Champions League Group Stages (Sponsored by Gianni Infantino's Shiny Head)

[phonics]

http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/02/39/82/06/2398206_w2.jpg
http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/02/39/84/96/2398496_w2.jpg
http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/02/39/87/65/2398765_w2.jpg
http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/02/39/87/73/2398773_w2.jpg

One of those years where the middle teams can absolutely fluke a lucky group or end up in a group of death. No inbetweens. Should be fun.

[SvN]

Shit competition.

[Byron]

Leicester, Leverkusen, Brugge, Rostov please.

The thought of Leicester in the knockout stages might just make Magic top himself.

[Mazuuurk]

I reckon Leicester might just have one of those seasons where they do (relatively) shit in the PL and end up 12th, but go to like the Semis in the CL, because in there they can just defend and counter-attack all the time which they won't be able to in the PL.

[Kikó]

More chance mert voting Hilary.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sevilla to draw an English side please, for maximum entertainment.

EFL Cup is where it's at though.

[ItalAussie]

100% we're getting Spurs. May as well lock that in now.

[Andy]

Is the Europa draw today as well? Any idea on timings?

[Reg]

Is the Europa draw today as well? Any idea on timings?
Champs is 5pm today and Europa 11am tomorrow.

[Adramelch]

Is the Europa draw today as well? Any idea on timings?

They have to play the games before they do the draw you'd imagine.

[Kikó]

Apropos of nothing in here, Hope Solo has received a 6 month ban for her butthurt comments.

[Mazuuurk]

Glad to hear.

[Davgooner]

We'll still draw Olympiakos.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You'll get Bayern, PSV and Monaco, come second after a gutsy 3-2 defeat at the Allianz, and then go out to Barcelona in the round of 16.

[Davgooner]

If we get Kiev from pot 3 I'll top myself.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If we get Kiev from pot 3 I'll top myself.

It's not that bad over there.

[Kikó]

Heh. :D

[Vim]

Just hoping to avoid Tottenham and PSV from pot 3. Drawing Copenhagen would be nice.

[Lewis]

I bet Leicester will disgrace us like Blackburn did.

[Angelsaint]

Is there a rule that every UEFA official as to look as dodgy as possible? Any of them can easily participate in whatsoever mafia film.

[phonics]

I can't believe they've let Claudio Ranieri's son host the thing to be honest. Typical bent UEFA.

[Angelsaint]

I just saw the Napoli crew. Is there any other country in the world who beats Italy in hair gel sales?

[-james-]

Looks like the best 8 sides are all in the same four groups so far. :cab:

[John Arne]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D_aX8kQEJa0/U6pOixhdL5I/AAAAAAAEPHM/1a-RVcriWx4/s1600/most_beautiful_journalists_01.jpg

[Vim]

Spurs will still not qualify.

[John Arne]

Nice of "Basti" Schweinsteiger to be helping out Rushy.

[Vim]

Leicester Porto Brugge Copenhagen would be a low-level group of teams for the Europa League, let alone the Champions.

[Max Power]

What a draw :drool:

Bruges :drool:

[Davgooner]

Have a bit of that.

[-james-]

Christ I need tickets for these Celtic fixtures.

[mugbull]

Spurs will still not qualify.

That's not really an easy group, we got the best team in Pot 4 (and the 2nd worst in Pot 1, but still)

[Lee]

What a draw that is.

[John Arne]

Poor chap, Griezmann - his trousers appeared to have shrunk in the wash.

[Waffdon]

Celtic :D

[Lewis]

That bird looks like Rocky Dennis.

[Andy]

Who's the sweetheart?

[Giggles]

Is the Europa draw another day or is it just nobody bothered watching?

[John]

Is the Europa draw another day or is it just nobody bothered watching?

Europa qualifiers are still being played.

[Bernanke]

West Ham are about to go out again to Astra. Amazing.

[niko_cee]

Spuds have hit the jackpot with that group a bit, haven't they?

[Sam]

West Ham generally look awful every time I see them, getting outplayed by fucking Astra, jesus :D.

[Vim]

That's not really an easy group, we got the best team in Pot 4 (and the 2nd worst in Pot 1, but still)

I don't know, I think an away trip to Monte Carlo is far easier than going to Eastern Europe, even if Monaco is stronger on paper than Eastern European teams. I think it's an easy group, Spurs really should be winning it.

[Baz]

How can I acquire eight tickets for Leicester vs Brugge? (Genuine question)

[Byron]

Fucking lol at us.

[Shindig]

Consult your local corrupt UEFA official.

[Sam]

Will this be the year of Bilic Watch...

[Pleb]

This all sets up for "The Special One" to rock up the place and steal the Europa League.

[Lewis]

Will this be the year of Bilic Watch...

Let's get in early and say that he was riding Big Sam's platform (oo-er) with an added cheat player.

