08 Aug 2024 07:47:17
In the last few seasons,
Scotland have been in the Top 10 in the Association Coefficient Table, which has Guaranteed a few of our clubs Group football.
But Scotland start this season in a lowly 17th place.
If Scotland finish this season outside the Top 15 - None of our clubs will be Guaranteed Groups Football.
The Champions would need to play 3 Qualifiers, which is possible to lose all 3 and miss out on all Group Competitions.
2nd place would have to play 3 CONFERENCE League Qualifiers.
Scottish Cup winners would need to play 4 Europa League Qualifiers.
Very grim statistics indeed and it's been good that Celtic have recently Qualified for ALL 3 Guaranteed CL Campaigns on offer because we will be playing Qualifiers for the foreseeable future.
08 Aug 2024 08:18:57
We may disagree again here (! ) but I think that’s a truer reflection of where Scotland is as a league. Ourselves and Rangers can complete at Europa League level but some of the results of the other teams have been a disgrace in recent years. Even Hearts who have benefited from it with group stage football have only ever been able to beat much lower ranked teams.
I’ve made my feelings on the Champions League known, I think it an abomination all about generating money and designed so the same teams reach the latter stages. I could tell you right now 6 of the quarter finalists with a high degree of probability (and I’m a terrible tipster)
Personally, I’m not opposed to a pathway to the Europa League (which still involves winning spfl)
08 Aug 2024 08:46:18
Gerrymurphy, I'm not going to criticise any other team in scotland for their European exploits, for a team as dominant as us, as cash rich as us in scotland, our performances and results in the main over recent years have been nothing short of shambolic, and that includes against teams we really ought to be competeing against. until our short sighted board give Rodgers the backing to bring in the best possible quality and experience he knows we need and badly wants, we'll continue to get our ass handed to us on a plate in europe. so were hardly in a position to criticise anyones efforts in the coefficient department.
08 Aug 2024 08:52:46
If we continue on the road we’re on, none of this is going to matter. Bit pointless saving money for a rainy day if you move yourself to an area that is permanently under water!
08 Aug 2024 08:55:30
If we don’t prepare for Europe now with the money we have, we won’t even have that choice in the future. So it’s time to crap or get off the toilet!
08 Aug 2024 09:06:23
The Association Coefficient runs on a 5 year cycle.
Currently in the last 5 years -
Sevco have accumulated 51.5% of the overall total.
Celtic 29.5% of the overall total.
And the rest of the clubs only 19%.
Sevco and their fans will be rightly raging, that Celtic will have benefited from 3 CL Campaigns on the back of their decent Coefficient points.
Celtic will make about £20M Extra in each of those 3 CL Campaigns.
Which means Sevco will have made Celtic approximately £60M in guaranteed cash over a 3 year period.
Maybe the Celtic Board feel Guilty and refuse the use that money to kick Sevco when they’re down.
08 Aug 2024 10:51:06
Between the birth of TRIFC 2012 and the pockling of the CL to suit the biggest clubs and help them make more money, Celtic have 'chucked it' in Europe as far as I can see. Delighted to be a big fish in a small pond with a chance of huge cash injections by just turning up for CL group games, without investing in the quality the managers and supporters craved to at least have a crack at European football.
The situation was highlighted when we had to play qualifiers and our team was never, ever ready or prepared for the job in hand.
As for other clubs in Scotland, Sevco have by far been more successful more recently in that period with much less resources than Celtic and that is another black mark on our Board.
The other Scottish clubs in that same period are playing qualifiers literally during or just after pre-season and have neither the personnel or budget to make any impact, but that has been the same for over 40 years since Aberdeen and Dundee Utd hit the heights.
08 Aug 2024 10:57:40
But it is easier to generate points from the Europa League, the season sevco were in the Champions League they didn't contribute much! If we were in a EL group we'd probably put together 3 or 4 wins, that added to the qualifiers dwarfs the points we'd make from a win and a draw in CL. The whole thing is a flawed formula.
And also, Scotlands current points are divided by 5 as that's how many teams we have (which is almost half our league, far higher % than most other leagues in Europe) . In future years it'll be divided by 4, and the bottom team (historically) haven't added anything (though I accept St Mirren have already contributed this season and wish them well this week) . Once it's down to 4 teams it will be easier to climb the rankings, like I say a flawed formula.
08 Aug 2024 13:51:30
Our board have blown the chance to take us to the next level. We had that CL money guaranteed and this was the time to invest in a better calibre of player.
08 Aug 2024 19:21:31
how do we know that quality players have not turned us down hoping for a better league?
09 Aug 2024 00:22:32
Gerry that season with them in the cl they still got more coefficient points than anyone in Scotland.