Can I just add

[Jem]

That the mighty EFC are now officially in the Champions league, thank god for that !!!

Love it.

Jem

ps we are also the bestest team on Merseyside...official.

pps come on you AC Milan boys.

[powermite]

I can you just acknowledge that the Gooners helped get you there

PM

[jpchenet]

So is that official then?? What if Liverpool win the Champions League??

[Rob]

So is that official then?? What if Liverpool win the Champions League??

it has been officially announced that whether liverpool win or not, all four places will get a champions league place

[jpchenet]

So is that official then?? What if Liverpool win the Champions League??

it has been officially announced that whether liverpool win or not, all four places will get a champions league place

So we could end up with the reigning champions not being able to defend their title if they do win it?  Bizarre. Only in Europe!!!!!!

[Rob]

So is that official then?? What if Liverpool win the Champions League??

it has been officially announced that whether liverpool win or not, all four places will get a champions league place

So we could end up with the reigning champions not being able to defend their title if they do win it?  Bizarre. Only in Europe!!!!!!

i think you misunderstood me(lots of people do)  if liverpool do win then they will automaticallybe entered into next years competition.
it was meant as a 'the top four places, as well as the champions league winner' will qualify

[Robspot]

Not true Mr Postie. As it stands currently, if Liverpool win they will only be entered again if the FA ask for them to go in instead of Everton. The FA have said they will not do this. UEFA have refused to change the rules to allow the defending champions back in if they fail to finish in the top four.

[tink]

get with it rob come on! as it stands only the top will be in the champs league next season, which obviously wont include liverpool. if uefa were to include liverpool they would have to kick somebody else out so i think its unlikely that england will get 5 places.

much as i think a team should be given a chance to defend their trophy i think that everton deserve the place more after playing 38 games to finish 4th, compared to the 15 (?) that liverpool played to win the champs league

[Robspot]

if uefa were to include liverpool they would have to kick somebody else out

Why not cut the germans down to three teams then there's a chance we might not bloody lose to them again   I'm a gooner.

[Abs]

If (when) Liverpool win the Champions League they will be entered as defending champions along with the top four.

Funny to hear Everton are the top team on Merseyside, let's wait and see what happens when they have Europe to contend with as well (and I don't mean for their hols!!!!).  

Rafa's revolution continues.....

[Nobby Diesel]

The FA confirmed today that the top four teams in the Premiership at the end of the season will enter next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The decision follows a recommendation from this afternoon’s Professional Game Board meeting, which has been endorsed by The FA Main Board. This will not be changed whatever the outcome of Liverpool's Champions League Final in Istanbul on 25 May.

However, The FA also believes that if Liverpool win in Istanbul and do not finish in the top four in the Premiership, an extra place should be allocated to them in the Champions League next season.

This is ultimately a matter for UEFA, but The FA will continue to make representations on this issue at the highest level.

Taken from www.thefa.com

[tink]

yeah its not a difficult concept. the fa can allocate 4 places, presumably, to whoever they wish. i guess they could allocate them to the top four in division 3 if they wanted.

there's no rule that the winners of the champions league gain automatic entry, their country's FA has to nominate them. as it stands the FA are nominatng Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and Everton as the four teams to represent England in the champions league next season.

a few years ago real madrid won the champs league (1999/00 i think) but finished 5th in the spanish league. as a result the spanish FA decided to give their 4th champs league place to real madrid at the expense of real zaragoza who had finished 4th in the league

[Nobby Diesel]

I was at the FA 10 days ago and from what I could manage to get out of some people there, there is no way UEFA will grant an additional place.

If the boot were on the other foot and a Premiership side lost their European spot because this situation arose in Germany, there would be an outcry.

Everyone knows the rules at the start of the season.

[jpchenet]

Just to throw another idea into the pot ()I hope UEFA read this forum!) they could always allow this year's Champions in at the expense of Inter Milan (who are currently 3rd in Serie A) due to their crowd behaviour in the semis. Or perhaps one of the Spanish teams for ther racist chanting at the recent Spain - England match.

Let's face it, they wouldn't be the first teams not allowed to compete in Europe for crowd trouble would they!

[tink]

Just to throw another idea into the pot ()I hope UEFA read this forum!) they could always allow this year's Champions in at the expense of Inter Milan (who are currently 3rd in Serie A) due to their crowd behaviour in the semis. Or perhaps one of the Spanish teams for ther racist chanting at the recent Spain - England match.

Let's face it, they wouldn't be the first teams not allowed to compete in Europe for crowd trouble would they!

well said JP. that makes sense - throw inter out. thats what i said at the time, but there was no way it was gonna happen. now uefa have a compelling reason to get rid of inter for crowd trouble, or real madrid for the racism