The Champions League: Not all it’s cracked up to be

The Champions League; presented to football fans as the ‘greatest club football competition in the world’, and seemingly rammed down our throats by Sky Sports from September to May, when many of us fans simply don’t care.

The name is a falsehood in itself. The competition does not solely contain the champions of the respective UEFA member’s top divisions, nor is it in a league format. That’s just the one of my frustrations with the vastly overrated tournament which much of the football world appears to be obsessed with.

My first major gripe with the competition is its format. It is structured in such a way that it reduces the excitement generated by the matches, as well as increasing the obscene amounts of money earned by the clubs participating, which in turn enhances the ‘rich poor’ gap within football creating a monopoly effect.

The Group Stage of every Champions League is largely boring, with it usually being possible to predict around 14 of the 16 teams who will progress to the next stage resulting in many games being dead rubbers as two teams run away with the group. Naturally, there are always exceptions to the rule but all too often the group is wrapped up after the fourth or fifth matches.

This needs to change. The Group Stage needs to be wiped out to give some life to the initial stages of the competition and this can be very simply done, by reverting to the classic format of the European Cup with two legged knockout ties all the way to the final.

Such a system involving 32 clubs would mean the teams reaching the final would only play a total of 9 games, comparing to the current 13 games which Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund endured last season. The format would be simple, as well as exciting if no seeding system was implemented, and instead an ‘FA Cup style’ draw was made at the beginning of each round.

Tantalising ties involving the true European giants so early in the competition would add to the drama as well as giving the smaller teams a chance of progressing further if a favourable draw ensued. Even the less glamorous ties would have added interest, because I’m sure no one would care about BATE Borisov vs Shakhtar Donetsk if it was a dead rubber, but if it was a closely fought two legged tie some people may take notice of it.

Reducing the number of games being played would also lower the amounts of revenue attained by the clubs involved, creating less of a monopoly affect and thus making European football more competitive and preventing the same few sides from each country playing in the Champions League year after year. This would address a key issue in football, financial inequality which the recently introduced Financial Fair play has not yet improved, and will likely make the problem worse. But that’s another issue for another day.

The final key problem with the Champions League is its entry requirements from certain countries. In England, Germany and Spain for example, teams finishing third and fourth in the domestic leagues qualify for the tournament, causing the domestic cups to be neglected. The value of being in the Champions League is just too great, meaning that the teams put all their focus in finishing in the top 3 or 4 every single year rather than challenging for the cups.

This removes the fundamental principle of football- winning trophies. It pains me to see teams aiming to finish 4^th in the league rather than attempt to win the domestic cups, and it would sicken me to see Sunderland (if we were ever in such a position) to give up on the FA or League Cup for the sake of Champions League qualification which would only ever lead to Group Stage of Last 16 elimination.

Instead of the top 3 or 4 teams in the domestic leagues qualifying, there should be at least one spot (in countries with 3 or more teams able to qualify for the Champions League) reserved to the winner of the country’s largest and most prestigious domestic cup, such as the FA Cup, Coppa Italia or DFB Pokal. This would breathe more life into these tournaments as well as giving other clubs a chance of getting into the Champions League, as realistically most teams cannot dream of a top 4 finish.

So the solutions to what I perceive as an overly prolonged, false and monopolised competition are actually pretty simple:

–          The format needs to be reverted a straightforward knockout system

–          There needs to be less money available to the teams participating so to reduce the inequality in football

–          Qualification can be attained through winning domestic cups, not just through league position

Will any of these ever happen though? No. Not if Platini and co are running UEFA, who are too interested in lining their pockets with the filthy lucre, as is just about everyone else running world football.

We can dream though.

The League Cup: Will it finally get the respect it deserves?

The League Cup kicks off tonight with Blackpool visiting their local rivals Preston North End as the first round, consisting of 70 teams gets underway. However, the competition is often seen merely as an irritation or inconvenience in a team’s season, but could this year be different? Will we finally start to see every team take the tournament seriously? I certainly hope so.

Every team seems to find an excuse why they can’t play their first team, or even a fairly strong team in the League Cup. The teams at the upper echelons of the Premier League will state that winning the title and qualifying for the Champions League is their main goal and the rest of the league will state that avoiding relegation and consolidating their top flight status is their immediate priority. As you head down the Football League the respective clubs will be citing promotion and relegation fears as the reasoning behind their weakened starting XI’s which is sad. It’s all just a bit of a cop out. After all, football’s about winning trophies, not just finishing 13^th every year in the Premier League to help with clubs finance’s. So why might this year be a little different?

