If You Were Michel Platini How Would You Change European Football

[sumrit]

On the Liverpool thread Wellred said he didn't want Liverpool playing in the Europa Cup because it was a 'Joke Cup'. And he's not the first person to echo these views is he. For a lot of clubs and supporters the Europa Cup seems to be the failure cup. Apart from cup winners the rest of the teams are mainly made up of Champions League failures and clubs from the minor European countries football leagues. And 'fair play' teams of course.

Personally I want to see my team playing in Europe all the time, at whatever level, and have my own ideas on how I would change European Football.

So, if you could change places with Michel Platini, how would you restructure European football so that all teams and their supporters would want to play in European, and even world club competitions?

Or are you like Wellred and just want your team to play domestic football and not pit their wits (and ability) against the rest of Europe?

[delgarcon]

I would resign.

The man's a dinosaur and has been resisting essential goal line technology for years. Arbitrators are not infallible and should have all of the technical help they can get.

[mrbojangles]

I would resign.

The man's a dinosaur and has been resisting essential goal line technology for years. Arbitrators are not infallible and should have all of the technical help they can get.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

[Jimjim]

Well I was going to say I would fire myself, but you beat me to it, as well!

I think, Sumrit, though I like the Europa League for some strange reason, the two things I don't like is that matches always have to be on Thursday nights, even on weeks when there's no Champions League. I think UEFA should put Europa League matches on Wednesdays, at least on weeks when there's no Champions League. And even besides that, if they can fit it into the calendar, have most Europa League weeks be different from Champions League weeks, so the matches can be at a more favorable time for European clubs.

Also, I think another gripe is that the comp is too bloated with too many groups and rounds, and lots of clubs get in so a club from England may be playing a minnow they've never even heard of. While this has a certain charm, I think the comp is bloated to help the minnows, so maybe there could a separate, smaller cup for the minnows and the smaller countries don't even get a club admitted into the Europa League if their league is ranked below a certain level. It could be called, "The Minnow Cup."

[Chicog]

^ They used to have one. It was called the Intertoto cup and no-one was interested in it, although I think the winner got into the UEFA.

In fairness to Platini, the idea is to redistribute the wealth so that the big clubs don't take all of the revenue.

And I don't mind them having footy on a Wednesday and a Thursday, more games to watch and bet on!

[mjj]

Champions league top 2 and winners of cups. Actually I think it should only be winners.

Europa third and forth. If you need more teams, maybe runners up in the cups.

It might make the Europa more exciting as you will have better teams in it, plus their is more chance of not having the usual suspects.

[delgarcon]

Nobody's ever going to watch the also rans ,doesn't matter what sport we're talking about, people want to see the cream. There's always going to be a place for the minnows as there is at home with the lower divisions, but the attendances say it all don't they. I think I like the current format for the Champions league mjj, I'm not mad on sudden death elimination, it's tough on everybody and not really fair imo, especially when you've got a tosser for a ref!

[mjj]

That kind of my point. If it was just champions in the CL, Europa could feasibly have Real, Barca, City, Chelsea, Utd, or Milan, etc in it, thus raising its profile and attraction. This would afford both cups having strong entries and high desirability. It would effectively mean that there are 2 nearly equal European cups, just with different selection processes.

A second string cup like Europa with its current selection is always going to be on a par with the League Cup.

[nev]

No midweek europen football so teams can concentrate on there leagues, season to finish 2 weeks early and the european cups played then at end of season, only champions of there league in champions league, and cup winners in cup winners cup, played on neutral grounds single game.

There is to much football as there is, so cutting each back to 16 in each cup, straight to knock out games at end of season we would have something to look forward too.

I cannot bring myself to watch champions league in the group stages unless utd are playing.

Would never come in due to revenue lost but at present europa league is dead and to many teams in the champions league.

[smokie36]

I'd ditch all seedings completely.

[mrbojangles]

I'd ditch all seedings completely.

[tw25rw]

I would have cross border leagues so that the big clubs in weak leagues could play each other during the regular season.

[jellydog]

Murder/suicide with Blatter.

[Travel2003]

If I was Michel Platini, I would stop tinkering.

[rijit]

If you really want start to change 'football' a good way would be finding a fairer way of redistributing footballs wealth, the big clubs and its fans wont like it, but ALL away teams to get somewhere near half the gate money. And seedings defo suck, get rid.

[delgarcon]

So rijit, you're a Man U shareholder, you've just gone out and bought a couple of thousand shares and then old Michel comes along and says "attends un moment! C'est qui ce petit club Northampton Town et oui, Watford United. I sink I'm going to elp them with a leetle of yout dosh" Allez, don moi 300! We redistribute comme ca 100 pour Northampton, 100 pour Watford et 100 pour moi, Steff et Blatt! Ne t'inquiete pas, je te laisse 1700!

I don't think so, do you?

[wellred]

How to make the Europa league attractive.

1. Don't let CL group stage rejects automatically enter as soon as they fall out of the group stages of the CL..

2. More financial incentive = more teams trying to win

3. Give the winner a place in next season champions league. This alone would guarantee teams going all out to win it.

The alternative would be to expand the CL so that the top 5/6 from each of the big nations got a spot. The rest of the shabbite teams can bugger off as they are just making up the numbers.

I did read some time ago that Platini was considering the above as a viable option. If e actually has the balls to do it is another matter. I'm all for it though... obviously. 555

[delgarcon]

I like points 1, 2 and 3, particularly 3. This would indeed make winning more important.

