Europe next season?

[Bluedylan]

I would.

Think we'd be a lot better prepared for it.

I don't really want is starting the season in July, in a World Cup year, with a squad that needs a massive overhaul.

It'll be a mess. I want Allardyce to have the best preparation possible going into the new season.

I love being in Europe, but it can become a hindrance at times.

You could send a squad of our best young'uns and backup players to rinse the qualifying rounds, Limassol style, with minimal disruption.

Still can't believe quite how badly Koeman dealt with it. Getting outplayed by fucking Ruzumberok.

Reckon if you gave Allardyce the choice, he'd want to be in it every time, and would back himself and his staff to deal with it quite comfortably.

[Jamokachi]

You could send a squad of our best young'uns and backup players to rinse the qualifying rounds, Limassol style, with minimal disruption.

Still can't believe quite how badly Koeman dealt with it. Getting outplayed by fucking Ruzumberok.

Reckon if you gave Allardyce the choice, he'd want to be in it every time, and would back himself and his staff to deal with it quite comfortably.

He's not the only one though, is he? It seems to fuck everyone (apart from Fulham back in 2010).

[van der Meyde]

He's not the only one though, is he? It seems to fuck everyone (apart from Fulham back in 2010).

Correlation isn't causation though. The main problem I have with your idea is that most of the British teams that have started in the earliest rounds aren't actually that good to begin with.

You're talking about clubs who, in the main, qualified by fluking a cup runner's up place, finished 7th or lower, or worst of all qualified through the fair play league. Does starting seasons early every year hinder Celtic? Not really. Did it hurt Liverpool in 05-06? No. Is the Europa League hurting Arsenal? Arguably not.

When it's a good (or relatively good) team starting early or being in the Europa doesn't hinder league performances all that much really.

It's too easy to just blame the added games or Thursday night matches. It's more complicated than that.  Added games are part of it, obviously, but they're something we'll need to learn to deal with if we crack the top 4 anyway.

We came into this season missing 3 of our best players - a quarter of last season's starting line up - having not particularly replaced any of them. We had a dreadful opening run of fixtures and a manager who was still getting to grips with his best team.

There are loads of factors behind our poor start. Still we've, give or take, generally picked up points in the games we'd "expect" to as well. I wouldn't let what happened this season put us off starting early again next season personally.

[The Analog Kid]

Dunno why we’re worrying about July games, we’ll finish in the top four. On a fuckin roll aren’t we.

[Ramjam]

Dunno why we're worrying about July games, we'll finish in the top four. On a fuckin roll aren't we.

Let’s wait and see what Saturday delivers before jumping to conclusions about how good we’re traveling, hoping for a point but can’t see us getting anything

[Jamokachi]

Correlation isn't causation though. The main problem I have with your idea is that most of the British teams that have started in the earliest rounds aren't actually that good to begin with.

You're talking about clubs who, in the main, qualified by fluking a cup runner's up place, finished 7th or lower, or worst of all qualified through the fair play league. Does starting seasons early every year hinder Celtic? Not really. Did it hurt Liverpool in 05-06? No. Is the Europa League hurting Arsenal? Arguably not.

When it's a good (or relatively good) team starting early or being in the Europa doesn't hinder league performances all that much really.

It's too easy to just blame the added games or Thursday night matches. It's more complicated than that.  Added games are part of it, obviously, but they're something we'll need to learn to deal with if we crack the top 4 anyway.

We came into this season missing 3 of our best players - a quarter of last season's starting line up - having not particularly replaced any of them. We had a dreadful opening run of fixtures and a manager who was still getting to grips with his best team.

There are loads of factors behind our poor start. Still we've, give or take, generally picked up points in the games we'd "expect" to as well. I wouldn't let what happened this season put us off starting early again next season personally.

Errrr... yea. I didn't say it was our only issue.

[Escla]

Let’s wait and see what Saturday delivers before jumping to conclusions about how good we’re traveling, hoping for a point but can’t see us getting anything

Agree, and if we don’t get a point but are narrowly defeated that is no cause to panic/ fly the Allardyce Out plane over Goodison.

[The Analog Kid]

Ay, I was joking yer know!?

[Ramjam]

Agree, and if we don't get a point but are narrowly defeated that is no cause to panic/ fly the Allardyce Out plane over Goodison.

And I second that as well

[blargins]

I'd rather go full kilter at the top 6 next year. I'm not going to be unhappy if we get 7th and get into the qualifying rounds, but I'm going to be far from upset if we don't.

It's a bit silly to say you don't know or care about other sides, as that's the only barometer available.

No guarantee of getting 6th the following season. And then what? No decent players are going to want a join a team who don't play in Europe regularly.

To be honest, this whole Europe thing is nonsense. 7th in the table should not be given European competition anyway. Yet again, reward for failure, like the champions league is. 2nd, 3rd and 4th are not champions and shouldn't even be in that competition.

[Lxxx]

Come on lads, European football for us in any season has to seen as a success but this season especially so.
You can’t achieve your goals and then say actually we’re not quite ready for it. You need to keep hitting them year after year which breeds a different mentality and then the extra games become part of your preparations and you adjust accordingly. Mentally, physically and financially. 

[Macca77]

Come on lads, European football for us in any season has to seen as a success but this season especially so.
You can’t achieve your goals and then say actually we’re not quite ready for it. You need to keep hitting them year after year which breeds a different mentality and then the extra games become part of your preparations and you adjust accordingly. Mentally, physically and financially. 

I agree with this, but changes deffo need to be made to the Europa League, it's farcical at the moment.

[Lxxx]

I agree with this, but changes deffo need to be made to the Europa League, it's farcical at the moment.

I don't disagree but until such time we've got to just crack on with it. Sevilla seemed to adjust and thrive and they don't have the resources we have.

[Jamokachi]

I agree with this, but changes deffo need to be made to the Europa League, it's farcical at the moment.

This is my issue.

[blargins]

7th place shouldn’t even qualify anyway. It’s a joke.

The whole thing needs reforming.