Well let’s start at the top, with the dominant three clubs in England: Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. These three clubs have all changed their manager’s over the summer meaning each new gaffer (less so in Chelsea’s case) will need to prove themselves to the fans and the owners, and what better way to do that than the win the League Cup. With the final being relatively early in the season (2^nd March) it is an ideal way to relieve the pressure on the team for the rest of the season, because no one wants a trophy drought. Just ask Arsenal fans. A team would gain a tremendous amount of confidence from such a win as it is a significant trophy; it’s always the teams who don’t win it referring to it as ‘Mickey Mouse’ and so on. So these title chasing teams should go for it this year, winning it could just save their job.

The 8 year drought. If there’s a greater incentive for Arsenal to go all out to win the trophy then I can’t name it. For years the media and rival supporters have mocked Arsenal for their lack of trophies and this is becoming a serious issue for the North London club. In the past excuses such as paying off the stadium debts have been given for the lack of investment in the squad and lack of silverware, but no such justification for such failings will be present now. Last season they played a relatively strong side yet were beaten by an inspired Bradford, but the fact that they played a strong side is good for the competitions status in English football. Wenger will no doubt go all guns blazing this year in pursuit of the cup as the pressure on him mounts.

The same logic should also apply to the rest of the Premier League, with Swansea as a shining example for all to follow. The majority of the teams in the League will not have won a trophy for a number of years, and realistically this along with the FA Cup would be the best opportunity to revel in Wembley glory. It is also the best chance mid table teams such as Fulham and Sunderland for example to get into Europe, and therefore to progress as a club, so in reality every team should be aiming for League Cup glory. Last year Swansea showed it was possible; teams would be wise to follow their lead, and respect the cups.

Finally there’s the lower league clubs, they too have a great incentive to progress in the Cup. Not only is there the prospect of a big payday with an away draw at Old Trafford around the corner after every win they earn, there is also the tantalising prospect of seriously advancing through the competition, as Bradford valiantly displayed last season. They, along with 2012 finalists Cardiff City are examples that every team has a chance in the Cup, and therefore every other club would be foolish not to adhere to this.

Everyone can win it. Everyone has a reason to win it. Someone will win it. I hope that the 92 entrants from the Premier League and Football League have a real go at winning the Cup this year, as that is what football is about; winning trophies, not just hovering in mid table.

03/08/13 Football League Review: Wins for QPR, Reading and Wigan

It’s been 68 days since Kevin Phillips’ penalty sent Crystal Palace into the Premier League at Watford’s expense, and now the football league has returned, with 72 clubs in action over this weekend.

There have been exactly 100 goals since Sheffield United’s 2-1 win over Notts County yesterday evening with 7 red cards to boot. All things considered, it’s hardly been a quiet start to the League’s 125^th anniversary season.

All 3 of the relegated Premier League sides from last season managed to win their opening game; Wigan thrashed a 10 man Barnsley 4-0 at Oakwell whilst QPR and Reading had to come from behind in their home fixtures versus Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich respectively.

The Hoops were impressive despite the small margin of victory with a host of chances created yet squandered as Owl’s keeper Chris Kirkland pulled off a string of fine saves, meaning they were always in contention despite the visitor’s early goal against the run of play.

Hotly tipped Nottingham Forest beat Huddersfield 1-0 whilst Bolton had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Burnley, an acceptable result for the Trotters as the home side were dominant for large parts of the game.

The newly promoted sides endured mixed fortunes with Doncaster suffering a late home defeat to Blackpool whilst Yeovil and Bournemouth both notched up impressive wins with the Hatters being especially significant, away from home against potential strugglers Millwall.

Leyton Orient surprisingly replaced Sheffield United at the top of the League 1 table this evening with an emphatic 5-1 away win against Carlisle whilst Wolves, the favourites for the title faltered away to Preston with a goalless draw ensuing for the club playing in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1989.

Peterborough beat Swindon 1-0 whilst Bristol City drew at home to Bradford ensuring there were no defeats for the 3 relegated sides, although the Robins may have fancied their chances as they led the Bantams 2-1 in the second half.

There were plenty of goals spread around the other games with Oldham winning a 4-3 thriller away to Stevenage whilst Rotherham scored twice late on to salvage a 3-3 draw away to Crewe.

