The race for... Europe?

[AjaxAndy]

I also don’t see the point in not being honest about the competition though.

I’d still enjoy us being in it, but when we look back and see the likes of Fulham, Brighton and Brentford winning it it won’t be considered that great of an achievement.

We’ll see how much the fanbase embraces it next season if we’re in it.

I suspect they’ll be a lot of empty seats for the majority of the games and they’ll feel like pre season friendlies.

Overly negative isn't honest though, well it is because that's how you feel about it, but in reality it's still a major trophy and being so negative about it is not giving it the respect a European trophy deserves imo.

You're also already saying x, y, and z club will win it, but that's just conjecture. How many English teams have won it? West Ham and Chelsea I believe... Palace might not win it this year, anything can happen.

Think we should enjoy doing something meaningful after the recent years where there's been nothing to enjoy. I'd grasp the Europa conference and league cup with both hands if we could win one of them, imagine Everton lifting a trophy? I was 15 last time I saw that happen... FIFTEEN! It's insane I've not seen it since, so trophies whatever cup they're from are something I desperately want to see again.

[TheRam]

I’m not being overly negative though.

It’s the reality of the competition. It is heavily weighed in the favour of the English teams that it’s inevitable that we will dominate.

Chelsea won it with their reserves last year which made a mockery of the whole thing.

Palace are playing the third placed team in Cyprus in the last sixteen.

Of course, I’d be made up to win it, but it would barely rank as an achievement.

I remember when qualifying for europe and winning European competitions meant something.

Six English teams in the champions league, eight teams qualifying for europe, possibly nine.

It takes the achievement away from winning the competition.

I know if we do qualify they’ll be debate amongst the fan base on the merits of the competition and I won’t be the only one who has his doubts.

Doesn’t mean I can’t get involved and enjoy it, but it’s hard to see any great European nights coming from that competition. Maybe in the semis when the only four decent teams are left will it become interesting.

[Bluedylan1]

For me, it's incredibly difficult to win anything anymore, so any kind of possible success is a massive win.

The finances have become so distorted and so concentrated in a few massive clubs (much like the wider world), that they hoover up all the league titles and cup competitions as well. There's nothing left for anyone else. The vast majority of football fans who don't support the very elite clubs now often go decades without coming close to winning a trophy, and that's become the expected norm. Many of them big, historic clubs like us.

Much like the Robber Barons (the Rockerfellers, the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies) did in the growth of vast wealth in the US in the 19th century, most of the ''prestige clubs'' that have dominated leagues and European competitions for the last few decades just happened to get in at the right time, and they've been grandfathered into the wealth, the vast fanbases and the trophies evermore. They pretty much can't fail, no matter how badly they do. And it's almost impossible to catch up with them, or overtake them.

Any pretence of a meritocracy has disappeared.

I think the narrative that ''the Conference League is dogshite'' and even often ''the Europa League is dogshite'' are narratives pushed by supporters of these elite clubs, and their ultra-prominent representatives in the media. It's elitist nonsense for me. Clubs like us, Valencia, Roma etc (big, historic clubs in their own countries) would be, and should be, absolutely overjoyed to potentially win a Conference League or a Europa League.

[Cods]

I'm just happy/ relieved we're currently more of a chance to play for the Conference League trophy than the EFL trophy or LDV Vans cup.

[TheRam]

Nice to see the English teams making an absolute mockery of me tonight.