Glad We Got Knocked Out Of Europe?

[tup]

I am. It's looking like a serious blessing in disguise now.

 

Celtic have it all to do whilst playing 6 more fixtures than us.

 

Great stuff. COYR.

[The Oxford Don]

Nah, not really.

 

There's a prestige and a buzz from playing in Europe which is almost impossible to replicate under any other circumstances. Granted I think I'm maybe just still annoyed at the Kairat outcome, I felt at the time we showed them too much respect and they weren't actually that good... at least, not significantly better than us.

 

Our squad might just have coped ok with the Europa League and still maintained our excellent domestic form. It would have been a nice problem to have.

[fine-n-dandy]

I also think we should just play the fringe players in the League cup. Honestly not that fussed if we go out of that cup.

Just go 100% for League title & Scottish cup.

[Foster14]

I said at the time, I'd rather focus on the domestic game, try improve on last year, both in terms of total league tally and cup performances. Another 8 European games would not have helped and the money gained wouldn't have seen a much bigger squad to try and deal on all fronts. Right now, I'd rather we focussed on the things we have a genuine chance in, rather than making up the numbers in the Europa League.

[RAZOR]

One more round would have been nice in order to progress from last season.

 

Next season is going to be hectic either way with Champions League fitba.

[Foster14]

There's a prestige and a buzz from playing in Europe which is almost impossible to replicate under any other circumstances.

 

It is different opposition, and a good jolly. I like it. A first team squad of 20 would struggle. We took a risk resting folk against Dundee United early on this season and that would have become a greater problem if we had reached the group stages.

[dave_min]

I am. It's looking like a serious blessing in disguise now.

 

Celtic have it all to do whilst playing 6 more fixtures than us.

 

Great stuff. COYR.

Idiot.

 

Idiot.

[fine-n-dandy]

 

It is different opposition, and a good jolly. I like it. A first team squad of 20 would struggle. We took a risk resting folk against Dundee United early on this season and that would have become a greater problem if we had reached the group stages.

Had we reached the group stages we'd have brought in a couple more players.

McInnes pretty much said as much.

[a don in oz]

Far from glad we got knocked out. We'd have got a bit of coin if we'd got to the group stage which would have given the manager more to play with.

 

What I am glad is that we HAD that European run. You can't get any better pre-season than actual live games that mean your balls are on the line from the get go.

 

Much better than a pre-season spent playing teams that just want to kick a ball back and forth and are barely capable of even doing that.

[BWG]

No. The financial gains that we stood to make from reaching the group stages would have enabled McInnes to bring in much better players and build a stronger squad long term. Granted I think if we still had to play in Europe we'd have been beaten by Celtic and we'd probably have fucked it up against the likes for Motherwell too.

 

I'm never glad to see Aberdeen knocked out of any competition. I want us to win everything.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

Torn here.

 

Best pre season you can have and private jets to asia aside hopefully reward for finishing high up the league. I miss the excitement and different challenge for sure. The group stages would have been good and always with the chance of a mega tv dividend.

 

BUT

 

practically, there's no question it would affect individual matches and this year every point will be a prisoner. Probably not the top flight games as they take care of themselves, but how easy is it to return fucked from beelzebubistan and ship points to Ross County or something similar who have had all week to prepare for a match that means fuck all to us but gets them off the bottom or similar.

 

Tell you what. I know its a different era but my admiration for what Miller & Co achieved in 83 just goes up and up.

[Jocky Balboa]

Torn here.

 

Best pre season you can have and private jets to asia aside hopefully reward for finishing high up the league. I miss the excitement and different challenge for sure. The group stages would have been good and always with the chance of a mega tv dividend.

 

BUT

 

practically, there's no question it would affect individual matches and this year every point will be a prisoner. Probably not the top flight games as they take care of themselves, but how easy is it to return fucked from beelzebubistan and ship points to Ross County or something similar who have had all week to prepare for a match that means fuck all to us but gets them off the bottom or similar.

 

Tell you what. I know its a different era but my admiration for what Miller & Co achieved in 83 just goes up and up.

 

Good thread and much food for thought.

 

Your last line is a debate in of itself, for it was arguably the fact we were fighting on 3 fronts in '83 that cost us the league title... which then saw Dundee Utd. go almost all the way to the European Cup final in '84! (had the referee not been bribed, the 2-0 first leg win at Tannadice may have taken them to the final). If Dundee Utd. could get so close to the ultimate prize, it is the ultimate AFC "what if" scenario to imagine what we would have done, had we not lost our grip on the league the previous year...

