Why not fifth?

Wendell Gee

I'm surprised by the amount of people who agree with HR that fifth is necessarily a poisoned chalice. We have a huge roster of players. If we finish fifth leave the first tem at home and send the kids out to play in Europe
eg going with who we have- not even taking into account transfers

Sat/Sun
Gomes and

Walker Gallas Dawson BAE
Lennon Sandro Modric Bale
VDV
Striker (take your pick- let's say Defoe)

Subs Cudicini Charlie Kaboul Huddlestone Kranjcar Striker (Pav)

Europa Thursday team
Pletikosa
Hutton Caulker Bassong Naughton
Rose Palacios Jenas Pienaar
Kranjcar
Crouch
Subs Cudicini Obika, Bostock Khumalo, Townsend

By rotating the Thursday starters and the wekend subs, we can keep everyone match sharp and fresh. We get to se if our younger players are up to it or not. Add in a few league Cup games, and lots of football for all. The key 7-8 players only play Prem, unless needed for a crunch Europa or League Cup game. We also have the likes of Keane, Bentley Gio and O hara on loan who could come into the mix. If we had this option a couple of seasons ago, and used it properly, maybe we would have got more from Gio, Taarabt, and Boateng.
The wage bill would be higher, as we wouldn't have a dozen out on loan, but the tv and gate revenue should help there.

Any comments?

Emoran

Make a fair point and in a ideal world it would work, but that second team would struggle to get to the knock out stages let alone win it... Its a tough demanding competition which imo isnt worth it unless you plan on winning it !
Id prefer a clear out in the summer with the addition of some world class players... We can attract big names as they know its possible for spurs to be in the C.L ...
A serious challenge for 4th next season will hopefully be easier with city failing to conquer Europe and Liverpool crashing out of the europa league in the semis were as we would have a fresh fit fighting squad to focus on 4th or higher and with a little luck and effort a domestic cup or two

SuprSi

It is a fair point but the reality is that Redknapp/the club would play a stronger team than what you've listed, meaning our first teamers would be more tired from travel/Thursday night games.

Mr. Guappa

It's fine in theory but in reality injuries will force our hand somewhat and 1st teamers will end up playing too many games in it. Take this season for instance.. an already overstretched Dawson and Gallas would have seen a lot of Europa League action due to injuries.

tippspur

I'm not really bothered if we get 5th or 6th,I'm after loosing interest since the chance of getting 4th went out the window.:(

yiddo59

Shur God love these molly coddled modern day players who can't play 2 matches a week. As for the travel you'd swear sometimes that they were hiking to these far flung places. 20 and 30 years ago players regularily played 60+ games on shocking pitches.

The whole thing would be funny if it weren;t so sad

Emoran

yiddo59 wrote: »

Shur God love these molly coddled modern day players who can't play 2 matches a week. As for the travel you'd swear sometimes that they were hiking to these far flung places. 20 and 30 years ago players regularily played 60+ games on shocking pitches.

The whole thing would be funny if it weren;t so sad

Ah yeah sure a game in Russia on a Thursday night in freezing conditions then up to stoke on Saturday sounds dead easy !

2nd Row Donkey

Even if you had a 'second team' to play europa league games you would still be missing the HR/JJ and all the other coaching staff etc for 2 days a week... 2 days that they could be preparing for a key PL game.

It says it all that the competition is seen as a hinderence .. I hope UEFA do something about it.

yiddo59

Emoran wrote: »

Ah yeah sure a game in Russia on a Thursday night in freezing conditions then up to stoke on Saturday sounds dead easy !

Hatch99

yiddo59 wrote: »

I love the european nights at the lane, but the other side of it is would our league form suffer if we play in the europa leaue next season, possibly !

argosy2006

No one really want Europa league football,
If winner got champions league spot, Then every one wants Europa league football,
This competition is pointless with out a real award at end of it,

Hatch99

argosy2006 wrote: »

No one really want Europa league football,

Levy does..

tomo75

I was watching MOTD2 on Sunday night and HR was on it. Hansen, Dixon and the idiot that presents it were asking HR about finishing 4th/next season/other teams etc. Harry looked resigned that 4th was gone but he didn't look like he wanted Europa football either. His comment was that he wanted to win the championship with Tottenham.

