UEFA Cup

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

Yes it's been degraded by allowing CL failures in through the back door, yes the group stage is inferior to the previous straight knock-out but the likes of Villa and Tottenham playing second strings is f***ing infuriating. It's the most prestigious competition these two have a chance of winning, a chance to attract better players and move the clubs up a stage and yet you see Villa's line up today:

 

* 22 Guzan

* 02 Young

* 15 Davies

* 16 Knight

* 21 Shorey

* 45 Albrighton

* 26 Gardner

* 17 Salifou

* 04 Sidwell

* 46 Bannan

* 14 Delfouneso

 

 

Villa one down at the moment, hope they get truly dicked on.

[Sion]

the only thing i agree with redknapp on when he said it's bizarre teams like this spend all season trying to get in the UEFA, then when they're in it they're not that bothered.

[Andy @ Allerton]

Is any of this on the telly? Don't seem to be able to find it anywhere?

[Sion]

Only Man City are on the tele in the UK

ITV 2 or 4, forget which one

[Andy @ Allerton]

Only Man City are on the tele in the UK

ITV 2 or 4, forget which one

 

Cheers matey. Very strange that this isn't being televised by Channel 4 or 5 at the least?

 

English sides in Europe and they haven't bothered?

 

Seems a bit of a pity.

[Andy @ Allerton]

Yep just checked - ITV 4 - 19:00 - Manc City

[CarraLegend]

Sacking off the Uefa Cup to try and get into a competition they have absolutely zero chance of winning if they were to qualify for it, got to laugh but the money is obviously to important now.

[Sion]

English sides in Europe and they haven't bothered?

 

 

reflecting the respective managers opinions i suppose!

 

why do i get the feeling if it was Rafa resting players and going out he'd be hung out to dry

[Rimbeux]

Didn't Villa bring all their layers back early to get into this through the intertoto?

[Andy @ Allerton]

How did Villa get on?

 

Any other interesting ties/results?

[Benitez]

I'm sure O'Neill will be slaughtered tomorrow in the press for not taking this competition seriously.

 

Didn't he play his stars in the first leg though? Or at least some of em, I know Agbonlahor and Young played some part. So maybe O'Neill was just gutless, deciding not to pursue the 2nd leg having not won the game at home

[muleskinner]

A Villa fan at work has paid about £1000 for the trip to Moscow to watch their reserves in the UEFA Cup. He'll be a bit tardy on Monday.

[Dominus Maximus]

Remember how we laughed when United won at Aalborg. Well Aalborg are 3-1 up in Deportivo, after a 3-0 win in the first game.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Aggermania

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Villa lost 2-0 - 3-1 on agg....

 

pricks, 2001 was f***ing great. And yes, it's not as good now as it was then, but f*** it, it's a European trophy

 

 

Metalist did Samp 3-0 on agg

Hamburg did NEC 4-0 agg

PSG did Wolfsburg 5-1 on agg

 

City 0-0 they're winniong on away goals

Spurs 0-0 they're losing on agg

 

Imagine Villa got to the final & drew Milan. That'd be peanuts eh? Pricks

[Benitez]

Imagine Villa got to the final & drew Milan. That'd be peanuts eh? Pricks

 

 

not even a dream worth having anymore

[Gary Wolf]

Looks like this UEFA Cup will be between Russians and Ukranians. Would love Dinamo Kiev to win it, actually.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

It was a chance for Villa players to cut their teeth on a different kind of football that most havent been used to.

 

If they do make the CL qualifiers and draw a half decent team then they could get dumped out. Whilst the UEFA Cup is widely viewed as gash, its another step on the ladder for clubs like Villa and by trying to go straight into the CL without any decent experience in Europe could, just could, come back to give them a kick in the goolies