 

Looking at how it affects our standing today, well... I am bitterly disappointed with the Almaty result, as I feel we could (perhaps should?) have done better. That said, would we have had enough to take Bordeaux in the play-off round? Or would just one more round and a full house at Pittodrie have generated enough ££ to bring in one more player (ie. Stevie May)? Would reaching the group stages? Or would a few more Euro nights in a competition we ultimately have zero chance of winning be counterproductive, when we may just mount a genuine title challenge this season instead, as well as fight on all fronts in both cups?

 

Then again, would the ££ generated from going further in Europe have been the difference between assembling a large enough squad to push Celtic all the way? May we look back in May and rue injuries & suspensions?

 

Only time will tell. I know one thing, though. Next time, we should be aiming for the group stages as an absolute minimum target.

[Tord31]

Half way house.

 

Would have loved to have beaten Kairat and got a Dortmund or equivalent and went out.

Agreed it is a season too soon for the group stages - it might have stood us in better stead five years down the line but would have reduced our chances of picked up a trophy

[Tord31]

 

Good thread and much food for thought.

 

Your last line is a debate in of itself, for it was arguably the fact we were fighting on 3 fronts in '83 that cost us the league title... which then saw Dundee Utd. go almost all the way to the European Cup final in '84! (had the referee not been bribed, the 2-0 first leg win at Tannadice may have taken them to the final). If Dundee Utd. could get so close to the ultimate prize, it is the ultimate AFC "what if" scenario to imagine what we would have done, had we not lost our grip on the league the previous year...

 

Looking at how it affects our standing today, well... I am bitterly disappointed with the Almaty result, as I feel we could (perhaps should?) have done better. That said, would we have had enough to take Bordeaux in the play-off round? Or would just one more round and a full house at Pittodrie have generated enough ££ to bring in one more player (ie. Stevie May)? Would reaching the group stages? Or would a few more Euro nights in a competition we ultimately have zero chance of winning be counterproductive, when we may just mount a genuine title challenge this season instead, as well as fight on all fronts in both cups?

 

Then again, would the ££ generated from going further in Europe have been the difference between assembling a large enough squad to push Celtic all the way? May we look back in May and rue injuries & suspensions?

 

Only time will tell. I know one thing, though. Next time, we should be aiming for the group stages as an absolute minimum target.

 

Hopefully next time we'll be doing a Celtic and trying to avoid getting knocked out three times

[The Oxford Don]

I think we all know what Tup's OP is driving at, it's maybe just the way it's worded which is a bit controversial.

 

If (if if if) we go on to mount a genuine, serious, heading-into-May-and-still-properly-in-with-a-shout Championship challenge, then I will accept going out of Europe.

 

However I will never, ever be glad to see us going out of Europe. Just doesn't sit right in a club which is justifiably proud of its European heritage.

[tup]

Modern europe is a busted flush.

 

Money aside its a waste of time and energy for us just now.

[Clydeside_Sheep]

Ye Gods, we beat sellick 2-1 and we are already talking like huns, looking down our nose at competitions which are too much hassle for us to bother competing in. "Glad were out of europe; league cup too much hassle"

 

No I am not glad we are out of Europe. Europe is an exciting change from playing the same predictable dross over and over in Scotland.

 

Additionally, it would have been valuable experience for the team and increased the value of our players. The club would likely have made millions from TV money and extra gate receipts, even if we got pumped in every group game.

 

And we should fight to the death in every competition we are in, including the League Cup. Thats the Aberdeen FC I grew up supporting. Season before last the League Cup was the best thing since sliced bread, but now we are too good for it? My, how times change.

 

I think there is far too much emphasis and worry put on the numbers of games etc. We are talking about guys who get paid megabucks to play a few dozen games of football per year. If a little bit extra is too much running about for the poor lambs, they they can get a real job and let someone with a bit of spine take over.

[fine-n-dandy]

Are we getting too big for the SPFL?

 

Just feels like there is no challenge for us here anymore.

[Dandyesque]

Cash would have been good as success in football is determined by hoe much you can spend relatively speaking

 

 

If we win the league it Will have worked out and the cash will be replaced

 

If we come second again I'd have wanted the group stage- though these were far from guaranteed

 

 

It's all academic now anyway so let's get on with winning the treble

[fine-n-dandy]

We won the league cup. All I want now is the League title & Scottish cup.

Fair enough if our fringe players can put in a decent run in the league cup but with our squad size I only see the league cup as a risk for injuries.

Want us to win all our games but do not care if we rest players in the league cup.

[Foster14]

I'm with tup on this one. Money and being a jolly for fans aside, focussing too much of our attention towards a competition which has been designed to favour its bigger participants and close the doors to smaller teams, would not have benefitted us over the course of this season when we look like we may finally be able to mount a much stronger challenge domestically, itself a competition that seems to be run to favour its biggest participants.

