The Football.....

[Roadhump]

Liverpool are out of the Champions League. I don't think they should be too upset they were never going to win it,but they have a decent chance of winning the Europa League! Big fish in a small pond and all that!

They will have to up their game considerably to win it, they are hardly setting the world alight. But that's the thing about Liverpool, the unthinking world assumes they are still great, they are not! They might get good again if they appoint a decent manager, they certainly have the resources to go with their sense of entitlement, but for now, in their current state, I wouldn't risk a punt on them.

Exactly how big a fish are Liverpool now? There are some sharks floating about in the Europa League.

Not that anyone cares, it's the European equivalent of the Johnstones Paint Trophy.

The media will always provide Liverpool with a high profile because they are made up of gloryhunting journos who grew up in the 70s and 80s, but the notion that they are still big hitters is a media perpetuated myth. Perhaps with a new manager and the increased revenue they will bleed from the corporate world following their ground expansion, they might claw their way back to compete with the oil clubs, but not that big a fish for now.

Unfortunately, it is all about funnelling rewards up to the big fish these days, which can only increase the gap between the haves and have nots, so the Europa, as you say, has become a second rate competition that is actually an inconvenience to the main aim of premiership survival to guarantee revenue levels....modern footy stinks!!

Bring back the tradition of European Cup, UEFA Cup and ECWC and make it more interesting for all is what I say.........fat chance of that though.

 

[ianrauk]

Basel mock Brit clubs they have beaten in Europe the last couple of seasons.

 

[solitaire]

just to let you all know, I am a.......................Hammers fan and we are finally on the march!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Smokin Joe]

just to let you all know, I am a.......................Hammers fan and we are finally on the march!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll get a nose bleed if we go any higher. Got to hand it to BFS, the last two games we've come from behind to win. The traditional West Ham way is to destroy the opposition for 75 minutes then blow it and lose in the last fifteen.

 

[MarkF]

You should always try to win, take what you can, forfeiting games is not for me, I am glad it didn't work and that Liverpool are out.

I also disagree with CL failures dropping in like unwanted guests into the Europa League. However, for quite a few seasons now, it has been the Europa League not the CL that has provided most of the entertaining games.

Liverpool are still big, surprisingly so, here are the shirt sales, average per season 09-13

1 - Real Madrid 1,580,000
2 - Manchester United 1,490,000
3 - Barcelona 1,190,000
4 - Bayern Munich 945,000
5 - Chelsea 875,000
6 - Arsenal 825,000
7 - Liverpool 805,000
8 - Marseille 385,000
9 - Juventus 375,000
10 - PSG 335,000
11 - Fenerbahce 325,000

12 - Inter Milan 300,000

 

[solitaire]

We'll get a nose bleed if we go any higher. Got to hand it to BFS, the last two games we've come from behind to win. The traditional West Ham way is to destroy the opposition for 75 minutes then blow it and lose in the last fifteen.

We really have turned a corner, we're even playing some decent football now. BIG SAM does deserve a lot of credit, so to the 2 David's for sticking by him when we all wanted him out. I don't mind being proved wrong if that's the outcome. Onwards & upwards Sunderland away next!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

 

[Roadhump]

We really have turned a corner, we're even playing some decent football now. BIG SAM does deserve a lot of credit, so to the 2 David's for sticking by him when we all wanted him out. I don't mind being proved wrong if that's the outcome. Onwards & upwards Sunderland away next!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

As a Toffee, I would, until recently, have been quite pleased at drawing the Hammers at home in the 3rd round of the F.A. Cup. We have a very good record against you, especially at Goodison, but you are a far more serious proposition this season and we aren't playing that well at all so it's going to be a tough one. You were unlucky to lose at G.P. the other week.

Great traditional English team WHUFC, and top fans. I remember about 15 years ago we played you the last game of the season at home and won 6-0; when we were about 5-0 up your fans started singing 5-1 then began jumping up and down celebrating like mad, they then sang 5-2 and celebrated wildly again, they continued th same way through 5-3, 5-4 and were obviously going to make it 6-5 to them, but we scored our 6th before they got there so they just booed instead. We were in the stand opposite the West Ham fans who gave us a great laugh taking the mickey out of themselves that day. My lad was about 10 years old at the time and was in stitches laughing, he often recalls that day which never fails to make him laugh and recall how pleasantly mad they were.

 

[solitaire]

As a Toffee, I would, until recently, have been quite pleased at drawing the Hammers at home in the 3rd round of the F.A. Cup. We have a very good record against you, especially at Goodison, but you are a far more serious proposition this season and we aren't playing that well at all so it's going to be a tough one. You were unlucky to lose at G.P. the other week.

