Euro League

[ProPain]

What an embarassing performance by the dutch teams last night. I strongly feel the smaller countries should do something to make their competition stronger and more interesting for decent players. This way the dutch teams will never be able to put up a decent european performance.

Merging the dutch and belgian competition seems like a good start to me. You get a stronger bigger league. The top teams will be playing tougher matches in the competition, and that will hopefully bring in some more money.

[BCLG100]

All the English teams went out last round but at least one team will be through to the Semi's of the Champions league.

I assume you're talking football and the Europa league here of course!

[ProPain]

You assume right sir!

But all the english clubs being thrown out in the Europa league that early is an exception. For two dutch clubs to reach the quarter final was exceptional already. I'm not even talking about the champions league here, no chance any dutch club is getting anywhere in that competition anytime soon.

It's not that there aren't any decent dutch players around. Apart from defensive players I think we have our fair share of good players on an international level. Problem is they leave for foreign clubs quicker and quicker.

Take van Persie, he left Feijenoord for Arsenal when he was 20 or so. Same for Robben when he left PSV and signed with Chelsea and there are quite a few more. We're becoming one giant youth academie here.....

[BCLG100]

Yes, it's quite telling that FC Twente are one of Man Utd's feeder clubs with PSV apparently being one of Chelseas.

I'm not sure about this being an exception, there was an article today that a run in the Europa league winning every match would 'only' give those doing it 5.4 million whereas a run in the Champions league could net upwards of 40 million. It's quite noticeable that the only people that really ever make it that far from England are those teams who have no shot at the Champions League (fulham last year, Middlesborough a few years ago), it actually means something to them whereas others are too pre-occupied with trying to get in the Champions League.

De Jong is a fairly good defensive midfielder or do you mean just solid defenders?

[ProPain]

PSV has had good relations with Chelsea, also because a former PSV scout is good friends with Abramovic. I think he made the deal with Alex possible. But PSV also provided Man U with some interesting players, both Jaap Stam and Ruus van Nistelrooij were with PSV when they played in the dutch league.

The money issue is even worse as the amount of money a club receives is dependant on the amount of money paid for television rights and some other thing. Fun fact in 2004 Porto won the CL, they got 20M € for that from UEFA. Chelsea was eliminated in the semi finals but got 30M€ from UEFA for that result.

De Jong is good defensive midfielder (apart from his anger management issues) but we're lacking in real defenders, the Jaap Stam types. And for some reason the young talents we had never lived up to their promise. Chaps like Hofland, Kromkamp, Boularouz and Marcellis all looked promising but at a certain point in their carreer things stalled.

Enough complaining, time for bed.

[BCLG100]

Well that's fair enough with the money thing, obviously the more money brought in should probably mean the more money they get. It's not just the tv money though, it's the bonuses sponsors pay for being able to sponsor a CL team.

Yeah but now they're signed up feeder clubs, so it's not just a process of having a scouting network there. Antwerp has always been United's eligibility haven for players to go whilst sorting out a work permit.

[ProPain]

Originally Posted by BCLG100

Well that's fair enough with the money thing, obviously the more money brought in should probably mean the more money they get. It's not just the tv money though, it's the bonuses sponsors pay for being able to sponsor a CL team.

I don't think it's that fair. Big countries & competitions will already have more money because they'll bigger sponsors (which is fine and logical by me). As a result they'll have a better team, better results and more CL positions. Subsequentlty on average they will reach further in the CL competition and see more money return to their country & competition anyway. And I think that's ok. The UEFA adding to that difference by varying the prize money is ridiculous imo. There's no difference in achievement when a Portoguese club reaches a semifinal or a english one, so why pay differently?

General interest in the Champions League for example is waning in the Netherlands. I'm convinced this has to do with the lack of performing dutch teams in the CL and it wouldnt surprise me if the same thing happens in other smaller countries. Apart from the performance issie the overkill in European matches has something to do with as well I guess. The EC1 to 3 systems wasn't that bad imo.

Dutch tv stations aren't even buying all CL matches anymore, we only got half of the quarter finals I think. This is bad for everybody because there simply be less money to divide.

[BCLG100]

Originally Posted by ProPain

I don't think it's that fair. Big countries & competitions will already have more money because they'll bigger sponsors (which is fine and logical by me). As a result they'll have a better team, better results and more CL positions. Subsequentlty on average they will reach further in the CL competition and see more money return to their country & competition anyway. And I think that's ok. The UEFA adding to that difference by varying the prize money is ridiculous imo. There's no difference in achievement when a Portoguese club reaches a semifinal or a english one, so why pay differently?

General interest in the Champions League for example is waning in the Netherlands. I'm convinced this has to do with the lack of performing dutch teams in the CL and it wouldnt surprise me if the same thing happens in other smaller countries. Apart from the performance issie the overkill in European matches has something to do with as well I guess. The EC1 to 3 systems wasn't that bad imo.

Dutch tv stations aren't even buying all CL matches anymore, we only got half of the quarter finals I think. This is bad for everybody because there simply be less money to divide.

The money is paid for every game won, drawn or lost. It's quite possible that Porto drew a lot of games. In addition the money i believe you are referring to is the money which the clubs receive based on TV revenue, if more of the revenue emits from the fanbase of that club presumably it would be more odd if that club didn't receive a larger share, without that fanbase then the entire competition would suffer from a loss of revenue. I.e. take out the Premier League teams or the teams from Portugal and I believe that the former will hurt the competition a lot more.

I think the Champions league will do fine for money really, interest isn't really going to wane for the knockout games and there are always new countries being added to it in the group stages which keep bolstering figures.

[ProPain]

Originally Posted by BCLG100

I.e. take out the Premier League teams or the teams from Portugal and I believe that the former will hurt the competition a lot more.

I don't think so. once the CL becomes the championship play offs between English/Spanish/Italian/German teams a lot of other countries will probably not care. And we're heading that way. Just like the regular foreign competitions don't interest me that much, a CL with the usual suspect doesn't interest me.

Don't get me wrong, I dont blame those clubs and competitions but I do think UEFA and the local football associations should do something to keep it interesting for everybody. The last CL game I watched was the semifinal with PSV in 2005, I used to watch a lot more (and not just PSV ) but I gradually lost interest. Too much european football and hardly any clubs in it that I care about.

[Shabbaman]

The Netherlands has 5 million more inhabitants than Portugal. I don't see how in comparison to The Netherlands such a small and poor country can gather so much more money for it's teams, let alone how it can get more tv revenues.