Is European competition income more important than winning the domestic league?

[CooperBlu11]

Aye in ten years times we’ll be winding up the Tims by say ‘aye mind when we made £10 mill in Europe in 2022 rather than remember when we scudded you and win the title’

This place is way to obsessed with the clubs bank balance.

Trophies is what will be remembered not bank statements.

 

[FFGR1972]

Last years Europa run was more enjoyable than any domestic campaign in a decade - knockout format, new opponents, both teams trying to win matches.

So financially and entertainment wise - yes.

A massive part of that is because we had been absolutely f*cking garbage during most of that decade

if fans had been in the stadium during the season we won the league it would have been as enjoyable as just about any season most who attend often have seen put down

 

[cambridgeblue]

A massive part of that is because we had been absolutely f*cking garbage during most of that decade

if fans had been in the stadium during the season we won the league it would have been as enjoyable as just about any season most who attend often have seen put down

The enjoyment of winning 55 was better than winning the final on penalties would have been.

However a lot of the games along the way were boring - mainly due to the opponents.

 

[FFGR1972]

The enjoyment of winning 55 was better than winning the final on penalties would have been.

However a lot of the games along the way were boring - mainly due to the opponents.

It is a league season compared to a knock out competition, it is a bit like comparing apples and oranges.

The actual enjoyment of the success of that season was tremendous, a load of games would have taken on and had utterly different meaning had people been in the stadium

 

[Pirlo]

No. The league is our bread and butter, it’s essential, and people now trying to revise this and say otherwise are just trying to offer some justification for/make themselves feel better about our pitiful domestic performances over the last decade.

Unless of course some fans are genuinely satisfied with have bragging rights for balancing the books over bragging rights for winning actual titles.

 

[KarlSvenson]

Personally I would sacrifice the league cup for Europa league Quarter finals/ Champions league last 16 but I don’t ever want us to be like an English team where just being in a competition is seen as a success

 

[bob1873]

Given the absolute dross that is the SPFL and the fact that it’s two Bob for winning it we need European competition to actually make money to reinvest in the club as a whole.
Rangers under decent leadership should be capable of winning the domestic league after all we are talking about winning 3 out of 4 games v one side every other team is full of completely rank rotten players. The fact that we lose to some is completely unacceptable.
Different ball game if we actually played in a decent league.

 

[FriendsDontLie]

Both should work in parallel

 

[FriendsDontLie]

Personally I would sacrifice the league cup for Europa league Quarter finals/ Champions league last 16 but I don’t ever want us to be like an English team where just being in a competition is seen as a success

It will take a sizeable change in football finances before we can even discuss getting out of a champions league group stage and the same goes for they peados.

They couldn’t have got a better group of it was handpicked for them and couldn’t get a win, never mind out the group and they spent money!!!

But listen - we are moving forward - banning heading before and after games will change our game forever

 

[OnTheWay]

Financially, yes.

We're a last 16 of the Europa team imo, sometimes we won't get that far and other times we'll get a wee bit further but generally speaking we're a last 16 of the Europa team for me.

European runs will come and go but the league title is our bread and butter and the benchmark for a successful season.

 

[Superted 1872]

Can it not and should it not be both?

 

[j1mgg]

Financially, Europe is a must, but winning the league is still the aim.

 

[TheEgg]

No.

But they go hand in hand.

This ^

Do well in Europe and it allows the finances to build a title winning team, rinse repeat

 

[Sandy76]

Priority should always be winning the league.
The money will follow.

 

[Holytown_loyal]

No we are rangers. our aim should be to win league.thats our bread and butter .

 

[Kingging]

Long term, even financially it's a No. Without domestic success, our fan base will dwindle over a period of years and decades. The chase for silverware is a big part of what generates the passion for following our club. Ultimately it's our large fan base than generates the revenue, even if it is because we are more sellable to TV and more likely to qualify for Europe. Domestic success is the basis of financial success and European adventures.

 

[Bromp Carlisle]

I barely heard a peep from the usual suspects when they won the league because it was being overshadowed by our European run.

