Not sure I can see the connection between winning additional berths and a perceived bias for/against any country when the berths are awarded statistically.
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Incorrect.

Read criteria here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Respect_Fair_Play_ranking#Criteria

Pretty much all of the criteria are subjective, and as such can be skewed in any direction. England wouldn't be able to consistently finish so high in this ranking if there was a clear intent to act against its clubs, because bookings are one of the most influential factors. If anything, it would suggest that English clubs are booked less often than their counterparts from the other big leagues.

Interestingly, if you check the overall list of winners, it's almost entirely made up of Northern European countries.

From this, the most straightforward conclusion would be that Central, Eastern and Southern European countries are less observant of Fair Play, but it might also be argued that the notions that govern Fair Play are themselves skewed towards Northern European values and principles.

Would you look at that! I never knew how it was decided.

Looks typically buerocratic from uefa.

comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 6 hours, 25 minutes ago
Not sure I can see the connection between winning additional berths and a perceived bias for/against any country when the berths are awarded statistically.
--------

Incorrect.

Read criteria here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Respect_Fair_Play_ranking#Criteria

Pretty much all of the criteria are subjective, and as such can be skewed in any direction. England wouldn't be able to consistently finish so high in this ranking if there was a clear intent to act against its clubs, because bookings are one of the most influential factors. If anything, it would suggest that English clubs are booked less often than their counterparts from the other big leagues.

Interestingly, if you check the overall list of winners, it's almost entirely made up of Northern European countries.

From this, the most straightforward conclusion would be that Central, Eastern and Southern European countries are less observant of Fair Play, but it might also be argued that the notions that govern Fair Play are themselves skewed towards Northern European values and principles.
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Dear God that is horrific...

Spain now less than 1.2 points off breaking the 100 point barrier for the first time.

Surely they're too close not to do it now, after finishing last season on 99.999.

comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 5 minutes ago
Spain now less than 1.2 points off breaking the 100 point barrier for the first time.

Surely they're too close not to do it now, after finishing last season on 99.999.
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Bound to aren't they. They'll get s bunch of bonus points for getting through to the next rounds of both cups

Yeah, it would take a wholesale collapse I suppose, but at each stage now it gets harder to put points on the board. I think it's only 1 bonus point per round which, divided by 7, only adds 0.14 to the overall tally.

Actually that's something I've always felt is slightly at fault with the system. There's a 5-point bonus for getting out of the CL group stage, but only 1 for each round thereafter, while wins no matter how pointless will still be awarded two points.

Imagine you win you first leg QF 6-0. At that stage in the season you're bound to have big league games and will want to rest players in the return leg.

Lose that dead rubber and you're going to get less points for getting the job done in the first leg, whilst your opponent is getting 2 points for winning a nothing game.

Also, making the final gets you only 3 bonus points more than making the R16. In total (including the 4 for actually making the group stage), you're getting just 25% more bonus points for going all the way than for beating a couple of weaker sides in the GS.

Basically, I think it's a leans a bit too much towards consistency and should put a little more emphasis on excellence. As an example, I don't think it's too right that Sevilla's 2 trophy wins should still have them down in 19th (23rd at the start of the season) behind a host of teams that have done little of note and have simpy been more consistent over the past 5 years (e.g. Valencia).

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

It's now mathematically impossible for Italy to overhaul England this season.

But as any seasoned coefficient fan knows, the real battle starts next season.

It's now up to Liverpool/ManU and Man City to build a healthy lead in points.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/17/premier-league-retain-fourth-champions-league-spot

Oh yeah, I suppose Spurs are still there too

Yeah, in money terms, much makes more.

Off you all toddle into your Rummenigge Dreamland Mammon League and leave the rest of us to enjoy football that's a bit more like it used to be, with a bit of heart and soul.

comment by Manfrombelmonty (U1705)
posted 2 hours, 38 minutes ago

But as any seasoned coefficient fan knows, the real battle starts next season.

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Coefficient fans!

I luv numbers

Spain 100.713

comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Spain 100.713
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Estonia 4.25.

