Tbf, this whole Champions League drop down thing is complete and utter ****, designed to draw bigger viewing figures as disgruntled fans begrudgingly watch their disgraced teams compete in a lesser competition.
Not only is that really crappy for the teams that have actually worked their ***** off to be there, it also makes the whole competition a farce. It's meant to be the tournament where you see the less appreciated teams in Europe, the Napolis, the Bilbaos, the Lverkusens and the Gladbachs duke it out. These are clubs that are still exciting, still worth watching, but most of them lack the insane squads/consistency needed to make the CL. In my mind atleast, it's the real cup competition, even if there is a ****** group stage that shouldn't be there. The competition would be eminently enjoyable if it was all 2 headed elimination games, but that would make less revenue for the TV companies and so Platini will continue to snivel and smirk in his European palace.
I just remembered why I don't ever talk about this stuff: it's because money really is ruining football. Not in the sense of teams having too much money, although that is a problem that needs to be curtailed before it can become too ridiculous, but in the sense that everyone at the top of the game is prioritising profitability over entertainment. For me, football is an everyday part of life, like water and trains. I chose those two examples because they're both things that have gone to **** because of greed. Football is meant to be like them- something for the people- but people will **** you over continuously just to make more money. It's the same with the press, the banks pretty much everything. Pretty much everything in your life is used as a way to generate even more money for some shity, smug ******, with his oxford blue shirt and his **** eating grin, even football. If our tickets were a reasonable price, I would be at the Bridge every game. I don't care that I'm ridiculously tired after work, I would be there. I care about the club, but I can't afford to go regularly. I remember the look of sheer disdain myself and a few other fans got in the FA cup final vs Everton a few years back when we sung Celery. They were all there by invitation, or as part of business. The woman next to me didn't know who Lampard was. And yet, they were all given tickets because they were important. Why are they important? Because they pump money into the game, or they work for someone who does. It doesn't matter that they have no passion. It doesn't matter that they are entirely indifferent to what's going on in front of them. It doesn't matter that that game, a highlight in every fan's calendar, was reduced to a networking meeting, with a bothersome 2 hour interval in the middle. All that matters is money. The Europa is the perfect example of this: it could easily be as thrilling, if not more thrilling, as the CL but because that model isn't as profitable, a vastly inferior one is adopted instead.