Liverpool in Europe Question

[Albion 4ever]

It has been suggested this morning that Liverpool are unlikely to qualify for Europe next season as they will probably not finish 5th and are out of the League, FA and Europa Cups.
I am sure I read somewhere not so long ago that you had to WIN the FA Cup to qualify for the Europa League? To finish Runners Up with the winners already having qualified for the Champions League would no longer qualify you. There is obviously a strong possibility of this happening this season with Man Utd/Man City Vs Stoke/Bolton.
In this scenario, the Europa League place would go to 6th place, which Liverpool have a very good chance of securing.

Did anyone else think this, or am I imagining things?

 

[severnside gull]

based on last night they will be lucky to finish 16th

 

[sten_super]

It has been suggested this morning that Liverpool are unlikely to qualify for Europe next season as they will probably not finish 5th and are out of the League, FA and Europa Cups.
I am sure I read somewhere not so long ago that you had to WIN the FA Cup to qualify for the Europa League? To finish Runners Up with the winners already having qualified for the Champions League would no longer qualify you. There is obviously a strong possibility of this happening this season with Man Utd/Man City Vs Stoke/Bolton.
In this scenario, the Europa League place would go to 6th place, which Liverpool have a very good chance of securing.

Did anyone else think this, or am I imagining things?

This has certainly not been the case for a while. For at least the past 5 or so years the beaten FA cup finalists get the Europa League spot if the winners qualify for either continental competition through the league. However you have to win the League Cup to claim the Europa League spot associated with that competition; if the winners qualify through the league then the place is transferred to the next-lowest league spot, NOT the beaten finalists.

 

[mwrpoole]

This has certainly not been the case for a while. For at least the past 5 or so years the beaten FA cup finalists get the Europa League spot if the winners qualify for either continental competition through the league. However you have to win the League Cup to claim the Europa League spot associated with that competition; if the winners qualify through the league then the place is transferred to the next-lowest league spot, NOT the beaten finalists.

correct 99% of the time, only exception being if a club doesnt get a UEFA licence thing like Pompey didn't last year then they can't play in UEFA competitions.

 

[Albion 4ever]

This has certainly not been the case for a while. For at least the past 5 or so years the beaten FA cup finalists get the Europa League spot if the winners qualify for either continental competition through the league. However you have to win the League Cup to claim the Europa League spot associated with that competition; if the winners qualify through the league then the place is transferred to the next-lowest league spot, NOT the beaten finalists.

I know it used to happen, but I thought they were changing the rules. I must have got it confused with the League Cup qualification.

If it stays the same, and we have Bolton/Stoke in Europe even if they do not win the FA Cup, then it begs the question whether they (a) deserve it and (b) Whether the 6th place team in the PL will be a stronger team and be a stronger representative.

 

[Nathan]

I think birmingham have taken the spot for winning the league cup - again this normally goes to one of the bigger teams already in europe.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Any stattos know when the last time was the Liverpool DIDNT play in a European competition of some sort?

 

[sten_super]

I know it used to happen, but I thought they were changing the rules. I must have got it confused with the League Cup qualification.

If it stays the same, and we have Bolton/Stoke in Europe even if they do not win the FA Cup, then it begs the question whether they (a) deserve it and (b) Whether the 6th place team in the PL will be a stronger team and be a stronger representative.

IMHO, finishing 6th in the league deserves no recognition at all. I absolutely detest the modern phenomena of finishing 4th in the league being an "achievement". At least the side that has made it to the cup final has beaten a few decent sides and deserves their chance in Europe. Removing this spot (even if just for runners up) would I suspect lead to teams putting even less effort into this competition.

 

[Trufflehound]

Any stattos know when the last time was the Liverpool DIDNT play in a European competition of some sort?

Certainly didn't for a good many years after Heysel.

 

[JBizzle]

If Man City of Man United are in the final of the FA Cup (which they will be), then Stoke or Bolton will be in the Europa league.

No Europa League place for 6th unless both FA Cup finalists are in the Champions League places.

This season it will most likely be as follows:

Prem:

1st - Champ League
2nd - Champ League
3rd - Champ League
4th - Champ League
---------------------
5th - Europa League

FA Cup Winners - Europa League unless they have qualified for the CL in the Prem, in which case the Runners Up get the Europa League place
League Cup Winners - Europa League unless they have qualified for the CL in the Prem, in which case the Runners Up get the Europa League place

So no. Liverpool will not qualify unless they finish 5th or City drop out of the Top 4.

 

[Goring Gull]

I'd quite like to see Stoke in Europe - Would love to see some Italian or Spanish side kicked up in the air at the Britannia.

 

[Mellotron]

Any stattos know when the last time was the Liverpool DIDNT play in a European competition of some sort?

Wednesday?

 

[Albion 4ever]

IMHO, finishing 6th in the league deserves no recognition at all. I absolutely detest the modern phenomena of finishing 4th in the league being an "achievement". At least the side that has made it to the cup final has beaten a few decent sides and deserves their chance in Europe. Removing this spot (even if just for runners up) would I suspect lead to teams putting even less effort into this competition.

I would have to disagree with you... if you take Stoke who have played 5 games to reach semi final:
R3: Cardiff - Championship, and they had to go to a replay
R4: Wolves - 19th in PL
R5: Us - League 1
QF: West Ham 18th in PL

For example, if we value the Europa League, then surely 38 games and finishing 6th is better than beating a league 1 team, Championship team (Via a replay), 2 PL teams in relegation zone and Bolton and losing in the Cup Final?

 

[Postman Pat]

Any stattos know when the last time was the Liverpool DIDNT play in a European competition of some sort?

They said 1999/2000 on Radio 5 last night

Champs league: Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea
Uefa Cup: Leeds, W Ham (finished 5th!, qualified via intertoto), Spurs (carling cup winners), Newcastle (FA Cup runners-up).

Liverpool finished 7th

 

[sten_super]

I would have to disagree with you... if you take Stoke who have played 5 games to reach semi final:
R3: Cardiff - Championship, and they had to go to a replay
R4: Wolves - 19th in PL
R5: Us - League 1
QF: West Ham 18th in PL

For example, if we value the Europa League, then surely 38 games and finishing 6th is better than beating a league 1 team, Championship team (Via a replay), 2 PL teams in relegation zone and Bolton and losing in the Cup Final?

Absolutely fair point. Maybe it's fairer to have a league-based qualification, but there remain a couple of issues. One is the quality of the Cup competition, which is already on the wane and I suspect would fall further if there was no European place at the end of it (which their realistically wouldn't be most years if only the winners were entitled to it).

The other problem is that the teams that qualify through the league (certainly from the Premiership, and from what I can tell in general from the other big leagues such as Serie A and La Liga as well) don't take participation in the Europa League seriously, because they are concentrating on their league form (in an effort to reach the holy grail that is the Champions League). Teams that qualify through the cup are often middling Premiership sides who don't have realistic aspirations towards the Champions League, and as such are willing to put a bit more effort into midweek European matches at the expense of league games.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Any stattos know when the last time was the Liverpool DIDNT play in a European competition of some sort?

They said 1999/2000 on Radio 5 last night

Champs league: Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea
Uefa Cup: Leeds, W Ham (finished 5th!, qualified via intertoto), Spurs (carling cup winners), Newcastle (FA Cup runners-up).

Liverpool finished 7th

Thank you.

Heysel

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Wednesday?

Spose it was wide open for you to tuck it away!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Stoke and Boltons reward for taking the cup seriously.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Stoke and Boltons reward for taking the cup seriously.

Thats a fair comment actually. I doubt under Allardyce Bolton would have got this far.