08-03-2011, 01:46
Europa League last 16 this week. We've got S.C Braga of Portugal. They eliminated Celtic and Seville on the way to qualifying for the Champions League this season. They finished 3rd in Arsenals group beating Arsenal 2-0 at home in the process. These guys are no mugs and shouldnt be taken lightly. They're stronger at home so a draw away this week should set us up to go through to the quarter finals and just 5 games away from potential silverware. This brings me to my next point............
I've read a few comments around the football banter thread from fans of other teams and even our own downplaying this competition, be-littling it, calling it the Thursday night channel 5 trophy or whatever. Mitchell even went so far as saying he doesnt give a toss how we get on in it and hopes we dont qualify for it next season so we can push up the league and qualify for the champions league. Now i'm not having a pop at you Mitchell mate, you're entitled to your opinion. However here's my opinion....Liverpool are in the Europa League because thats where we deserve to be after last seasons league performance. But now we're in it I want us to win it. And because wer not gonna qualify for the CL i hope we qualify for it next season and be in with a chance of winning it then too. Why?? Because Liverpool FC is a club built on winning trophies. Finishing fourth place in the league, qualifying for the CL and ending up trophyless may be good enough for 99% of clubs but it shouldnt be good enough for Liverpool. If i had to choose between winning the Europa League or finishing 4th in the Premier League then it's going to be the silverware every single time. This is the same European trophy Bill Shankly won when he managed us and the first European trophy Bob Paisley won. To insult that trophy now would be to insult those great men. Shanks would be turning in his grave if he thought for one second the club or it's fans were settling for 4th place in the league and a pot of gold (CL money) above winning a trophy. Obviously i want us to be in the Champions League but i want us winning trophies more. There's no doubt the CL is where the prestige is and we should aspire to be winning that but as we're not in a position to do so right now then all our energies should be going to winning the competition we are in. How great would it be for Kenny to win the Europa League in his first few months back as manager?? This competition should be taken much more seriously by everyone and we need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves that we're not in the Champions League. Let fans of other clubs think what they like about it...the likelihood is they'll be winning fuck all come the seasons end. On a more selfish note, the final is in Dublin this year so just imagine how massive it would be for me personally to see the club i love lift a European trophy in my country.
Note: All of the above is just my own opinion and i respect the fact other LFC fans may think differently
I've read a few comments around the football banter thread from fans of other teams and even our own downplaying this competition, be-littling it, calling it the Thursday night channel 5 trophy or whatever. Mitchell even went so far as saying he doesnt give a toss how we get on in it and hopes we dont qualify for it next season so we can push up the league and qualify for the champions league. Now i'm not having a pop at you Mitchell mate, you're entitled to your opinion. However here's my opinion....Liverpool are in the Europa League because thats where we deserve to be after last seasons league performance. But now we're in it I want us to win it. And because wer not gonna qualify for the CL i hope we qualify for it next season and be in with a chance of winning it then too. Why?? Because Liverpool FC is a club built on winning trophies. Finishing fourth place in the league, qualifying for the CL and ending up trophyless may be good enough for 99% of clubs but it shouldnt be good enough for Liverpool. If i had to choose between winning the Europa League or finishing 4th in the Premier League then it's going to be the silverware every single time. This is the same European trophy Bill Shankly won when he managed us and the first European trophy Bob Paisley won. To insult that trophy now would be to insult those great men. Shanks would be turning in his grave if he thought for one second the club or it's fans were settling for 4th place in the league and a pot of gold (CL money) above winning a trophy. Obviously i want us to be in the Champions League but i want us winning trophies more. There's no doubt the CL is where the prestige is and we should aspire to be winning that but as we're not in a position to do so right now then all our energies should be going to winning the competition we are in. How great would it be for Kenny to win the Europa League in his first few months back as manager?? This competition should be taken much more seriously by everyone and we need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves that we're not in the Champions League. Let fans of other clubs think what they like about it...the likelihood is they'll be winning fuck all come the seasons end. On a more selfish note, the final is in Dublin this year so just imagine how massive it would be for me personally to see the club i love lift a European trophy in my country.
Note: All of the above is just my own opinion and i respect the fact other LFC fans may think differently