Comments on: Why Spurs, Villa, City, Everton and Newcastle can’t play in the Champions League

By: Ste

Ste — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:34:41 +0000

To be fair, the top 4 get a lot of stick from lower teams, or fans of lower teams saying it is unfair, have a think:

- Where would you be if like in Spain, football clubs can sell their own TV rights, instead of getting a share of all premier league TV rights?
- What would the EPL be without the top 4?

Yeah, I agree that other teams should be able to break in to the top 4, there is nothing stopping them, things could be ALOT worse for them.

This year, I believe Everton and Spurs have a good chance of being able to grab 4th, or maybe even higher, who knows.

By: Liverpool_Fan

Liverpool_Fan — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:47:29 +0000

You do realise most of what Liverpool spend is on player sales dont you?

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:50:17 +0000

Anyone can play in the CL, but coming down this close to the new season there are 6 teams in my opinion that can challenge to play in the Champions League next season. They are Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, and Tottenham. The latter 2 have the ability I believe to make a real run for it.

Spurs have brought in Modric, Bentley, Gomes, Dos Santos for about 42 million all together. Spurs didn’t have enough creativity in their midfield this past season. This season they will have more than enough. However, they have sold Robbie Keane to Liverpool, albeit for a much overpriced 19 million. And Dimitar Berbatov is going to be sold to Manchester United it looks like for about 26-28 million. So the best part of the team is being broken up. Spurs also need to buy a holding midfielder. Zokora works hard but he isn’t what they need at the holding midfield role. Miguel Veloso fits the need perfectly for Spurs, and I think they have a real shot to buy him. They also need cover at Center Back with the injury prone Woodgate and King. Also, with the departure of Keane and the imminent departure of Berbatov they still need another striker or 2. Roman Pavlyuchenko has been heavily linked, and they still need another forward, and Arhsavin has been linked.

By the way I am a Tottenham fan, and this is what we need to compete with the big 4. I’m not coming on here saying we are CL BOUND! We are on the way but still have things to take care of.

By: Harasuke

Harasuke — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:14:42 +0000

I see that a lot of people are sore and pissed at Liverpool Fc for whatever reasons. Well, Aston Villa , Newcastle and Everton fans must realise this- its GAME OVER. All of those 3 teams had the chance to be in the TOP 4.

When LFC was being destroyed by a certain Souness, Aston Villa were tussling with Manutd 4 the title and got in the Uefa many times but failed to get a top team status.

Newcastle Utd had a class manager but they chose 2 sack him and replaced him with whom? SOUNESS…N now they got barton- they deserve 2 get relegated.

In the final years of houiller era n the 1st season of benitez’s , everton got in the cl. N what have they done? They lost in the 3rd round n had a shitty season. N LFC, well they just got from the 1st round (thx 2 a cl WIN) up to the knockout stages n won the Fa cup .

If I seem a little arrogant in defending my team is that things have never been easy 4 LFC and this team achieved its potential – the top 4 will not change this season- but its order will.

I said Game Over, but really its not. To be in the top 4 is not to sneak a CL place on a on-off year-but its to remain there-to have the squad, mentality, finance of staying there. Manutd, Arsenal have got great stadia, n LFC’s have emminent plans to build one. The three have got great history and the greatest fan base. Chelsea has none of the attributes…They will sink to mid-table, i’m afraid when their owner leave them. LFC’s owners? Well, they’re interested in making cash. N this is possible by participating in the CL n winning titles.

I think spurs or pompey will make it 2 4th in some time-maybe 3-4 years. Rednapp is an incedible manager… making pompey rise 2 EPL with over 100 pts (i vaguely remember), making them european pedigree- top class.. better than o’neill in fact. N here we once wanted him 4 LFC. You’ll never walk alone.

By: Andrei

Andrei — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:55:17 +0000

frem, Chelsea were in a Champions League spot when Abramovich bought them. Back then, the top four were not cemented and Newcastle and Leeds were also regulars of the Champions League. Liverpool were also in on-off periods.

When Abramovich bought a club with a decent reputation (much better than Newcastle or Everton by any standards) and put the club on financial steroids, Chelsea instantly became a very convenient club for players to be at

By: frem

frem — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:10:40 +0000

chelsea may be different to the original big 3 but roman is much smarter then tottenham or man city. Roman did bank roll chelsea who were around everton level before he bought them, on the verge but just not enough quality players. Now we have a large debt, 700 million which is interest free. This makes it much easier to pay off then manU debt. Also chelsea as they are now are not blowing money, they have established themselves as a big name and are slowly building up their global brand. The chelsea brand compared to the tottenham or everton brand is massive. The reason chelsea and liverpool have less numbers is simple a smaller stadium, that said away support for chelsea is trash.
Chelsea are also more focussed then many of the other PL clubs with much of their investments being done to turn profits in a later date, chelsea needed the early wins to make their name, now that they have the name they can concentrate on the football side of things. If roman stays on for 10 more years he will have a club that is turning in a profit since chelsea’s aim is to go into the green from 2010 or something(more believable if they aim for 2012)

By: poopoo_kaka

poopoo_kaka — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:04:41 +0000

Let’s not forget Derby’s win last year vs. newcastle. You guys aren’t going to the top four for a while, keep living in the past. Blackburn lost talent this year. Tottenham picked up young talent, and will probably puncture the top 4 soonest, as their squad keeps growing younger and stronger. Pompey, Villa, and Everton are all respectable teams, and are all getting better. Boo to ManCity, and Newcastle, stop wasting money on your team, and give it to me. I’d be more productive with it.

By: BD Condell

BD Condell — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:02:36 +0000

Ahmed,
I don’t believe that Platini will succeed. While we’re all in love with football and hold it in high esteem, the EU bureaucrats are not and its hard to make any rational argument in favour of his position, especially when we are talking about hugely overpaid brats!
Their other fear would be with setting a precedent that would jeprodise the case with other professions. Whatever about considering the case of a subdued minority, making an exception for this elite band of mercenaries is unlikely, I think.

By: Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:18:16 +0000

Brian,

Agreed with everything you say. I wonder what will happen though, if Platini’s push for making sport a ’special case’ in the EU and thus subject to different business / employment laws actually comes through. Tbh I’m not comfortable with Blatter’s ideas of weakening clubs to strengthen international football, but Blatter is hot air. Platini is in a position to really mess things up…

By: silvestre

silvestre — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:00:34 +0000

newcastle can make it to the champions league if only the right morale is injected into the club, they have done it before even without huge fund. ArsenaL DON’T spend too big in market YET THEY advance and progress immensely. So, to me, all that is needed in the team is the right attitude, personels and motivational measures.