[rijit]

So rijit, you're a Man U shareholder, you've just gone out and bought a couple of thousand shares and then old Michel comes along and says "attends un moment! C'est qui ce petit club Northampton Town et oui, Watford United. I sink I'm going to elp them with a leetle of yout dosh" Allez, don moi 300! We redistribute comme ca 100 pour Northampton, 100 pour Watford et 100 pour moi, Steff et Blatt! Ne t'inquiete pas, je te laisse 1700!

I don't think so, do you?

Thanks for that , but drop me a hint delegarcon, why you think I put in bold , 'big clubs and its fans wont like it' ?

[Chicog]

If you really want start to change 'football' a good way would be finding a fairer way of redistributing footballs wealth, the big clubs and its fans wont like it, but ALL away teams to get somewhere near half the gate money. And seedings defo suck, get rid.

That's just a fraction of the money involved, and UEFA take something like 5,000 seats per game for various sponsors and officials.

Here's where the real money is:

The UEFA Champions League is the bank. Last year, TV networks and sponsors deposited $1.4 billion into the Union of European Football Association's checking account for a piece of the action. The lucky teams in the competition were cut in for 80 percent. Clubs from Europe's most popular leagues earned the largest slices, in the tens of millions.

[nev]

I'd ditch all seedings completely.

Agree, and no 3rd or 4th teams in there winners and maybe runners up only, no mini league system and straight to a draw.

[SantiSuk]

Recipe for a competition between a few big money clubs and a host of lesser teams from countries like Portugal and Switzerland. I can see why that appeals to you guys Nev! Most of the rest of us would just switch off. Be careful what you wish for

[Exsexyman]

I would do away with the January transfer window, clubs should stand or fall by the squads they have at the start of the season. Would stop the wealthy clubs who are underachieving mid way through the season, throwing money at, and poaching a player from one of the smaller clubs who is playing really well, thus disrupting said smaller clubs season. Amounts to buying success, at the expense of less wealthy smaller clubs who just cannot compete financially. Will never happen though.

[nev]

Recipe for a competition between a few big money clubs and a host of lesser teams from countries like Portugal and Switzerland. I can see why that appeals to you guys Nev! Most of the rest of us would just switch off. Be careful what you wish for

I switch off now anyway and only get up at 2 or 3am to watch my team

[mrbojangles]

I would do away with the January transfer window, clubs should stand or fall by the squads they have at the start of the season. Would stop the wealthy clubs who are underachieving mid way through the season, throwing money at, and poaching a player from one of the smaller clubs who is playing really well, thus disrupting said smaller clubs season. Amounts to buying success, at the expense of less wealthy smaller clubs who just cannot compete financially. Will never happen though.

I'm not so sure. I think the wealthy clubs will always buy the best players but by having a transfer window just puts a premium on a player. I'm not professing to have all the answers but I honestly believe that the transfer windows increase the price of players and thus make it harder for the smaller clubs to buy top players anyway.

Also, the top clubs usually have a bigger squad depth than the smaller clubs, so they can ride the injuries to players a bit better (which is usually over the busy xmas period). If a small club has an injury to a key player and they have a small squad, that can be catostrophic as it currently is. If they couldn't buy a player to cover someone injured in the winter transfer window, it would actually be more detrimental to the smaller club than the wealthier one.

Personally I'd like to have no transfer windows at all and let clubs buy replacements when they like but maybe have a cap on the amount they can buy over a season.

[smokie36]

So rijit, you're a Man U shareholder, you've just gone out and bought a couple of thousand shares and then old Michel comes along and says "attends un moment! C'est qui ce petit club Northampton Town et oui, Watford United. I sink I'm going to elp them with a leetle of yout dosh" Allez, don moi 300! We redistribute comme ca 100 pour Northampton, 100 pour Watford et 100 pour moi, Steff et Blatt! Ne t'inquiete pas, je te laisse 1700!

I don't think so, do you?

Queens English only on the forum....n'est pas?

Suspendre lui mrboj!!

[smokie36]

I'd ditch all seedings completely.

Agree, and no 3rd or 4th teams in there winners and maybe runners up only, no mini league system and straight to a draw.

Bring back the Cup Winners Cup too. That had some of the best ties imho.

[mrbojangles]

So rijit, you're a Man U shareholder, you've just gone out and bought a couple of thousand shares and then old Michel comes along and says "attends un moment! C'est qui ce petit club Northampton Town et oui, Watford United. I sink I'm going to elp them with a leetle of yout dosh" Allez, don moi 300! We redistribute comme ca 100 pour Northampton, 100 pour Watford et 100 pour moi, Steff et Blatt! Ne t'inquiete pas, je te laisse 1700!

I don't think so, do you?

Queens English only on the forum....n'est pas?

Suspendre lui mrboj!!

I thought it was a new form of text speak

[smokie36]

So rijit, you're a Man U shareholder, you've just gone out and bought a couple of thousand shares and then old Michel comes along and says "attends un moment! C'est qui ce petit club Northampton Town et oui, Watford United. I sink I'm going to elp them with a leetle of yout dosh" Allez, don moi 300! We redistribute comme ca 100 pour Northampton, 100 pour Watford et 100 pour moi, Steff et Blatt! Ne t'inquiete pas, je te laisse 1700!

I don't think so, do you?

Queens English only on the forum....n'est pas?

Suspendre lui mrboj!!

I thought it was a new form of text speak

For a moment I thought Singher and his hairy sidekick had returned.

[BIGTOE3]

I'd ditch all seedings completely.

Agree, and no 3rd or 4th teams in there winners and maybe runners up only, no mini league system and straight to a draw.

Bring back the Cup Winners Cup too. That had some of the best ties imho.

Also a couple of Scots winners

BT