The Mail Bag
Last Chance for Europe?
Comments (16)
Now that a European place next season through the league has gone, our only chance lies in the fair play league.
Currently, the disciplinary table (http://www.premierleague.com/page/Statistics/0,,12306,00.html) shows us behind Fulham, Tottenham, Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd and Burnley. If Fulham win the Europa League, then by virtue of the fact that all above Burnley have already qualified, Burnley would qualify for a Europa League place next season.
Now comes the interesting bit... According to the official Premier League disciplinary table, we have the same stats as Burnley (57 yellow cards, 2 red cards) which gives us and Burnley 63 points. Should Burnley take a bit of a kicking from Spurs at the weekend and collect a few yellow cards or get a man sent off, then we could be in with a shout of getting in through the back door.
Chris Dawson, Posted 04/05/2010 at 12:37:06
Comments
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
We can't finish any higher or lower than 8th and Pompey are already down ... so let's have a darn friendly kickabout with tea and scones on the halfway line, then we can all dust off our passports once again :-)
Someone get Moyes on the phone.
If we can get Pienaar tied down to a new deal and get in the right players in the right areas and get in some squad fillers, then I think we cold give the top 5, top 4 a real good go next season.
I think without the extra games and travel, better luck with injuries and a good start to the season, we could easily have a season similar to what Spurs have had this season if Moyesy gets his house in order early this summer with regards to squad strengthening!
On paper, we've got a very good 1st eleven and a decent bench when everyone's fit and if we could bring in the right players for the areas we need (RB, RW) and get em settled in as quick as possible and get off to the best possible start, then I can't see why we can't give the top 4, top 5 or 6 at least a real good go next season.
(PS I'm not disputing the fact as it's all over the papers just can't get my head around it)
COYB
If Fulham win the Europa League then they will take the place of Liverpool in the Europa League next season. The qualifiers would be (based on the current table), Man City, Aston Villa and Fulham; you don't get an extra place for winning the Europa League, you take the lowest ranked qualifiers place, which is Liverpool... which is why Everton would not have qualified if Liverpool had won it.
Am I right or deluded? If I AM right, then Liverpool could become the only team to be knocked out of Europe three times in one season!
Our team is almost perfectly gelled now, but with a couple of additions; perhaps a top striker and right back, we can make a real assault on the league next season and aim for at least 4th spot.
I heard that the Fair play table is several months out of date. Not sure if it is constructed just based on yellow and red cards though. Does anybody else know?
As Fulham are ahead of us and Burnley, then it sounds like they qualify for next season, either as winners of Europa, or as fair play team if they lose the Europa final. Neither is at the expense of anybody else.
If we are level with Burnley, and just behind Fulham, then clearly we would want Fulhah to win Europa, and then hope we don't pick up any cards against Portsmouth, then maybe we will pip Burnley to that Fair Play position?
This link shows that points are given for many other reasons, not just red/yellow cards, and we are well down in the table. For example, respect to the officials etc.
But the problem is, this place goes to the top team in the "Fair Play League", which is much more then not picking up yellow/red cards. We are now 12th in the "Fair Play Table"(http://www.premierleague.com/page/FairPlayTable/0,,12306,00.html) behind Fulham, Burnley, West Ham, Wigan and Wolves. So that's the end of our last hope really.
And another problem with this "back door" is, the team qualified from fair play league enters the Europa League on qualifying round 1 (our match against Sigma last August is qualifying round 4) and that means our season will begins on 1 July (which is a day before the first World Cup Quarter-Final Match).
I posted a link to the current ones a few weeks ago but can't find it now as the April Archives are not available.
What about the Inter Toto Cup? Isn't that how Fulham got in the Europa League, 4 fixtures in July against opposition from places like Macedonia and Estonia would get us in it. Surely we have first refusal to enter that and the rewards are greater than a trip to Australia for a few friendlies.
Therefore, the only way we are in Europe is through the Fair Play League. But even then I just think Fulham will get the place regardless of whether they win the competition or not. I doubt Uefa will give 5 spaces to one country for this competition.
In conclusion, give up clutching at straws! Get used to a season free of European efforts. Let's get players fit and ready to start the season off better with a couple of decent additions to the squad and let's have a real go at the domestic competitions.
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment to the MailBag, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and MailBag submissions across the site.
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
1 Posted 04/05/2010 at 16:14:11
Report abuse
I don't know if the modern vernacular would attached a different meaning to the phrase 'back door man' - but either way, I think we're clutching at straws.
Even if Fulham win the Europa I think they only get a special spot if they don't qualify via their domestic league - They appear to be next in line for the fair play league.