Coventry too suffered an early set back as they lost 3-2 away to Crawley ensuring they remain on -10 points in what will be a tough season for the club, as they seek to stay afloat and move back into their regular home of the Ricoh Arena after having to relocate to Sixfields due to financial difficulty.  

Portsmouth started their League 2 campaign in a disappointing pattern as they squandered an early 1-0 lead to lose by a 3 goal margin at home to Oxford United in front of a sell-out Fratton Park crowd. The result will be a reality check for the south coast side who are one of the favourites for promotion.

Fleetwood Town unsurprisingly beat Dagenham and Redbridge 3-1 with the East London club being tipped for relegation after just avoiding the drop last season. Morecambe and Accrington Stanley who are also widely considered to struggle both lost away from home, with the latter losing to newly promoted Newport.

Last season’s Conference champions Mansfield suffered differing fortunes to the Welsh club with a 2-0 defeat away to Scunthorpe with two first half goals killing the game off for the home side.

There were also home wins for Rochdale, Exeter, Southend and York whilst Chesterfield’s 2-0 success at Bury was one of only two away wins in the division today.

Championship Preview Part 2: Relegation surprises? Not this year.

Wolverhampton Wanderers proved that no team is immune from Championship relegation just a few months ago, as they suffered the grisly fate for the second consecutive year. With the league as tight and competitive as ever, it’s a distinct possibility for all teams, although there shouldn’t be too many surprises this year.

Yeovil Town had the lowest budget of all the League 1 clubs last season yet still managed to gain promotion through the playoffs whilst finishing 4^th in the league so cannot be underestimated despite their relative financial weakness compared to their contemporaries. However, the second tier of English football is a different kettle of fish. They have failed to add sufficiently to their squad which will come back to haunt them as their team, despite having plenty of determination will lack the cutting edge quality to close out matches and grind out results when playing badly. The Glovers will be heavily reliant on Irish forward Paddy Madden who aided their promotion push greatly last season with over 20 league goals, making him the most prolific striker in the league. Fellow forward James Hayter, who holds the record for the fastest ever league hat trick ably supported him with 14 league goals. As much as many neutrals would like them to stay up and prosper in the Championship, this is highly unlikely although as there’s no great pressure or expectation on them. Anything’s possible.

Millwall too are likely to face the dreaded drop after what will be their fourth season back in the Championship following their 2010 League 1 playoff win. They have been on a downward spiral since the promotion after failing to emulate their impressive 9^th place finish in their first season back in the Championship. Last year they diced with death, finishing just 2 points above the relegation zone with a very poor second half of the season, losing 14 of their last 23 games, although their FA Cup run to the semi-finals may have been a partial cause for this. Steve Morison and Jermaine Easter have been acquired to boost the striking options of the Lions who were woefully poor in front of goal last season, with only Ipswich scoring fewer league goals. If their tight defence weakens in the coming season, then there could be major problems for the much maligned South London club.

Relegation battles have plagued Barnsley in recent years, with them placing 21^st in the league, just a single place above the relegation zone in the 2 most recent campaigns. Last season their poor defence was notable with 70 goals conceded in just 46 league games, putting an enormous strain on the strike force that unfortunately for them could not compensate. Their budget represents one of a bottom 3 Championship club meaning that they won’t be able to bolster their squad sufficiently to significantly improve on their results since last season. However, Chris O’Grady and Dale Jennings have been brought into assist the forward line but these signings are unlikely to provide the goals required to stay in the division, in what should prove to be another miserable campaign for the Tykes.

Both Doncaster and Blackburn Rovers should have just enough to escape the drop to League 1 despite their likelihood to flirt with the relegation zone throughout what will prove to be turbulent seasons for the respective clubs. Paul Dickov will have a tough job to secure safety for Doncaster but one which should be possible with the club taking much confidence from their impressive displays last season and have even added a Real Madrid player to their side which should just see them over the line. The Lancashire club will also struggle, but mainly due to the disarray which the Venkys have brought in their farcical reign over the club. Managers came and went last season with each change bringing little improvement in results, but Jordan Rhodes should provide enough goals for them to maintain their Championship status.

Summary of predictions:

20. Blackburn Rovers (safe)

21. Doncaster Rovers (safe)

22. Barnsley (relegated)

23. Millwall (relegated)

24. Yeovil Town (relegated)