The PL is falling behind, the end of an era.

[Code]

Last season only Chelsea reached the quarter final of the Champions League of the English clubs.

 

This season it looks like no one will.

 

12/13: 0 clubs to semi finals, 0 to quarters

11/12: 1 club to semi finals, 1 to quarters

10/11: 1 club to semi finals, 3 to quarters

09/10: 0 clubs to semi finals, 2 to quarters

----------------------------------------------------

08/09: 3 clubs to semi finals, 4 to quarters

07/08: 3 clubs to semi finals, 4 to quarters

06/07: 3 clubs to semi finals, 3 to quarters

05/06: 1 club to semi finals, 1 to quarters

04/05: 2 clubs to semi finals, 2 to quarters

03/04: 1 club to semi finals, 2 to quarters

 

Russian money came in and changed the PL.

 

 

Where did it all go wrong?

[s(k)aturation]

Last season only Chelsea reached the quarter final of the Champions League of the English clubs.

 

This season it looks like no one will.

 

12/13: 0 clubs to semi finals, 0 to quarters

11/12: 1 club to semi finals, 1 to quarters

10/11: 1 club to semi finals, 3 to quarters

09/10: 0 clubs to semi finals, 2 to quarters

----------------------------------------------------

08/09: 3 clubs to semi finals, 4 to quarters

07/08: 3 clubs to semi finals, 4 to quarters

06/07: 3 clubs to semi finals, 3 to quarters

05/06: 1 club to semi finals, 1 to quarters

04/05: 2 clubs to semi finals, 2 to quarters

03/04: 1 club to semi finals, 2 to quarters

 

Russian money came in and changed the PL.

 

 

Where did it all go wrong?

 

I would like to say, the absence of Liverpool for the last 3 seasons.

As I said, I would like to.

[Bobby Hundreds]

It hasn't gone wrong it still been a pretty decent return, british clubs have no right to be there every single year, a british team won it last year. Personally I'd rather every british club failed in it except us. Those numbers don't seem that bad to me.

[Code]

It hasn't gone wrong it still been a pretty decent return, british clubs have no right to be there every single year, a british team won it last year. Personally I'd rather every british club failed in it except us. Those numbers don't seem that bad to me.

 

3 English clubs reached the semi finals 3 seasons in a row, then it dropped to 0,1,1 and most likely 0 agains this season, thats some fall from grace.

 

Thats said it goes in cycles and it would not have been natural for the English clubs to have continued to dominate as much as they did.

 

This backs up another arguement I've made some time back, but I'll wait with that for now.

[s(k)aturation]

I remember 10 years ago, when there was an all-Italian final, there was a "Spanish" inquisition into what was wrong with Real and Barcelona, and therefore, football in that country. Germany has faced similar questions at times.

Swings and roundabouts.

An English team could win it next year, who knows, which would make it 2 in three seasons.

[Bobby Hundreds]

It generally does go in cycles. I think leagues stagnate after success for a few years, other clubs during that time of success reevaluate in order to compete, then eventually become strong until their success leads to complacency and somewhere else takes up the challenge.

 

Football is about adapting or at least success is.

[s(k)aturation]

Is there a correlation between top players exiting a certain League and going to the one that the ECL winner is in, I wonder?

[Strontium]

There's definitely a correlation between Rafael Benitez being Liverpool manager and Liverpool being in the Champions League.

[s(k)aturation]

There's definitely a correlation between Rafael Benitez being Liverpool manager and Liverpool being in the Champions League.

 

That didn't take long, Stronts! :whistle:

[fowler9]

to be honest I couldn't really care how good the quality of the Premier League is as long as we get back to challenging to win it, I think the majority of the other English sides regularly in Europe are cunts so enjoy their failure, the only downside to it is it might effect the co-efficients and see the Champions League places reduced but I think the success in the late mid to late noughties should stop that happening for some time yet

[Code]

There's definitely a correlation between Rafael Benitez being Liverpool manager and Liverpool being in the Champions League.

 

Or he was lucky being at the right place at the right time as he was our manager when English clubs where dominant.

[Strontium]

English clubs have reached the final in the last two seasons, and 8 of the last 16 finalists have been English clubs, so I think proclaiming the death of English dominance is somewhat premature.

[Hades]

Worldclass talents like Alonso, Ronaldo and Fabregas went back to Spain, English clubs failed to capitalise on the Bundesliga talent production line. In the case of Liverpool, Spurs and Man City, too many mediocre British players.

[Major Tom]

Everything goes in cycles.

[Major Tom]

There's definitely a correlation between Rafael Benitez being Liverpool manager and Liverpool being in the Champions League.

 

We need our own version of Godwin's Law; one that says every thread will eventually involve a comparison with Benitez.

[Coro]

Or we were lucky being at the right place at the right time as he was our manager when English clubs where dominant.

 

We were the 2nd English club to reach a final in 25 years.

[s(k)aturation]

Liverpool 1981

Aston V 1982

Liverpool 1984

Liverpool 1985

Liverpool 2005

Wasn't it?

Which made us the 5th in 25 years, no?

[Coro]

Ooops supposed to say 15 years.

 

Apologies.

[s(k)aturation]

We used to make the final a lot though, didn't we?

[Coro]

Well of course but since the ban was lifted 1990 English clubs had hardly been dominant in Europe. It was only after our win in Istanbul did we see a real resurgence.

[s(k)aturation]

I know, I was just reminiscing is all.

[Coro]

Now I'm with you. It's late/early, forgive me.

 

We did dominate Europe like no other. Unfortunately, my earliest memories of us in Europe are of the Heysel tragedy.

[s(k)aturation]

Now I'm with you. It's late/early, forgive me.

 

We did dominate Europe like no other. Unfortunately, my earliest memories of us in Europe are of the Heysel tragedy.

 

That was the terrible anti-climax of a glorious 10 years in my life following the Reds. And if that wasn't bad enough, then came April 1989.

 

Oh well, the past is the past.

[piphomer]

Liverpool 1981

Aston V 1982

Liverpool 1984

Liverpool 1985

Liverpool 2005

Wasn't it?

Which made us the 5th in 25 years, no?

 

Ermmm.... pretty sure Man U made it a couple of times. I seem to remember them doing quite well in '99, and I'm sure there've been more.

[Deen]

German clubs will dominate this year, next year