LUFC in Europe?
Re: LUFC in Europe?
Its strange, I would have taken European football on any season in the last 50 years if it was on offer /a possibility .......except this season, be happy to build again in summer & go for it next year
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Mr Russell
- LUFCTALK Moderator
- Posts: 6965
- Joined: 03 Dec 2009, 03:22
- Location: Newy
Re: LUFC in Europe?
If we qualify for Europe then the club will have to deal with it and buckle down. I don't think we will get there this season and to be honest that is not our mission either, survival was the first option and we are doing pretty well on that part, another 2 wins and we will be 100% playing in the EPL next season. Anything more will be a bonus.
Next season though I can see us going for the UEFA cup spots with a 2-3 new players coming in to fortify our squad.
Lets just enjoy this ride we are having this season and see where it takes us.
Next season though I can see us going for the UEFA cup spots with a 2-3 new players coming in to fortify our squad.
Lets just enjoy this ride we are having this season and see where it takes us.
Owners come and go but Leeds United will be there forever, for the fans - keep Marching on Together.
Re: LUFC in Europe?
This is a typical Head vs Heart type of question.
When I imagine the prospect of European nights back at Elland Road in the near future, my heart says yes please, 100%. But my head says otherwise.
It's easy for the realities of the demands of a European campaign to get lost in the magical glare of the floodlights on a midweek evening at Elland Road against European opposition. We're a largely inexperienced squad at the moment, holding our own in the Premier League and improving week after week. For me, Europe, for now, is a bridge too far. Too much of an ask. Too much additional pressure and fixture pile-up. If I remember rightly, Burnley qualified for the Europa League a couple of seasons ago through some sort of fair play rule and their Premier League campaign in that season was almost disastrous. There was talk of Sheffield United qualifying for Europe last season in their first season back in the Premier League. I wonder if Thursday night football matches in the middle of Bulgaria would have helped them collect more than 11 points in the PL this season? I suspect not.
We're a massive club with a massive history, domestic and European, but we're still brand new to the Premier League with this generation. Our target this season is to stay in the division. Something we can almost tick off. Our target next season should be, in my opinion, to aim to secure a top half finish. Maybe the season after that, when the core of our squad has some decent Premier League experience under their belt, some of the potential younger stars have stepped up in the first team to provide depth, and one or two more Raphinha-type signings have come in, we can think about aiming for European qualification.
It sounds daft to say this about a team that attacks at 100mph for 90 minutes every week, but I think we should perhaps think about walking before we run
When I imagine the prospect of European nights back at Elland Road in the near future, my heart says yes please, 100%. But my head says otherwise.
It's easy for the realities of the demands of a European campaign to get lost in the magical glare of the floodlights on a midweek evening at Elland Road against European opposition. We're a largely inexperienced squad at the moment, holding our own in the Premier League and improving week after week. For me, Europe, for now, is a bridge too far. Too much of an ask. Too much additional pressure and fixture pile-up. If I remember rightly, Burnley qualified for the Europa League a couple of seasons ago through some sort of fair play rule and their Premier League campaign in that season was almost disastrous. There was talk of Sheffield United qualifying for Europe last season in their first season back in the Premier League. I wonder if Thursday night football matches in the middle of Bulgaria would have helped them collect more than 11 points in the PL this season? I suspect not.
We're a massive club with a massive history, domestic and European, but we're still brand new to the Premier League with this generation. Our target this season is to stay in the division. Something we can almost tick off. Our target next season should be, in my opinion, to aim to secure a top half finish. Maybe the season after that, when the core of our squad has some decent Premier League experience under their belt, some of the potential younger stars have stepped up in the first team to provide depth, and one or two more Raphinha-type signings have come in, we can think about aiming for European qualification.
It sounds daft to say this about a team that attacks at 100mph for 90 minutes every week, but I think we should perhaps think about walking before we run
Marching On Together
Re: LUFC in Europe?
As many said here it will be a great honor to achieve this - playing european football, but i dont want the extra matches next season. This season we can maybe stop looking back as relegation looks less and less probable, but we cN only look at wolves & sheffield who had great 1st and now awful 2nd.
For me if we get by any chance to play europe, we shouldn't pass the opportunity. Send the u23 organically every Thursday to get some real game time. With pablo, TR, poveda, shackelton, costa, etc... Every player that sits on the bench for 90 mins most weekends the u23 might pass the early stages. If not we gave it a chance, if they do, we should definitely let them finish the European campaign.
It might seem like disrespect for the competition, but honestly it isn't worth succeeding in europe if next season the club will play second tier and will have to sell all its players.
For me if we get by any chance to play europe, we shouldn't pass the opportunity. Send the u23 organically every Thursday to get some real game time. With pablo, TR, poveda, shackelton, costa, etc... Every player that sits on the bench for 90 mins most weekends the u23 might pass the early stages. If not we gave it a chance, if they do, we should definitely let them finish the European campaign.
It might seem like disrespect for the competition, but honestly it isn't worth succeeding in europe if next season the club will play second tier and will have to sell all its players.
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TelfordLeeds
- Neil Redfearn's diversity coach
- Posts: 85
- Joined: 23 Jan 2017, 20:45
Re: LUFC in Europe?
Wolves actually had two good seasons in the Prem before injuries caught up with them this year. Like us, it hurts even more when you have a small squad. After the first couple of rounds, the final qualifying round before the group stage would be too much for our squad players. Wolves have now lost the plot and if I was any of their top players, I would be off in the summer. Jimenez is awesome and works hard and Neto has become their version of Raphinha. Lose these and you are going backwards. Wolves were on a massive upwards curve for three years, but have massive problems now. We don't want to go the same way by getting too far too quickly. Enjoy the ride. MOT