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I don't think anyones going to argue that the money side of the CL vs the europa league. But Holden is right, we'd go into a europa league campaign as one of the favourites to win the competition and that would be a lot of fun. I've said not so long since that it would be a disappointment at this stage because CL qualification is very much in our hands so late in the season. But when we were actually in the competition next season it would be a right laugh. its moot anyway because we are going to qualify for the Champions League.

Except you have the additional load of games and subsequent player demands without anywhere near the amount of remuneration and winning it is not as easy as you make it sound. Of the prize money in the European competitions 75% is apportioned to the Champions League, 17% to Europa and 8% to Conference League. Winning the Europa League nets you a tidy sum; ballpark €13m on top of the equal share and value pillar, the latter of which is based off European coefficient/ranking (teams with little or no European football in the preceding years receive a smaller percentage of this stream compared to clubs with frequent European football). The bigger prize from winning is qualifications to the Champions League. If you want to get an understanding of how much difference the 'value pillar' makes to revenue for clubs in the champions league the best comparison is us versus Man Utd from 23/24. We were both knocked out in the group stages. Our results were better in the group stage; 1W, 2D, 3L compared to their 1W, 1D, 4L so our performance based income was higher. They received €60m, we received €34m. Further ingrained monopolisation of the top financial positions of football clubs. Man United's total prize money from the Europa League this season will probably end up being more than ours from the Champion's League and that's before you even consider how if they win it they'll be in the Champion's League next season. Victory in the Europa League final is a HUGE get out of free jail card to (at this stage) one of Tottenham or Man Utd. As well as the bonus of winning it's effectively a minimum €60m additional revenue next season PLUS additional ticket sales, corporate revenue and sponsorship etc. If they progress beyond the group stages that base €60m could be upwards of €100m. It would be amazing if they both somehow didn't win it.

Didn’t fancy the bistro then?

Because you were all too fucking slow!!!!

“You… can… not UNDERESTIMATE the SIGNIFICANCE and the MAGNITUDE of these next 4 games and the DIFFERENCE between being a Champions League club and a Europa league club will have on its future’! Craig Hope confirming I am right as usual.

I can only assume that was the bus driver and he wasn’t nearly old enough to be her husband/abuser.

If we get Europa we’d have a good chance of winning that anyway. Win. win.

Neither of them have been very good. In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen them both sent out to support the supreme court’s decision on trans rights and they’ve both looked entirely unconvincing. There’s no room in the cabinet for anyone with any sort of moral backbone.

Too easy, Martin 😁

I could have told them that for nowt. A diversity hire in Lincolnshire is someone from the next town over.

This is horrendous 😔 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ygn4q9x3vo

Aye, it’s been a real disappointment of a season.

Bridget and Nandy for the chop allegedly.

Strong rumours that Celine Dion is going to make an Olympics-style guest appearance at this year's contest, which gives me an excuse to post this magnificent photo from when she won it in Dublin in 1988.

Well, almost the whole world.

I was going to wager that I was the oldest girl around here but then remembered we’ve got CT 😘 Also, nice to see Mark Williams representing us oldies in the snooker 😁

Ended up at the harbour lights in South Shields which is a traditional pub that mainly does food. (And is the No1 place in Shields according to tripadvisor! Busy day jet washing the patio other garden bits and bobs in preparation for the arrival of this years garden furniture And as I made fabulous salt n peeper chicken and chips last night, really just wanted plain grub. Pie of the day (corned beef) for me and mince and dumplings for the wife. Very nice and much better than your normal pub grub.

Gutted where we could have been already but for a few real standout games where we didn’t turn up.

Here's another one then... A sparkie gets a call out jerb in an Ashington working men's clurb. He walks in and asks the steward, 'where's the mains, mate?' bar steward replies, 'through them doors on the right, next to the ladies.'

https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-local-elections-labour-reform-starmer-farage-tories-lib-dems-greens-12593360 Labour MPs "dismayed, disheartened and shocked" by election results. How on earth are they shocked? Are politicians even living on the same planet as the rest of us ffs.