If you offer me the choice of the league or a genuinely 50/50 final like we had, I'd take the final as long as we'd won the league in the last couple of years.

 

[jago1965]

League should always be priority, Euro monies is a bonus.
WATP

 

[Brizblue]

Should be aiming to win every comp we enter. Realistic we aint winning Europe but not there to make up numbers

 

[superallythe2nd]

Trophies are forever.
Money isn't.

 

[Gios_Gillet]

Can't we do both

 

[The People]

You need to win the league its that simple for me.
As for Europe we can't ever be as bad again as we were this season in the CL.
We are guaranteed some sort of European group stage football for a few years yet ,so hopefully we get back to doing well in Europe as we had done for the previous three years .
Last 16
Last 16
Final.
I'm hoping that the embarrassment of this years CL group stage was a complete one off.

 

[Bluebeard]

Can we stop the domestic cups don’t matter shite. It’s only used because we’ve won one in 11 years.

We could also you know compete on all fronts and still give it a good go in Europe.

This.

We all know now european group stage football is essential financially for our club every year. We don’t need to get out of the groups but it should be our target whether it’s Europa, CL or conference.

It would leave a huge financial hit if there’s a year we don’t make the group stage but thankfully currently we have put ourselves in a position where that’s not a concern for a while.

To put in context you get more money for a single win in the Europa group stage than you do for winning the Scottish cup and league cup.

However that doesn’t tell the whole story. For 150 years our club , formed purely for the love of football and sport, has prided itself on being successful in Scotland. The domestic cup competitions have given many generations of fans and players great memories and amazing games.

The cups have also kick started some mangers Rangers careers. The league is obviously the main prize, but after a decade of not winning much our club are now back on a level playing field with our main rivals or better than the rest of Scotland financially again.

There are no excuses for not being hungry for silverware agin domestically.

I want cups, leagues, B team and womens teams all to win. I don’t think I’m alone in that. We’ve all been through “ the journey” let’s leave it behind now and WIN.

 

[HighlandLoyal3036]

I get the question but i always hate the "one or the other" narrative.

 

[RabSpackman]

League is the fundamental week-to-week activity of Rangers, winning league titles is the core aim at this club.
Everyone employed at Rangers should be completely clear on that as the priority.

Cups are an addition to the league and Rangers should be winning a cup every season or two at minimum given the resources available to the club.

Europe brings a bit of excitement and status, and ironically a European trophy would trump a league title in any given season…. But the chances of being in the running for European trophies every season are limited for Rangers - we don’t exist in that type of environment.

The specific question about income.. the only way to get the income is to be in these latter stages and then it becomes nice, appreciated but unlikely to be a very regular income stream. With the bonuses paid to players and execs for a European final then a fair chunk of the income disappears as well.

 

[Gazb1962]

We absolutely got horsed in every Champions League game we played but the money we received for taking such a beating makes up for that and is very important to us.

Having said that, I think winning the league is always the priority.

More so when the helicopter has to change direction.

 

[snoopyboymason]

NO

 

[Bigbluebear]

since when did sides simply default straight to a Final and winning the competition?

Whats your point exactly?

The league cup is a waste of time for us IMO.

Twice this season we had opponents able to rearrange games to have a free week before playing us. We couldn't due to having to fit in league cup games against lower league opposition.

We would get far more benefits by not taking part in it now rather than have to squeeze in games, that give us little reward, in a busy schedule.

Thats not to say that we shouldn't be trying to win it while we are taking part in it. Of course we should but its still of little value to us nowadays.

And that's not to devalue all the times we have won it in the past, but times change and things move on from the past.

 

[FFGR1972]

Whats your point exactly?

The league cup is a waste of time for us IMO.

Twice this season we had opponents able to rearrange games to have a free week before playing us. We couldn't due to having to fit in league cup games against lower league opposition.

We would get far more benefits by not taking part in it now rather than have to squeeze in games, that give us little reward, in a busy schedule.

Thats not to say that we shouldn't be trying to win it while we are taking part in it. Of course we should but its still of little value to us nowadays.

