[katmai]

Arky!  I'm gonna cry after watching this performance tonight.

[The Larch]

Somewhat related question: I know this comes up every few years, but how likely is it that the top European teams will form a "super" league amongst themselves?

Highly unlikely IMO, as it'd have to happen totally outside of current UEFA backed leagues and international competitions. Big clubs that put this forward want to have their cake and eat it, but it won't happen.

[Warspite]

Arky!  I'm gonna cry after watching this performance tonight.

We've all just stopped caring over here.

[katmai]

Well i can see why

[Ed Anger]

After watching the UFEA stuff, I just don't care for it that much.