Now that the CL is gone, is it better for us to miss out on the EL?

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

The reason is that we don't have enough quality players to make us win when we need to rest Kane etc. We could get through the first few games but the more success the more games. Our best players get injured and everything goes to pot.
We need a season to rebuild and find some reasonably priced players and improve them.
Most of the people we look to buy were available for peanuts 12 months earlier.
Maybe we should buy them now and lend them to Lille rather than pay inflated prices 12 months on.

Saying we need to win trophies but wanting to actively not be involved in a tournament that is easier than 2/3 out of the 4/5 we’d compete in to me is frankly bonkers.

I’d be bitterly disappointed to miss out on Europe altogether and I’m sure those inside at the club feel exactly the same.

 

[ArcspacE]

Come on Airfixx - simple YES or NO

 

[John Thomas]

 

[scott]

Yeah - let’s miss out in a chance to win Europe’s second most prestigious trophy...

This is the kind of mediocre mentality ENIC wants so they can justify their ongoing failure

I think ENICs mediocre mentality is real & has worked on me. Id settle for 8th this season & top 6 next. You are right, we should all want to be in europa. But ENIC have made us so bad that I don't have any hope in us winning it. But we shouldn't deliberately try to not qualify. More a case of do our best & see where we end up.
If we do qualify, then we can look forward to the 'play the kids in the group stages or not' debate ochlol:

 

[John Thomas]

Genuinely shocked by the poll results.

We struggle for depth enough without playing 17 extra matches and travelling all around Europe.

Absolute blessing in disguise not getting it. Bring on the normal Saturday kick-offs.

I really fancy our chances of a league or fa cup next season without it, as I do think Jose will take them both very seriously.

And yes Jose would take Europa seriously too, but if we try and take everything seriously we'll do "OK" in everything. I'd rather do amazing in one thing and win it. It's nice to imagine we can go full force in every competition but Europa really takes its toll over the course of a season. And even going all out for Europa obviously doesn't guarantee any success with it.

Whilst I'd love to see us win something, Europa in my view is the LEAST exciting of all. It is literally a competition for the second-rate teams. Winning the FA Cup would be far better in my view, and can be done in far less matches with far less disruption to the team.

Yes, I believe top players are influenced by whether a team has Champions league football, but I do not believe having Europa is make or break at all. Money is. No top player is influenced by playing Qarabag over 2 legs on a Thursday.

Getting in Europa would put us back in the europa league cycle every season. Let's do what Chelsea did instead, have a season out of Europe and focus on the domestic tournaments. I honestly believe we have a much better chance of getting top 4 that way and/or winning a trophy.

I also believe if we have a disastrous end to the season and finish 9th/10th it'll hit ENIC where it hurts. I believe they want to sell us for a big pay out eventually, and being outside of Europe massively hurts the possibility of that. This might actually force them to do something to improve the team. Getting Europa will paper over the cracks. If we don't get Europa, and Mourinho's had time with the team and still can't do anything with it, ENIC will have to accept they either need to invest in the team, or that they're not going to get their big pay out.

This is a really good post to be fair.
Although I'm inclined to want us to be in Europe, even if it is the Europa, you raise a lot of good points against it which are pretty difficult to argue against.
I particularly agree with your point that potential new signings are not attracted by this competition. Certainly not the type of player a club of our wealth and stature should be attracting.
Like I say. Good points.
You should post more often, mate.

 

[ArcspacE]

At this rate we’ll be fighting to finish 10th.

We ARE fighting to finish 10th

 

[ShutUpPatrik]

No way should we lose out on the EL.

To want to avoid a competition is loser mentality rearing its ugly head.

Use the EL to rebuild the team, bed in youth, give minutes to bench players, make them prove that they can be relied on in the league.

We should NEVER want the team to not qualify for a competition. It's enough that the players have a weak mentality. We'll never get rid of it we shy away from chances to win trophies.

 

[Light Blue Spurs]

Take a look to Atletico Madrid: they started with winning multiple EL trophies. Thanks to those they started to build up a winning mentality and a great european culture, which made an incredible rule in the Liga title and the two UCL finals they played.

EL must be played at our best.

 

[cretinousgoat]

Yeah what could go wrong... Kane playing every minute in a season which when over will have been the end of 2 years of continous football... away on fake turf in Eastern Europe against hatchet men.

Absolutely FUCKED is what it is.

Play the kids.

Europa is a tournament we could win, so we should (and will because Jose loves it) takes it seriously.

Don't ever post on this forum you snowflakey little bitch

 

[MVP]

Better get moving Levy.

 

[BernardMatthews]

Winning breeds winning. The actual Final experience is needed as well.

Think of how much better prepared we would be as a club for CL final had we of actually tried to get to an EL final.

