- Jan 18, 2011
- 7,970
- 9,419
Though we're out of it I really enjoyed our run in it and we played some very good teams. It's a fun competition and I hope we're in it again next season if we don't make 4th.
But the point of the thread isn't to reminisce, I think some fans under-appreciate the benefits of this competition, as I have heard some people saying that they would rather not be in it next season (at the end of every season people pipe up saying this). I think people need to think about the financial aspect of it though - in the Europa league we played 6 home matches, and 3 more home matches than last season. That's a lot of match day income, and although I don't know the exact figures I would estimate that we produce ~£2 million per home match on average. So missing out on ~£12 million just on match day revenue, never mind money for TV appearances and UEFA prize money. I would guess that just the three knockout ties we played this year will push our revenues up to above what they were last season, putting us in a stronger position for this summer.
The other valuable thing of course is the experience the competition provides, playing all sorts of good teams and learning how to play under pressure. I think the way we managed to pull through against Lyon and Inter, and the fight we put up against Basel with 10 men will have been good for the squad's confidence.
Anyway I've grown quite fond of the competition from us playing in it and I found it pretty enjoyable to watch, and I didn't really have the same feeling watching us play in the Europa league as I do when I watch us play in the Premier League. It was more fun and I was more relaxed watching those games.
But the point of the thread isn't to reminisce, I think some fans under-appreciate the benefits of this competition, as I have heard some people saying that they would rather not be in it next season (at the end of every season people pipe up saying this). I think people need to think about the financial aspect of it though - in the Europa league we played 6 home matches, and 3 more home matches than last season. That's a lot of match day income, and although I don't know the exact figures I would estimate that we produce ~£2 million per home match on average. So missing out on ~£12 million just on match day revenue, never mind money for TV appearances and UEFA prize money. I would guess that just the three knockout ties we played this year will push our revenues up to above what they were last season, putting us in a stronger position for this summer.
The other valuable thing of course is the experience the competition provides, playing all sorts of good teams and learning how to play under pressure. I think the way we managed to pull through against Lyon and Inter, and the fight we put up against Basel with 10 men will have been good for the squad's confidence.
Anyway I've grown quite fond of the competition from us playing in it and I found it pretty enjoyable to watch, and I didn't really have the same feeling watching us play in the Europa league as I do when I watch us play in the Premier League. It was more fun and I was more relaxed watching those games.