bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Little article I did for my blog.As the dust settles on our failed European campaign, I thought now was the time to reflect. The first thing that everyone panics about when your team fail to make Europe is the money. That's understandable. Your club will have debts to pay, players to buy etc... Losing to Malmo in the Champions League was a massive blow financially. There is silly money to be made in that competition and last season we made just over €18m, which is a lot we have lost out on for this upcoming campaign. But we knew we had lost out on that over 3 weeks ago. Only Bougherra has left(he was leaving regardless) and we have brought in a few players since then, albeit for small fees. So although we have lost out on millions because of our early exit, it has not meant a mass exodus of our best players to help the club financially. We actually signed them up on multi year extensions as early as we possibly could.Now lets compare the money we made in the Champions League last season, to what teams made in the Europa League. The most any team made in the Europa League group stages last season was €9m and that was Villarreal. Half of what 3rd place in our group, 1 win and 3 draws got us. The least amount that was made in the Champions League was by Slovakian side MSK Zilina with €7m. The difference there is astonishing. The money is to be made in the Champions League and we knew a while ago we weren't getting there this season.But that doesn't take away from the disappointment in losing to N.K Maribor. They weren't a great team in either leg, yet we struggled against them. Did we underestimate them? Did we lack the quality to beat them? I think the latter certainly has a big part to play in it. Some would say you measure the strength of a team by how strong the bench is. Well we were bare on the bench on Thursday night. The only players who were there to call on in an attacking sense were John Fleck and David Healy. Fleck has left a lot to be desired the few times he has made the team and Healy hasn't been scoring goals for a long time. It showed in his one on one chance that he should have put away.So although we have lost out financially(more so in the Champions League obviously) where have we gained? Domestically is the short answer to that. Not having to play every other Thursday should be a massive help to us in the SPL. Having to travel to God knows where wouldn't have helped us and playing catch up to Corinthians of Parkhead every other Sunday wouldn't have helped us either. The players should be able to stay fresh by not having to play during the week and it will save a fixture congestion when that Scottish winter hits us.Winning the SPL is our bread and butter, even if we are participating in Europe. So this untimely elimination shouldn't knock our focus. It is disappointing not to be in the Champions League or Europa League, the distraction away from domestic matters is sometimes a good thing. But we have one aim now and that's 4 in a row.http://bluenoseblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/time-to-reflect.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Absolutely mate Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misteral 2,932 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Well you're right of course. Does the EL include gate money etc or just TV and results prizes? Anyway, we just have to bite the bullet and get on with winning the league. I hope we do, especially for Ally's sake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 http://www.uefa.com/uefa/management/finance/news/newsid=1661184.htmlhttp://www.uefa.com/uefa/management/finance/news/newsid=1661038.htmlIf you click the link at the bottom of those 2 articles you will get a breakdown of the financial distribution for both tournaments. They don't include gate receipts, it is just TV and prize money. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluepeter 5,627 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Good article bluenose A sense of realism is something that's often missing, the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth does us no good. We're not in Europe anymore, let's get on with the job at hand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Good article bluenose A sense of realism is something that's often missing, the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth does us no good. We're not in Europe anymore, let's get on with the job at hand.Cheers BP Missing out on the Champions League was a big blow, prestige wise and financially. But the Europa League is a different story. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dummiesoot 16,037 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Good write up bluenose The financial disparity between the two tournaments is a disgrace one which uefa have to address there is far too much financial emphasis and pressure to get to the CL for clubs of rangers stature. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Good write up bluenose The financial disparity between the two tournaments is a disgrace one which uefa have to address there is far too much financial emphasis and pressure to get to the CL for clubs of rangers stature.The difference in money is astonishing. I didn't realise just how bad it was. Even when you get to the latter stages it's still not very good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCS 649 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 A nice uncontroversial read. Doesn't really address any of the core issues or problems at the club.I intend to 'reflect' comprehensively when the transfer window slams shut in a few days time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenose_72 198 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 It'll be interesting to see if we can at least bring in one quality player before the window shuts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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