 

[Yorkshire Yid]

Mou won it with a poor United side and got them in the CL that way before I'd take it we have the depth now especially if we get another actual striker in to be playing two different sides on Thursday then Sunday.

Also any Europe is better then no Europe

 

[Igula]

If we get the europa we will be in the qualifiers, given the later start date to the season i think i read somewhere that would mean playing Thursday and Sunday every week from September to Christmas. Its a no from me, especially in the current situation. Do we really want to fly every other week to Belarus and Ukraine to play in an empty stadium in the middle of a pandemic?

Based on previous tournaments the chance we will be flying to Belarus and Ukraine ever other week is zero. Why do folks who are against this always overrate how much travelling there is? The vast majority of the teams in this tournament are relatively close. Almost all the teams that are far away are gone after the group stage. The most likely scenario is that we have one, maybe two games in a "far" away location and the rest of our games in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and one other west or central European country.

 

[Airfixx]

Based on previous tournaments the chance we will be flying to Belarus and Ukraine ever other week is zero. Why do folks who are against this always overrate how much travelling there is? The vast majority of the teams in this tournament are relatively close. Almost all the teams that are far away are gone after the group stage. The most likely scenario is that we have one, maybe two games in a "far" away location and the rest of our games in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and one other west or central European country.

Perhaps we should sack off the CL too just in case we draw a Russian team.

 

[Sir Archibald Crooks]

Next season we likely need minutes for guys like Skipp, Tangana, Parrott. Sessegnon, Cirkin etc. and can't afford to give them too many minutes in the EPL with the weak team that we have. We also could use it as a way to recruit a back-up striker that we have desperately be needing. Having Europa League games would help alleviate any concerns about playing time. With the top 4 (City, Liverpool, Chelsea, United) looking to be very difficult it also offers us another way into CL. Plus there is always the chance of finally winning a trophy.

Next year seems like an even better year than most to be in the Europa League.

If Mourinho is our manager he wont pick a team packed full of youngsters. Maybe Skipp, Sessegnon but it will be strong teams. If Mourinho isnt our manager id rather the new bloke spends time on the training pitch. Way too many fixtures in a short space of time, will kill anyones season.

 

[Sir Archibald Crooks]

But it doesn't kill seasons. The teams that are in the CL repeatedly are the teams that do the best in the league. Wolves were in Europa League and are having their best season ever (or in recent years not sure how they were pre-Premier League). Are we so bad that we can't even aspire to have similar levels of success as Wolves.

Also how do you know what Jose will do? Seems pretty defeatist to say no to something that will undoubtly help our team out based on maybes and could be's.

I really do not see guys improving more by spending time on the training pitch rather than being in real games against good opposition. Sessegnon has been on the training pitch all year we need to see what he can do in games against real people, not how many times he can bounce the ball on his foot or nutmeg his buddies as they halfass it against him.

Wolves started playing in July. The coming season will start in September therefore if you are playing in the qualifiers you wont get a free week for 4 months. Wolves have played a lot of games but they had breaks in between. As for Mourinho its his hustory that tells me what side he will pick, he has always mistrusted younger players with the very odd exception. Check out his United teams in the europa on 16/17. Full strength sides pretty much.

 

[scott]

The venues is speculation but the constant churn of fixtures isnt. In a normal season i'd be happy to be in it but not next season.

We are just so poor, weak & short as it is. Can't cope with having a longer rest than a injury hit Sheffield United. People are gradually realising but still not quite there yet. Like the one's thinking we have a good team just crap poch ruining it. So soon as jose takes over we will be flying. Unfortunately reality has gotten in the way of that hope.

 

[Airfixx]

Big difference. Without the europa league ££, instead of Ashley Barnes we get benteke.

I bet you cried about us not paying £30m for him when he left Villa for the Dippers didn't you....

Then came out with some gem like "See; even Palace back their manager" when he left Anfield.

Says sheepishly to himself on the inside; "No I wanted Berahino actually, Airfixx".

 

[Airfixx]

Your defence of levy and co is admirable questionable but admirable, the light on enics reign is no longer a flame but a mere flicker.
Still we have Everton on Monday in a game I'm sure we are going to win.

Stay on tact fella.... Think... Regardless of whether or not they spend enough to keep certain fans from moaning; to imply they don't want the teams they assemble to do as well as possible with the resources they have provided is more than silly.... What's more it makes no commercial sense; which is the contradiction I made to begin with.

I repeat my original comment: they'd be only too pleased if we won the EL.

Please don't exhibit to me that you are dumb enough to genuinely argue otherwise..... I have faith that you're not.... Please don't let me down.

 

[Claud601]

As long as we finish above west ham is this squads level