Intertoto Cup Poll

[Alan D]

Do you reckon that Man City should enter the Intertoto Cup this season if they don't qualify for Europe either by winning a cup or finishing in the UEFA Cup places? Teams who can enter the Intertoto Cup in the Premiership have to finish in one of the four places below the European qualification places in the league, which at the moment would be 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th.

I think that they should have a go because they aren't going to lose anything from it and they can use the matches as pre-season preparations instead of the pre-season matches that would be played. Man City should finish above 11th in the table and Pearce has already said that it remains a possibility. James said that it will tire the squad out, but if they don't play pre-season matches then they can play in the Intertoto Cup matches.

[NER_MCFC]

Given the timing, I just don't think it's worth it unless you could get one of the top spots without wearing down next season's expected starters.

[Alan D]

My thread seems a bit pointless now:

Intertoto a no-no for City
By Paul Higham - Created on 17 Feb 2006

Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce has said the club will not enter the Intertoto Cup in the summer.

The much-maligned European competition is the back door route into the Uefa Cup, but it has received a mixed reception throughout the continent.

Everton and Middlesbrough have confirmed they will enter the competition, but Pearce says City have no desire to follow suit.

Pearce's outfit could yet qualify for the Uefa Cup through their league position, but even if they fail, they will not enter the Intertoto Cup.

Pearce says that the timing of the tournament and the impact it will have on his pre-season is not worth the risk, as his squad is not big enough to cope with the extra burden.

"Basically, the squad is not big enough," said Pearce.

"If we had gone into the Intertoto, we would have had to organise our whole pre-season around it. If we had gone out, that is our pre-season out of the window and we cannot afford that.

"We do not want to take our eye off the ball in terms of the Premiership, so we have decided not to enter."


http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=364542&CPID=8&clid=&lid=&title=Intertoto+a+no-no+for+City

[NER_MCFC]

Pearce says that the timing of the tournament and the impact it will have on his pre-season is not worth the risk, as his squad is not big enough to cope with the extra burden.
Why, it's as if he read my mind. ;)