Europa League Yes or No?

[Nebby]

Yes - because we have to learn to cope.

If we can't cope with the Premier League and the Europa League, then we won't cope with the Premier League and the Champions League.

Unless we are happy being one season Champions League wonders (again), we have to learn how to cope with the pressure. Four points off Arsenal is all well and good, but look at how they've dug in and dragged themselves back into the fight. What have we done? Sunday's "performance" suggests we will just wilt away again.

Oh well, there's always next season...

 

[SugarRay]

101% YES

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

I am pretty certain that we'd put up a good fight for 4th (at least) if we didn't have the distraction of the Europa league.

We would clearly not be a better team simply and only if we got more time between each match.

We had 14 days to prepare for Burnley and drew. We had 8 days before ManUtd and lost. We had 9 days before Fiorentina and drew. We had 13 days before ManCity and drew. We had 13 days before Sunderland and drew.

The long time spent around international breaks also makes other parts of the calendar clustered. The same goes for the league cup, it makes a busy calendar worse, but holds no other significance. There is no reason to go on with two domestic cups when the international cups are so much more important.

If we could remove one domestic cup, and condense the time wasted on international breaks, the calendar would be better paced.

 

[yido_number1]

The competition is second rate and effects are chances in the league. That said I want us to do as well as possible and finish as high as we can. Some sensible fixture scheduling to avoid a repeat of this years League Cup Europa clash would be nice...

 

[van_Pommel]

Yes - because we have to learn to cope.

Who has to learn? We change manager and most of the players every 2 years so they'll have to learn quickly!

 

[Sir Henry]

I said yes, but no first teamer should get anywhere near the squad.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

I said yes, but no first teamer should get anywhere near the squad.

To a certain degree at the very least, upon entering the competition, teams have a duty to field their strongest-ish team. Ie. to field a team of recruits is most likely impossible. Only fielding 2nd string senior players might also be difficult. This is also a likely reason for why you'll often see starts traveling, and acting as unused subs, but not playing.

 

[mpickard2087]

Of course we should be in it. We need to get used to juggling competitions, and we need to get used to beating the likes of Basel, Benfica and Fiorentina first and having a serious run at that competition before we get delusions of grandeur about competing with the very top teams.

 

[panoma]

I've been yes for many years. I've reached the end of my patience with it though. I knew we'd lose to Fiorentina, like I knew we'd lose to Benfica the year before (actually won 60 quid on that one). All of the crap performances that I see on Sundays following Europa league games are only worthwhile if we're not going to limp out as soon as we play a half decent side. If playing a reserve team was an option I'd go for that but I don't think it is. We'd get too much criticism, fans wouldn't bother going to the games and Levy would get the hump.

I am pretty certain that we'd put up a good fight for 4th (at least) if we didn't have the distraction of the Europa league.

This is so old. We play shit plenty of other sundays despite not playing a match in weeks. No need to look further back than last sunday vs Burnley or vs United were we had lot of time to prepare, yet played probably our worst games of the season.

 

[chrissivad]

By beeing ready i mean that its better to stay home and be 100% rested for the weekend if they arent gonna start anyways. Travelling across Europe is tiresome in itself, so no point traveling just for the sake of traveling.

So how many times will they train between PL matches? To me it sounds like they wont be ready to face the next PL team at all unless its just turn up and run around....

 

[SEANSPURS1975]

100% Yes. Currently there is little to no chance of us finishing in the top four for some time. Do people seriously think we'll get in that top four if we're not in Europe? Lol. Its not going to happen. We'll finish 5th, 6th or 7th as usual and so we should go all out and try and win silverware, any silverware.

 

[spursram]

Without a doubt YES, even though its harder to play on a Thursday/Sunday then a Wednesday Saturday apparently ( or so some say).

I can't be asked to check this, but from memory I thought CL teams from the PL played Tues/Sat or Weds/Sun, in which case there is an extra days recovery. But I could be wrong, I'll pay more attention when we've qualified in May.

 

[Gilzeanking]

This is so old. We play shit plenty of other sundays despite not playing a match in weeks. No need to look further back than last sunday vs Burnley or vs United were we had lot of time to prepare, yet played probably our worst games of the season.

