How crucial is it we shall play the same day as them?

Gordy Boy

Well-Known Member
Yeah, yeah, I'm jumping ahead.

Hypothetically, we get through and the beasts progress.

Not having them play prior to us is a fantastic bonus.
 
Would rather they don't get the money but I think it would be good for us if they are in the groups and forced to play same amount of games as us and also playing on sundays. That way we aren't playing catchup from their Saturday game.

Missing out on champions league money is a massive blow to them. We need to keep winning league games and put pressure on them. Our squad is vastly improved from last year and we can rotate players.
 
I don’t think they’ll qualify for the europa which would suit me perfectly, no European football for a club is extremely detrimental to a clubs finances, especially one with a £50 million wage bill plus it would de-value their players
I’m in two minds on it - you are spot on about the financial impact and morale in their squad will be affected by a lack of European football.

Them having the extra games to balance wouldn’t be a bad thing for us this season though (especially if Rangers get into the groups) and then not having the focus that the title is the be all & end all of their season from September would be welcome. It’ll be tight this season - any advantage going is to be taken.
 
It's better than them being a day ahead that's for sure.

I wouldn't want them having a free run at the domestic stuff while we play twice a week. Make no mistake they are still a good team and can comfortably win most games in Scotland. It's up to us to find that same consistency .
 
Now they are in the Europa League we now both play on Sunday 25th August.

We play away to St Mirren at lunch time and they are at home to Hearts at 3PM.
 
Hope they get humiliated next qualifier AGAIN. Our squad is easily big enough and good enough to handle fighting on all fronts the sooner those fookers are papped out every cup the better then let the implosion commense. Firmly believe they won't lay a glove on us this season
 
Always plenty experts on here.

I suspect most us have no idea if AIK are any better or worse than Cluj.

Look, it would be hilarious if they didnt make the EL group stages. At the same time, I think we'll need every advantage we can get to win the title. The referees will be against us. The press will be against us....so if we're fighting a war on two fronts and they're not, well, you can talk about finances all you like, but that doesn't favour us in this season's league title.
 
Surely, it only becomes a factor if, say, Rangers' 'away leg' is in some god-forsaken part of the continent that involves complicated logistical/travel arrangements, whilst the bheasts have a tie much closer to home that is less physically taxing in terms of travel.
 
I think it's preferable to play on the same day as them rather than after.

It's also preferable that they don't get EL income and it heaps the pressure on Lennon and their big stars won't be happy.

Win-win for us I'd say.

The only negatives I can see for us would be them using getting knocked out of Europe as a motivator to prove what they are made of when they play us and that they'll be more rested going into games.
 
I don't think there is much of a difference really when it comes to the league stage as typically one of us is always playing on a Sunday anyway, them playing the same amount of games up to Xmas is important though. The big news is them being away 3 day before they come to Ibrox and we've had a home game
 
If we get throigh and they do not, although there will be a financial hit for them, they will benefit from free midweeks. That is a massive advantage to them. I am torn between them being humiliated and the benefit to us on the long run.
 
I’m in two minds on it - you are spot on about the financial impact and morale in their squad will be affected by a lack of European football.

Them having the extra games to balance wouldn’t be a bad thing for us this season though (especially if Rangers get into the groups) and then not having the focus that the title is the be all & end all of their season from September would be welcome. It’ll be tight this season - any advantage going is to be taken.

^^Exactly what I’m thinking mate
 
Always plenty experts on here.

I suspect most us have no idea if AIK are any better or worse than Cluj.

Look, it would be hilarious if they didnt make the EL group stages. At the same time, I think we'll need every advantage we can get to win the title. The referees will be against us. The press will be against us....so if we're fighting a war on two fronts and they're not, well, you can talk about finances all you like, but that doesn't favour us in this season's league title.

Season 2002/03 bears out what you're saying.
 
Let them stay in the Europe and level the playing field for us. Compared with the CL money they will feel as though they are out so the cash wont really help them.
 
There are very good arguments on both sides.I personally feel we have a strong enough squad to cope with EL and league.
One important consideration is that if there is no European fixtures a big squad can become an unhappy squad as not so many opportunities for squad rotation. This would apply to them as well as us.
Therefore in conclusion I hope they are flucked out of Europe by AIK, impacting squad harmony and losing them £m's
 
I’m in two minds on it - you are spot on about the financial impact and morale in their squad will be affected by a lack of European football.

Them having the extra games to balance wouldn’t be a bad thing for us this season though (especially if Rangers get into the groups) and then not having the focus that the title is the be all & end all of their season from September would be welcome. It’ll be tight this season - any advantage going is to be taken.

If they don’t make it then they are playing Hamilton one week and St Mirren the next again , you’re not sharp as you aren’t getting tested and it’s hard to up your game , where as if you’re playing euro football midweek against different teams / styles and better players then your game is sharp and it’s easier to step up and the squad is fully focused and tested , for this reason and of course the financial aspect of it I hope they get papped out as their wage bill is huge and with no Europe revenue/ exposure on the club it will be very detrimental to them , in fact I’d go as far as saying I hope it happens for the next few years
 
Apart from the loss of their CL money, this is a big leveller for us. Playing catch up every Sunday adds extra pressure.
Thursday Sunday for both is perfect
 
Will be hilarious no matter what.

They go out, all the hilarity in the world as they implode.

They get through they have mid week which if you look at their previous seasons they have always struggled after.

As much as I could never want them to win, I won't be crying if they get through.
 
I want them out. The alternative being I want them to win the qualifier. I never want them to win so the decision is easy.

We can debate whether then being in it or out of it (EL) is good for us in the league but I want them to lose (as I'm sure we all do).
 
2002/03 and 2007/08 show that Europe can be detrimental to a close title race. I'd say it's a lot less likely to be a factor for long after Christmas in 2019/20 than in those seasons though.
 
I said this ages ago but had kinda forgotten I'd eve thought about it.

I understand it will never happen, but my hope for this season was that we would qualify for the groups and then basically just stick out a reserve team in the group games. This for me would give the perhaps not guaranteed starting 11 players a great opportunity to get some European experience, and also allow us to focus purely on the league title, as that for me is by a million miles our biggest priority at the moment. All of this whilst still bringing in the cash we need.
Regardless of what they do now, getting to the groups or not, if we can win the title, it denies them the CL money again next season. That would be 3 years in a row trying to sustain their massive wage bill by flogging their players, thereby worsening themselves and giving us less ground to make up(there's not really any squad wise IMO, but financially)
If we could then get into the CL groups ourselves, that again changes things significantly. After 3 x £30m+ years of loss for them, we gain the £30m+. You're talking a £120m plus swing in 3-4 years.
It's exactly what we need.
 
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