I did go off down a rabbit hole of wondering if Red Star Belgrade were the only champions of Europe whose league they'd qualified from had disappeared the season they won their trophy, but no, the Yugoslav First League went on a couple of years after 1991.
-
-
Milan played 19 matches to win the 2003 CL: a qualifier (2 legs), first group, second group, QF, SF, Final.
Sampdoria uniquely played in the only group stage of the old European Cup but have never been in a CL group.Comment
-
Nice one, West Ham officially the worst winners, by domestic performance, Bayern and Villa winning the Big Cup while finishing 10th and 11th is even more remarkable though.
In years to come Alex you'll look back with pride on Rangers' record breaking CL campaign. When you're cheering for Malmo to pick up a point to protect 'your' record you'll know you've healedComment
-
I know we've all had enough of Jake Humphrey talking more about the medium than the message but - yeah - this is why I love this thread.Originally posted by colchestersid View Post
And, yes, I am also trying to distract from the fact I assumed there had to be someone who'd finished domestically lower than the Hammers while winning a European trophy.
Never, ever assume. The hard proof is out there.
Aye, Sid - I've watched a lot of clips of Bayern at home in that period and, as big as it is, the Olympic Stadium is noticeably empty for many domestic games.Comment
-
Thing is, it was a club record worst group stage but the only official UCL record we were on the wrong side of was the fastest hat-trick.Originally posted by seand View Post
It was the fastest in the history of all European club competition for all of - what? - four months, until Gift Orban took the best part of three minutes off it at Istanbul Basaksehir for Gent in the Conference League knockouts.
Plenty other sides have finished a UCL group campaign with zero points, three have scored zero goals compared to Rangers' two, and Viktoria Plzen conceded 24 goals in this season's group stage - becoming the third side to do so - compared to our 22 against.
BATE Borisov once finished with a goal difference of -22, beating our -20, BUT, amazingly, BATE won a game in that horror campaign of theirs.
I won't lie, though, the other kicker the night we lost at home to Ajax in the final group game was seeing Viktoria Plzen's result come up on the score board. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen over there, even before KO, and Barca eased up in the final quarter hour - one more goal from the Catalans would have put the Czechs on the same goal difference as us.
Only one more season of the group stage in this format so I'm just hoping we don't qualify so we can't outdo ourselves by scoring no goals and conceding 25 (although if we pick up three points along the way is that. better or worse?? Especially if it's three nil-nils!)
Think I will be a wee bit gutted though if someone else scores a faster UCL hat-trick... or even more gutted if it's Haaland at Ibrox.Last edited by Alex Anderson; 15-06-2023, 16:21. Reason: When Fashion Sakala puts us three up at the Bernabeu with a hat-trick in next season's group stage I'll be the only Bluenose in a huff, coz he scored all three in 6 minutes 13 seconds.Comment
-
If you did fail to qualify you'd have a small silver lining of going into Pot 1 of the Europa League group stage and therefore avoiding the chance of Salah trying to improve on his hat trick time - at least until the knock out rounds...Originally posted by Alex Anderson View PostComment
-
We'll have signed him by then, TRL. He was on the bench when we opened the scoring that night. He drank in the noise. He wants more of that. Plus he scored for Egypt's Olympic team at Hampden. He loves it here.Comment
-
The West Ham stat does bolster the argument that the Conf League ought not to have the big leagues in it.
I'd have assumed that the CWC would have some weak winners but it's not borne out by this metric.Comment
-
I've probably argued this elsewhere. But the top five leagues definitely should not be in the Conference League. Frankly, they've got the rest of the tournaments to themselves and should leave the other 50 countries with one to compete for.Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View Post
It's been quite nauseating all the English coverage of this West Ham success as if it's some kind of Roy of the Rovers triumph. West Ham are that tournament's flat-track bullies.
I'll be astonished if Villa don't win it next year.Comment
-
Okay, inspired by the sad news of Trevor Francis's death, but the 1979 European Cup ... was it the only one where both the previous year's finalists (Liverpool and Brugge) went out at the first stage? Forest beat Liverpool, and Brugge went out against Wisla Krakow.Comment
-
Virtually certain to be the case for the European Cup proper, given the number of times losing finalists did not qualify for the following competition at all.
May not be the case if one includes the Champions League, with the added complication of one needing to ignore group stages.Comment
-
I was, actually, wondering if it was now more likely if you included the group stages as "going out at the first stage", although I think Real Madrid have never suffered that fate so that rules out a quarter of CL-era ones.Originally posted by ursus arctos View PostComment
-
Madrid have only gone out at the first stage of either competition once, losing a two legged tie to Anderlecht in the Preliminary Round in 1962-63.
They had been losing finalists in 61-62, but Benfica reached the 62-63 Final (which they lost to Milan).Comment
-
From my collection. It's the first time I've noticed that it was played on a Wednesday afternoon.Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
Comment
-
There were some league games played that night - due to the bad winter.
Hardaker disparaged the match in the build-up. Many clubs returned tickets.Comment
-
I think the attendance barely reached 40 000.Comment
-
Chelsea in 2012-2013 were the first Champions League holders to exit at the group stage the following season, losing out to Juventus amd Shakthar, although they did beat Nordsjælland to the Europa spot.Comment
-
Though the losing finalists in 2011-12 won the the thing in 2012-13
2003-04is the only season in which FC Bayern failed to progress from the group stages of the Champions LeagueComment
-
Have we done the most number of different nationalities represented in a European final?Comment
Comment