Not all Champions League ‘winners’ take the trophy home in May. In 2009 Michel Platini, in his wisdom, decided that there were not enough champions in the Champions League, as a result of well-resourced also-rans from the large leagues crowding out table-toppers from the small leagues. The competition format was changed, champions from smaller nations would compete against each other.
The result of the change is that five champions from smaller leagues are guaranteed entry into the tournament. Conversely, runners up from the smaller leagues need to fight it out against non-champions from the big leagues, like Arsenal and Manchester United. The concern expressed at the time was that the flood of money gained by champions from the small countries would impact their leagues. ‘Good’, said a few of us.
Champions League money can double the income some clubs earn in a year. Successful Champions League entrants’ ability to compete would be greatly enhanced, perhaps meaning they jump into a virtuous circle, strengthening and qualifying in subsequent years.
There have been 30 places up for grabs in the champions route since, but the qualification performance stats isn’t what was expected by many. 22 teams have qualified but only six have done so more than once. Two, BATE Borisov and APOEL Nicosia, are the only teams to go one step better and qualify three times. Curiously, only BATE and Celtic have qualified in back to back seasons, no one has managed three in a row.
For all the riches the Champions League brings to Celtic, and teams far more impoverished than them, successful teams seem to encounter the classic Nouveau Riche problem. All this money and they don’t know how best to invest it in order to make sure they get another payday.
Qualification itself is not costless in competitive terms. It’s likely each team who punches through the barrier to reach the Promised Land, has to suffer the cost of exertion and distraction, which the visits of Europe’s aristocracy inevitably brings.
Then there’s the question of what to do with the money. Your best players get a shop window, encouraging them to run down their contracts. Your manager is likely to be off too. You have to find candidates further down the food chain, either in a lesser-still league, or at a club in your own land who are prepared to sell to you. And remember, this New Money is in the hands of people largely unaccustomed to spending at that level. You can afford to sign a €3m player, but the most expensive player you’ve previously worked with cost €200k. Those who can spot a great €200k player are not necessarily experienced enough to spend €3m wisely.
APOEL Nicosia and BATE Borisov have managed what the other 20 teams have struggled to replicate. Both are in this season’s play-offs and are favourites to go one stage further again. If BATE achieve this, they will have been group stage entrants four seasons out of five, so sustainable success not impossible.
Last week produced signs that eventually the cream is rising to the top. Eight of the 10 clubs in this season’s play-offs have reached the group stage through the champions route before, with the other two, Astana (v APOEL) and Albania’s Skenderbeu (v Dinamo Zagreb) odds against making it. For the first time it’s likely all five champions’ qualifiers will former graduates. The current highest number to qualify in one season is two.
So although the 30 places have been filled by 22 clubs from a remarkably diverse 17 countries, the pool of genuine competitors is approaching a limit.
Here’s the challenge, for Celtic and the rest. Your Champions League is a distinct competition to the headline grabbing tournament graced by Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Yours is being won by BATE Borisov. They are the team who have figured out what’s needed to come through this summer test with most consistency.
There are five places up for grabs. BATE and APOEL are doing their best to make sure their names are against two of those places. Celtic can grab another slot, but Malmo, Basel and Salzburg, as well as the Czechs, Israelis, Danes, Poles and other Eastern European teams, want their piece of the action too. A win against Malmo would go a long way towards flipping resources in Celtic’s favour, but whatever the outcome, being better than the rest of this geographically diverse group of small-nation clubs should be our immediate target.
Happy Birthday 50th to the Celtic View, the world’s first football club newspaper. Congratulations to the many who have contributed to the View over the years.
Can’t believe the news coverage John Collins comment has received. When he heard Derek McInnes’ backlash (cough) he must have looked around for a dressing room full of Hibs players.
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than = be
Teuchter
Well said
Weefra
From some of your recent posts I realised I am politically opposite from you. Does not mean I don’t like you for your beliefs which I abhor. C’est la vie!
Things didn’t go Griffs way on Sunday , fancy him to more than make up for it on Wednesday
Weefra
I met you at the corner before the game v Starjan. We exchanged a few pleasant words and then we went our separate ways. All very civilised.
What’s up?
DD
Forget it buddy. You won’t be embarrassed by me again. This is the point I was making to our Swindon CSC Agent. :-)))) Take care “G” great to have been in your company.
Good night all . Some good people on here with the patience of Saints
WITS
Cheers mate….You going to Dublin?
Teuchter
Dublin, ?
I live here. ..
Borgo. ..
Some sinners as well
But it takes all sorts
It’s the boring ones that do my head in
Now this would be a story. Imagine a holder of one of those football banning order thingies, something the courts heard had something to do with a prescribed terrorist organisation chant and much more, was actually a significant sponsor. You’d ban him right? Or would you have his actual name running around the electronic boards the first chance you got? No-one’ll even notice right? Just weeks after the day in court? Sure not. He must have just made that up you are thinking? Those intelligent newspaper men would have been all over it if he was serious…
thanks for your email @ Thunder Roads, reply sent
@ Art of War, i’m looking for a kodi box as cancelled my sky package, am i correct in thinking i read here on the blog that you can supply the latest ones.? if so would you be kind enough to contact me on akbhoy67@googlemail.com (i’m looking to buy one right now)
been on holiday recently with no internet so missed a fair chunk of the blog recently. ive not met any CQNers yet so should maybe keep quiet as i don’t know any of you personally but i feel sad when reading the conflicts that arise from time to time, so please can those that have big issues at present try and sort them out (i don’t need to mention names here)
this blog is all about showing our fellow celtic family members love and care especially in times of need, now and again someone may need that without them suffering any apparent heartache, we need to be there in those times even if we feel like walking away from them. even just staying quiet rather than reacting could be all that is needed at times
the knuckledraggers and gardeners can do the walking away, the celtic family will not
ger57
I’ve been ostracised by the PC (that’s a fekkin laugh) brigade re my opinions on terrorism. Nuff said. Thanks for your concern. HH
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Sorry mate…I should have said Dublin2016. The GAA club etc.?
