CL revamp announced

[ConnieLFC]

Decided upon today.

Thoughts? The final switch should make vacation planning a little easier - fewer days off from work required!

Clearly qualifying after finishing 4th will be more difficult now but I'm actually very surprised by the 3 teams automatically going in deal, though I know it's been discussed for a while. I wonder if it's subject to change at all (i.e., go back down to 2 teams getting an automatic in if English teams start doing poorly)?

Seems like Platini got exactly want he wanted in all of this. Wonder what the "official" PL (or rather G14) reaction to this will be....they're hardly going to boycott the competition though, are they...hmm.

[Big Dave]

It's an interesting proposal.

I think the week-end move is a good idea. Certainly makes it easier for watching.

I'm not sure how the changes, with respect to the format are going to help the teams from smaller leagues, though, which is what I thought Platini was pushing for. If anything, I would think this would make it harder...

[ConnieLFC]

I'm not sure how the changes, with respect to the format are going to help the teams from smaller leagues, though, which is what I thought Platini was pushing for. If anything, I would think this would make it harder...

I was wondering about that too, but I think the logic is that instead of minnows eventually facing one of the top sides in the last round of qualifying, they're kept in their own separate pool, ensuring at least some get through (5 it says?).

One would imagine they'll get romped once in the group stage but who knows? But even their participation in those 6 games guarantees at least some money to a club/federation that would normally never get anywhere near it. I believe that was part of Platini's goal as well - that the money doesn't continue to be "hoarded" by the countries/clubs that already have most of the money as it is. But clearly that's going to leave some of the big guns very unhappy...haven't heard any reaction yet but imagine it's forthcoming next week.

[Big Dave]

Right, it wasn't clear to me that the 'minnows' would be separated from the 5 'big league' clubs in the qualifying play-offs. That might work.