Great traditional English team WHUFC, and top fans. I remember about 15 years ago we played you the last game of the season at home and won 6-0; when we were about 5-0 up your fans started singing 5-1 then began jumping up and down celebrating like mad, they then sang 5-2 and celebrated wildly again, they continued th same way through 5-3, 5-4 and were obviously going to make it 6-5 to them, but we scored our 6th before they got there so they just booed instead. We were in the stand opposite the West Ham fans who gave us a great laugh taking the mickey out of themselves that day. My lad was about 10 years old at the time and was in stitches laughing, he often recalls that day which never fails to make him laugh and recall how pleasantly mad they were.

Yeah I got to admit, Goodison is not a profitable hunting ground for us. Your right we were unlucky against you a few weeks back but we just never seem to be able to win up there. Your also right about the fans being barmy, I can remember being at the Forest semi final game in 1991, we lost 4-0 but the way we sang and cheered you would have thought we'd won but then again we've had a lot of disappointment over the years, yet maybe? just maybe the tide is about to turn

 

[Smokin Joe]

There was an article in the Telegraph last week about your teams bogey team. Sure enough, West Ham's was Everton.

I don't want to sound like I'm indulging in a bit of mutual back slapping, But Everton are a club I greatly admire. Nothing flash about them and they don't try to appear glamorous, but they have been a constant top division side since before most people were born and rarely get in danger of being relegated. They were also unlucky that one of their best ever sides suffered the ban on English clubs from Europe at a time when they would have been real European Cup contenders.

 

[Accy cyclist]

an ban.

There was an article in the Telegraph last week about your teams bogey team. Sure enough, West Ham's was Everton.

I don't want to sound like I'm indulging in a bit of mutual back slapping, But Everton are a club I greatly admire. Nothing flash about them and they don't try to appear glamorous, but they have been a constant top division side since before most people were born and rarely get in danger of being relegated. They were also unlucky that one of their best ever sides suffered the ban on English clubs from Europe at a time when they would have been real European Cup contenders.

I know some think the Europa League is a poor man's Champions League but there's only a few clubs in Europe who'd belittle competing in it. Man Utd Real Madrid and Bayern Munich spring to mind. The rest would love the prospect of winning the competition! I'd like to see Everton win it to make up for those lost opportunities due to the European ban in the 1980's.

 

[solitaire]

an ban.


I know some think the Europa League is a poor man's Champions League but there's only a few clubs in Europe who'd belittle competing in it. Man Utd Real Madrid and Bayern Munich spring to mind. The rest would love the prospect of winning the competition! I'd like to see Everton win it to make up for those lost opportunities due to the European ban in the 1980's.

I don't think it's a poor man's CL, I just don't agree that if your knocked out of one competition you are rewarded with a place in another. The Europa league should be a competition in it's own right, perhaps then it might get a bit more respect.
I agree about Everton though, I too hope they win it, they've always been a hard working proper football team (even though their our bogey team) good luck to them.
You can get 16/1 on Man City to win the CL, is that worth a £10 I ask myself?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Liverpool are out of the Champions League. I don't think they should be too upset they were never going to win it,but they have a decent chance of winning the Europa League! Big fish in a small pond and all that!

LFC are probably the most deluded club in the Premier League and on current form have very little chance of winning the Europa League. I think their local support is wonderful but the constant banging on about their glory days, which are now a long time back, grates more than a little.

There are a whole heap of good teams in the competition and contrary to the common misconception here in Blighty it is a) *loody hard to win and b) is a highly prized competition throughout the rest of Europe.

With the added incentive of a direct route to the Champions League for the winner every participant will be 'going for it'.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

an ban.


I know some think the Europa League is a poor man's Champions League but there's only a few clubs in Europe who'd belittle competing in it. Man Utd Real Madrid and Bayern Munich spring to mind. The rest would love the prospect of winning the competition! I'd like to see Everton win it to make up for those lost opportunities due to the European ban in the 1980's.

Really - they are sliding in the EUFA rankings and will fall further this year for obvious reasons. Are they really in a position to 'belittle' a major European trophy?

http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method4/trank2014.html

 

[AndyRM]

LFC are probably the most deluded club in the Premier League

Honourable mention for Spurs?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Honourable mention for Spurs?

Yes - my brothers team and he still hasn't forgiven us (CFC) for 'robbing' them of their CL spot in 2012!

My most deluded clubs in the PL:

1 Liverpool (by a country mile).

2 Spuds (every year is a new dawn which is laudable on some fronts and laughable on others).

3 Toons (still convinced that they are a BIG CLUB) - shame they seem to do well against us of late though.

Still - every dog has its day and nothing lasts for ever (I think that's saying the same thing twice but what the heck!).