[ItalAussie]

Not an easy group, but you'd hope we'd get through from it. Winning it would be nice this time around.

[Lewis]

What? Relative to Juventus' strength it's probably the easiest group.

[Mike]

How can I acquire eight tickets for Leicester vs Brugge? (Genuine question)

Away end if possible.

[ItalAussie]

What? Relative to Juventus' strength it's probably the easiest group.

I don't trust Juventus in away legs. I'd bank 7/9 points at home from that group, but could very easily see us losing to Sevilla and Lyon away from home.

Last season, we dropped from first to second based on an away leg loss in the last week against a team we should be beating easily. We then drew Bayern. Man City (who jumped us in the last week) got Dynamo Kiev.

[randomlegend]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTLzjROGQnE

I don't really know where this belongs, but it's spectacular.

[Samadini]

Got fuck all on my belting 'Hickory Dickory Dock' efforts when I was 6.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Has anyone seen the structural changes that are going through for this? Looks like an all time record in terms of goose/golden egg based murder.

The top four leagues will now have 4 teams automatically in the group stages.

[ItalAussie]

Historical success in the competition will also be acknowledged in coefficient calculation (points for previous European titles with a weighted system for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League titles)Assholes.

The top four clubs from the four top-ranked national associations will now qualify automatically for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.Assholes.

A new four-pillar financial distribution system (starting fee, performance in the competition, individual club coefficient and market pool) will see sporting performances better rewarded, while market pool share will decrease.Ass. Holes.

Just make a superleague and call it a day.

[Max Power]

Italian bigwigs have played a blinder there. Dunno what will happen when Sassuolo or Chievo pip the Milan clubs to 4th though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

More like Bayern have played a blinder on their behalf because they make more money out of playing Inter than they do out of playing Sparta Prague.

What's happening is the big clubs know they make all the money and so are trying to eliminate sporting merit from the competition. I don't know how it's possible to be this short sighted, since sporting merit is what gets people watching, but then if the executives weren't thick as shit they would be in a proper industry and not football.

[Yevrah]

It's amazing that it's seemingly only the Premier League that understand sporting merit.

Despite all these changes to fuck the smaller clubs, they're doing better than they have for a while though, no? I wonder why.

[Lewis]

That will be our hard-working, incorruptible Protestantism standing in stark contrast to the lazy and bent papists on the continent. The Germans divide their broadcasting monies reasonably well at the moment, but Bavaria is Catholic, and the Kulturkampf was incomplete.

[ItalAussie]

We are a few more seasons of the Milans failing to qualify away from them ringing off a handful of qualification spots for previous champions who haven't qualified this time around.

[Andy]

Milan and Prague. I'm going to be so skint.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We are a few more seasons of the Milans failing to qualify away from them ringing off a handful of qualification spots for previous champions who haven't qualified this time around.

If it was champions of the last 5 years (i.e. the rolling coefficient period) then you could kind of try and justify it, but are they seriously talking about things that Jose Altafini and Helenio Herrera got up to 50 years ago counting towards the current competition? It's utter lunacy.

[ItalAussie]

It's utterly ridiculous, and I say that as a supporter of a club with quite a lot to gain from the arrangement.

[bruhnaldo]

I'm sorry but you just can't tell me that supposed EURO SUPER LEAGUE meeting last year with Stephen Ross (the guy who runs the International Champions Cup / owner of Miami Dolphins NFL team) wasn't actually about a EURO SUPER LEAGUE for UEFA to do this fuckery.

Utterly shameful and cowardly, in my humble opinion. It's not as if UEFA are hemorrhaging money or anything, either.

[Yevrah]

Historical success in the competition will also be acknowledged in coefficient calculation (points for previous European titles with a weighted system for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League titles

Have you run the numbers on the above yet Jim?

[Reg]

Seems the quietest way to sneak in a compromise to please Milan etc. Just go and work in baseball, you fools.

This still isn't going to help the wannabe super clubs that much, though. Real Madrid received less money for winning the Champions League than the team who finishes bottom of the Premier League will at the end of this season. They're going to have to go and form an actual super league.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No because they obviously haven't presented the detail yet (sports administrators despise releasing details before the last minute/any form of transparency), but 2018 Milan are currently ranked just below Real Betis and PAOK Salonika, so obviously something had to be done.

The problem they have is that until they eliminate sporting merit altogether (by having an NFL-style closed shop or franchise system) they are going to keep gnawing away with these measures because business people want to be able to forecast accurately, and the possibility of losing matches / not qualifying for things clearly rankles.

What will happen in the end is that they'll make the Super League, or a version of it, and it'll just turn into this massive oligarchy because all the football below it will seem second rate in comparison, attract no sponsors/smaller broadcast deals, and die. There will then be precious little to feed into it, and the whole sport will be hugely diminished. But still, they'll have maximised revenue, right?