And that's not to devalue all the times we have won it in the past, but times change and things move on from the past.

without the League Cup this season we would be the best part of 1 million quid down give or take, that is a pretty decent chunk of cash to us, it is a very decent wage to a player

where are we finding that money without those games?

that is before ignoring that winning things and lifting Cups is a massive part of the point of a football team.

I don't get dwelling on lower league opponents either, that is how Cup competitions work, in one of the games we played any kind of rescheduled fixture would have made next to no difference to us, the QOTS game was just a good chance to look at the squad in a competitive game

 

[KarlSvenson]

It will take a sizeable change in football finances before we can even discuss getting out of a champions league group stage and the same goes for they peados.

They couldn’t have got a better group of it was handpicked for them and couldn’t get a win, never mind out the group and they spent money!!!

But listen - we are moving forward - banning heading before and after games will change our game forever

Are you saying Ange might not be the greatest football manager and indeed human being to ever grace the earth? Shame on you, the man was clearly cheated in the group stage other wise he would have won all the games on the way to securing peace in the Middle East.

 

[bullen an la]

the mindset in scotland, fans and media, is that rangers and celtic will always be judged against each others success.

nobody outside of scotland takes notice

 

[FriendsDontLie]

Are you saying Ange might not be the greatest football manager and indeed human being to ever grace the earth? Shame on you, the man was clearly cheated in the group stage other wise he would have won all the games on the way to securing peace in the Middle East.

Clearly the fat lady's front bottom is the greatest thing to grace our earth since Jesus

 

[Bigbluebear]

without the League Cup this season we would be the best part of 1 million quid down give or take, that is a pretty decent chunk of cash to us, it is a very decent wage to a player

where are we finding that money without those games?

that is before ignoring that winning things and lifting Cups is a massive part of the point of a football team.

I don't get dwelling on lower league opponents either, that is how Cup competitions work, in one of the games we played any kind of rescheduled fixture would have made next to no difference to us, the QOTS game was just a good chance to look at the squad in a competitive game

One draw in the CL would have got us the same. What if we didn't need to play the weekend prior to the Ajax game and with the extra rest (like Ajax had) we were able to get a draw, or maybe even a win which is worth 2.7m euros or thereabouts?

PSV were able to have a free weekend in between the CL qualifiers

We couldn't as we had games against lower league opposition to squeeze in the calendar.

You your opinion and I have mine. Clearly we won't change each others mind but I see the league cup as a severely outdated tournament and would be quite happy for us to no longer compete in it.

 

[FFGR1972]

One draw in the CL would have got us the same. What if we didn't need to play the weekend prior to the Ajax game and with the extra rest (like Ajax had) we were able to get a draw, or maybe even a win which is worth 2.7m euros or thereabouts?

PSV were able to have a free weekend in between the CL qualifiers

We couldn't as we had games against lower league opposition to squeeze in the calendar.

You your opinion and I have mine. Clearly we won't change each others mind but I see the league cup as a severely outdated tournament and would be quite happy for us to no longer compete in it.

Yeah I am not asking about the CL though, it was specifically relating to money we made from the League Cup if that competition was removed, where are we finding that money? Why would a football club look to actively reduce revenue and competitions it could win?

 

[Iandocgrk]

Is being domestic champions losing its importance? A good run in the Europa League or qualifying for the Champions League bring in similar large finances and we are unlikely to win many points in the Champions League. The importance of European income seems to be the main aim nowadays. I wonder if an Atlantic league type project might resurface as an alternative to the current scenario?

Bit contradictory

If you win the league your guaranteed group stages so to answer your question the leagues just as important if you want the euro finances guaranteed

If you don’t win the league you might not qualify for Europe in the knockouts, so aye the leagues everything

 

[Iandocgrk]

One draw in the CL would have got us the same. What if we didn't need to play the weekend prior to the Ajax game and with the extra rest (like Ajax had) we were able to get a draw, or maybe even a win which is worth 2.7m euros or thereabouts?

PSV were able to have a free weekend in between the CL qualifiers

We couldn't as we had games against lower league opposition to squeeze in the calendar.

You your opinion and I have mine. Clearly we won't change each others mind but I see the league cup as a severely outdated tournament and would be quite happy for us to no longer compete in it.

