At least the germans won.

I realize I'm talking for deaf ears here but the Champions League used to be a tournament for league champions. It's not anymore. For smaller countries like Norway or Sweden it's almost impossible to qualify with even one team to the tournament while England, for example, can have five teams in the tournament with no qualification rounds at all. It's disposed for the big clubs to win over and over again.

Quote
Stoneage
I realize I'm talking for deaf ears here but the Champions League used to be a tournament for league champions. It's not anymore. For smaller countries like Norway or Sweden it's almost impossible to qualify with even one team to the tournament while England, for example, can have five teams in the tournament with no qualification rounds at all. It's disposed for the big clubs to win over and over again.

Well, I cannot say you're on wrong grounds here. A champion is a champion,not the 2nd, 3rd of 4th of a national league. Plus, the CL in this form largely diminishes the role of the European League (former UEFA Cup).

Quote
open-g
At least the germans won.

What could possibly go wrong with the Germans invading England 5 years later?

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

Looks like they were 70 years too late though, SCL! Something must have gone wrong with the planning...

Quote
Black Angel
Twenty- two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.

For the record, this quote is from Gary Lineker, after losing against West-Germany in the semi finals of the 1990 World Cup.

Sammy Kuffour remained a Bayern player in his heart!
[www.youtube.com]

Great game. Best match in a final in long time.
as far as both German teams? well, they both got there by beating the rest, so I guess they earned it. if it had been the two Spanish teams, would people have minded also?

It's the tenet not the country that matters, PR 2000. What would you say if the EC consisted of four English teams, three German, three Spanish, two Italian, two French and two teams from the rest of Europe?
Imagine a final between Spain one and Spain two: Would that be something to look forward to?

[www.guardian.co.uk]

Quote
Stoneage
It's the tenet not the country that matters, PR 2000. What would you say if the EC consisted of four English teams, three German, three Spanish, two Italian, two French and two teams from the rest of Europe?
Imagine a final between Spain one and Spain two: Would that be something to look forward to?

Not sure what you're saying Stoneage. My point was that Spanish teams, for one reason or another, are just more popular than Bayern , especially. Bayern reminds me a lot of the NY Yankees
As far as your scenario of an EC: isn't that pretty much how the tournament looked?

I was away from Europe, and football for a long, long time. When I came back I was really surprised at what had become of football. There is no more parity. Money rules it all, and therefore it is the same teams over and over.
I have been a lifetime Bayern fan. This is why I had to pull for Bayern in the final. But I have to confess that IMO Dortmund is the better team; is better for the sport; is better for being part of a new, younger, homegrown return to football.

To simplify what I mean: The Champions League should consist of the league champions in every European state. One team per state. Not zero teams from 20 states and four from one as it is now. Either you do that or else rename the tournament to something else. Maybe The Big Five Tournament (England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France)? Funny thing it was a Swede who commercialized European football (Lennart Johansson)...

Quote
Stoneage
To simplify what I mean: The Champions League should consist of the league champions in every European state. One team per state. Not zero teams from 20 states and four from one as it is now. Either you do that or else rename the tournament to something else. Maybe The Big Five Tournament (England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France)? Funny thing it was a Swede who commercialized European football (Lennart Johansson)...

Agree totally.
Now didn't they used to have the UEFA cup, which featured...what/ 2nd and 3rd places??
Then there was also the Coppa dei Coppi or Pokal der Pokalsieger. (Not sure what to call in English) What became of that?

Stoneage, what is the story re. Lennart Johansson?

well well well German soccer...at least my team is back in german premier league



2 1 2 0

I figured this was as good a place as any to post this video. Funny for fans of both kinds of football.

"Coach Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) has just arrived in England to coach the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, and he's realizing it's football... Just not as you know it."






Love the part at the end when he thinks being called a @#$%& is a compliment.

Hahaha!

By the way - how come clubs in a country, which is basically broke, unemployment over 50% among the young ones etc., can buy football players for 90 mio. £ (Bale), pay C. Ronaldo 230.000 £ a week (17 mio. € a year), Messi 16 mio. € a year, Neymar 15 mio. € a year etc.?
The unequality in this kind of countries (fx Spain), is getting bigger and bigger and they complain about EU and ask the Germans to pay more and more Money to EU!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-08-06 19:31 by mtaylor.

I know this little twerp will never compete in the Champions League and that perhaps it has no relevance in this thread, but I just wanted to share this ridiculous moment when Joey Barton adopts a mock French accent after signing a loan deal with Marseille. Dick head :-

Quote
Stoneage
It says Champions League: It's supposed to be the league champions of every European country that battles it out. Not five teams from England, four teams from Spain, three teams from Germany and two from Italy.
One team from each country. It used to like that until Mammon came along.

I agree with you in principal, definitely. I think they added the extra teams to create more excitement. It worked. The Champions League is bigger than ever. Personally, I think it's a little overrated. Yes, my team, Manchester United, have won the competition twice since I began following football - who can forget the dramatic final against Munich in '99 when Sheringham and Solksjaer came to United's rescue? - but for me, The English Premier League is where it's at. There is still no competition more exciting. The race for the title, relegation battles. It's your bread and butter and an essential part of every true Britons Saturday afternoon. As Ray Davies sang: 'I like my football, on a Saturday'

Quote
mtaylor
By the way - how come clubs in a country, which is basically broke, unemployment over 50% among the young ones etc., can buy football players for 90 mio. £ (Bale), pay C. Ronaldo 230.000 £ a week (17 mio. € a year), Messi 16 mio. € a year, Neymar 15 mio. € a year etc.?
The unequality in this kind of countries (fx Spain), is getting bigger and bigger and they complain about EU and ask the Germans to pay more and more Money to EU!!!!

[swissramble.blogspot.com]

Quote
Come On
well well well German soccer...at least my team is back in german premier league

Yes, Luhukay is a good one. Welcome back to the Bundesliga, at least for one season ><

Nur der HSV!

Quote
Big Al
I know this little twerp will never compete in the Champions League and that perhaps it has no relevance in this thread, but I just wanted to share this ridiculous moment when Joey Barton adopts a mock French accent after signing a loan deal with Marseille. Dick head :-

Some great mock French there! It puts Peter Sellers alee! How many days do you have to stay in France to put on an accent like that?

Quote
Stoneage


Some great mock French there! It puts Peter Sellers alee! How many days do you have to stay in France to put on an accent like that?

Ha-ha. All I know is that the accent was gone for the next interview!