Some say the CL is already a Super League, but they won't be happy until they're playing it at weekends and the domestic league shunted to midweek - see above for the consequences of that to the domestic league.

[bruhnaldo]

Just had a really weird deja vu reading Jimmy's post for some reason.

Anyways. I realize my opinion as an American means just about fuck all (and rightfully so) but I'm going to be devastated if they really turn this shit into an NFL style franchise league.

One of the things I love about European football is the romantic idea that you can start a football club at ground level and, hypothetically, in x amount of years become a Premier League team. Mind you, I guess that's kind've ironic given I became a fan of one of the biggest clubs in the world, but anyways.

Plus, it'll take away the special occasion of playing a big European club on those famous European nights.

Playing Juventus, Roma, Bayern, etc. are all great and all.. but if it was every single week it would really lose all of it's luster.

Trust me, there's nothing exciting about a regular season matchup between the Lakers and the Knicks, for example. It's just another game, especially considering both teams aren't very good.

That's what makes those nights so great. Both teams chasing European glory and actually being in position to do so (hypothetically more than would be in a regular season scenario).

I don't know. If I just wanted to watch the product of rich men being bored I'd take up Equestrian.

[Yevrah]

I'm still convinced the whole thing's built on a house of cards, and it won't take much to make it topple.

BT getting more and more coverage could be the catalyst.

[Yevrah]

@ Bru

There's no doubt in my mind that an actual European League would be a novel idea for a short time and then just become a pain in the arse to all but the winners.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm still convinced the whole thing's built on a house of cards, and it won't take much to make it topple.

BT getting more and more coverage could be the catalyst.
I imagine the fate of bubble-football and Sky are very much intertwined, the latter has been cutting like mad to keep its football rights afloat in the last couple of years after BT parked its tanks on the lawn. Uncle Rupert dying will probably do it in ultimately.

[Mazuuurk]

I bet SI are fucked off at this as well. The more this will happen the more boring FM will be.

[Jimmy Floyd]

What we on here don't realise is that 90% of FM players play as Arsenal/United/Barcelona and just buy everyone.

[Yevrah]

Yep and hate newgens.

[Mazuuurk]

That's what I do, usually, myself. But I occasionally like to take Pompey to former heights as well, and a bit like Bruhnaldo says the romantic idea that you can do that (or even that if you give it enough time the AI will sometimes do that) is also somehow important IMO.


Edit: though I do not hate Newgens. But I wish they'd improve the Face generator thing. Kind of preferred it when they didn't have one almost (but can't bring myself to deactivate it either).

[Yevrah]

There's a good mod for that, no?

The shadows are even worse.

[SvN]

I typically play one game as United to get used to it, then pick a Conference team to take to glory.

[Andy]

Just bought my flights to Milan. £84 return Wednesday to Friday. Can't believe I'm going to see Southampton at the San Siro.

Also got tickets for the three home games which comes to £46 which seems good value.

[SvN]

That's not bad at all. Are you likely to fill St Marys for your home games?

[Mazuuurk]

I typically play one game as United to get used to it, then pick a Conference team to take to glory.

Same. Only Pompey instead of a Conference team.

Wait...


There's a good mod for that, no?

The shadows are even worse.

Oh really? Hmm, I can usually not be bothered with Mods for games (just seems like a lot of hassle) but might check that out.

[SvN]

I preferred it when they used photos that people sent in.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In 2003/4 I got the three home Champions League matches (this was the first season we were back in it so a relative novelty) for £40 total. A 2-1 win over Lazio in which we came from behind having gone 1-0 down to Simone Inzaghi; an inexplicable 0-2 reverse to Besiktas for whom some nobody bald cunt scored two pikey goals; and then a glorious 0-0 draw with some bollocks team which I think might have been Sparta Prague.

What days. Would cost me about £170 now.

[Mazuuurk]

They did that!? Hahaha I don't remember seeing that but that's class.

[Kikó]

I think my first champions league night was the following season. I saw Rooney make his debut hattrick against Fenerbache then Lyon and Sparta (as well).

The Europa league draw is a bit ropey - I think I fancy my chances in the warzones than against the Dutch. All three are agro central.

[Andy]

That's not bad at all. Are you likely to fill St Marys for your home games?

I would have thought so. Maybe not for the Israel team but the other two should sell out.

[Giggles]

Dundalk got the worst possible draw, a meh one.

[Foe]

Dundalk got the worst possible draw, a meh one.

Having to go to Russia and Israel. That'll fuck them up.

[Giggles]

Having to go to Russia and Israel. That'll fuck them up.

And no decent ties at home to create any interest in the club.

They'll probably still win the league due to Cork City being completely inept in the face of an opportunity.

[Sam]

Let's get in early and say that he was riding Big Sam's platform (oo-er) with an added cheat player.

All for it.