Do we now care about the Europa league

Sell out crowd for a qualifying game, the largest number of away fans ever to travel abroad for a saints game, many without tickets, a memorable night at at Mary's which will live long in the memory suggests that not only do we care about it, bit we're positively embracing it and loving ever minute.

Yet it was only a few short months ago many fans on here wanted 'champions league or nothing' the Europa league was a pain, a distraction. Qualification this season could be detrimental to our champions league hopes this season. People spoke only about not really wanting to be part of it. So what's changed? A few realists on here always stated it was be an amazing thing for us to get into Europe for only the 2nd time in 30 years, but unless it was the champions league they appeared to be a minority.

So what changed in a few months?

You really are nothing more than an attention seeker get a life ffs

You really are nothing more than an a attention seeker get a life ffs

Its a perfectly reasonable question.

No, its your typical stance

I've never been in the don't-care-about-europa set but I understand people who are more excited about it now we're in it (and apparently taking it seriously) than they were when we were in 3rd and might get CL.

The club is in the football business, and the goal is to win competitions. Europa league is probably the most prestigious competition that Southampton currently has a chance of winning. Not saying we're going to, but we're in it so it's possible.

I doubt it was more than a vocal minority who were saying it was a distraction, and a vocal minority on a board that itself represents a minority of saints fans probably isn't much to go by. I suspect most fans are happy just to go to the games, game by game and are thrilled come what may.

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I've never been in the don't-care-about-europa set but I understand people who are more excited about it now we're in it (and apparently taking it seriously) than they were when we were in 3rd and might get CL.

 

The club is in the football business, and the goal is to win competitions. Europa league is probably the most prestigious competition that Southampton currently has a chance of winning. Not saying we're going to, but we're in it so it's possible.

Spot on.

I've always embraced it- I was too young to go in 2003- but to travel around Europe watching your team- what a proud feeling and one I can't wait to embark upon

There's so many places to explore and I love travelling- a lot of Europe I have never seen yet!

Yet it was only a few short months ago many fans on here wanted 'champions league or nothing' the Europa league was a pain, a distraction.

Only in your mind.

Now, at the start of the competition, of course people are excited about it, but ask again come January/February if league position suffers.

Now, at the start of the competition, of course people are excited about it, but ask again come January/February if league position suffers.

If we are still in it come February then we are in the last 16! I'll take that and happily finish a bit lower. A european adventure will be fun.

Only in your mind.

Okay, let's all do the usual 'no one ever said that' routine.

Some people change their opinions. It is allowed you know.

Sell out crowd for a qualifying game, the largest number of away fans ever to travel abroad for a saints game, many without tickets, a memorable night at at Mary's which will live long in the memory suggests that not only do we care about it, bit we're positively embracing it and loving ever minute.

 

Yet it was only a few short months ago many fans on here wanted 'champions league or nothing' the Europa league was a pain, a distraction. Qualification this season could be detrimental to our champions league hopes this season. People spoke only about not really wanting to be part of it. So what's changed? A few realists on here always stated it was be an amazing thing for us to get into Europe for only the 2nd time in 30 years, but unless it was the champions league they appeared to be a minority.

 

So what changed in a few months?

I want us to win everything we can. I'm a saint. That never changes.

I want us to win everything we can. I'm a saint. That never changes.

vote up;)

Sell out crowd for a qualifying game, the largest number of away fans ever to travel abroad for a saints game, many without tickets, a memorable night at at Mary's which will live long in the memory suggests that not only do we care about it, bit we're positively embracing it and loving ever minute.

 

Yet it was only a few short months ago many fans on here wanted 'champions league or nothing' the Europa league was a pain, a distraction. Qualification this season could be detrimental to our champions league hopes this season. People spoke only about not really wanting to be part of it. So what's changed? A few realists on here always stated it was be an amazing thing for us to get into Europe for only the 2nd time in 30 years, but unless it was the champions league they appeared to be a minority.

 

So what changed in a few months?

Ooooh ok ok ok my Turkish sweetheart yes we're looking we're looking. Oh good booooooy, very impressive sweet keep going, oh yes sweet we're still looking, we're still looking.

this comment seems to have been " inherited " from the Cortese/ Pochettino period when ..... it was CL - or bust. Realistically we were never ready.

Our natural progression from the L1 days has been a marathon rather than a sprint. Despite the performances in the last two seasons, the team has naturally evolved. Players come - others go but at no time did I feel we were ready for the CL...although a few weeks in Prem. 3rd place spot did show we have the potential for Europe, but the fact remains that the same 5- 6 teams have been playing "musical chairs" in the top places for the last 10 years, and very few clubs have managed to break that monopoly, and tbh very few seem to have the potential to do so ....maybe we could ....in a year or two?