With my general burnout theory , the Utd/Burnley defeats are a part of the overall effect of the EL . So I'm voting undecided . I understand it is 19 matches to win the EL which is almost half a Prem season . Noone can surely deny the effect of the equivalent of an extra half a Prem season plus mad long travels for many of those 19 , on our progress in the Prem .

Further , we have been around the top 4 loads in the last 5 years , but we haven't got within a sniff of a sniff of EL success . We really aren't gonna win it 'fraid what with CL dropouts etc .

However , I like the extra matches , I like seeing players I don't see normally in the Prem , great for fringe players too and if we could get a manager who really knows how to rest tired players for EL matches .... But there's no sign of a manager like that at the mo . Poch was dragging first teamers to Nowhereistan and then not playing them..pretty mad imo .

 

[parklane1]

Its good to see a 80% yes vote over this, I was getting sick to death of the old lame excuses that are dragged out about the EL.

(1) Its harder to play Thurs/Sun then it is to play Wed/ Sat.

(2) Its so many more games when its really not.

Its a trophy which we can win, its helps us prepare for when we do reach the CL, it helps us with the coefficient ( sp?). There is no glory in finishing among the runners up ( top four).

 

[EastLondonYid]

I voted yes, we would only realise how bad it is not to be in europe when we wern't in it

I agree that we should mix it up abit in the group stages, and then really go for it in the knockout stages.
I am getting abit bored with fucking up CL qualification every year by finishing outside the top 4, lets fuck up qualification to the CL via the europa league at the last hurdle for a change.

 

[Gloryhunter]

The biggest gain from this season's participation in the Europa League. ..read Harry Kane. If emerging talents shine in the EL next season, they will be eased in for the PL.

 

[slartibartfast]

You're kidding yourself if you think we can compete on both fronts, PL and Europa, and have any chance of getting CL via top 4. We don't.
And you're kidding yourself if you think Europa doesn't have a detrimental affect on PL results. It does.
And you're kidding yourself if you think we have a cat in hells chance of winning it while we piss ball about playing a weakened team. We don't.
And, I may be wrong here but don't CL teams that play on a Wednesday normally play the following PL game on a Sunday or Monday so they have more rest?
Fairly sure this is the case generally but there may be the odd exception so that argument about same rest as CL is void.
Maureen would be spitting feathers playing Wed then Saturday, especially away from home.
No for me.
Not every season as we want European recognition plus extra revenue but a season out would improve league results imo and while Liverpool Man U and even Arsenal to an extent are not as strong as they could be we still have a chance to upset the apple cart if we concentrate on getting top 4.
Strike while the irons hot and all that. Something we failed in by sacking Harry when we were up there but that's been covered.

 

[HildoSpur]

100% yes for me - if we are going to become a successful team we need our players to gain experience against European opposition and also learn to cope better with mid-week games. The experience of playing in Europe is invaluable to our younger players imo.

 

[Dharmabum]

Spurs (players) needs matching against European clubs and it also adds extra income to the club as well as acting as an eventual preparation for the CL footy (not that my hopes are high for that possibility in the near future).
Also, it's a good competition to play players who normally doesn't get much playing time.
Besides, after being knocked out by Fiorentina it doesn't seem to have has any good effect at all - neither result wise nor play wise.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

You're kidding yourself if you think we can compete on both fronts, PL and Europa, and have any chance of getting CL via top 4. We don't.
And you're kidding yourself if you think Europa doesn't have a detrimental affect on PL results. It does.
And you're kidding yourself if you think we have a cat in hells chance of winning it while we piss ball about playing a weakened team. We don't.
And, I may be wrong here but don't CL teams that play on a Wednesday normally play the following PL game on a Sunday or Monday so they have more rest?
Fairly sure this is the case generally but there may be the odd exception so that argument about same rest as CL is void.
Maureen would be spitting feathers playing Wed then Saturday, especially away from home.
No for me.
Not every season as we want European recognition plus extra revenue but a season out would improve league results imo and while Liverpool Man U and even Arsenal to an extent are not as strong as they could be we still have a chance to upset the apple cart if we concentrate on getting top 4.
Strike while the irons hot and all that. Something we failed in by sacking Harry when we were up there but that's been covered.

The latest PL-results have not been stunning since loosing out to Fiorentina. In other words, you are kidding your self if you don't think that we will be just as terrible at fucking up in PL even without EL matching.