European club Football - New Format

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An exciting new era for European club football awaits 🤩<br><br>Here’s how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCL</a> will look from 2024/25 👇 <a href="https://t.co/mEffFOpX2O">pic.twitter.com/mEffFOpX2O</a></p>&mdash; UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1764606719785869424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

isn't that basically the European super league - how does qualification work? who decides which pot you go into?

From what I've experienced of it on FM24, it's not an improvement. I don't know how it decides which teams play who, but there's hardly any excitement or jeopardy.

An exciting new era of more meaningless games.

Can't see how that's any more exciting for fans. Will make more money though no doubt.

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Originally Posted by Bluebirdman Of Alcathays

An exciting new era of more meaningless games.

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Yep, just the rich European clubs and their mates, playing more pointless games. Well, apart from the rich pot of gold that awaits the same old, same old winners of said competitions

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Originally Posted by Mr Soul '68

Yep, just the rich European clubs and their mates, playing more pointless games. Well, apart from the rich pot of gold that awaits the same old, same old winners of said competitions

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I never tune into the champions league until the last 8 anyway, their advertising will be wasted on me

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Originally Posted by Joe Gillis

I never tune into the champions league until the last 8 anyway, their advertising will be wasted on me

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I've only watched two Champions League matches in goodness knows how many years. Real Madrid V Liverpool final, when Bale scored two goals. Was in a pub in Newport packed full of Liverpool fans, I got some strange looks when I cheered those goals! Second time was in Lanzarote when I was in a British owned (Birmingham City supporting owner) football related bar watching once again Real Madrid v Liverpool final. The bar was packed half full of plastics supporting Liverpool, the rest of us cheering Real Madrid on. Another great win for the Los Blancos. Prior to those two games I think it was when Leicester were in the CL.

Don't think it really needs this format.

Having said that they should really just go back to it being the actual league champions, straight knockout.

That would be more exciting for me.

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Originally Posted by Trigger

Don't think it really needs this format.

Having said that they should really just go back to it being the actual league champions, straight knockout.

That would be more exciting for me.

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Of course, that’s the proper way:thumbup: This shit format of the clubs second, third & fourth entering makes the ‘Champions’ league title a complete lie. All geared to the big boys getting to the latter stages despite losing a few games along the way. It’s a dirge until the knock out stages but even that is now a closed shop between three or four country’s clubs.

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Originally Posted by Trigger

Don't think it really needs this format.

Having said that they should really just go back to it being the actual league champions, straight knockout.

That would be more exciting for me.

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The old knock out style in the 80s really wasn't that great. If you look at the Wikipedia for just about any of them, the winners tended to coast to the semis before a tough game.

The way the competition is set up now isn't perfect, it's too easy for the big clubs to take part and makes domestic leagues even more skewed towards the giants, and there are second chances in the groups.

However come the knockouts and it's almost without fail the highest quality matches you'll see anywhere in the season. They're really spoiling a good thing.