Good Bye RVP!

[Letters]

I don't think players would join us because we're in the Europa league. If we're serious about attracting top quality players then they'll want to be in the CL. If we're not in the CL for a season then with our history we'll attract top players if we show ambition to get back in there in the following season.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

That's silly. When players notice another club win something, it instantly becomes more attractive - it's more likely we wouldn't be in this vicious cycle if we had been winning cups in the last seven years. Every player wants to win the Champions League; a bit of a generalisation but probably true but by the same token, most players probably want to win something.

If we had been winning the epl or CL like barca have done i can understand why top players would want to join us. Heck even being in the CL was enough reason to want to join us. Playing in europa won't convince he likes or Hazard or Goteze to come here they more or less go to chavs. spuds or the mancs.

The only way we will get top talents if we don't finish top 4 is to pay big wages which we won't do.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Top players want to play in Champions League, and if not that then play for a top team aiming to get there.

If we were in Europa League competing for Hazard, say with Chelsea who qualified for the Champions League, said player would join Chelsea because a) he wanted to play at the top level or b) they offered him more money. He'd join us if he felt we were a better club to win trophies with, offered him more money (unlikely) or were more likely to offer him things like a consistent run in the team / build our team around him.

If we were in the Europa League competing for a player like Hazard with say Liverpool who say weren't in the Europa League, it's not like Hazard would choose to join us over them simply because we were in the Europpa League. They'd look at prestige of the club, chances of top trophies in its near future and if not that, money offered.

It's not like players are more likely to join a club for a chance of winning the FA Cup, same thing with the EL.

[Boss]

That's silly. When players notice another club win something, it instantly becomes more attractive - it's more likely we wouldn't be in this vicious cycle if we had been winning cups in the last seven years. Every player wants to win the Champions League; a bit of a generalisation but probably true but by the same token, most players probably want to win something.

Not if the trophy was worthless, as the Europa League is seen as by the elite of Europe. Everyone wants to be in the CL, the EL is an afterthought. Winning the EL may be a wonderful thing for players that play for the likes of Bolton and Sunderland but for top players they would rather join a club to have a smaller chance of winning the Champions League than a club with a bigger chance of winning the EL. If winning something was that important you'd have a host of top players in garbage leagues like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan etc competing for their top trophies, given that they're about as valuable as the Europa League.

[Syn]

I don't rate the UEFA Cup now but I didn't rate the Carling Cup and last season's was a lot of fun (until the final). It might not help us attract players and maybe it might provide a hindrance in the league but for fans, we could have some fun with it. The competition has seen some great football played - especially the year Zenit won it. Even though it might not count for much, as a fan, it's always nice to enjoy a good cup run. Some decent away trips for the fans.

[LDG]

In all honesty, Wages, ambition etc all come into it.

But we're a big club. The reason we're not signing these types of players, is because we choose not too.

That won't stop, even if we drop out of the CL.

Doesn't matter what competition we're in, we have the ability to buy players, regardless. Which is one reason why it seems so stupid we're not just biting the bullet and spending a few quid to get us back up the table again.

[Kano]

Top players want to play in Champions League, and if not that then play for a top team aiming to get there.

If we were in Europa League competing for Hazard, say with Chelsea who qualified for the Champions League, said player would join Chelsea because a) he wanted to play at the top level or b) they offered him more money. He'd join us if he felt we were a better club to win trophies with, offered him more money (unlikely) or were more likely to offer him things like a consistent run in the team / build our team around him.

If we were in the Europa League competing for a player like Hazard with say Liverpool who say weren't in the Europa League, it's not like Hazard would choose to join us over them simply because we were in the Europpa League. They'd look at prestige of the club, chances of top trophies in its near future and if not that, money offered.

It's not like players are more likely to join a club for a chance of winning the FA Cup, same thing with the EL.

the europa league is a far more respected competition on the continent but as i said above, too many fans in the uk think that players think just like them and treat the comp with contempt, which really is not true at all.

if suarez was offered the same amount of money by two clubs, with similar recent histories, same wages etc but one of them were in the europa the following season, then the europa team would win. players want to play out of their leagues and test themselves against others, no matter what level, that's how you remain competitive and build your career CV.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

In all honesty, Wages, ambition etc all come into it.

But we're a big club. The reason we're not signing these types of players, is because we choose not too.

That won't stop, even if we drop out of the CL.

Doesn't matter what competition we're in, we have the ability to buy players, regardless. Which is one reason why it seems so stupid we're not just biting the bullet and spending a few quid to get us back up the table again.

Thats the thing we'd have got parker over spuds have we been in for him, he wants cl football and with spuds will get it. don't think we will get many top players in the europa league simply because 1 they won't want to play in it and 2 we won't play them in it till the latter stages.

Players want to play with the best not some 3 division team in eastern europe.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Not if the trophy was worthless, as the Europa League is seen as by the elite of Europe. Everyone wants to be in the CL, the EL is an afterthought. Winning the EL may be a wonderful thing for players that play for the likes of Bolton and Sunderland but for top players they would rather join a club to have a smaller chance of winning the Champions League than a club with a bigger chance of winning the EL. If winning something was that important you'd have a host of top players in garbage leagues like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan etc competing for their top trophies, given that they're about as valuable as the Europa League.

That's not always true. If it was Suarez never would've joined Liverpool, Falcao never would've joined Atletico Madrid, I mean Porto had qualified for the Champions League! What you're saying would have more weight if we weren't losing players precisiely because we have won nothing. What I would say though, is if you're not in the Champions League and you want to entice very good players, then you will probably have to be prepared to offer more than you normally would. And I suppose, we wouldn't do that.

Like Terry has said, in Europe, the Europa League is generally treated with more goodwill than it is over here. Unless we have a massive seachange we're in the same situation clubs in Spain are; we're not likely to win the league. Yet we receive more money than they (Valencia, Sevillam Levante, Athletic Bilbao) do, even without being in Europe.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

That's not always true. If it was Suarez never would've joined Liverpool, Falcao never would've joined Atletico Madrid, I mean Porto had qualified for the Champions League! What you're saying would have more weight if we weren't losing players precisiely because we have won nothing. What I would say though, is if you're not in the Champions League and you want to entice very good players, then you will probably have to be prepared to offer more than you normally would. And I suppose, we wouldn't do that.

None of the big clubs bidded for any of these players and going to the teams they did was a step up, had we bid for falcao do you really think he have chose them over us or if the chavs had bidded for suraez do you think he had still gone to pool?