Europe 2006-07: Ambition or Fantasy Football

[Gunnerhibby]

Would Rod Petrie and the Hibs board consider the possibility of this, and give Tony Mowbray the backing needed to achieve it ...


Taken from the Hootsmon ...


THE winners of this season's Bank of Scotland Premierleague title will almost certainly gain direct entry to the lucrative group stage of the Champions League next year.

It had been widely accepted that the 2005-06 SPL champions would begin their Champions League campaign next season in the third qualifying round of the tournament. However, it has emerged that only an unlikely set of circumstances will prevent Scotland's top club from being ensured the potential £10million bounty from a place in the group stage.

So long as the winners of this season's Champions League have already qualified directly for the group stage of next year's tournament through their domestic league position, then the champion of the tenth-ranked country on the UEFA list, in this instance Scotland, will gain the unused 'title holder' spot in the group stage.

Ahead of next week's final Champions League group fixtures, ten clubs have already booked their place in the last 16 and read like a Who's Who of European football. Bayern Munich, Juventus, Arsenal, Ajax, Barcelona, Lyon, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea and Inter Milan are the teams safely through, with fellow aristocrats such as AC Milan and Manchester United expected to join them.

It would be a major shock if the ultimate winner of the Champions League did not come from that cast list, all of whom should also secure direct qualification to the group stage of next season's competition through their domestic leagues.

For Hearts and Hibernian, currently in hot pursuit of Gordon Strachan's team at the top of the SPL, the possibility that their first ever involvement in the Champions League could be at such a rarefied level is an exciting one both from a footballing and fiscal perspective.

The difference between finishing first and second in the SPL will be further accentuated by the runners-up entering the Champions League in the second qualifying round, leaving them with two hazardous hurdles to clear if they are to join the title winners in the group stage.


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And for our Hun viewer ...
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Scotland, meanwhile, could have five clubs participating in Europe next season if sufficient interest is shown in the revamped Intertoto Cup. UEFA have cut the tournament from five rounds to three, with the 11 winners of the third round matches all then going into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

While SPL clubs have generally been dismissive of the Intertoto Cup, the incentive for participation is now greater. Scotland's representative would enter at the second round stage, which will take place on 2 and 9 July next year.



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[Brian]

Gunner, I told you that 2 weeks ago ...

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Dinnae read the Hootsmon, read the Bounce
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