2014/15 UEFA Europa League Thread

Upsets today

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2-0 Rio Ave (Portugal) 
Feyenoord (Netherlands) 2-0 Sevilla (Spain) 
Rijeka  (Croatia) 2-0 Standard Liege (Belgium)
Trabzonspor (Turkey) 3-1 Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine) 
HJK (Finland) 2-1 FC Copenhagen (Denmark)

Heartbreak in Azerbaijan, Qarabag were going through to the round of 32 with an injury time winner but the offside flag was raised.  The problems were A. the player who got the last touch was onside and B. that player did not touch the ball, it went off the defender.

Upsets from match day 6

Dnipro (Ukraine) 1-0 St Etienne (France)
Besiktas (Turkey) 1-0 Tottenham (England)
Everton (England) 0-1 Krasnodar (Russia)
Fiorentina (Italy) 1-2 Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)
Legia (Poland) 2-0 Trabzonspor (Turkey) 
Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine) 0-1 Lokeren (Belgium)

We are in a competition Weather posts about.  We have fallen so far.

First rate banter

Glen Miller wrote:We are in a competition Weather posts about.  We have fallen so far.

I might have to create a thread for the Scottish League Cup since you get to play Rangers in the semifinal.

Wrong person Weather.

We're going to get battered.

Pray to Big Jock (he knew). The Lisbon Lions will roar again.

Steven Gerrard's nemesis returns to Anfield.

The English clubs in Europe this season are really letting their country down.

No they aren't They are doing an excellent job of showing how the PL has "improved" this season.

Keyser Söze wrote:No they aren't They are doing an excellent job of showing how the PL has "improved" this season.

Arsenal are going out at the same stage they always go out, City lost by a lesser scoreline than in the same fixture last season, Chelsea's away result in Paris was significantly better than last season and this time last year all English clubs bar Spurs (who reached the next round and lost there, Everton will do at least as well) were already out.  Swansea got caned at this stage as well.

Other than United's absence there's no significant decline from last season.  Unfortunately it's been United and Chelsea carrying England's coefficient for the last ten years.

You're the one that said "this season", not me.

Did he just debunk himself?

Yep

Bye bye Liverpool and Spurs.

Yeah, this season, because United aren't in it keeping things respectable.

We were abysmal today, we missed having Can in defense.  Toure, Lovren, and Skrtel have almost no quality on the ball between them.  The front three were pathetic as well.  Having Lovren taking one of the high pressure penalties was just bizarre.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:Yeah, this season, because United aren't in it keeping things respectable.

Doesn't get more respectable than this: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/15956703

One of the best shootouts I've seen, in terms of quality of penalties, Christ.

Lovren He's already been a scapegoat, this won't help his case, lmfao.

I am a bit out of the loop in this debate, but hasn't he gone from its being a "stronger league" to "not having declined significantly"?  Sorry if wrong.

Ra's al Ghul wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:Yeah, this season, because United aren't in it keeping things respectable.

Doesn't get more respectable than this: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/15956703

Wasn't great, but at least we put up a decent showing in the Europa, beating one of Europe's biggest clubs in a knockout tie, before going out.  Liverpool, Arsenal and City haven't won a European knockout tie for years.  We've never deliberately chucked a match because we were scared of the team we were facing in Europe either.

Glen Miller wrote:I am a bit out of the loop in this debate, but hasn't he gone from its being a "stronger league" to "not having declined significantly"?  Sorry if wrong.

There's no significant decline in English clubs' European performance bar United's absence.  The league overall is stronger.

Finalists of the previous year's CL knocked out in the round of 16 in the EL = decent showing

It's very easy for fans of excellent teams (at least you were five or six years ago) to lecture about tactical cowardice.

Glen Miller wrote:I am a bit out of the loop in this debate, but hasn't he gone from its being a "stronger league" to "not having declined significantly"?  Sorry if wrong.

RR said that English teams were awful in Europe this season. After I proceeded to say "but the league is "stronger" " he back tracked and ending up debunking his own post. After being called out on that he's now gone on to say it's United absences that's at fault. All in all he's been thoroughly embarrassed

The league is stronger, but the biggest improvements have been in Chelsea, who are doing just fine, and two clubs who aren't in Europe (United and Southampton).  There is nothing even slightly contradictory here, you're clutching at straws.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:The league is stronger, but the biggest improvements have been in Chelsea, who are doing just fine, and two clubs who aren't in Europe (United and Southampton).  There is nothing even slightly contradictory here, you're clutching at straws.

Lol at United being a big improvement.

I'm not clutching at anything, you're the one that keeps getting caught out and keeps changing his statement

ResurrectionRooney wrote:Spurs, Saints and Chelsea are streets ahead of where they were last season.