Worthless

Having watched yet another English club tumble out of the Uefa cup as soon as they were presented with even a modicum of opposition, it begs the question- is the uefa cup the most worthless competition that any English club can play in?

Every year, one of the leading premiership sides outside of the “champions league four”, get very excited about the prospect that they might win a European competition. Ok, Im really thinking of Newcastle. The pattern is becoming almost a tradition- cut a swathe through the ludicrous group stages, move purposely towards the latter stages and persuade everyone that a triumphant season is looming. Then finally meet one of the decent teams in the competition and lose.

It’s a complete farce. It’s the teams like Bolton that you can feel particularly sorry for. After a long hard season, finishing seventh and winning the coveted “European qualifiers trophy” must seem like such a fantastic effort. Triumphantly, the prospect of European football is weaved into every single marketing opportunity over the following summer, the reward for outstanding effort from the team.

Then the draw is made and thus follows a succession of turgid fixtures against opposition you have never heard of. Where is the glamour, surely its all worth it for that one glamour tie against one of the European heavyweights, the likes of which you can tell the grandchildren? Nope, sorry, they are all in the champions league.

It used to be so different. My own team, Ipswich Town, were involved year after year through the 70s and early 80s, when progressing in the competition meant disposing of teams from all over Europe some of which were leading their respective leagues at the time. These, of course, were the days when the league runners-up downwards were competing for the Uefa cup, rather than as it is today. Even a few years ago, when we returned to the uefa cup, the competition provided its own reward when we ended up taking on a club of the stature of Inter Milan. Given the huge safety net that represents champions league qualification and the closed shop which it is increasingly becoming, it seems unlikely that any team qualifying for the Uefa Cup in the future will be able to look forward to such glamorous ties ever again. Or arguably, any tie which is approaching interesting.

Contrast this with the recent renaissance the League Cup, Englands weakest trophy, has undergone in the last few years. Any club entering the League Cup knows that they have got some chance of drawing one of the top four clubs in a glamour tie which will generate revenues. They also know that, if they have aspirations of winning it, they could end up drawing one of the same top four clubs in almost any round, rather than having to endure a tedious elimination process against many lesser teams that bear no threat.

It now appears that the Uefa cup offers far less to an english qualifying team than any other competition available.

Even the managers think so. Steve Coppell has openly admitted that the expense and disruption of playing in Europe next season, should they qualify, could have a detrimental affect on Readings “difficult second season”. In other words- is it worth it? Faced with a tie against Levadia, as Newcastle were placed with in the first round this season, you start to appreciate his point of view. Equally, when assessing the attendances the English clubs have been attracting in the competition, you get the impression that many fans are also starting to agree.

So, how to find a way out of this malaise? How to make a competition competitive? One man holds the solution. Michel Platini must be supported in his bid to reduce the number of Champions League places available to the top European Leagues. Otherwise the Uefa Cup will surely follow the path of the tournament it is already in danger of mimicking- the Cup-Winners-Cup.