Without a decent show in the Europa League - like a good finish in the eventual group stages - we would end up being cannon fodder for the big clubs - if we made a CL spot at the end of this season. The real test of our quality this season will not be the Prem. but against international opposition in the Europa League.

Much has been written about the " Koeman revolution " already, and there 's more to come. Our weakness last season was a lack of adequate " quality back-up" when we had an injury crisis and some players had a dip in form. We need even more players capable of coming in to cover key injuries / suspensions and with the prospect of a Prem. season plus two cup runs and an extended Euro league program would mean over 50 games this season.

A Prem.season plus two or three Semi-final / Cup Final places means..... over 60 games. Not many player will be able to sustain the fitness / form for all that time - especially when you consider some of our players would also be playing extra international matches in between those other games.

The answer YES - we care about Europa League - it's the next step-up in the development of the club. How we achieve that is Ronald Koeman's dilemma.

Okay, let's all do the usual 'no one ever said that' routine.

I think you should definitely spend the day digging up quotes to prove the point. You would be doing us all a favour.

I personally can't remember what my opinion was. I suspect I said it would be shït, but I loved the vitesse game and look forward to more of the same.

Will it hurt our league position? Maybe, but I'd rather be in than out.

I want us to win everything we can. I'm a saint. That never changes.

LIKE.

Totally reasonable OP. Why is everyone having a go?

There were plenty deriding it. Makes me laugh how someone I know was calling it Mickey Mouse last season and didn't want to be in

it. Same chap posts 'he's buzzing' prior to Vitesse game. So something has changed with him.

Personally I love it and more so as Sky tend to ignore to concentrate on Didier Drogba selfies, MLS all star friendlies and player's inane tweets.

Feels like proper football. Thursday/Sunday thing does p1ss me off though.

And same people slagging it off and now embracing it will be the same people calling for boycotts and removal of les Reed. Tis the type of Piers Morgan fan who is spoilt and wants instant action when doesn't get to win every time. Sack Wenger, sack Cook etc. Slightly digress but tis the annoying cnt of a fan that plagues the modern game.

Personally I feel that currently we are in an intolerable situation. Completely intolerable.

I have no problems with Europa other then Thurs/Sun football, If we go far in the comp we can help aid development of the under 21/22 players like Reed JWP Targett etc, they can play in the league cup games and 2nd leg of this round and hopefully the last game of the group stage.

Hopefully we can maintain a top 8 finish and gain experience in Europe to help us maybe next season or season after have a real chance of winning it and making the CL.

Sports science and writting off the league cup in the early stages should allow are players to stay fresh and maintain good performances in 2/3 comps, we have enough depth with the academy players.

Personally I feel that currently we are in an intolerable situation. Completely intolerable.

You've changed

The sun is shining, we have won a game and the football fan's sense of 'early season optimism' is in full flow. This however is a question that would be more usefully asked I think when the (inevitable?) 'bill' for all these additional games we may face this season arrives - IE if our Premier League form starts to suffer.

Ask the question then and see whether this competition is still seen to a blessing or a burden.

Its a perfectly reasonable question.

It is reasonable because I read a lot of it on here. Champions League realistically was never going to happen but it was fun being up there challenging whilst it lasted. I'm buzzing about the Europa league tbh and really hope we qualify as a seeded team!

I honestly think that with our recent success, a majority of our younger fan base have become too accustomed to winning ways and now just expect they unexpected. There were so many melts on line coming up with statistics and percentages about how we were going to finish in the top four. Embarrassing really.

Anyway, lets make the most of it. I'll take survival this year along with a good run in Europe and maybe a domestic cup run as well.

Not particularly bothered by it. I'm convinced it will only have a negative effect on our league form as it has every other English club who've played in it.

I also believe that football should be played at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Having to move games to a Sunday as a result of playing in the Europa league doesn't work. You can't take two young children to an away game at the other end of the country with a 4pm kick off on a Sunday when they've got to be in school on Monday morning.

Is it easier to come 4th in the PL or win the Europa League?

Probably to won europa league. I love being in a different competition and pleased we're in the europa but Turkish is right to an extent there are a few who thought we were better than what we are and didn't want to be a part of europa. No doubt they've changed their minds now.

Its a perfectly reasonable question.

It is. Just delivered with your usual sneering tone of derision.

For what it's worth, for a club like us it's superb to qualify. I'm also realistic enough to understand that it could lead to a less than spectacular Premier League campaign this season. Here's hoping we buck the trend.

