Liverpool FC

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

Great post Yoda.It's all about the pots we win mate,all about the pots.The Champions league looks tough for this season.So lets win the UEFA Cup for the 4th time this season in Dublin and get some Guinness down our necks and win it a fifth time the following season along with the league.

If we do that we'll own the trophy as we'd have won it 5 times just like we own the European Cup.

Sounds good to me lad.

Wouldn't mind a trip to this place.What a stadium.We'd pack it to the rafters.



A list of pubs in Dublin City Centre:

Ha'penny Bridge Inn (42 Wellington Quay)

Isoldes Tower (Parliament St)

Karma Handels Hotel (Fishamble Street)

Bad Bobs Bar (East Essex Street, Temple Bar)

Buskers Bar (Fleet Street)

Cassidy's Bar (Westmoreland St)

Bar Pintxo (12 Eustace Street)

Bob's (35 and 37 Essex Street)

Brazen Head (20 Lower Bridge St)

Darkey Kelly's (The Harding Hotel)

Farrington's (27 and 29 East Essex Street)

Foggy Dew (Fownes Street Upper)

Oliver St John Gogarty (57 and 58 Fleet Street and 18-21 Anglesea Street)

Palace Bar (21 Fleet Street)

The Auld Dubliner (17 Anglesea Street)

The Front Lounge (33 and 34 Parliament Street)

The Octagon Bar (6 and 8 Wellington Quay)

The Temple Bar (Essex St East)

Vathouse (Temple Bar)

Viper Room (Aston Quay)

Club M Blooms Hotel (Aglesea Street)

Switch (Eustace Street)

The trip's gettin planned already lads lol Fingers crossed x

(08-03-2011 00:46 )Master Yoda Wrote:  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.

Note: All of the above is just my own opinion and i respect the fact other LFC fans may think differently

Good post mate & fair play, I hope we win it aswell but won't cry if we don't.

If we do qualify for it next season then this will mean more games on a catch up Sunday & results like at West Ham & it's for this reason more than anything that I don't care about it or hope we're not in it next season (Good Point!!!).

Our record so far this season with Premier League games we've played after a Europa game is W4 D0 L4 the losses are Man City (a) 3-0, Utd (a) 3-2, Blackpool (h) 1-2, Wolves (h) 0-1 & West Ham (a) 3-1, I see this as 9 points dropped which would put us on 51 points level with Chelsea in 4th place & 9 points behind Utd with 27 points to play for. Our next game after our two games with SC Braga is Sunderland away 13:30 Sunday 20th March, the last time we went to The Stadium of Light the beach ball beat us 1-0.

I'd rather finish 4th & be in the Champions League (This/next season) than win the UEFA Cup next season or the season after, look at Arsenal, when was the last time they won some silverware... yet this season they could be in the Champions League final, win or lose they won't be thinking about Birmingham & big Zigic or Martins.

The reason why we may not finish in the top 4 next season is down to money & what we do with the little that we have but if we're not in Europe next season then with the squad we've got at the minute when everyones fit & maybe with a new left back we could not only finish in the top 4 with ease but also make our first serious Premier League title challenge & therefore be in the Champions League & maybe even win a trophy, but either way we will have money to strengthen our squad which you need to do every 2 seasons or so.

The money from these two European competitions if miles apart, I'm not saying that it's all about money.... Well yes I am as this is just the moden day game like it or not it's the way it is & if you have money you're in with a better chance of winning trophies & not just the UEFA Cup or Carling Cup but the Premier League & Champions League & remember how you felt when our last player left!!! the main reason was he wanted to play in Europe's premier competition the very same reason we may lose the best goalkeeper in world football???

We can't complain about not winning the Premier League as we've never done this & only twice I think finished 2nd but all our best memories of the last 10 years have been when we've been in the Champions League other than the 3-2 win in the UEFA Cup final.
If he never speaks again then Andy Gray will be remembered for saying two things & the other is this, 'Ohhhhhhhh ya beauty, what a hit son, what a hit!'





Which one made you smile the most??? You know the best part about that smile, there was still 7 more games worth of smiles left to go before 30 minutes of the intense feeling you get when you know your teams playing at the highhest level of football possible & then comes the moment very few sports fans will ever experience in their lifetime... Come to think of it the way this game went in the final of the UEFA Champions League I doubt anyone will ever have the kind of smiles we had & still sing about.



It's the hairs & the tingle that get me, everytime!!!

The moden day game lads, the moden day game. What we've achieved can in numbers at least only be matched at this present time by one other club & that very club can only say this due to their stance in the moden day game.

I'd like to finish if I may by reiterating what you say yourself Master Yoda.
"Note: All of the above is just my own opinion and i respect the fact other LFC fans may think differently"

Great post & i take everything on board that you said. But call me an old romantic.....i just want us to win trophies. All trophies are welcome

It was 5-4 in that Uefa Cup Final too mate......shame on you

"You old romantic"

I forgot the score & kept getting the Newcastle games up when looking for the vid & then the 3-2 derby win with the Gary Mac winner.
I iz shamed

I may be picking splinters out of my arse for sitting on the fence but I agree, to some extent, with both of ye're views.

