[Wally]

What have you thought about them so far? especially a question to fans of clubs who've taken part in this seasons cup.

I've enjoyed them more than I expected. I don't see it as overexposure of football like the CL 2nd round group stage when they were still in effect. It's been pretty exciting so far.

The group stages also has given us a chance to nurture our young squad in Europe with 4 guaranteed games against decent opposition and it's given me chances to see good ties against Schalke with my own Feyenoord and chances to see AZ play against Rangers & Auxerre. If it had been a knockout tournament all the way, AZ could have possibly not made it so far, but now look at where they are! more people know about them than if it was a straight knock out tourno and with the European experience, we can only improve.

 

[GICA]

I like it.

 

[Almogàver]

Well, Barça is not playing UEFA Cup, but I didn't like this model. First, because it's unfair the system used. Second, because it only adds more matches in a schedule that was already very hard. Maybe it's good for the economy of the small clubs, but I don't think that it's good for the "show".

In any case, the UEFA Cup should change more things. The first thing and the most important: the champion should directly qualify for the first group stage of the CL.

 

[Scarf]

THe worst thing about it is that the top three teams from the groups go through. Thus making the group stages somewhat pointless. Other things must be changed, right now I'd rather go back to the former system. It's still one of my favorite cups in football competition, but it must be improved.

 

[Angle_eyes]

I think the format's been a success so far. With home and away ties, you can often expect cagey football, with teams looking not to lose rather than win. Now you've usually got both teams trying to win the game. It also guarantees some of Europe's 2nd tier teams at least 4 games to bring in much-needed revenue.

 

[Arianna]

I don't like it because :

adds more matches in a schedule that was already very hard

 

[Wally]

THe worst thing about it is that the top three teams from the groups go through. Thus making the group stages somewhat pointless. Other things must be changed, right now I'd rather go back to the former system. It's still one of my favorite cups in football competition, but it must be improved.

Thing I'd change first is the CL sides coming into the UEFA cup :rollani:
True, Feyenoord would have never won the cup a few years back , but it makes a mockery of the tournament.

As for the schedule issue, I guess me and Angle Eyes like it since it sees our teams play against some decent opposition since lets face it, we basically have 6 decent sides (at the most) in our respective league.

The way the cup is perceived also has to do with how teams look at it. The wat how Italian sides have handled the UEFA cup is a disgrace :rollani: English sides have just as many fixtures and still field first teams. Same with Spanish sides.

 

[GICA]

THe worst thing about it is that the top three teams from the groups go through. Thus making the group stages somewhat pointless.

I agree on that. There are things to be improved, but as Angle Eyes says, the tournament is being entertaining.

 

[Great Outdoors]

Well I personally hate it. And what's the point of having a group stage just so you can eliminate one single team? That's really lame.

 

[Onree]

Two teams are eliminated.

 

[Wally]

thats a thing they can do. Just let 2 teams qualify while not letting any CL team in so it'd add up mathematically.

 

[Great Outdoors]

I'm a traditionalist and always have held the belief that European competition should always just be a simple straight knock-out format, decided on a home-and-away basis. There's just too many games domestically to think about anything else. Yeah it'll make a lot less money but if the format were that simple, the prestige of the competition would just be so much greater and winning it as well as qualifying for it so much sweeter, don't you think? A European night, any European night at any stage of the competition, would be something special for the club and the fans, which is what European competition should be all about. Sometimes I see a CL group match on TV played on a weekday and I don't get excited as a neutral and I see that the fans aren't too, and I think that's what's killing football at the moment. Money rules and everything else gets shoved aside.

 

[nasty nick]

It was easier before, the new groups stges make it all confusing with one homegame against one team and then one away game against another. It's messy and it doesn't make sense.

 

[Kampfschwein]

I think the new system is great. :thmbup: :star:
Finally a good decision of the UEFA.

In the previous system the chances of having to play some obscure team from an east-european country were pretty high. Now you're obligated to play 4 different teams (which offers variety) of which at least one of them will most likely be a team with a certain name in Europe.

I also like the fact that because of 3 points-system there is no difference between between an 1-0 or 5-0 loss, which makes the teams put more risks in their game (because away-goals dont count anyway) and that offers more atractive football.

 

[Andrix]

I also love this new system. :thmbup:
As for extra matches being put into the calendar, well it only adds 2 matches. Before, instead of the group stage you had a knockout stage (2 matches) and now there are 4 matches per team in the group. Therefore, it's not that big of a deal. Also, I thought that according to the new rules the UEFA Cup winner automatically gets a spot in the CL, no?

Also, I would like to point out that pure-knockout competitions aren't that great. Sure, having a single final to decide a trophy is exciting, but otherwise we get a lot of teams winning games at home and then bunkering away to squeeze through.

 

[Dule]

I also love this new system. :thmbup:
As for extra matches being put into the calendar, well it only adds 2 matches. Before, instead of the group stage you had a knockout stage (2 matches) and now there are 4 matches per team in the group. Therefore, it's not that big of a deal. Also, I thought that according to the new rules the UEFA Cup winner automatically gets a spot in the CL, no?

Also, I would like to point out that pure-knockout competitions aren't that great. Sure, having a single final to decide a trophy is exciting, but otherwise we get a lot of teams winning games at home and then bunkering away to squeeze through.

Andrija, you would love it wouldn't you? :thmbup:

 

[VBI]

In theory, it's a decent idea.

But in practice, it leaves a lot to be desired. Having a group stage where more teams qualify than go out seems kind of pointless. And given how the CL takes up most of the good teams, most of the UEFA Cup groups are so poor, you'd actually have to try to NOT qualify.

If they want the quality to match the idea, UEFA will have to weaken the Champions League to balance out the quality of both tournaments. And it doesn't seem likely that they would do that, since the CL is their major Cash cow.

 

[Dr. Laborious]

I never cared about the Uefa Cup up untill the quarter final stage orso (and only if there were some very good teams in it). Now I've found myself being pretty interested in how everyone's doing and I've even watched a couple op matches.

Well done uefa!

 

[O Glorioso]

So far it's looking great.

 

[Haider]

With all top teams(in most cases 1-4) migrating to the CL - the UEFA cup has lost its charm

I liked it when only the Champions played CL and when the remaining top 2-4 or something like that played in UEFA..