Having a free weekend didn’t get them the win we didn’t lose because we were tired mate we lost cos we ain’t good enough, a free weekend wouldn’t have changed that

 

[Bigbluebear]

Yeah I am not asking about the CL though, it was specifically relating to money we made from the League Cup if that competition was removed, where are we finding that money? Why would a football club look to actively reduce revenue and competitions it could win?

I already gave you a scenario where increased European revenue could replace that lost revenue.

We also can't bank on that revenue either since we may be drawn in away games, and we can't always play a weakened side as we could quite easily be drawn against a better side where that's not an option.

Imagine we drew celtic in the first or 2nd round and needing to play them in a must win cup game in the first part of the season when there is CL qualification at stake?

Anyway, as I already said, you arent changing your opinion and I'm not changing mine

 

[VGM]

I’d take another Europa/Conference League run ahead of winning a domestic cup.

I’d take another final in Europe before a league title most of the time, but we have just had one and the league is the bread and butter.

 

[FFGR1972]

I already gave you a scenario where increased European revenue could replace that lost revenue.

We also can't bank on that revenue either since we may be drawn in away games, and we can't always play a weakened side as we could quite easily be drawn against a better side where that's not an option.

Imagine we drew celtic in the first or 2nd round and needing to play them in a must win cup game in the first part of the season when there is CL qualification at stake?

Anyway, as I already said, you arent changing your opinion and I'm not changing mine

Just have both?

Our Champions League performances didn’t come about because of League Cup games

 

[jackstar]

Is being domestic champions losing its importance? A good run in the Europa League or qualifying for the Champions League bring in similar large finances and we are unlikely to win many points in the Champions League. The importance of European income seems to be the main aim nowadays. I wonder if an Atlantic league type project might resurface as an alternative to the current scenario?

If we want to keep enjoying those revenues coming in,then yes the League is vital. We had a chance to keep them at bay and blew it,but under this Manager I can see our consistency getting back to what it was,both in fitness levels and winning games.

 

[Sanchez D-S]

Financially, obviously, but nobody should be content at being second if it guarantees a fixed Euro income.

Winning The league and a Euro run aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[OnTheWay]

The enjoyment of winning 55 was better than winning the final on penalties would have been.

Na, disagree with that.

The Europa would have euphoria

 

[Coop1872]

I find it quite sad that the distribution of the wealth within the game has led us to the point where such questions are being asked. Football should be about the glory, not balance sheets.

 

[Bigbluebear]

Having a free weekend didn’t get them the win we didn’t lose because we were tired mate we lost cos we ain’t good enough, a free weekend wouldn’t have changed that

That wasn't really my point. I'm just using what happened this season as am example

European competition is expanding. That's where the money is. So more games in Europe and we need to be involved in it to grow ad a club. The league cup and continued involvement in it will continue to pose us problems.

 

[High Society]

Financially absolutely. But for some reason you have people regularly wanting us put out of Europe to concentrate on the league.

Gerard’s legacy is our rise in Europe.

In Scotland we need to win the league to get straight into CL

 

[bornabluenose]

Domestic league is number one priority but, European revenue is still important.

The extra European revenue has to transpire into a better product on the pitch.

That's the crux ,for me.

 

[GovanFront4]

In Scotland we need to win the league to get straight into CL

Yeah, totally. That shows that the aim of winning the league is for European riches rather than the trophy itself.

 

[BulletProofBear]

Aye in ten years times we’ll be winding up the Tims by say ‘aye mind when we made £10 mill in Europe in 2022 rather than remember when we scudded you and win the title’

This place is way to obsessed with the clubs bank balance.

Trophies is what will be remembered not bank statements.

There's no cash to build the team without Europe. Basically a negligible budget. That's according to MB. Then you'll never win any titles. It's circular.

 

[OnTheWay]

This place is way to obsessed with the clubs bank babalance

When we're spending half what the tims are, trailing in the league by 9 points and need a massive rebuild in the summer I'd say you have to be.

 

[RM.]

For the books, yeah of course. For the pride and continued history of the club, absolutely not.