I think HR wants the season over without the distraction of Thursday night football. I would prefer to have no Thursday night football, a real crack at finishing in the top 4 and take a cup. Finishing in the Top 4 is going to be really difficult as UTD, Arse, Chels, L'pool, City, Spurs and possibly Everton (if they start their season in Aug v's Dec) are going to be going for 4 slots.

Still, lucky to be where we are considering that only 1 striker (VDV) is the only one who went into double digits in the scoring charts!:rolleyes:

yiddo59

Hatch99 wrote: »

Levy does..

bout the only thing I'd agree with the tightwad on

tomo75 wrote: »

I was watching MOTD2 on Sunday night and HR was on it. Hansen, Dixon and the idiot that presents it were asking HR about finishing 4th/next season/other teams etc. Harry looked resigned that 4th was gone but he didn't look like he wanted Europa football either. His comment was that he wanted to win the championship with Tottenham.

I assume you/he means the premiership

Dublin Spur

europa cup is a joke

full of 2nd rate teams and CL casualties

half empty stadiums on crappy thursday nights really doesn't do it for me

there's no glory attached to it anymore, it's a total sham

2nd Row Donkey

Man City are in the same position that we were in this time last year and I reckon that come May 2012 they'll also be in the same position as we are now... i.e. unable to juggle both a CL run and a top 4 challenge
at the same time!!!

Next season will be our chance to steal a march on the rest. While City are trying to come to terms with CL games and liverpool are in Turkey or the ukraine every 2nd Thursday we can concentrate solely on a title challenge.

Bobeagleburger

Liverpool fan here.

While I think the Europa cup is a bit of a joke it's a good competition for playing the squad players. More importantly, it's good for blooding youngsters. Liverpool did it this year and are reaping the rewards especially now with Spearing and Shelvey.

Also, despite the actual prize money not being a patch on the CL, there's still tv money and gate receipts. It's all cash at the end of the day.

When Liverpool won it in 2001, I was ecstatic ! A trophy is a trophy.

The competition definately needs an overhaul though. If they allowed the winners of the Europa cup into the Champions league it would breed new life into it.

Winner takes all at Anfield next week. Good luck

Wendell Gee

My point exactly. Kids and squad players could only benefit from europa. They should be good enough to qualify. Players coming back from injury could gain sharpness here, not cost us premiership points. If we have only the 38 prem games + 2 cups, our squad is miles too big. Players not starting get disaffected and lose sharpness- Kranjcar being a classic case. We really need to start thinking like a big club if we are one.

yidweiser

Fairplay Rarnes.
The glory days are back at Anfield!
Liverpool fans have suffered long enough under the tenner of bad managers.
You have a goodun in King Kenny as we have in "Diamond 'Arry"!
I'm afraid we fell off badly in the run in.
I think at the end of the day our strikers never produced this season, we lost Thud and others through injury and Gomes made too many costly mistakes (Defenders have no confidence in him any more I'm afraid).
We could bing it about all day but couldn't stick it in the onion bag!
We have over relied on VDV and Bale goals.
This is where we slipped up in the January transfer market.
We could have bought a striker to freshen things up.
Carroll and Suarez are class and I must say I'm jealous!
I think Levy thought we had enough to pull us through till the end of the campaign, so we didn't buy at the January inflated prices.
Now we are where we are and must buy and sell wisely as the fight for 4th next season will be like no other, with the City cheque book in full effect this summer!
I thing there will be big changes this summer at the Lane.
I think the following will go:
VDV(No CL), Jenas(Gutless)
Bale(Sold for big money unfortunately. Brilliant but very injury prone though!)
Pav(Too slow. Bundesliga bound), Keane, Bentley.
Here's to next season and let the transfer speculation begin!
COYS