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When we win the league this year, (and let's face it, not doing so now would quite possibly be the biggest shambles in our club's history), do we go straight into a CL group or do we have the minefield of qualifiers?

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When we win the league this year, (and let's face it, not doing so now would quite possibly be the biggest shambles in our club's history), do we go straight into a CL group or do we have the minefield of qualifiers?

 

Straight in this year.

After that it is qaulifiers.

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Ta. If, IF we manager to get new owners, and tie down a number of key personnel to new contracts, and hold onto the likes of Bougherra, AND have some money to spend, then a few new players could come in, freshen us up, and we might actually do something in the CL this year.

 

Lots of ifs of course, but given our superiority in the league, we really want to accelerate progress in the CL. Getting to the KO stage would of course be wonderful, but I at least want to see a marked improvement next time compared to the atrocities of this season.

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Straight in this year.

After that it is qaulifiers.

 

The season after this when we have qualifiers ( if we win the league) we are seeded and also play teams ranked below 16th , which should be a formality even to us .

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Guest Northampton_loyalist

We 'only' qualify automatically if the team that wins the tournament this season also qualify for the group stages through their domestic league position. Currently, only CSKA (league over iirc) and I think Lyon (?) can make a mess of it for us. The draw favoured us quite well by keeping those 2 on opposite sides of the tournament and handing them difficult ties. After next season Belgium take over one of our spots and we revert to the champions playing a qualifyer and the runners up going into the thursday cup. All those euro shambles from the likes of Motherwell and Cally are really coming home to roost. (and in fairness ourselves on occasion, ie Kaunas)

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We were shambolic in Europe this season but I think that WS would have learned his lesson there.

 

The problem is that what will happen next season is we will revert to the same tactics as our UEFA Cup Final run..... and many of our fans will be complaining like.... because we shouldnt be playing 4-5-1.... the same fans who also vociferously complained that we were getting pumped by European "minnows" this season.

 

So.... when we qualify for the CL this season (as I am sure we will) we, as fans, have choices to make.

 

Personally... I am happy if we play 4-5-1 if our personnel suits that system - football is all about results and if utilising a 4-5-1 provides positive results then I am all for it.

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If we can boost the squad with a bit more "flair" we could do a little better in Europe but that is hard. As Northampton Loyalist says it better not be CSKA vs Lyon final or we will have to qualify. We would have a easier draw but it would still be difficult considering our performances against Unirea.

 

Its the first division teams that have got to the cup final and done nothing, its happened three out of four times and it could happen again. Aberdeen were the only team of note to do something but they also have been at fault with their pumping by Sigma.

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We were shambolic in Europe this season but I think that WS would have learned his lesson there.

 

The problem is that what will happen next season is we will revert to the same tactics as our UEFA Cup Final run..... and many of our fans will be complaining like.... because we shouldnt be playing 4-5-1.... the same fans who also vociferously complained that we were getting pumped by European "minnows" this season.

 

So.... when we qualify for the CL this season (as I am sure we will) we, as fans, have choices to make.

 

Personally... I am happy if we play 4-5-1 if our personnel suits that system - football is all about results and if utilising a 4-5-1 provides positive results then I am all for it.

 

I would be for it too. But as Walter and Ally have been saying in reaction to Mowbray's demise, football is a results business. And if 4-5-1 doesn't deliver reasonable results, he will get criticised. IIRC, we spent most of our 6 CL games this season playing that same system.

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The reason for our CL atrocities was the complete lack of investment in the squad as well as a degradation in the existing playing staff.

 

The team who had got to the Uefa final boasted the likes of Ferguson, Hutton, Cuellar, Cousin, and even a useful JCD.

 

The one competing in the CL was the same group of players from the previous season, missing the above players, and while many had been signed as a result of the Kaunas debacle, the inability to invest for a higher level of football last summer cost us greatly.

 

The team is extremely familiar with each other after 3 years - the likes of Thomson, Boyd, Whittaker, Naismith, Novo, Weir and Papac know each other extremely well - and that's good enough for the SPL under Walter's guidance. More than good enough.

 

But in Europe it's way behind and in its current form will get torn to shreds again. This is why I hope for new owners, investment, and players this summer - without that change we'll be a European laughing stock again.

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