Shels V Liverpool for Cl place???

[Snoop Drog]

http://www.football365.com/teams/liverpool/story_153462.shtml

Liverpool's bid to gain entry to the Champions League took a bizarre twist on Thursday.

Mike Harris, owner of Welsh Premier League champions TNS, has offered to face the new holders.

He is a proposing a one-leg tie, possibly at the Millennium Stadium, with the winner going on to the first qualifying round place which is his club's by right.

"We would be supportive of this idea if it could be achieved with the approval of UEFA, the English FA and the FA of Wales, without in any way devaluing our league's future place in Europe," Harris told TNS website, saints-alive.com.

"It would help to raise the profile of the Welsh domestic league and have the additional benefit of offering Liverpool a way of defending the title."


A good move, imo, by the Welsh. A big payday & it is highly unlikely (understatement) that they would make the group stages. Dunno if UEFA would agree though...

My question is: Hypothetically speaking, would it have been a good move by the eircom league to offer it's place for a high profile playoff Vs The Champions of Europe? I reckon it would be ( even though it might affect our all-important Europe co-efficient & come back and bite me if The Drogs make Eurpoe this year- which they will :p )

[macdermesser]

If there was money to be made in it, I'm sure Shels would be all for it.

But no way. Its not beyond the bounds of reality that an Eircom League could jam their way into the league stages. If Shels had drawn a lesser team than Deportivo last season, they might have made it.

[patsh]

If the eL ever sanctioned such a game, and $hels took part in it, that would be the end of this league. NOBODY could ever take the eL seriously again, and we might as well get rid of all our profesional players and just become another version of the Munster/Leinster Senior league.


I doubt though that even $hels would take this idea seriously.

[pete]

UEFA would never allow such an event. Would set dangerous precedent with clubs selling position in draws. Welsh guy just doiung fro some publicity.

[Ronnie]

The main reason this is bull is because Shels and all other teams in that part of the fraw could draw TNS and progress - money aside, what chance would Shels have if they drew the winners of Liverpool V Tns? Why blow any chance of making Champions League to accomodate a club from another country.

[MariborKev]

Someone flagged the possibility of this happening on the Bohs board a while back

[Poor Student]

That's a God awful suggestion. For one the wider implications would be small teams around Europe prostituting themselves to big teams who somehow managed not to qualify and secondly it shows a distinct lack of self respect for your club and your league. The image and publicity would be self depreciating and embarrassing.

[dcfcsteve]

Mickey Mouse suggestion from a Mickey Mouse league that was born out of political necessity, rather than a genuine desire to progress Welsh football. Has only ONCE had a team progress through a European round in its 13 years and 39 occasions of sending clubs into Europe.

UEFA will refuse what is clearly a blatant attempt to buy a place in the CL. They may as well just ask Liverpool for a cheque...

UEFA are right to deny Liverpool their perceived 'right' to defend their title. Rules is rules, and if Liverpool got in it would mean another team losing out, and would alter the dynamics of the competition for next year. World Cup winners don't automatically qualify to defend their title, so why should a team that was only 5th best in England ?

[Neish]

Although I do think Liverpool should be allowed to defend the title and I'm a Man U fan(After Harps and Ireland of course) But I agree with dcfdc_steve and others in this thread, rules are rules and Liverpool finished 5th outside the qualification form their own league and should not be entered at the expense of another team.

Either should teams from lower ranked national leagues sell out their place for a once off big pay day IMO.

[Slash/ED]

Not going to happen.

TNS wont be let do it either, though I can see why they'd want to, realistically they've very little chance of progressing to the second round anyway.

[Ash]

Could Liverpool merge with TNS and claim the European Cup place :p
Only joking btw.

But if UEFA and the Welsh FC agree to this 1 off game both organisations
will be shown to be a joke.

[dcfcsteve]

In case anyone was in any doubt why TNS proposed hosting this fixture in Cardiff - it's a 3 hour EACH WAY road trip from their North Wales home in the village of Llansantfraid to Cardiff (there is no north-south rail network in Wales).

Liverpool is only half as far away from Llansantffraid as Cardiff is.

Good to see a concern for their fans being paramount here.....

The FAW have now also come out against this ludicrous suggestion

[gustavo]

UEFA have nothing to do with as far as i can see i mean they say that they will offer four places to English teams based on coefficeints . then its up to their FA to pick their four teams . usually its the top four but when real madrid won it in 2002 they were put forward rather than the 4th place team so whyy not just do that this time.

