Toulouse FC Thread

[toulousain]

No excuses, but it can be explained. Years of bad results, not a great history and the popularity of the rugby team.

I didn't like "they don't deserve their success". The ranking isn't done with the crowd attendances.

[guignol]

The ranking isn't done with the crowd attendances.and ASM is the best example of that! i used to go watch them in the days when they were the big dogs in D1, went to a CWC final, and to top it all off had the sweetest team to watch in all of football: klinsmann, scifo, weah, djorkaeff, rui barros, sauzée, thuram... and coached by arsène wenger! and even in those days louis II made less noise than my mom's bridge club!

[SportBoy333]

If I was in the stands I'd be making much noise.

[RandyNA74]

Modified the thread title to eliminate the "2005/06" since...it's a couple of years old! :eek:

[blackjack]

Read in the paper this morning that Gerrard and Carragher are both out of tonight's game. I like the thought of Elmander being marked by a makeshift center-half. I'll be cheering hard for you guys tonight, both as a fan of L1 and as an enemy of Liverpool!

[guignol]

Modified the thread title to eliminate the "2005/06" since...it's a couple of years old! :eek:you can change your avatar too: it's history! ;)

[RandyNA74]

you can change your avatar too: it's history! ;)

See, I'm a big believer in "living history" and being aware of where we came from, so it's my duty to keep it as is. :)

In the extremely unlikely event Napoli wins the scudetto, though, that policy may have to change...

[Catfish]

I hope Toulouse shocks Anfield and gets a win today.

[SportBoy333]

I hope Toulouse shocks Anfield and gets a win today.

I'm watching the match and they are clearing being outclassed. They are not "the 3rd best French team"

[blackjack]

ouch. to be honest, a very poor showing for TFC.

[midknight]

I doubt he'd leave just because of that. I dont like how this Champions League draw works. A team like Liverpool which is one of the ten biggest clubs in Europe, should automatically go to the group stages. Toulouse should be playing against a team of similar quality from a "lesser league." Its more fair that way. Liverpool doesnt need to be playing this match, just send them through I'd say. Toulouse can "earn" their spot against similar quality teams.

The problem is that as it stands right now, UEFA refuses to let any team that can't finish in the top 2 in its domestic league get a free pass to the group stage.

The big 6 (Spain, Italy, England, Germany, France, Portugal) each get 2 free passes, Holland, Belgium and Greece get one) The rest of the teams all have to qualify through various levels. Because England, Italy and Spain get 4 spots, some poor sucker always finds themselves having to face one of Liverpool/Arsenal, Seville/Valencia or Deportivo, AC Milan/Roma/Inter/Juventus or Lazio in the third qualifying round

However since UEFA doesn't believe in seeding knockout draws, you're equally as likely to draw the Danish champions as you are last years beaten finalists when you can't come first or second in league 1 or in the Portuguese Super liga. Guess which one Benfica got ?

[midknight]

I'm watching the match and they are clearing being outclassed. They are not "the 3rd best French team"

Doesn't make a difference. Ever since Monaco disbanded their bomb squad, tthe third placed French team bombs out in the quallfiers

[SportBoy333]

Doesn't make a difference. Ever since Monaco disbanded their bomb squad, tthe third placed French team bombs out in the quallfiers

No I dont think so. I believe last year Lille was the 3rd place team and the drew a "weaker" team and went through easily. The cycle changes every other year. Last year 3rd place French draws a weaker team, this year they draw a stronger team. Next year 3rd place French will draw a weaker team again. Year before Lille 3rd place team Monaco drew Betis(stronger team). Its a recurring pattern.

[sl7vk]

Wow, talk about a club that may have been better off just missing Europe last year.....

Way to much for Toulouse to handle.

[blackjack]

It was a tough draw, so I don't think it's fair to say that the 3rd French team is never good enough play the group stage. Had Toulouse drawn almost anybody else, save perhaps Sevilla, Arsenal, and one or two others, they would have gone through. There will be teams that are worst than TFC in the group stage.

[midknight]

No I dont think so. I believe last year Lille was the 3rd place team and the drew a "weaker" team and went through easily. The cycle changes every other year. Last year 3rd place French draws a weaker team, this year they draw a stronger team. Next year 3rd place French will draw a weaker team again. Year before Lille 3rd place team Monaco drew Betis(stronger team). Its a recurring pattern.

My bad. You're right.

I guess it can be pretty infuriating though when you see the disparity in between the choice of teams who get to the third qualifying rounds. I'm sure Everton is still smarting from having to play Villareal last year

I always wonder what UEFA would do if the draw threw up an Arsenal - Intermilan or a Liverpool - Valence in the third qualifying round

[toulousain]

No I dont think so. I believe last year Lille was the 3rd place team and the drew a "weaker" team and went through easily. The cycle changes every other year. Last year 3rd place French draws a weaker team, this year they draw a stronger team. Next year 3rd place French will draw a weaker team again. Year before Lille 3rd place team Monaco drew Betis(stronger team). Its a recurring pattern.

It is due to UEFA coefficients and luck.
Toulouse wasn't seeded as they hadn't played in European competitions for 20 years and they drew the best opponent possible (in terms of UEFA coefficient).
Last year, Lille was a seeded team as they played Champions League and UEFA Cup in recent years and they drew on of the weakest teams, a Macedonian team if I remember well.

[SportBoy333]

It was a tough draw, so I don't think it's fair to say that the 3rd French team is never good enough play the group stage. Had Toulouse drawn almost anybody else, save perhaps Sevilla, Arsenal, and one or two others, they would have gone through. There will be teams that are worst than TFC in the group stage.

3rd place French team always has a great chance to go through as long as they dont play anyone from Spain, Italy, or England. Anyone else they have a good chance of beating.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

I think that for once, the tie was already decided in the team sheets. That is, with the exception of a couple of guys on TFC, none of them would make it into the Liverpool team, even though they played almost a reserve team. There's no denying it. The financial differences between the 2 leagues, and the "big club" status that Liverpool have decided these matches.

For example, Momo Sissoko as a reserve player? He would start on almost every team in France.

[SportBoy333]

I think that for once, the tie was already decided in the team sheets.

Thats what I was saying. I saw zero chance of an "upset." You think someone other than Elmander could make the Liverpool team ? Who ?