The 2015/16 "Thursday nights: BT Sport" thread

[AngryOfTuebrook]

It starts tonight. West Ham are playing - 40 days after last season finished.

Mrs o'T watched about 15 minutes of the free live stream on the club's official website, but jacked it in because the quality was so shit.  Any twat with a phone in the crowd would have produced better footage.  It really was comically amateurish.

[Jairzinho]

Mrs o'T watched about 15 minutes of the free live stream on the club's official website, but jacked it in because the quality was so shit.  Any twat with a phone in the crowd would have produced better footage.  It really was comically amateurish.

 

Was it ITV?

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Hope we get Bate.

We could master them.

[Gym Beglin]

Delighted to get a letter from BT telling me that I get to have all them PL and CL and EL games for just a fiver a month.

 

Wasn't going to pay for it, but that's great value that.

[Reckoner]

Ooh bt such great value, hope they let me tongue their arse.

[Original202]

Brendan Rodgers speaking in Adelaide today:

 

Would you almost be a position where you could have a team specifically for the Europa League?

 

Yes, I think we could do that and it wouldn't have any real detrimental effect because of the quality of the players I have. That's something we certainly would consider. In terms of priorities, it's about getting back into that top four again and we're very determined to look to get a trophy this year. Every player will contribute towards that.

 

Pretty disappointed to hear that. We changed the team around in 12/13 and managed to sneak through the group stage but I'd rather we play a strong team at least in the first 2 or 3 games and get into a strong position and then think about giving some players a chance to impress - providing they've earned it. We won't be coming up against the strongest teams in Europe but it won't be a walk in the park either.

[Bjornebye]

Play your best team available every single game and you have a far greater chance of winning silverware. 

 

It is that easy. 

[El Dangerous]

Probably easier to qualify for the champions league by winning this than finishing top 4.

[Denny Crane]

Liverpool: Why The Europa League IS Important This Season

 

With so many running plot lines and backstories, it’s difficult to begin with what to expect with Liverpool this season. From a team going so painfully close to the title and then returning to upper-mid table mediocrity, it’s like riding a roller-coaster with a blindfold at times. So what would actually constitute a good season for Liverpool then? There’s the divide of fans that simply just want Champions League qualification and then those who want silverware with a good finish in the league to boot.

 

Those who demand silverware and trophies always say that as long as a fairly decent position is cemented in the league- they will be happy as long as cup competition is won, with obvious preference to the FA Cup or the Europa League. It’ll be 10 years since Liverpool last won the Greatest Cup Competition In The World™ so the fans will argue that they’re due one.

 

The Europa League meanwhile is a winnable competition, make no mistake. Get a good draw and you can go far in this tournament. Liverpool have enough quality to win it, and considering what it did for the club when they last won it during the 00/01 treble season; it gave the club it’s identity in Europe back, something which had been missing since Heysel and the UEFA ban placed on Liverpool. With famous victories over Barcelona and Roma, it gave a sense of belief back to the fans; they went on to finish second in the league the next season, their highest position in the league for the best part of a decade.

 

And of course, there’s the added cherry on top, unlike in 2001, the winner now qualifies for the Champions League. Surely this is easier than deposing one of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal or Manchester United? Not to say that Liverpool can’t do this, but considering the immense pressure that Rodgers is under; a good, composed and convincing run in Europe may turn out to be his safety net, not a big one, but something to fall back on at the very least.

 

 

With the team looking a lot stronger than last year (on paper at least) one of these targets must be met, no near misses. Either Rodgers must win a trophy or finish in the Top 4; anything less than this and he’s out as far as I can see. He’s been given a second chance and a lifeline that would be envious to most managers, but the fans are sharpening their pitchforks in anticipation of the coming season, which is never a good sign. To go from such an exciting team and style of play to the shocking dross offered up last season, there has to be a return to the former as well.

 

The Champions League was clearly a step too far for Rodgers who had his first taste of the competition last year and was outmatched by the class and quality of Real Madrid, even the slippery Basel where too much for him. The Europa League is a really good opportunity for him to learn where he went wrong and with the chances of playing ‘lesser’ teams in the Group Stages, they’re good morale-building exercises too.

 

Get to the Quarter Finals and you start believing you can win it, and why not? You’ve made it this far. With the firepower of Benteke, Sturridge and Firmino, they can match the majority of teams in the Europa League, even those who stumble down from the Champions League.

