Europa Conference League 23/24

[chrisp65]

As someone who’s local club have been lucky enough to have a few European adventures, I have a bit of a view on European minnows. Generally, when we’ve been drawn against another minnow they too are thrilled to be playing a European game. There is a party atmosphere, we mix, we have some drinks, we swap badges or scarfs and agree to meet up at the home / away leg. Where we have another drink.

When we have sometimes met a team that see themselves as a big fish, their fans often have a negative attitude. That’s if you can get to speak to them at all. They’ve been scarred by years of being a big anonymous crowd that meets other big anonymous crowds and the chance of encountering an aggressive arsehole means your best bet is simply not to mix.

We’ve played teams from Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Malta etc and had an absolute blast. We’ve played Porto, or Dynamo Kiev, and there has been zero interaction. There’s been deliberate segregation and a sanitised experience.

Embrace the chance of playing the second best team in Luxembourg and having a nice time, before you have to assess the risk / reward of going to Poland or Turkey.

 

[Pinebro]

34 minutes ago, lexicon said:

My goodness dude, where did you get this level of entitlement from? 

 

It isn't entitlement to state it's a minor competition.

West Ham and Fiorentina was given 8 k tickets each for the final.

Carrow Road is a bigger stadium than Eden Arena. It's a bit of a shambles the whole thing and how little attention Fifa is giving it.

And imo it's a competition that should have never been created. Europa League and CL was fine as it was.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Pinebro

[lexicon]

4 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

It isn't entitlement to state it's a minor competition.

West Ham and Fiorentina was given 8 k tickets each for the final.

Carrow Road is a bigger stadium than Eden Arena. It's a bit of a shambles the whole thing and how little attention Fifa is giving it.

It is to think that it's not noteworthy that we're in it and back in Europe and only consider the top 4, a position we've not finished in for THIRTY YEARS, to be worth celebrating. Why not just enjoy the moment instead of pining after the next thing? If anything, it's just not an enjoyable way to live life.

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 minute ago, lexicon said:

It is to think that it's not noteworthy that we're in it and back in Europe and only consider the top 4, a position we've not finished in for THIRTY YEARS, to be worth celebrating. Why not just enjoy the moment instead of pining after the next thing? If anything, it's just not an enjoyable way to live life.

They should have a bigger ground for a final though. A 20k stadium is a bit of a joke.

[brommy]

2 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

It isn't entitlement to state it's a minor competition.

West Ham and Fiorentina was given 8 k tickets each for the final.

Carrow Road is a bigger stadium than Eden Arena. It's a bit of a shambles the whole thing and how little attention Fifa is giving it.

Let's get to the final before you worry about not getting a ticket! 

[Mic09]

9 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

It isn't entitlement to state it's a minor competition.

West Ham and Fiorentina was given 8 k tickets each for the final.

Carrow Road is a bigger stadium than Eden Arena. It's a bit of a shambles the whole thing and how little attention Fifa is giving it.

And imo it's a competition that should have never been created. Europa League and CL was fine as it was.

Unless you are the champion of Estonia. Or the runner up of the Slovakian League.

To those teams, these competitions really matter and they will definitely give 100% to beat the Villa.  

[Pinebro]

5 minutes ago, lexicon said:

It is to think that it's not noteworthy that we're in it and back in Europe and only consider the top 4, a position we've not finished in for THIRTY YEARS, to be worth celebrating. Why not just enjoy the moment instead of pining after the next thing? If anything, it's just not an enjoyable way to live life.

Get your point.

Very happy where we finished.

Conference just doesn't interest me. Sorry for being a bad fan.

Can't wait for Premier League though  

[lexicon]

5 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

They should have a bigger ground for a final though. A 20k stadium is a bit of a joke.

I think they underestimated it tbh - the clubs who make the final could fill that twice over easily with their fans. 

[VILLAMARV]

27 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

As someone who’s local club have been lucky enough to have a few European adventures, I have a bit of a view on European minnows. Generally, when we’ve been drawn against another minnow they too are thrilled to be playing a European game. There is a party atmosphere, we mix, we have some drinks, we swap badges or scarfs and agree to meet up at the home / away leg. Where we have another drink.

When we have sometimes met a team that see themselves as a big fish, their fans often have a negative attitude. That’s if you can get to speak to them at all. They’ve been scarred by years of being a big anonymous crowd that meets other big anonymous crowds and the chance of encountering an aggressive arsehole means your best bet is simply not to mix.

We’ve played teams from Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Malta etc and had an absolute blast. We’ve played Porto, or Dynamo Kiev, and there has been zero interaction. There’s been deliberate segregation and a sanitised experience.

Embrace the chance of playing the second best team in Luxembourg and having a nice time, before you have to assess the risk / reward of going to Poland or Turkey.

