Everton Banter Archive September 04 2014

04 Sep 2014 18:42:40
Apparently, the "away goals" rule is being reviewed by people within UEFA and might be removed from the Champions League and the Europa League at some future date.
If it is, then I guess the two-legged ties that are level on aggregate at the end of the second leg would have extra time and then, if still tied, a penalty shootout to decide.
I'd be quite happy to see the "away goals" rule done away with, although I'm wary that some teams might just play for a penalty shootout rather than play for an aggregate win. What do you think?

As you all know it was brought in many years ago because of the distance teams had to travel and the not so cosy way of traveling back then , but nowadays teams can reach there destinations a lot quicker and more comfortably than back then, it was always just a bonus for the traveling team.

Yes that's why teams that do well never have good home records Stef?
It's an advantage to play at home, as you say it stops smaller teams parking the bus for two legs because if they try and not concede the away goal at home they have to at least try and get a corner or something in the away leg.
If they abolish it then I would hope it becomes knockout football and scrap two legs.

{Ed025's Note - i would like them all to be knockout svenny like it used to be, all these leagues do my head in its more about accumulation of wealth now than a competition..

Ed025: While I agree that the group stage is a money making exercise, at least it means that you shouldn't get knocked out just by dodgy refereeing, as it's unlikely you'll get "done" in all six matches. We got done by some dubious (to say the least) refereeing in our three seasons in this competition: 1963-64 v Inter Milan, 1970-71 v Panathinaikos, 2005-06 v Villarreal - and those were all two-legged knockout ties. And then we weren't allowed to take part in the mid 1980s because of the behaviour of English clubs' fans. Anyhow, I expect we'd have been undone by some underhand (i.e. "backhand") shenanigans even if we had been allowed in. Winning the Cup-winners Cup was one thing, but letting us take the European Cup: no way!
Bitter - moi? ;-)

{Ed025's Note - i hear what your saying sid, but for me all competitions should be knockout...how can a team get beaten in the groups but win a cup?.....maybe im just an old fashioned fart..

04 Sep 2014 21:18:33
Definitely would be a step in the right direction if they do this. In my opinion, one of the reasons it was implemented was to help the big boys out if they had to play a smaller team in the far reaches of Europe on a pitch worse than your local rec. We don't see enough giant killing in the top euro comps nowadays, the system is heavily weighted in favour of the madrids, barcalonas etc.
I'd love it if they went back to the two legged knock out format but money dictates that this is only a pipe dream.

{Ed025's Note - im with you spud..

I don't mind loosing the away goal rule if the tie is decided by a golden goal and not on penatlies. just keep playing until someone scores that way it stops constant defending in extra time to play for penaltie oh and let each team have two aditional substitutions during extra time fresh legs against tired legs.

Too right spud. The current system was implemented to allow the 'top' clubs in Europe plus the supposed 'top 5' in the EPL (and in their eyes this doesn't include us) to stay in the competition until the KO stages, thus increasing these club's revenue season by season and continuing their profile through TV in SE Asian countries and the like.
What was wrong with the old system where every club played on a level pitch (if you'll excuse the pun) and never knew who they'd be drawing in the next round until the draw was made? This was fairer to all and allowed all clubs to increase their revenue as opposed to the rich becoming richer each season at the expense of others. But do you think Murdoch gives a toss? No £ signs is what he wants to see.

{Ed025's Note - i agree davey..

Of course it's a money-generating exercise, but that only works because there's a massive global demand for football like the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League. If advertisers (who know they'll reach a huge audience) weren't paying for adverts and satellite/cable viewers weren't paying subscriptions, then the TV companies wouldn't be paying so much to the clubs for the broadcasting rights. What about if Everton could attract 70,000 attendees for every home match: should they limit any new stadium to 50,000 just because any bigger would be a money-generating exercise? If the broadcasters weren't getting the demand for all those group stage matches, then they'd soon reduce what they'd offer to pay when the broadcasting rights were negotiated next time around and the football authorities would surely change the format, but the current format clearly sells worldwide at the moment.
What I would say is that the money isn't distributed fairly enough: way too much is creamed off for a few "big" clubs who use it to ensure they can stay feeding at the same trough season after season. However, another problem imho is that if lower league clubs were to get a bigger proportion of the money, they'd almost certainly spend it on inflated transfer fees and inflated wages (and fill the pockets of agents and middle men) and not on improving their infrastructure (stadium and training facilities), in-house (academy) player development, and working in and with their local community. FFP is a start, but it is deeply flawed, as the wealthy clubs are still advantaged above those clubs who are trying to prudently take themselves forward.

I'm not sure I completely agree here Sid. Yes the global names including Utd, Chelsea, Citeh, the Arse, the RS, Barca, Real Madrid are 'expected' through to the latter stages each season to keep the wealthier sponsors content and the salivating TV commentating nomarks in a job. However if you look throughout Asia, Africa and India where the masses of club shirts are produced and cheap copies are worn enthusiastically (thus spreading these names further), they are familiar with every EPL club, even including us! These fans would gladly watch and support Everton versus Inter Milan or Seville versus Monaco in a European Cup semi simply because it is European football for them to see. Don't forget there are more 'live' EPL games shown throughout Asia than there are in the UK. As a result the players are seen on TV screens on a daily basis and are more familiar over there than they are here.

Daveyboy Blue: thanks for your comments. I stick by my three main points: firstly that imho there is a clear global demand for all these (e.g. Group Stage) televised matches and the worldwide audience is prepared to pay good money for that; and secondly that the money from broadcasting rights is not fairly distributed throughout the entire football pyramid - too much is creamed off by the "big" clubs as part of a cosy cartel with unbridled self-interest at its core; and thirdly that FFP, etc., should make sure that clubs (at whatever level) spend most of their broadcasting income on infrastructure, developing homegrown players and community projects AND not on inflated transfer fees, and not on inflated wages, and not on excessive payments to agents (and other greedy middle men).

I wholeheartedly agree with points 2 and 3 Sid, but the only way to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth amongst all European clubs is to brake the stranglehold which S*y currently have in the shape of the Champions League. The global audience would quickly turn their attention from one club to another as many plastic fans do in this country as you see from the number of Arsenal shirts in the Midlands or Citeh shirts down south. Is there a clear demand for group stage games, especially when the top two have already qualified and the third/fourth placed teams are fighting out it out for a Europa place? That itself is a joke. How can a team who've been knocked out of one tournament qualify for another? It happened to Chelsea two years ago when they went on to win it and could come back to bite us this season if we qualify from our group-which I fully expect us to. But back to your original point. How will these global supporters fare this season without the mighty Utd stars such as Carrick, Smalling and Jones to gawp at on their screens? Mass suicide? No they'll simply switch their attention to their 'second' team such as the RS and cheer equally enthusiastically and pathetically.