The next Europa League season starts in a couple months, and I believe that Fulham is still in line to get a spot because of the UEFA Fair Play rankings. Since the EPL/Englad receives an additional Europa League birth because of their fair play ranking, the highest ranked EPL team that has not otherwise qualified for Europe received a bid. In this case, Chelsea is 1st, but they will qualify via the league (I believe all of this is true, but I am hoping for a confirmation). And it's nice to see our recent run up the table; there is still room to improve our standing a spot or two.
Heck of a nice run to finish out the season. Good to see a number of our players, starters and subs, on good form. Europa would be really nice, but I'm not going to hold my breath. It'll be a pleasant surprise.
Nevermind. Looks like we're in the catbird seat... http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...am-on-course-for-europa-league-return?cc=5901 What do people think? Is another Europa run in the cards? Or a quick exit and focus on the league and maybe FA Cup?
The problem with Europa is it can kill your league season. I wish it were a post-season tournament, but that's a discussion for a different thread I guess.
I would like to see them make a good run into Europa again. Build depth, find out how strong the team is. I think playing in Europe helped them this year from what very little I saw. How does the roster look for next year? How many players coming back and who are they targeting to bring in? Will Dempsey be back?
I hope you guys get it. Even if Spurs lose and Liverpool win, I hope you finish ahead of us in the FP table (I think we're basically tied for 2nd right now). I don't want to have European Games on June 30th. UEFA - Congratulations on being a fair and sporting team. Now you get to play a real game on June 30th and have to play 8 games to get into the group stage. Crazy system.
It is a crazy system, but I'll take it. It looks like it's down to Blackpool and Fulham, according to these Fair Play rankings. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/fairplay/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5901 It looks like it will come down to the last game. No yellows! Even if Fulham doesn't go, it would be crazy to see a team that might be relegated go to the Europa League. How awesome would it be if Blackpool were playing Championship and Europa League games next season?
Wrong table. The real one is much more complex then just number of cards. It includes how positive a team played, its respect towards opponents and referees, and how well its teams officials behaved. http://www.premierleague.com/page/FairPlayTable Note that its only through April 30th so its a few weeks behind.
Gera picked up a red in the final game. Unofficial early word is that Blackpool pipped them in the table. Thx, Jay!
Anyone saying that either doesn't understand the fair play system or is guessing. The ratings are classified and todays match delegate still have to file his reports to the Premier League. I'd be surprised if Fulham doesn't get it.
It's a six point lead without three games of the respect/positive play numbers not being known. That's down from 16 points on April 30. You are probably right that the numbers will come out in Fulham's favor. But it's fun watching all the world crash in on twitter. Thx, Jay!
I hope that we get it - although it would be crazier if Birmingham AND Blackpool were playing in Europe next season. So close! Whatever happens, an 8th place finish is not bad at all, especially considering how we struggled for part of the season and the injuries we had to deal with. That's 8th, 12th, and 7th over the past 3 seasons; a far cry from the relegation battles Fulham faced in the couple years prior.
Fulham must wait for Europa League fair-play decision http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13492544.stm
And Fulham got the Fair Play spot. We'll have to wait until June 20th to see who we face in the First Qualifying Round, though. And since we are a seeded team, the best team we'd have to face in the first round is an unseeded team, hopefully from a somewhat nearby country.
Better than they are in November. And I wasn't thinking of the Faroes. I was thinking more along the lines of Northern Ireland or Wales. Luxembourg and Andorra are relatively close, as well.
Oh, I know... just amazed at the backwater possibilities. Obviously Wales, NI, or some tiny Western/Northern European country would be ideal. Modova would be a disaster. And I'd send a team of janitors to Serbia rather than risk injuries.
Fulham can be matched up against one of 25 teams from one of the following countries: Northern Ireland, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Albania, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Armenia, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, San Marino, Wales, Luxembourg or Andorra. San Marino wouldn't be that bad either. A bit of a travel, but good for sightseeing.
Yeah. I looked after posting and saw Serbia wasn't an option. Too lazy to fix it. I'd say Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Montenegro would be the worst case scenarios.
I am interested to see what kind of depth Fulham will have going into Europa and who will get PT. Are Fulham going after any particular players this offseason?
Sweet, we got in! Yeah, I would prefer to avoid those countries listed above, but whatever happens I am looking forward to finding out.