If LG finds the net a couple,of times over the next two games, he is going to give Ronny a big headache for the Malmö game.
An in form striker who can pinch a goal?
Or a big target man who may not be match sharp?
Or both?
Winning Captains.
Please explain for those of us overseas who have no access to the rumor mill in Scotland.
Or maybe I’m just thick?
Pedro has scored 2 super cup final goals.
Both in e.t. Both in the 115th minute and both were the winning goals.
BT spooky stats csc
TAL
My son and I booked up for flight and hotel for Dublin 2016. Canny wait. :)
Geordie, Aye that Peter Lawwell’s some guy….Eh! :-)
DD
I’m hoping to be there, would be smashin’ to catch a couple o’ beers with your guid self.
Speyside lhad- will be in touch when I get the chance…
….few people waiting on orders and a few with minor probs to be sorted. Wife not happy with time spent as meant to be on holiday so hence some delay.
Weefra- stop looking for offensive posts mate. If you say “bomb them all..” You WILL get a response that you may not like. Don’t post extreme views if you do not want to be engaged.
on a different note to my last post
i was good mates with Charlie Christie, played football together as a kid when at the old Inverness Thistle. If Frankie Bhoy wasn’t gracing the hoops at the time i’m sure Charlie would have been a credit to the hoops, (25 goals in 56 reserve appearances suggest it anyway)
I remember him as more of a silky midfielder than an out and out striker, his son Ryan looks to be an exact replica of him, i’d have him in the team squad in a minute, training daily with the likes of Nir, Joe Hansen Broony etc would improve his raw talent no end.
Geordie Munro,
Punters call it “horses for courses”…haha
HH
Just watched the movie – in the name of the father – if there was ever a movie to get the blood boiling ?
Art of War on 12th August 2015 12:21 am
i can hang on a few days, enjoy your holiday, hope Mrs AoW is asleep and not giving you daggers for being on the blog haha
i was away for over a week and luckily for Mrs Speyside there was no wifi, i’m sure she knew before booking though.!!
Weefrathe
You haven’t been ostracised by anyone
You come on every night to let us know that you won’t be coming on again etc etc
It’s becoming tiresome now
Actually it’s fun really. .A bit like jobo and his weather forecast
At first people would ask” ah weefra, what’s wrong, don’t leave us, who upset you blah blah”
However more and more it’s becoming ” ah grow up”
TAL
70 quid return flights fae Glasgow to Dublin. £300 bnb for two in a top Dublin hotel for 3 nights. Great deal. Worth booking this early. Thanks to Willie Hills. :)
charles kickham on 12th August 2015 12:23 am
its on the edge of the sofa screaming at the telly stuff
it portrayed the story pretty well but very very sad
Speyside- haha she just went to bed with mini-daggers!
Kodi- is like voodoo to the Mrs, something must be sacrificed, it can’t be free!
Teuchter
I would hope to be there. I may be away for easter and if I am would obviously miss it. I would like to meet up with many on here, indeed with all on here, it’s all good banter.
Fairyhouse races is on at easter so if I am in town I will try organise a day at the races for the horsey clique. Hire a minibus maybe
feeling low.?
feeling angry.?
feeling happy.?
either way have a quick listen to an old favourite “its always been celtic with me”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWefMny-Lvs&index=4&list=RDejjusCKkk38
GO TO SLEEP WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE
Still find the blog a little difficult to spot and access in the new format…. but I have read other articles because of this that I may not otherwise so…
Perhaps as a new person on site I may not give it as much time. Perhaps.
I was as at the Celtic View 50th anniversary do tonight and it was great.
Just to be in the company of these men, who have fulfilled all out dreams – apart from ‘that’ one us just amazing.
Also the staff who were there, including those who are full time day to day running of things, were amazing.
You made me, my brother and most importantly my Dad who is just out of hospital very happy.
Thanks to all. X
SL
Ryan Christie and Greg Stewart are the two best non Celtic players I have seen in Scotland.
I would sign them both tomorrow.
I also had great difficulty editing the text once i noticed a mistake. Scrolling back through would take me to the top of the blog.
I gave up eventually.
Im on a Samsung phone.
Delaneys
Did you watch the Dundee derby earlier.
Some nice football played.
Spitall took his goals well
He looks a mouth watering prospect
DD
Great deal mate – I’ll make that a couple of pints of black n’ tan then :-)
WITS
If I make it – Would love to meet a few of the CQNers and show off my Republican repertoire :-)
WITS
Blair Spittall was excellent tonight. He is not in Greg Stewart’s class though. This guy will be a star in the Hoops at European level, if we sign him.
re dublin
are any here taking in the Wolfetones on the night they play with the full orchestra.?
i may persuade the missus if i could take her to that, if i mention a full scale bevvy with a weekend of celtic / republican festivities it would be ahem…….