Potential New Format for the Champions League

Just let them form their own league. This kind of manipulation is to the benefit of no one.

Don't subscribe to the Times anymore so not read the article but htink they are trying to make the group stage more exciting. There would still be 32 teams with the same qualification process but more games of interest.

I can't be the only one to be bored by the group stages - I watch very few games.
 
It's become completely dull to me tbh. None of the clubs have any real character. Juve, City, PSG, Liverpool, Madrid etc are all much of a muchness. Don't mind Bayern as at least they still feel like a proper German team.
They can do what they like tbh, let them have a separate league, I'm past caring.
 
Really this is why they are bringing in the UEFA Conference.

The big names can sneak off and play the CL in an effective closed shop.

Rest of Europe can play out the EL and Conference and be happy with it.
 
Don't subscribe to the Times anymore so not read the article but htink they are trying to make the group stage more exciting. There would still be 32 teams with the same qualification process but more games of interest.

I can't be the only one to be bored by the group stages - I watch very few games.

I'll have games on in the background but very rarely sit and watch a group match nowadays.

This model was discussed last year. Teams get more games thus more money but I'm not sure how it becomes more competitive. If anything, it removes a lower seed's opportunity to qualify for the latter stages given how they'll be required to perform over a longer stretch of games.

Of course, if we're there then 10 games is fantastic financially.

It just seems a halfway house on the way to a European league, one that UEFA can be involved in rather than a breakaway.
 
Looks exciting. Would love Rangers to be involved in that and its an obvious stepping stone to a European league format.
 
Put it back to the old europen cup,straight draw,no seeds,knockouts over 2 legs....more exciting than some of the boring and meaningless group games currently.....chance for "lesser" champions to sink a giant.
League champions only ,no 2nd,3rd or 4th places.
To be honest, this type of tournament would generate far more interest, especially if an underdog team started to progress in the competition.
I'm not interested in the CL (unless we are in it), but I'd watch these type of knockout games.
 
So if we qualified we'd get a guaranteed 10 group games? Sounds alright to me. The Champions League has become stale & needs a shake up, may as well be to our benefit.
 
I don’t really watch the CL anymore, there’s too many games now. Used to get excited about it but not anymore, not even bothering to watch anything tonight, i‘m letting the Mrs watch the tele in the living room if she wants. I would only be interested if we were in it. The novelty has worn off, wish it was back to something like the old format.
 
It has become a greed is good league for the already rich clubs, I watch the Goals Show with Jimbo & co (on right now), I hardly watch any live games until the KO stage.
I would also prefer a Champions only competition with a straight KO with no seeding (never going to happen though). I think Liverpool and Forest met each other in the 1st round at the beginning of the 80's.
 
What a stupid format.

One big all in table of 32 teams with everyone playing a random 10 games against 10 different teams. Presumably the 16 teams with most points go through.

But how can you compare points when you've played totally different teams?
And there will be a huge number of meaningless games.

Not to mention how you shoehorn 4 extra midweek games in.
 
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Don’t think it’s the worst idea to try and spice up the early stages a bit more, although not sure how that suggestion specifically would play out in practice.

As it stands I really enjoy the knockout phase generally, but the Groups for the most part are a bit of a procession with the top two seeds more often than not going through fairly easily.
 
Don’t think it’s the worst idea to try and spice up the early stages a bit more, although not sure how that suggestion specifically would play out in practice.

As it stands I really enjoy the knockout phase generally, but the Groups for the most part are a bit of a procession with the top two seeds more often than not going through fairly easily.
They could just seed the 8 top league champions and make the rest an open draw, but keep the rule no 2 teams from the same country.

Big incentive to win your league title.
 
So if we qualified we'd get a guaranteed 10 group games? Sounds alright to me. The Champions League has become stale & needs a shake up, may as well be to our benefit.
If we are in it that season it is good for us. Potentially more TV money and more chance to get the money from wins/draws. The biggest thing though is the money we'd make in ticket sales.
40 quid a pop X 50000 fans = £2 million X 5 games = £10 million in gate money.
 
So now even the novelty of say a "Barcelona vs Bayern" fixture will now be gone completely since, instead of playing once every 3 years, they will now almost inevitably play at least once a year.