[dcfcsteve]

UEFA have nothing to do with as far as i can see i mean they say that they will offer four places to English teams based on coefficeints . then its up to their FA to pick their four teams . usually its the top four but when real madrid won it in 2002 they were put forward rather than the 4th place team so whyy not just do that this time.

Because it would be completely unfair on Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea or Man United - who have all earned their Champions League slot, in-line with the well-publicised rules of qualification from the English premiership.

Who would you propose the FA chuck out of the Champions League to let them in ? It's not Everton's fault Liverpool won the cup. It's Liverpool's fault for not finsihing Top 4 in their own league that they won't get the chance to defned the trophy next year.

Coincidentally, some Everton fans still hold Liverpool to fault for the ban on English clubs in European football after Heysel that denied Everton European football duting their last vaguely successful period. It would be multiple irony if Liverpool were to deny them their rightful European slot next year as well.

[mypost]

UEFA are right to deny Liverpool their perceived 'right' to defend their title. Rules is rules, and if Liverpool got in it would mean another team losing out, and would alter the dynamics of the competition for next year. World Cup winners don't automatically qualify to defend their title, so why should a team that was only 5th best in England ?

UEFA are well capable of appealing against their own rules, when it suits them. With respect, any comparison made between reigning World Champions, and European Club Champions is irrevelant, as the European Cup is an annual event and the World Cup isn't, as has been said before.

Liverpool will get in. Common sense will win over rigid regulations that don't cover this situation, and an exceptional case will be made for our inclusion in next season's CL competition. To do otherwise would devalue the CL next year, and be a PR disaster for UEFA. Nobody can believe that spoofer, masquerading as UEFA's communications director, when he says that we won't be allowed in, at least not while his boss is directly contradicting his every word, every time he speaks.

This situation is comparable to when teams won the European Cup before, and didn't win their league championship the following season. Then, the European Cup winners were allowed to defend their title, as what happened to us in 1978, and 1981, no questions asked. Someone had to miss out to allow us in, but that's football.

[A face]

Shels have more of a right to be there than Liverpool

Tell UEFA this .... info@uefa.com

[Gerrit]

As if a simple email will stop UEFA. A huge petition with thousands of signatures from all over Europe (must be possible if you advertise the online petition in all countries with a smaller football league) would maybe have a slight chance of success.

If TNS does this, they are selling out and ridiculising the Welsh league. They have more rights than Liverpool to be in it, why would they prostitute themselves for the money ?!

I get sicker and sicker of modern football... First Australia is entitled to walk out of the OFC because they feel too good for Vanuatu and Fiji, now another small team would even want to sacrifice themselves for the good looks of the rich and the famous... Money and the obsession for power ruining our beloved sport :mad:

I don't even know if I want Shels in the CL. Since non-champions are allowed to enter, I don't like the CL and apart from an occasional evening in the pub I boycot it rather than spending my cash on any game in this joke league. Propositions like this just make it more and more ridiculous.

[JC_GUFC]

Not sure how long you've been here Gerrit but a few years ago Shels were talking about leaving the eL and joining a 'Northern European League' including Scandanavian/Scottish and teams from countries like Holland, Belgium etc! :rolleyes:

[Armando]

[QUOTE=Gerrit]

I get sicker and sicker of modern football... First Australia is entitled to walk out of the OFC because they feel too good for Vanuatu and Fiji

To be fair to the Australian FA there main motive for making this move is because Fifa refuses to give Oceania one automatic qualifying slot. Instead each time they top the group they have to go through a 2 legged play off against a team from another confederation. So far this has brought nothing but heartache for the Aussies. So no matter how well they perform they always have to end up with the torture of a play-off to decide their fate. They just want to be governed by the same general qualification rules as everyone else.

Maybe the Oceanic and Asian confederations should be merged because at the moment Fifa barely recognise Oceania at all.

............just stumbled across the thread dedicated to this and you've covered it all already. So, nevermind.

[Réiteoir]

tbh - TNS have already swallowed up Oswestry Town - so I wouldn't put anything past them.

HOWEVER - in their and Shelbourne's case - it isn't their CL place to do anything with.

Any move HAS to be sanctioned by their Controlling Association (the FAI or FAW) - the club has NO say in what happens to the place