Northern Ireland 4.5

Wales 3.5

I think people need to see that England's best years are dropping out so juventus in cl final will do for England.

England needs a huge season next year from Leicester now.

The minnows being in like Utd, spurs and Leicester really hurt coefficient.

England need to do better than Italy next year, but after that I'm not so sure. England's best 5-yr period (07-11) will have completely dropped off at the start of next season.

After that they only scored a couple of points more than Italy for a couple of seasons, that's what they'll need to defend, but it isn't that much.

On the flip side, even though they do have the 19 pointsfrom last year, Italy's score this season is one of their worst this decade. It's also worse than anything England's done for ages, and it's going to stay on the cards until 2021.

Even if England did lose that third spot for a season or two, it's hard to see them not winning it back sooner rather than later.

is there any rule how long the spot stays once won?

It would be fairly silly for it to be swapping back and forth and the bias is towards the club holding it as well.

comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 3 hours, 12 minutes ago
England need to do better than Italy next year, but after that I'm not so sure. England's best 5-yr period (07-11) will have completely dropped off at the start of next season.

After that they only scored a couple of points more than Italy for a couple of seasons, that's what they'll need to defend, but it isn't that much.

On the flip side, even though they do have the 19 pointsfrom last year, Italy's score this season is one of their worst this decade. It's also worse than anything England's done for ages, and it's going to stay on the cards until 2021.

Even if England did lose that third spot for a season or two, it's hard to see them not winning it back sooner rather than later.
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The next 3 seasons to drop off the points are 11/12, 12/13 and 13/14.

In that time England accrued 8.524 more points than Italy. So its going to be a close run thing over these next few years. It will essentially look like a straight shootout between the two.

For a lot of the Leicester and Spurs players, as well as managers and staff, CL will be a whole new adventure for them. I can see leicester's style of play suiting the comp well. Sort of like an Atletico. But a lot will depend on whether they can both keep a hold of their best players this summer and build on their success. next season is the most important, in coefficient terms, in quite some time and will be relying on these inexperienced teams and players to live up to this years standards.

comment by moreinjuredthanowen (U9641)
posted 24 minutes ago
is there any rule how long the spot stays once won?

It would be fairly silly for it to be swapping back and forth and the bias is towards the club holding it as well.


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Not really. You win and lose season on season.

However, if England had dropped behind Italy this year, it would have been the season after next that they would've dropped to 3 teams.

But in the end, the number of qualifying places are determined year on year. Perform well, you are rewarded. Have a bad year, you have the consequences

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by Manfrombelmonty (U1705)
posted 5 hours, 35 minutes ago

The next 3 seasons to drop off the points are 11/12, 12/13 and 13/14.

In that time England accrued 8.524 more points than Italy. So its going to be a close run thing over these next few years. It will essentially look like a straight shootout between the two.

For a lot of the Leicester and Spurs players, as well as managers and staff, CL will be a whole new adventure for them. I can see leicester's style of play suiting the comp well. Sort of like an Atletico. But a lot will depend on whether they can both keep a hold of their best players this summer and build on their success. next season is the most important, in coefficient terms, in quite some time and will be relying on these inexperienced teams and players to live up to this years standards.


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Yep, but the big difference is the points that drop off at the end of this season - almost 4.

The 2 seasons after that, it'll be 2-odd - or, as you say, more or less a straight shootout.

Thing is (and, yes, this is looking very far ahead), the season after that the PL will have to defend 6 points less than Serie A. Hence, what I meant is that if things stay relatively even between the two, the PL would have a good shot of winning back the extra berth even if they did temporarily lose it in one of the next two seasons.

Updated

Unsurprisingly Liverpool and City are th top two English teams, coefficients wise, in europe this year.

City are sitting in 5th place in the overall Uefa table. Liverpool 10th.

West ham came in 75th place. Just couldn't manage to nip infront of Garabag Agdam, but absolutely showed Zorya Luhansk who is boss

We getting anywhere near Germany after last night, terrible result obviously but a small coefficient silver lining

I'd like that 2nd place back.