What if the top 5 qualified for the Champions League next season?

[spursfan77]

I've been thinking for a while, like the majority of fans, that the premiership is becoming a bit boring with the same top 4 teams always qualifying for the champions league.

Hypothetically, do you think it would be better for the league if instead finishing in the top 5 places qualified you for a place in the champions league. For example, next season we may finish 5th thereby getting champions league money the next season. With our record theres no guarantee we'd get 5th the following season even with the cash windfall we'd receive. Thereby allowing another team, say everton, to do the same thing the next year and also receive the extra cash.

I'm just trying to think of a way to stop the top 4 teams getting away from the rest of the league in terms of revenue, as it cant go on.

just wondered if anyone else had the same thoughts on the subject?

 

[Kyras]

I think that it would be more productive if only the top 3 could get CL, if it was top 5, someone might capitalise and just join the cartel, if if was just the top 2 or 3, then one or two teams of the "big 4" would miss out every season.

 

[Shanks]

Nope.
It would be better if the top 2 places qualified, and the next 4 teams went into a play off style finale for a 3rd place spot.

Only 3 places n total given for me

 

[Dougal]

After a couple of seasons someone would just establish themselves in the 5th spot and you'd be asking for 6 spots

 

[spursfan77]

the thing is it it was reduced to 2 or 3 teams then it would be even worse. ir those 2/3 teams would be the only ones challenging for the title. seriously though the premier league needs to do something as I've got a feeling that as soon as 5/6 years time lots of fans are just going to lose interest.

i mean the gulf between the championship and the premier league is so big now. basically the 3 teams that have come up will go down, stoke and hull are worse than derby!...i'm afraid the same thing will happen between the top 4 clubs and the rest of us. lets just hope abramovich loses interest soon and starts asking for his £600m worth of loans back!

 

[Sbix]

If what you want is to create a more even Premierleague. The solution is a wage budget for all teams. Then the only problem left to deal with would be the transfer cost... to make sure they don't skyrocket...

 

[spursfan77]

ideally but not some kind of communist league where everyones equal. i think a wage budget as a % of turnover to be say 50%. ours is about that now from the figures out today. trouble is it will never get passed by all 20 clubs until one of them starts to get into financial difficulties and some of the others think they'll follow suit.

 

[Disconosebleed]

This is a ridiculous notion, presumably only brought up with the needs of Tottenham in mind.

The idea that the top four are pulling away from the rest is a myth. Every year that the same teams finish in the top four people will think it's getting worse, but in fact the gap between first and fifth has reduced every year for the last three years. Three years ago Everton finished fourth, two years ago we were a well-cooked dinner away from finishing fourth. Everton pushed Liverpool until near the end of this season, and only an uncharacteristic run of poor form coinciding with the loss of a few key players stopped them from taking it to the wire.

It's nonsense. Of course the money makes it easier to do well, but the likes of Mark Hughes (who compiled almost his entire side for less than than 11m we're supposedly paying for Giovanni) and David Moyes have shown that you can succeed on a small budget if you have staff who are actually good at their job. Arsenal consistently spend less than us with far greater reward. Money doesn't guarantee you success, it just helps if its in the right hands. But the right hands are the key, not the money - just ask West Ham, Newcastle and to an extent ourselves.

 

[spursfan77]

"This is a ridiculous notion, presumably only brought up with the needs of Tottenham in mind." did you not read my post.

i said "I'm just trying to think of a way to stop the top 4 teams getting away from the rest of the league in terms of revenue, as it cant go on." so no its actually the fact that the premier league is miles ahead of the championship, more than 5 years ago and the fact that the top 4 teams will be the same next year. check back in 12 months to see that i'm right.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

well this is the last season that the top 4 qualify anway. next season only the top 3 qualify.

i like the dutch system, where there are only 2 places, one of which goes to the champions, the other of which goes to the winner of playoffs between 2nd - 5th place teams.

seeing as we'll have 3 teams qualify, i'd like to see the top 2 get champs league and then the 3rd place go to the winner of the playoffs between teams 3rd - 6th.

never happen tho!

 

[LSUY]

Instead of the top five, why don't we go back to the good old days of when only the league champion played in the European Cup, second and third in the UEFA and the FA Cup winners in the Cup Winners Cup?

I guess that will never happen because the clubs and UEFA care more about how much money a competition will make them instead of the quality of it.

 

[hashmander]

well this is the last season that the top 4 qualify anway. next season only the top 3 qualify.

i like the dutch system, where there are only 2 places, one of which goes to the champions, the other of which goes to the winner of playoffs between 2nd - 5th place teams.

seeing as we'll have 3 teams qualify, i'd like to see the top 2 get champs league and then the 3rd place go to the winner of the playoffs between teams 3rd - 6th.

never happen tho!

it's still 4 places. the change is that instead of only the top 2 heading straight to the group stages it will be the top 3 and the 4th place team will have to play 2 qualifying rounds instead of just one.

 

[fieryjack]

It should do what it says on the tin, champions only.
The European Cup was a proper competition, i miss it.
Champions League, pah. Same fucking teams every year. They might as well go the whiole hog and have a proper league with relegation but that wont work either because it would always be some team from Belarus or Albania getting relegated.
Just seen Teemu`s post, i`m with you.

 

[Yid-ol]

what if everyone got into the CL, then everyone would have an equal chance of getting the big money!!

 

[Rocksuperstar]

Nope.
It would be better if the top 2 places qualified, and the next 4 teams went into a play off style finale for a 3rd place spot.

Only 3 places n total given for me

I'm with the big fella on this - best option for all involved and it would encourage more competition amongst them top four, instead of always sitting back and defending the life out of games against each other, so afraid of dropping even a goal, in case the end of the season it makes a difference.

Lets not mince the truth - Woolwich and Man U have been top of that stack for a more consistent period than either the blues or the other reds, both having a major interest in looking after each other in the grand scheme of things. When G14 was formed, or whatever it was called, it was a rallying call for the richest clubs to preserve each others interests and protect the massive investments - The Woolwich rely on Man U to be competition but also to be a financial/business ally to some extent.

 

[davros]

I like the idea if the top 2 going into the CL. Or how about the winners of each major domestic trophy - PL, FA cup, League cup. That would be 3 qualifiers for a competition for winners. Certainly raise the profile of the cups, too. The next 3 places in the league could go into another cup. The looosers league or something.
Or the cup winners qualify for the Cup Winner's Cup.
League champoins qualify for a true CL.
Runners up go into another cup (UEFA)