aw, bless 'em

[Two Fat Feet]

Man-U want Champions League changed

 

22/03/2005 19:24

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United would like the format of the Champions League changed to help more big name clubs survive into the last eight.

 

United were knocked out in this month’s first knockout round by AC Milan and chief executive David Gill on Tuesday put forward the idea of a seeding system for the last 16.

 

Gill said there would be discussions between clubs and UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, to see whether changes were necessary although he did not expect any for the next two years.

 

"It’s not good for the big clubs, not good for TV and sponsors if no Spanish club is in the quarter-finals," Gill said after unveiling sharply lower interim profits at United.

 

This season, nine times winners Real Madrid, Barcelona, United and English champions Arsenal have failed to reach the quarter-finals.

 

Gill said he talked with AC Milan officials before their recent tie and they had discussed a seeding system after the group stage whereby the team seeded top - based on past performance - play the 16th seed, the second the 15th and so on.

 

UEFA scrapped the second group stage ahead of the 2003/4 season, replacing it with a knockout round before the quarter-finals.

 

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Why not just have the champions of each country compete each season ... like, call me old-fashioned but I thought you had to earn the right to compete in the top competitions by your most recent achievements on the field, not by your past reputation. Why not give the lesser clubs a two-goal handicap to help stop them progressing at the expense of the bigger clubs?

[coupwotcoup]

Funnily enough Wenger said the same thing last week. Why do they bother playing and they can take it in turns to win each year? Then the little loves can have a bit more time off to go bar rucking...See tomorrow's headlines...

[Johnny the Horse]

Had agreat night out in the London version of Tiger Tiger a couple of years ago. Mind you the amount spent was enough to make me want to ruck anything that moved.

 

I doubt that the latest press story will have the same foundation on account of a) the poor little darling earns more in a week than I have managed to lift in a post office job in my life and his agent has denied it. The latter clearly adds credence to the fact that he did not do anything, in the same that denials on both sides proved that neither Ashley Cole or Chelsea had ever met and if they had done, they neither arranged the meeting or did anything wrong in the situation.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Quote:

Baldrick said:
Man-U want Champions League changed

22/03/2005 19:24

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United would like the format of the Champions League changed to help more big name clubs survive into the last eight.

United were knocked out in this month’s first knockout round by AC Milan and chief executive David Gill on Tuesday put forward the idea of a seeding system for the last 16.

Gill said there would be discussions between clubs and UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, to see whether changes were necessary although he did not expect any for the next two years.

"It’s not good for the big clubs, not good for TV and sponsors if no Spanish club is in the quarter-finals," Gill said after unveiling sharply lower interim profits at United.

How the mighty have budgeted badly! Is that why the ESL has had seeding up to the last stages so we can maximise TV revenues and international coverage. The words another planet and greedy come to mind! Just think what an ESL club could do with just one weeks wages of one Man Utd player?