18 Feb 2026 07:49:21
Europe next year will be the dream But we ain't got a big enough squad for that.
{Ed025's Note - maybe if we did get there DB the club would invest in the squad and make us competitive?..
18 Feb 2026 10:01:31.
TNS get in every year and their squad is full of part timers. Stop making excuses. Get into Europe, then strengthen. It should be a minimum requirement from our new owners that a club this size makes European football every season. Some of these competitions are so poor we could put our U21s out in the early rounds. It's not Champions League.
18 Feb 2026 12:03:19
The leagues in Europe are like the Scottish league now; the teams are rubbish. The Italian and Spanish leagues used to be full of superstars. I couldn't wait to watch Channel 4 years ago on a Sunday. The Italian highlights used to be something you watched with excitement. I never missed it every Sunday, like Little House on the Prairie; the whole house watched it.
All my classmates watched it. Now I wouldn't watch any football from Spain or Italy; it is boring, no superstars, it's like the Scottish league. Football used to be a joy; now it's like watching paint dry. Kids need to play street football again so we can create superstars, not these bums that are playing now. It's pathetic. Goooal Lazioooo. The good old days.
{Ed025's Note - i cant argue with that Dino..
18 Feb 2026 17:00:18
If we aren't aiming for Europe after exits from the cups and no chance of winning the league, then you'd have to question the overall ambition of all involved with the club, including us fans. If there's a trophy to win, we should be trying to win it. After all, nothing but the best is good enough, right?
{Ed025's Note - Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Ace..
18 Feb 2026 17:32:27
You take one game at a time, set up to win them all, and see where we are at the end of the season. Europe or no Europe, we have plenty of room for improvement. If we qualify, we add a couple more squad players, is all. Not rocket science.
18 Feb 2026 18:26:19
The OP has a relevant point as it stands right now. We have a thin squad, which will be depleted further if we decide not to renew some of the 6 contracts up in the summer. Teams with smaller squads seem to struggle with European and league games.
We've all seen that. If we recruit well in the summer, then this shouldn't be too much of a problem. But if we don't, then it could cause us a few problems.
18 Feb 2026 19:52:23
We have the best in class now, or so we have been told, and we made no signings in Jan. If they are worth their salt, they should have prepared a list of players, should we get into Europe or not.
18 Feb 2026 23:35:10
What size of squad do you need to play in the European Cups? Surely, if a team qualifies, then they deserve to be there.
19 Feb 2026 13:21:41
European football should be a minimum target for this club. For far too long, we have accepted mediocrity. Hopefully our new owners see the potential in getting this club back to the top table. Despite the last thirty years, we are still a massive club with a huge following, (support is amazing, given the state we were in) , and it's about time the younger generation of supporters got to taste those European nights us oldies took for granted.
20 Feb 2026 22:20:40
100% BB, if we have a squad that can compete and finish in the European qualification places in the EPL, which is arguably the most demanding league in football, then we have a squad good enough to compete in Europe.
Have a look through the teams in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference, and we are much better equipped than the majority of these teams. And somehow they seem to qualify and compete.
There's only one way to find out if we can compete and qualify. imo, we are lacking a quality goalscorer and 2 full backs. Once we improve those 3 areas, we have a very decent squad that should be looking at regular European qualification.