 

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A win in the Europa League would also get a lot fans back onside with Rodgers, who isn’t exactly popular after questions over his credentials as a manager at this level, his motivation skills and transfer dealings. It will bring him a much needed first trophy as Liverpool manager and show that he has indeed learnt his lesson in Europe and may very well be ready to take on the Champions League with this experience behind him, and give him and indeed the fans the acknowledgement that he is in fact good enough for this level after all.

 

When Chelsea won the competition back in 2013, a lot of hate and venom against Rafa Benitez was wiped away with a Europa League win. Brendan Rodgers must now do the same.

 

http://sabotagetimes.com/football/liverpool-why-the-europa-league-is-important-this-season

[Section_31]

That's all bye the by to an extent because we'll get turned over. Rodgers couldn't be less equipped for European football if he tried.

[Paulie Dangerously]

Delighted to get a letter from BT telling me that I get to have all them PL and CL and EL games for just a fiver a month.

 

Wasn't going to pay for it, but that's great value that.

Ooh bt such great value, hope they let me tongue their arse.

This exchange just made me laugh harder than this forum has in a long time

[Grinch]

Zenit, Basle and, Besiktas have knocked us out of Europe under Rodgers.

 

There's no such thing as an easy draw.

 

[skend04]

Zenit, Basle and, Besiktas have knocked us out of Europe under Rodgers.

 

There's no such thing as an easy draw.

Not when the shitty TV infographics have B.Rodgers down as the coach.

[ZonkoVille77]

Zenit, Basle and, Besiktas have knocked us out of Europe under Rodgers.

 

There's no such thing as an easy draw.

Let Rodgers pick the PL team and Gary Mac for EL. In the bag.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

So, draw this Friday, then.

 

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/index.html

 

Automatic entrants
ESP: Villarreal
ENG: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur
GER: Augsburg, Schalke
ITA: Fiorentina, Napoli
POR: Braga
FRA: Marseille
RUS: Lokomotiv Moskva
NED: Groningen
UKR: Dnipro
BEL: Anderlecht
TUR: Beşiktaş
GRE: Asteras
SUI: Sion

UEFA Champions League play-off losers
ALB: Skënderbeu
SCO: Celtic
SUI: Basel
AUT: Rapid Wien
FRA: Monaco
SUI: Basel
ITA: Lazio
BEL: Club Brugge
CYP: APOEL
POR: Sporting CP

 

Play-Off Winners 

Dinamo Minsk (2) - Red Bull Salzburg (0)

Gabala (0) - Panathanaikos (0)

Astra Giurgiu (3) - AZ (2)

Zoryha Luhannsk (0) - Legia Warsaw (1)

Ajax (1) - Jablonec (0)

Molde (2) - Standard Liege (0)

PAOK (5) - Bronndby (0)

Slovan Liberec (1) - Hajduk Split (0)

Krasnodar (5) - HJK (1)

Sparta Prague (3) - Thun (1)

Milsami Orhei (1) - Saint Etienne (1)

Steaua Bucharest (0) - Rosenborg (3)

Young Boys (0) - Qarabag (1)

Rabotnicki (1) - Rubin Kazan (1)

Atromitos (0) - Fenerbahce (1)

Zilina (3) - Athletic Bilbao (2)

Rheindorf Altach (0) - Belenenses (1)

Bordeaux (1) - Kairat (0)

Odd (3) - Borussia Dortmund (4)

Viktoria Plzen (3) - Vojvodina (0)

Lech Poznan (3) - Videoton (0)

Southampton (1) - Midtjylland (1)

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Some details of the draw,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%9316_UEFA_Europa_League_group_stage

 

We're in Pot 2, so we'll probably be in a group with 1 decent team (e.g. Schalke, Basel, Napoli, Villareal) 1 mediocre team (e.g. APOEL, Partizan, Groningen) and 1 garbage team (e.g. Skenderbeu Korce, Qarabag, Belenenses).

 

We'll still find a way to lose.

[an tha]

Not that European giant Basel again please

[Paco]

Echo saying draws are at 11 and 12.

BBC say 5.

 

What gives?

[Original202]

I think the Europa League draw is tomorrow morning isn't it?

[A_S]

CL draw is 5pm UK time. Not sure about the EL though.

[ZonkoVille77]

Thurs night is my wank night. Shit ain't funny.

[alles ist gut]

According to UEFA our draw is tomorrow at noon our time.

[Jim MM]

Thurs night is my wank night. Shit ain't funny.

It's a wank night for Liverpool FC too.

[TheHowieLama]

We Come Not to Wank.

[Kevin D]

We did not come on her to be fucked at.