With the situation we find ourselves in at the minute I think we should be aiming to win the Europa League (EL). Since we're a club that has been blessed with a lot of top level siliverware, i.e leagues and European Cups, it's fairly understandable that we see the EL as a competition with little importance. It's probably just below the FA Cup in my eyes, at least in the Cup you're beating top English teams. I think what we shouldn't under-estimate though is the importance of winning continental trophies in the eyes of potential signings. European and non-European players will see us winning another continental competition and believe that we are a club which can bring them success on the European stage, which many non-British hold in higher regard than national success. Winning the EL can attract the talent needed to bring us back to the real summit of European football. While the lure of the EL obviously won't attract top-top level stars like your Villas and your Benzemas, I think it would be sufficent,along with our history and fan-base, to swing the likes of a Suarez or a Turan. Younger players who have yet to truely prove themselves at the top level but obviously have the talent.

The goal of all this is to reach the Champions League (CL), the pinnacle of European football. While I'd rather win a league before another CL there's no doubt that the potential for money, expanding fan-base and possibility to further raise the stature of the club is huge. Not being in the CL is crushing, having to spend your Tuesdays and Wednesdays watching other English teams tour Europe playing the best teams is soul-destroying. WE should be there! Winning the EL is lovely but, as I said, it's the CL that draws the superstars. Man City's final hurdle to becoming true giants has been their lack of CL football, once they achieve this I dread to think who they'll be capable of signing.

I'm starting to forget why I brought this up so I better get to my point quick. If given the choice between winning the EL this year, or any year, and finishing outside the top 4 or CL qualification I'd take a top 4 finish everytime. In my opinion, if we qualified for the CL year-in year-out we would be able to consistently improve the squad through extra revenue and exposure, leading to more trophies. I think it's the level of football you play at, as well as trophies, that prove your stature as a big club.

So while I'd agree with Master Yoda that we should make every attempt to win the EL this year, it's only because it's all we have left. If it was a choice between where we are now in the EL while being in a realistic fight for 4th I'd agree with Mitchell and prioritise the league as I think it'd benefit us more in the long run.

Obviously my own opinions (well, bits taken from others and mushed together) I'm sure we're all smart enough not to think we're speaking on behalf of all Kopites, God knows there's some nutters amongst us!

When u look back the best memories are from cup finals.Win or lose.Whether it's the League Cup final,FA Cup,Uefa Cup or European Cup final.

I could (and bet u lads could) give in depth analysis on all of our cup finals win or lose for the past 10 - 15 years back to when we were kids.For me it's what the game's all about.

YES,we all want to be in the Champions League again.We'll qualify next season.Let's get to Dublin and win this UEFA Cup then win it again next season and make it 5.

It's what we're all about.WINNING TROPHIES.

Only 2 Clubs will win a European Trophy this season.We should be one of them.

How about Liverpool vs Barcelona in the Super Cup at the start of next season?

Stevie,Luis and Big Andy tearin them apart

We've already got 5 of these



Now lets get 5 of these



No club in Europe has won both 5 times.

So this is a rallying cry to Mitchell and anyone else who's swayed off track recently...LET'S FUCKIN HAVE IT !!!

(09-03-2011 11:10 )groundnpound Wrote:  So this is a rallying cry to Mitchell and anyone else who's swayed off track recently...LET'S FUCKIN HAVE IT !!!

(08-03-2011 21:06 )mitchell Wrote:  Good post mate & fair play, I hope we win it aswell but won't cry if we don't.

Don't worry about me kid I'm on the right track alright I just think we're not as bad as some say with regards to getting back in the top 4 & to me this is the same as the Chelsea fans saying we'll be back to win the Premier League again next season, as we've never won the Premier League then the top 4 is as big as it gets for us (At the minute) so we should be aiming to get back there at all costs.

The costs are stated below.

(08-03-2011 21:06 )mitchell Wrote:  If we do qualify for it next season then this will mean more games on a catch up Sunday & results like at West Ham & it's for this reason more than anything that I don't care about it or hope we're not in it next season (Good Point!!!).

Our record so far this season with Premier League games we've played after a Europa game is W4 D0 L4 the losses are Man City (a) 3-0, Utd (a) 3-2, Blackpool (h) 1-2, Wolves (h) 0-1 & West Ham (a) 3-1, I see this as 9 points dropped which would put us on 51 points level with Chelsea in 4th place & 9 points behind Utd with 27 points to play for. Our next game after our two games with SC Braga is Sunderland away 13:30 Sunday 20th March, the last time we went to The Stadium of Light the beach ball beat us 1-0.

This one could run & run so it's a good job groundnpound's brought his track along.

(08-03-2011 01:40 )groundnpound Wrote:  Wouldn't mind a trip to this place.What a stadium.We'd pack it to the rafters.

fantastic looking stadium and great city be sum final..