Tbh I think its a teaser to gauge interest in an inevitable European league, but unless Rangers are playing I have absolutely zero interest in this.
 
Tell you what UEFA, why don't you show some f.ucking balls and bring the European Cup back, you might just get a bit more respect from the fans.
Or the ECWC, pricks in Switzerland, to a man.
 
It's become completely dull to me tbh. None of the clubs have any real character. Juve, City, PSG, Liverpool, Madrid etc are all much of a muchness. Don't mind Bayern as at least they still feel like a proper German team.
They can do what they like tbh, let them have a separate league, I'm past caring.
I prefer watching the Europa league.

As you say, there are clubs with soul and passion in that competition, not least Rangers, and it means a lot to clubs on the continent, it’s only down south with their billions who dismiss it as a diddy competition.
 
This sounds like the sort of thing only the SPFL could think of.

How are they gonna ensure a balance of fixtures against top teams and lesser teams?

The only winners here are gonna be the already mega rich clubs.
 
Put it back to the old europen cup,straight draw,no seeds,knockouts over 2 legs....more exciting than some of the boring and meaningless group games currently.....chance for "lesser" champions to sink a giant.
League champions only ,no 2nd,3rd or 4th places.

My thoughts exactly. Campbell Ogilvie started this shit. It was an easy sell as the top clubs saw it as a way to make more money. More money they could pocket from fans.

Who cares about supporters? No one.
 
I read years back they were looking to have 3 euro leagues of 20. This looks like it could be the start of going in that direction. If not that exact format, then something similar.
 
This sounds like the sort of thing only the SPFL could think of.

How are they gonna ensure a balance of fixtures against top teams and lesser teams?

The only winners here are gonna be the already mega rich clubs.

Dont forget.

1 A players 'career is short.

2 They have to think of their family.

3 Have you any idea how much it costs to fill the tank in a Ferrari?
 
So the last say 4 match days would be absolutely full of dead runner games. Yeah that's gonna be more exciting eh :rolleyes:
 
Remember more simple times when the league winners got into the European Cup? Runners up in the UEFA? Cup winners in the CWC? I'm probably a boring old dinosaur but give me the old setup everyday of the week. Do any of us really doubt that we're heading to a European league just for the elites?
 
Pile of shite.

European football died when the CL was first introduced - at least a a genuine sporting contest.

There was nothing wrong with the format before then...greed and nothing more brought forth the CL...and we have suffered due to it.

Wish the “big clubs” would fuuck off and start their own league.
 
I enjoyed the old set up more. The excitement of the games was matched by the excitement of the draw in each new round, I'd like to see it return.
 
Pile of shite.

European football died when the CL was first introduced - at least a a genuine sporting contest.

There was nothing wrong with the format before then...greed and nothing more brought forth the CL...and we have suffered due to it.

Wish the “big clubs” would fuuck off and start their own league.
It went from being a genuine Competition were teams competed to a complete monopoly were the rich get richer and %^*& everyone else

We had a major hand in the revamped Champions League btw
 
Don't subscribe to the Times anymore so not read the article but htink they are trying to make the group stage more exciting. There would still be 32 teams with the same qualification process but more games of interest.

I can't be the only one to be bored by the group stages - I watch very few games.
I don't think I've watched a group stage match since we were in it. Boring pile of rubbish.

I'd go back to either straight knockout or groups with only the league winners.
Not going to happen though.
 
It went from being a genuine Competition were teams competed to a complete monopoly were the rich get richer and %^*& everyone else

We had a major hand in the revamped Champions League btw
Well aware of that mate.

Just didn’t raise it as it has caused arguments in the past.

Be careful what you wish for has been true since 93.
 
TBH the champions League needs spiced up. I'm not sure this is the way but the group stages have been so-so for years. You get more interesting games in the Europa League at times.
Remove country protection or seeding from it. A group with Madrid, City, Juve and Bayern for instance
 
Dont forget.

1 A players 'career is short.

2 They have to think of their family.

3 Have you any idea how much it costs to fill the tank in a Ferrari?
Filling up a Ferrari has never been much of an issue for me.
 
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