May 20 FT Grasshoppers 0 - 1 Zurich FT Lucerne 0 - 1 Thun FT Servette 2 - 1 Basel FT Young Boys Bern 3 - 0 Sion Great win by Basel. Many people can not believe that Servette will be playing in the Europa League. They argue that if Xamax/Sion had not been penalized Servette would not be there. If Basel had played their best team, they would not have lost, etc. In the end of the day, Servette gets a spot. The key for me was the stretch where Servette won two in a row when they were not getting paid. That was the key stretch for me. Thun took 12 points from Servette, but they could not quite get the points they needed. FCZ with the "away" victory in the Limmat Derby. YB with a crushing victory over Sion. 1. Basel 33 +46 74 2. Luzern 33 +12 51 3. YB 33 +13 48 4. Servette 34 -8 48 5. Thun 33 -1 43 6. Zürich 33 -3 38 7. Lausanne-Sport 33 -33 27 8. GC 33 -33 26 9. Sion* 33 +7 17 10. NE Xamax** 18 0 26
May 23 20:15 Basel ? - ? Young Boys Bern 20:15 Lausanne Sports ? - ? Grasshoppers 20:15 Sion ? - ? Lucerne 20:15 Thun ? - ? Zurich With a YB victory and a Luzern loss, YB could end up 2nd. Sion needs to do something to show that they are ready for the play-off.
last round today, but everything is decided... well, I'd better say the last round is tomorrow when the SFL informs about the licenses for next season. Will Sion be left out?? Do Servette, FCZ and YB get their licenses as expected?
And from the world of the bizarre - Pishyar has come out and said that everything he did, or did not do with Servette, was calculated to get the city behind the club again. The text of the interview is here: http://www.tdg.ch/sports/sfc/pishyar-strategique-servette-fc/story/10653542 Thanks to Google Translator, here are some of the comments: But, Mr. Pishyar, you have abandoned Servette, who found himself on the brink of bankruptcy. No, things did not work out like that. I've always had big plans for Servette. I wanted to develop this club so that it has a future. I was there excitement around the club. I see that people came. Finally, no matter who is president.But you've stopped paying suppliers, and coaches and training staff and players. This is how we help to develop a club?I too have suffered from being alone for long. And listen: everything that was part of a strategy. And I see today that this was the best thing to do. Because it has awakened the people of Geneva, as I wished. Somehow, I sacrificed for the good of Servette. It was a good handling of the situation. When one is sure of the future, what will happen, we know what to do.You left the club and soon the financial and economic, that you call for help, have decided to trust Hugh Quennec, but that's a failure for you, right?Not at all. I did all this for Servette. For four years I was all alone in the club head. I thank the economic and financial circles for being here today. Really. But if they are there, it is precisely because they have realized that I was alone. And if I did not pay more, Servette was wrong. Again, all this was strategic.Many scholars have examined the accounts you have left: it is reported a hole eight million if your management had continued into June. How do you respond?Say what you want, these are words, numbers. The reality is that before, nobody wanted to help Servette and now after my action, everyone is back behind the club. Some may be dissatisfied with the method. But it's like when you raise a child: sometimes decisions are made that the child does not like. Not because they are bad, but because he does not understand they are part of an educational strategy. It was the same with Servette. This is why I am happy today. Servette and if ever encounter a problem again, so I'll be there!
so the final league games go today? YB already sits 3rd even a loss and with Servette sitting 4th and with no more matches to play does that not guarantee YB 3rd? Unless Basel destroys them and the goal difference is overturned.
My apologies I have only been closely following the Swiss leagues over the last few years, previous to that it was more a passing fancy. What I am trying to understand is the Swiss at least by North American perceptions are considered smart and frugal financial operators so what I don't understand is why are the leagues/clubs such a mess?
Does any one know if Neuchatel Xamax is now officially Xamax 1912? As the club badge on the official site no longer mentions Neuchatel? I think the badge looks very sharp with just Xamax on it. This seasons badge was just aweful!
The reason for Xamax is one crazy owner. Servette's owner had some serious issues as well. In both cases, I think that they will recover well. YB overextended itself in trying to take on Basel. GCZ has had poor decisions for the past few years as well. Although there are many wealthy Swiss, few seem to want to invest in Swiss soccer. Winter sports dominate the country, specifically individual ones.
The key is 2nd place. If YB wins and Luzern looses, then YB would get 2nd place. That being said, this will essentially be a send off match for Shaquri, Xhaka, Huggel, etc. I expect Basel to come out strong and try to destroy YB. Sion needs to do something before the play-off. If they have to play Aarau, they could easily loose.
I just want to beat Lausanne today and move into 7th place. With all the Sion court cases I don't want a single shred of uncertainty.
thank you for all the answers that helps to shed some light on things for me. This forum is of great value as I don't get a whole lot of Swiss league info in English.
May 23 FT Basel 1 - 2 Young Boys Bern FT Lausanne Sports 2 - 1 Grasshoppers FT Sion 1 - 3 Lucerne FT Thun 2 - 4 Zurich Despite the surprise YB victory, things at the top stay the same. At the bottom, the LS win moves them into 7th. 1. Basel 34 +45 74 2. Luzern 34 +14 54 3. YB 34 +14 51 4. Servette 34 -8 48 5. Thun 34 -3 43 6. Zürich 34 -1 41 7. Lausanne-Sport 34 -32 30 8. GC 34 -34 26 9. Sion* 34 +5 17 10. NE Xamax** 18 0 26
Sion vs Aarau Saturday and Monday - with only a 2day break in between the two legs, Sion could have an advantage with their bigger squad
FC Sion, YB and FCZ as well. AC Bellinzona and FC Lugano got their Level II license as well. SC Kriens was the only total loss. But they were relegated anyway.
Well I'm afraid it didn't happen. GC odds on for relegation next season!! We obviously would have finished bottom apart from non-football factors, I think maybe relegation would be a good thing, with a cut in costs and maybe a chance to restructure the entire setup. Hopp GC, John (English GC)
My biggest fear about getting relegated is that FCZ will try to take over as the "only" club in Zurich, especially if it turns out to be a spell of many years. Cut costs and have a balanced budget, but we have to stay in the ASL!
I was wondering if GCZ fans felt that way. Does GCZ and FCZ split concessions at the stadium? Who gets that revenue source? Not that I am encouraging this, but with Adill back next season, that is at least one exciting attacking player.
Does Aarau's protest have any merit? So according to them Sion should have been automatically relegated and GC should have been the play-off opponent? I see there point Sion is far superior to GC. Why didn't Xamax play the season out in administration like British clubs do? Or couldn't have the League with help from the other teams kept them alive until new ownership was found? It looks like this could have been handled a whole lot better. I know on Xamax forums the supporters appeared to want this to happen so they could start with a new foundation. I hope it works out for them in the end.
Aarau could only have played GC if Sions penalty would have been reduced. If Sion would have been relegated, Aarau would move up automatically without a play-off I don't know about Xamax' structure. In Servette's case in 2005, the association which was responsible for the U-21 could have finished the season theoretically as the association was not bankrupt as the first team. If Xamax had the same kind of separation, this could have been possible.