They Should Rename The Champions League

[Steeeeeeeeeed]

The finalists this year have not been Champions of their country in 30 and 50 years.


The Champions League Should be renamed to The Pretty Good Rich Club Cup

Honk if you agree.

[SP]

Good one.  I always have a chuckle when fans of other clubs moan when their team are drawn against decent teams in the knockout stage.

[Forever Fulham]

On the topic of Pretty Good Rich Clubs (Cup):
They had Thomas Rongen, Dutch football commentator in the U.S. on XM Sirius Radio this morning with Rodney Marsh and Tommy Smythe.  He was bemoaning Ajax's loss.  Said they had the game won before it started and only had to play antifootball, cynical football, bunkering on to guarantee the win.  But they tried to play Total Football, "the way it's supposed to be played, not the way of Mourinho; and it cost them going to the finals".   I think that's right.  They didn't adjust in the second half. So shame on them for being purists.  Rongen also noted that Ajax has a total payroll budget of 200,000,000, and he contrasted that to the many times greater figures for  Liverpool, Tottenham, ManC, and ManU, respectively.  Quite remarkable to see a smaller budget team get that far.  They beat a lot of great teams to get there.  Always one of the top 3 youth academies in the world.  I think of them as a selling club.  It's a young team.  Tough lesson to learn having gotten that far...

[bog]

I think it has always been the wrong way round. In the early years The Champions League and now The European Cup.

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[sunburywhite]

 200,000,000, is a lot in any currency

[filham]

200,000,000, is a lot in any currency

Love to know what Fulham's wages budget was when Tommy Trinder agreed to pay Johnny Haynes that record breaking £100 per week.

[snarks]

On the topic of Pretty Good Rich Clubs (Cup):
They had Thomas Rongen, Dutch football commentator in the U.S. on XM Sirius Radio this morning with Rodney Marsh and Tommy Smythe.  He was bemoaning Ajax's loss.  Said they had the game won before it started and only had to play antifootball, cynical football, bunkering on to guarantee the win.  But they tried to play Total Football, "the way it's supposed to be played, not the way of Mourinho; and it cost them going to the finals".   I think that's right.  They didn't adjust in the second half. So shame on them for being purists.  Rongen also noted that Ajax has a total payroll budget of 200,000,000, and he contrasted that to the many times greater figures for  Liverpool, Tottenham, ManC, and ManU, respectively.  Quite remarkable to see a smaller budget team get that far.  They beat a lot of great teams to get there.  Always one of the top 3 youth academies in the world.  I think of them as a selling club.  It's a young team.  Tough lesson to learn having gotten that far...

True

(and I take it you meant either 200,000 or 2,000,000 either of which is probably lower than any of the teams mentioned).

Ajax this season in the champions league were Fulham like in the Europa run, in that they started in the qualifying round. They also beat Juventus - one of the few teams we can't sing that song to now.

[Jamie88]

The problem is, if you want a competition where only the champions of each country is represented, it would be a much much weaker competition and far less of a spectacle.

[BigbadBillyMcKinley]

The problem is, if you want a competition where only the champions of each country is represented, it would be a much much weaker competition and far less of a spectacle.

Not sure I'd agree. Best of the best from all leagues. Plus one runner up to bulk it up.

[ALG01]

The finalists this year have not been Champions of their country in 30 and 50 years.


The Champions League Should be renamed to The Pretty Good Rich Club Cup

Honk if you agree.

you are 100% correct, honk.
It is a less good spectacle than when it forst started. the european tournaments are imensely boring until the last 8 and even then the games are not always all that.
I will say without fear of contradiction that football in generall is morally bankrupt and I doubt the integrity of the people that run.

[Jamie88]

The problem is, if you want a competition where only the champions of each country is represented, it would be a much much weaker competition and far less of a spectacle.

Not sure I'd agree. Best of the best from all leagues. Plus one runner up to bulk it up.

It would certainly be weaker - the reason the top leagues get more CL spots is because otherwise in your ideal version of the competition, the spots taken up by the likes of Spurs and Liverpool would be replaced by the champions of let's say Liechtenstein and San Marino.

[jarv]

It should come with a label....WARNING, not all champions may be champions.