Quote Originally Posted by J R Hartley View Post
Not really, (Close your eyes Sludge) I know quite a few lads from Merthyr who follow Liverpool everywhere and the group stages gives them at least 3 european trips most seasons. Judging by the amount of fans English clubs take abroad I imagine they are happy with the group stages too.

Then theres the clubs who dont get into Europe every season, the group stages are great for those clubs and the fans who follow them.

They might be a bjt boring for the teams that always reach the quarter finals onwards but in the main I think the group stages cater well for the rest.

As a TV fan of the Champions League though I dont really bother until rounds 5 or 6 of the group stages.
Yes, I agree that fans of clubs may enjoy the group stages and I’d love us to be involved. But I’d find it annoying if our manager, if it ever happened, then complained that we were playing too many games and the players were tired.

It would be more exciting for fans of the not so glamorous clubs having a chance of progressing through the old two legged system. Unfortunately the days of Malmo, Hamburg, Forest, Bruges etc are long gone. Cup games and competition should be all about ‘on the day’ not a long drawn out execution.