Why don't we love the Chimps League?

[Lee_R]

We'd be best off winning it then declining it the following season in protest.

[lets all have a disco]

It's a rip off and can do one.

I'd rather go and watch us VS Sheff Wednesday 5 times over seeing us Vs Munich.

[patrickblue]

So it seems everyone has the same feelings about it as me, a corrupt plastic tournament designed to make money from plastic fans and keep the establishment gravy train steaming on down the line.
And as for their tedious pots and co-efficients, can you imagine the FA cup being run like that.
Bent joke of a competition.

[Chinners]

The fact it's called the Champion's League and 3/4 of the teams in our league in the competition are not champions.

Bang on ... I am actually excited about it this year, last year I couldn't be arsed

[Hazy2]

I am not sure about OP Barca and Munich away have been amazing trips.If we could just have a 100% fit squad and spank the clique teams I would be happy. No rags this year is also a bonus, for me enjoy it, I get it with the home games the atmos is worse than league games if possible, which is saying something.

[Goaters 103]

Some of these have been touched upon but heres my own reasons why I cant love it

- The procession of the same teams going through, Bayern, Barca, Real etc, yawn.
- The same fixtures all the time - we are playing Bayern for the third year out of four, and now have four games against CSKA Moscow in a calendar year. Yawn
- Ticket prices, some of them outlandish for what is not great football worthy of it
- Uefa, Platini - smug, corrupt, despicable
- Systematic diving/cheating/time-wasting that goes on
- Huge advertising hordings taking out rows of seats
- Tourist fans - half the lot sat near me for the Barca game were people I have never seen before and wont see again; they weren't City fans either. One Chinese guy took so many photos I thought his camera may explode. Bloke next to me tapped him on the shoulder when he left and sarcastically said "see you at Stoke game on Saturday."
- A weighted draw that favours the cartel. Arsenals ambition in life is to finish 4th every year, get in the CL, get through the group stage and then get knocked out. Having had 20 odd goes at the CL and never winning it, they are rewarded every year with a 1 seeding and a usually cushy draw. Pathetic.
- Appalling referees in European games. Just awful - easy to con, whistle happy, wont let the game flow.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

We'd be best off winning it then declining it the following season in protest.

Excellent idea.

In fact, it would be great to win the trophy and then refuse to receive it, with all our players walking off the pitch making rude gestures at The Fat Frenchman and the other EUFA 'dignitaries' gathered there.

[Hazy2]

If we all think refs are against us and it is bent, maybe this is the penny that drops and we turn the Etihad into what it should be a ground with the best fans making world class noise. Unsettle Bayern FFS, fuck the ref lets support like Zabba plays.

[DoomMerchant]

i think it's boring because most of the matches suck ass.

Cheers

[Avalon]

The fact it's called the Champion's League and 3/4 of the teams in our league in the competition are not champions.

Spot on!

Winner of their respective leagues should be seeded 1st, which is where we go wrong already. Which is why we're in a group with Bayern (again), despite being Champions. The logic is missing.

[sheblue]

The fact it's called the Champion's League and 3/4 of the teams in our league in the competition are not champions.

Spot on!

Winner of their respective leagues should be seeded 1st, which is where we go wrong already. Which is why we're in a group with Bayern (again), despite being Champions. The logic is missing.

Yes the system is a joke and purely designed for financial reasons only.
But persoanlly i like the champions league from the knock out stages on, the group stages are crap. remember a few yars back they had two group stages and that was a total disaster.
But like it or not its around a long time now as a competition and here to stay in some form or other.

[Cocacolajojo1]

i think it's boring because most of the matches suck ass.

Cheers

Pretty much yeah. Europa league dishes out more entertainment IMO but is not as spectacular in terms of the teams that participate. Champions League is a tournament that costs managers their job and they know this and would rather sit out a penalty shoot out than to receive stick for failing with more risky strategies.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Just a thought, but we could be accused of sour grapes. Would we enjoy it more if we actually did well in it? Would it change your thoughts?
If we did, and this is what would be different to some other clubs, it would be a triumph against the odds.

[City64]

For me and plenty of other City fans I know the CL is the same situation we faced a few years ago trying to establish ourselves in the Premier League Elite . We overcame that then won it seeing off a few huge clubs in the process plus seeing off Taggert . Trust ours owners and believe in MCFC and we will eventually do the same in the CL although a tougher nut to crack because we have found out they are are a bunch of corrupt cunts of the highest order !

[Beefymcfc]

Just a thought, but we could be accused of sour grapes. Would we enjoy it more if we actually did well in it? Would it change your thoughts?
If we did, and this is what would be different to some other clubs, it would be a triumph against the odds.

I must admit mate, when I was there in my seat or always sang and shouted just as if it were a PL game so it maybe something to do with the midweek games, not as many of the regulars turning up. I know that a few around me couldn't make the games through shifts/children etc.

Must be the bloody foreigners taking our seats with there LSRs and video streaming.

[Ted Hughes]

I woud luv it, luv it, if we beat them.

But it doesn't change the fact that it's a cunts' tournament, and we are not welcome nor are we amongst our peers. We are amongst cunts.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

If we enter a competition I want to do we in it and win it, but that won't make me love the competition any more.

[PrezIke]

Just a thought, but we could be accused of sour grapes. Would we enjoy it more if we actually did well in it? Would it change your thoughts?
If we did, and this is what would be different to some other clubs, it would be a triumph against the odds.

i previously wrote that i want to win to keep the club's standing high to keep our players, but i agree, it would be nice to beat those teams in the competition that seem more entitled to win.

i also think our players want to win it to prove doubters wrong as well, and of course to enhance their careers, as pretty much all professional athletes in their hearts want to win the best trophies to prove they are the best.

i think one problem for us is we are a more fair and physical team on the pitch and as some have alluded to UEFA does not seem to reward this at all over those that seek to manipulate the referees. funny because americans and american players have similar attitudes about simulation, and a recent article in the new york times questioned whether that actually hurts/will hurt the national teams' performance in international tournaments (they referred to england as similar in cultural attitudes about such behaviour, perhaps undermining their international football performance as well).

the bottom line to me is the champions league is set to demonstrate beautiful attacking football. we may be able to provide that, but we have a more tough team in defence than say barca or bayern so we get carded more or are going to be seen as impeding this style. i hate to refer to american sport again, but in the nba it is WIDELY known that they have changed the rules to allow for easier attacking play and penalize heavily teams that play too toughly in defence. in the 90s that was the way the game was, but that has since changed.

point is these are mega businesses who want to sell a product. selling attacking play is easier than selling tough tackling. in american football they like to see attacking play as well, but the violent nature of the game is the real selling point so only because they are now being forced via lawsuits, etc. to change rules out of concern for players' saftey is that changing. if that did not happen the nfl would gladly allow it as it earns them huge monies.

can we overcome the obstacle of having to design our squads to be able to compete in the far more physical premier league, and then adapt the same players to the champions league that hates physical play? it remains to be seen, but will be interesting as our squad has a good chance to play together during their prime years.

[Hazy2]

It is a little crazy this thread, How many City fans passed up on the League cup Final, we sold less than the allocation, are we ever happy, Moan Stand mentality, empty stadium with 10 mins to go. I do not miss Gerry Creaney, Embrace it we earned it.

[nottsblue]

Looks like Beefy answered this very succintly in the ffp thread. A corrupt organisation from the top down administered by a bunch of crooks and thieves and cunts that make the Krays look like girl guides