UEFA Cup Final

[calscot 0]

Portsmouth may not have a sugar daddy but they have spent about �£140M they don't have and don't plan to pay back...

 

But there is a difference in winning your national trophy and being a very middling team from the richest country which somehow has one of the most expensive teams in the competition.

 

I'd much rather see the like of the Old Firm, Ajax, PSV, Porto, Benfica, Anderlecht etc at least be able to compete financially with the fifth and 6th clubs from the likes of England as well as the other 4 leading countries. When those teams become minnows in the second competition, you've got to see something is well wrong.

 

Our final was a bit like Ross County in the Scottish Cup with Fulham more like Dundee Utd, it can happen but the champions of one traditionally strong country shouldn't be of the order of a whole division lower than the 10th or worse team from another country just because the latter has a greater population and so twice as much money.

[Danny 0]

Portsmouth may not have a sugar daddy but they have spent about �£140M they don't have and don't plan to pay back...

 

But there is a difference in winning your national trophy and being a very middling team from the richest country which somehow has one of the most expensive teams in the competition.

 

I'd much rather see the like of the Old Firm, Ajax, PSV, Porto, Benfica, Anderlecht etc at least be able to compete financially with the fifth and 6th clubs from the likes of England as well as the other 4 leading countries. When those teams become minnows in the second competition, you've got to see something is well wrong.

 

I'm not sure that it's wrong, I just think the landscape has changed. Most the teams you quoted above used to be much better than they currently are - whose fault is that? You can't surely blame other sides for taking their places when those places are there to be taken if the traditional top brass become weaker.

 

I mean look at our final - we weren't up against the might of Barcelona in that final, it was a good solid Zenit team who were leaps and bounds better than us and the likes of Bayern. Is it wrong that they have a bit of money behind them? Does that make their progress invalid?

 

If we get investment and suddenly become European heavyweights, is that fair on other teams because historically we've never BEEN European heavyweights.

 

Our final was a bit like Ross County in the Scottish Cup with Fulham more like Dundee Utd, it can happen but the champions of one traditionally strong country shouldn't be of the order of a whole division lower than the 10th or worse team from another country just because the latter has a greater population and so twice as much money.

 

One thing you're forgetting is last year's Uefa Cup was contested between a good Ukrainian team (Donestk), who only 5 years ago were merely average, and a traditionally strong German team in Bremen. My point being that the the Consolation Cup is a much more even playing field than the CL - only 6 or so years ago Middlesbrough made the final!

 

It doesn't always pan out that the traditional power houses of European football make the final - supposed weaker teams can progress and get there too.