Runners-Up League

The Liverpool followers at work are unbearably smug this morning, when asked if I saw the 'footy' I said 'No I didnt watch FOOTBALL I listened to Exeter v Bournemouth on the radio, a proper game in a league that actually means something to me not some farcical runners-up league in which teams who finish 2nd 3rd and 4th in their respective countries play for the European Cup, a trophy which once meant something when the Champions of the said leagues played each other for the right to be the best team in Europe.

Liverpool won this competition after they finished way back in fourth place in the Premier League, surely thats wrong? I mourn the passing of the Cup-Winners cup and the way the EUFA cup has become a disjointed carousel of knockout qualifiers followed by group stages then the remaining teams are joined by the Runners-Up League cast offs and goes back to a knockout basis.

The joke game in the Runners-Up League last night was the German Champions Bayern Munich thrashing Portugals third best team 7-1 which became 12-1 on aggregate, what a team they must be to lose five nothing at home.

The likes of Rotherham, Luton and Bournemouth who have been deducted points just because they owned up to being skint should be rewarded with cash injections from the Football League the FA and EUFA not get fines and points taken away that in Lutons case will see them losing their league status and playing in the Conference next season.

Chelsea operate on a loss making basis every season, Roman bless him writes a cheque to cover the deficit (usually around the £100m mark) how is that responsible business practice? I don't see Chelsea starting the Premier League with a minus 17 points total, even if they did they'd still probably qualify for the runners-up league because the gap now between the rich clubs and the rest has widened so much, ok Everton and Villa have a pretend go at a top four finish but I'll be very surprised if it doesnt end up tediously with United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal......again.