[Deffeh]

I have to say that i think the European Cup has dramatically improved by the addition of the runners up and the 3rd and 4th placed teams in certain countries.

I realise i am in a minority however.

The major problem most people have is the name - the 'champions league' - well, rename the competition - the elite league, or just, the european cup.

I think the competition has improved markedly, because i think showing you can beat Barcelona and Real Madrid in one season probably means more than showing you can beat Barcelona and Olympiakos in one season. The quality of some of the teams that dont neccesarily win the league is incredibly high - shown of course by the fact that some teams have finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th in their league and gone on to lift the cup.

I think as well - what with the sky-ification of football being inevitable - if players such as gerrard, riquelme etc didnt get a chance to play in the champions league - they would move to the very few clubs that did have a chance. It would just further concentrate the talent in every league in the world.

Another point is that the Premiership wouldnt be as interesting - not only do we have the title race, but you have the race to be in the top 4 and get into the champions league, the race to get top 6 or 7 and get into the UEFA cup. If it was 'title or bust', there wouldnt be much reason to be interested in either Arsenal or Liverpool this season by now, never mind bolton, pompey, spurs, etc etc.

I think as well to answer the Premiership vs Champions league question, it depends on the club, and the fans (as well as the league)

In Scotland, or any of the other second tier leagues, Europe is more important, because the domestic thing 'has been done'. Certainly for celtic/rangers, Europe is always the priority because of the nature of the SPL.

It does depend on the club though - for Chelsea the Champions League is more important than the Prem, because theyve won the prem twice in a row and because they are dying for recognition as a real force.

For Man Utd, if they had the choice this year, i think they would take the League, because they arent used to going this long without winning it, and because Alex is determined to prove Jose doesnt have his number.

For Arsenal, i read what you are saying, but i truly believe the Champions League would be #1 on the boards wishlist - especially after coming so heartbreakingly close last year.

For Liverpool, they won the Champions League recently, and it was so magical that it doesnt feel like it can be repeated so soon, and theyve been also rans in the premiership since 1990, so theres no doubt the League is what they want.


Different people, different priorities