The original poster's question was reasonable in the sense that there were some people posting here (and probably other places) that it would be bad to qualify for the Europa League. What makes the whole thing unreasonable is that those people were being quite foolish. What is the point of all this if we do not want to do as well as possible each season. Should we have deliberately lost a few games at the end of last season so that Swansea would play in Europe instead of us? Is our goal to finish no higher than 8th every year? If so, that is a stupid stupid goal.

I recognize that it will be difficult to qualify for the champions league. I recognize that it is virtually impossible in the rigged system that is the Premier League to win the title. But progress towards either goal requires improvement over time and (usually) from year to year. There is no way to do that without qualifying for the Europa League on a regular basis.

Tottenham and Liverpool may wish they could shoot for fourth place each year without the distraction of the Europa League, but they undoubtedly recognize that it is better to finish 5th than 6th than 7th than 8th etc. Who knows, maybe if we had finished 5th and Liverpool had finished 8th they would not have been able to sign Clyne away from us. (Or more likely he would have cost them more money in transfer fees and salary.)

No one has yet explained how Southampton is supposed to strive to be the best it can but still avoid the Europa League. Absent such an explanation, the original poster's reasonable post was simply a "reasonable post" based upon complete nonsense.

As a side note, if we ever qualify for the Champions League, a good coefficient from the Europa League will greatly improve our status in the draw making it more likely we would qualify for the group phase from a fourth place league finish and more likely we would reach the knockout phase thereafter. This year is the first time that Manchester City's poor performances in Europe will not hurt them in the group draw. Had they done better in Europa, they might have avoided some of their group of deaths in the recent past.

For me I'm more concerned with the domestic competitions but I want us to compete in everything we take part in.

Not particularly bothered by it. I'm convinced it will only have a negative effect on our league form as it has every other English club who've played in it.

 

I also believe that football should be played at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Having to move games to a Sunday as a result of playing in the Europa league doesn't work. You can't take two young children to an away game at the other end of the country with a 4pm kick off on a Sunday when they've got to be in school on Monday morning.

Games get played on Sundays Europa Cup or no.

I think these lads are quite excited about it!

You can't take two young children to an away game at the other end of the country with a 4pm kick off on a Sunday when they've got to be in school on Monday morning.

Especially if they're not yours.

When you sign foreign international players - why shouldn't they want to play against foreign opposition?. Over 200 countries will enter the World Cup competition and every game outside of your own league is part of a learning curve. International players will want to get that vital experience - why do clubs deny it?

As the Premier League is regarded (by many players at least) as the best in the World, let's also remember - there are 12 clubs in the Prem. who won't be playing in it.

Only thing I don't like is the Thursday-Sunday.

More Saints games...what's not to like.

The winner of Europa League now gets a place in the CL. For a club like us it's easier to win the Europa League then it is to finish 4th in the Prem, and it'd be far more of a baller achievement to actually win something in the process rather then just finish 4th.

The winner of Europa League now gets a place in the CL. For a club like us it's easier to win the Europa League then it is to finish 4th in the Prem, and it'd be far more of a baller achievement to actually win something in the process rather then just finish 4th.

It won't happen but could you imagine if it did? Winning a European trophy and qualifying for next seasons Champions League! would be un ****ing real!!

The problem with Turkish is that whenever a contentious point comes up, he'll immediately act as if everyone bar him took the opposite point of view and act as if he was the only one swimming against the grain.

Some wanted the Ropey League

Some didn't.

Some were quite keen on the novelty but acknowledged that it'd probably have a negative impact on our domestic campaign a la Everton last year.

I think most people are more-or-less a bit of all three.

Nothing to see here.

Quite frankly, its probably the fact that its was our biggest game since we were knocked out by Steaua that saw record numbers turn up. A lot of people, kids especially, probably wouldnt get a better chance of seeing local European football, and at the prices they were sold at, was practically a give away. Im proud of the Saints for what we have achieved these last few years, I think the Northam end summed it up when they chanted we come from League 1, said it all for me really. I hope we go far in the Europa League, not disappointing at all that we didnt get CL football. Had probably our best season for a long long time and I hope it continues.

I have always been in the football is 3pm on a Saturday camp but with the intervention of TV money and the Europa league times have changed and we have got to get used to it and accept it. I remember the European nights at The Dell and after the anfttmosphere on Thursday night I want more of them.

We support Saints no?

If so it's a stupid question.

It would be, if the majority of people had said they weren't interested in the europa league, but that was never the case. As often happens on here you've just used the view of a couple of more vocal posters to argue against and made out it was a general trend. Blatantly obvious most saints fans would be absolutely delighted to be in Europe after all this time and you're well aware of it.

Oh come on don't ruin Turkish's MO. This is how he gets his kicks in life applying half a dozen posters opinion to the entire Saints fanbase how else can he feel smug and superior?

Did we not care then?

Kettlebells