 

Just as a quick aside I noticed Haverfordwest County mentioned among the first rounders. As well as Penybont and Connahs Quay. Do TNS enter at a later round (I couldn't see them on the lists) and has the Cymru premier or whatever it's called these days got 4 euro places now? And are Barry back up there next year chris? You won the southern league thing this year IIRC.

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by VILLAMARV
£$^$£$%^"

[lexicon]

Just now, Pinebro said:

Get your point.

Very happy where we finished.

Conference just doesn't interest me. Sorry for being a bad fan.

Can't wait for Premier League though  

I, for one, am absolutely shocked to see a stoic Scandinavian after watching dozens of hours of stoic Scandinavian/Nordic detective thrillers on Netflix. 

Fair play to you, Pinebro - I'm not trying to be too judgemental or say you're a bad fan. I'm just really excited and can't wait to be playing in Europe again, so it surprises me that others can be relatively indifferent to it. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

2 minutes ago, lexicon said:

I think they underestimated it tbh - the clubs who make the final could fill that twice over easily with their fans. 

They did it in a 20k stadium last year too and ended with 2 finalists that have massive fanbases. 
 

I get they are trying to include certain nations and clubs in the final but they arent being very practical about it.  Wonder where it will be next year. 

[lexicon]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

They did it in a 20k stadium last year too and ended with 2 finalists that have massive fanbases. 
 

I get they are trying to include certain nations and clubs in the final but they arent being very practical about it.  Wonder where it will be next year. 

I think it's in Athens at AEK's new ground - which will make for an incredible atmosphere given its design. 

[ender4]

10 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Get your point.

Very happy where we finished.

Conference just doesn't interest me. Sorry for being a bad fan.

Can't wait for Premier League though  

i think you should just stay out of this thread, it's not going to be good for your mental health this season.

[Pinebro]

10 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

They did it in a 20k stadium last year too and ended with 2 finalists that have massive fanbases. 
 

I get they are trying to include certain nations and clubs in the final but they arent being very practical about it.  Wonder where it will be next year. 

Shocking isn't it.

This is why it has a bad reputation. Fifa is giving it the tinpot treatment.

[chrisp65]

5 minutes ago, VILLAMARV said:

Just as a quick aside I noticed Haverfordwest County mentioned among the first rounders. As well as Penybont and connahs Quay. Do TNS enter at a later round (Icouldn't see them on the lists) and has the Cymru premier or whatever it's called these days got 4 euro places now? And are Barry back up there next year chris? You won the southern league thing this year IIRC.

 

It’ll be Haverfordfwest’s first ever European game. They’ll need to be careful it doesn’t break them, financially. The invoice for the air travel and hotel for 30 players and staff usually arrives about 6 months before the UEFA cheque. It really does matter what team you draw. There’s profit to be made when you can EasyJet to Belfast for the day, there’s money to be lost when you have to find 30 hotel rooms in the Faroes.

I think TNS have a seeding that currently puts them in the Europa Conference qualifying rounds. Last year they won R1, they battered someone by about 10 goals in R2, and went out on penalties in R3. A penalty miss away from being in the league stages.

Yep, Barry are back, but I can’t see us competing for europe, a couple of steady years of establishing ourselves would be just fine. We have our first managerial change in 15 years, so let’s see how that beds in.

[brommy]

11 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Shocking isn't it.

This is why it has a bad reputation. Fifa is giving it the tinpot treatment.

Perhaps you'll be consoled that next year's final ground is a new 32500 seater. A 68% increase on this season's final capacity.

You seem conflicted. Complaining about the organiser giving the competition 'the tinpot treatment' whilst stating it doesn't excite you anyway, yet frequently posting in a thread dedicated about it.

[villan-scott]

Apparently we want a Sevilla win tonight to help our seeding. Up the Sevilla. 

 

[sheepyvillian]

2 hours ago, Pinebro said:

It isn't entitlement to state it's a minor competition.

West Ham and Fiorentina was given 8 k tickets each for the final.

Carrow Road is a bigger stadium than Eden Arena. It's a bit of a shambles the whole thing and how little attention Fifa is giving it.

And imo it's a competition that should have never been created. Europa League and CL was fine as it was.

Fwiw, the "entitlement" line really is becoming the most annoying of cliches.

 

[WallisFrizz]

1 hour ago, villan-scott said:

Apparently we want a Sevilla win tonight to help our seeding. Up the Sevilla. 

 

He’s flip flopping on who we should support 

 

[Aston_Villan4]

25 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

Fwiw, the "entitlement" line really is becoming the most annoying of cliches.

 

Not nearly as annoying as people who insist on turning their nose up at a chance to play in Europe after a 13 year hiatus and then continually press their opinions of the competition onto others. Objectively speaking, that is entitlement.