 

Of course we as fans want to win every game, but I've not heard one person saying that Celtic playing Thursday/Sunday due to being in the Europa League is an advantage. Means you'll see more James Forrest and the likes in the league demoralised after being stuffed by bankrolled teams from other countries.

[fine-n-dandy]

I'm with tup on this one. Money and being a jolly for fans aside, focussing too much of our attention towards a competition which has been designed to favour its bigger participants and close the doors to smaller teams, would not have benefitted us over the course of this season when we look like we may finally be able to mount a much stronger challenge domestically, itself a competition that seems to be run to favour its biggest participants.

 

Of course we as fans want to win every game, but I've not heard one person saying that Celtic playing Thursday/Sunday due to being in the Europa League is an advantage. Means you'll see more James Forrest and the likes in the league demoralised after being stuffed by bankrolled teams from other countries.

Was fkn delighted to see him come on on Sat. Over rated pish that he is.

He's good in a decent celtic side but he's a wasted shirt in this current shite celtic team. A luxury player they can risk when things are going well. Not much use otherwise

[Bamber]

Group stages would have been an absolute game changer for us - more money from the Europa league alone than from winning the SPL - That and a significant increase in coefficient meaning we would miss out on tricky games in the future as well. Even though we have made the 3rd round two seasons running we will still be unseeded next season for the third and possibly even the 2nd round draw.

 

That said - no guarantee we would have got to the groups even beating Kairat

 

Would I give up the win at the weekend for Europe? yes I would have if someone said to me Saturday at 9am you can win 2-1 with 10 men or you can have a place in the group stages of Europa, I would have taken the Europa

 

Ask me again though if we win our next three games and hearts take something of celtic and you may well get a different answer

[spamspamspam]

I'm glad we're out of Europe and the League Cup can poke it inna, too much hassle.

[Robbie Winters]

I just wonder how Milne would approached the closing of that last window if we were actually still in Europe ?

Would he have told Deek that was it or forked out about £500,000 as I reckon that's what we would have needed for at least another couple of very good squad players.

 

For the glory still be in Europe but come May I reckon it will have been a good thing getting punted

[Foster14]

Group stages would have been an absolute game changer for us - more money from the Europa league alone than from winning the SPL - That and a significant increase in coefficient meaning we would miss out on tricky games in the future as well. Even though we have made the 3rd round two seasons running we will still be unseeded next season for the third and possibly even the 2nd round draw.

 

That said - no guarantee we would have got to the groups even beating Kairat

 

Would I give up the win at the weekend for Europe? yes I would have if someone said to me Saturday at 9am you can win 2-1 with 10 men or you can have a place in the group stages of Europa, I would have taken the Europa

 

Ask me again though if we win our next three games and hearts take something of celtic and you may well get a different answer

 

On your first point, the cash would go in to the bank allocated towards new training ground or new stadium. Not enough to push in to place any of the projects, just money earmarked towards it. There'd have been some minor investment in the playing staff.

 

On your second point, we went out of the competition in a tie which we were seeded. Such is the nature of European football just now, plenty capable teams popping up with low co-efficients due to money being thrown at football clubs by TV companies and sugar daddies.

[Foster14]

Oh, and as for the comment about trading the 2-1 with 10 men (or any win over Celtic), I'd put that as the third most important win of the last 10 years, behind League cup final (counting as a win) and semi-final.

 

The other two are for obvious reasons, but we had Celtic coming up here to put us in our place and we put them in theirs. Any win over them or the deid Rangers hasn't stood for as much as that one did. Perhaps that may sound like I'm getting carried away, so be it.

[Bamber]

A new training ground or new stadium is still a game changer for a club like us no ifs buts or maybes

 

and we were only seeded due to our opponents in the second round - if it had been on our own merit we would have only been seeded in the 1st round - and will next year only be seeded in the first round again we wont be seed for the second round

 

IF we were to make the third round again we have a slight chance of being seeded in the second round just and then have no chance of being seeded in the third

[strachanmcgheegoal]

if we win the league, ill hindsightedly accept going out to Kairat

 

if we come second again, I'd have rathered we progressed

 

Thereins the rub MT.

 

I think we could still comfortably come 2nd AND participate in the group stages (not forgetting we'd Bordeaux to overcome first). I'm not convinced we could win the league AND participate effectively in at least the group stages hence my 83 comparison earlier, certainly not at the first time of asking with our depth of squad. Different for a bigger club with a deeper squad and looking to build on multiple league successes already bagged. (particularly if they've already cashed in on early CL participation and probably invested in the knowledge of the UEFA safety net in any case).

 

Which of course is why its so fucking unfair!

[tup]

The defeat to Kairat was a defining moment in the season and has worked massively to our advantage.

 

I was at the game and disappointed at the time but what a blessing in disguise it has already become.

 

It has handed us the initiative for the whole season, we could now be top until May in my opinion.