Importance of finishing third explained

[Lucky13]

Don't need to read it...if we finish 3rd we don't need to play a qualifying game.....simples!

You might get it, but thousands don't realise we might not be seeded and would therefore end up with a very tough fixture

Which is something we have to get used to.

 

[Andouble]

maybe we'll start to greedy and then antsy like the Arsenal fans are now in a couple seasons, but I'd take a FA/League Cup trophy and 3rd place finish every time. Imagine in a couple seasons if we're disappointed because all we did was just win a League Cup?

 

[Haslingdon]

Should we finish fourth I think we should expect Mancini to (quite rightly) pick a weakened side for the Charity Shield with the CL qualifier a few days away.

 

[jay-lofty]

Third really would make this just about the perfect season from where we were at the start. I'd have taken 4th on its own before first game but third and a cup would be dreamland.

 

[Andouble]

there is an international date three days before the start of the Premier League season as well which would add even more congestion...a win on Sunday is a must!

 

[the mystery illness]

can't see bolton rolling over this weekend but the way our lads have performed when it matters , especially since and including the spurs game , i have every confidence in them to get the job done.

 

[vitty]

Should City finish third, I'm going to start a website similar to redsaway.com, but for City fans.

It would provide ticket, travel and pub guides to domestic and Euro away games.

The major attraction is that there will be roughly 21 teams City can draw in the ECL group stages and, in the run up to the draw, their will be guides to each of those 21 teams (a bit about the club, city, stadium, probably ticket allocation, all possible flight routes and alternative routes by car, train and coach).

And on the draw day itself (August 25, I think) there will be tailor made travel guides for City's three opponents. Here's a typical guide:

<a class="postlink" href="http://redsaway.com/2011/03/the-big-draw-countdown-part-4-fc-barcelona/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://redsaway.com/2011/03/the-big-dra ... barcelona/</a>

Thoughts?

-- Wed May 18, 2011 11:27 am --

How much more money will the club receive from finishing 3rd? as opposed to 4th?

About £300,000 more.

-- Wed May 18, 2011 11:28 am --

I believe we would come up against either Bayern Munich, Benfica, Dynamo Kiev, Villareal or Lyon as things stand across Europe. I think that's right.

Two really handy webpages for you, for keeping an eye on next season's Champions League:

<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_UEFA_Champions_League" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80 ... ons_League</a>

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2011.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uef ... l2011.html</a>

-- Wed May 18, 2011 11:32 am --

seeing as we struggled to be a 2 seed in the group stages of the Europa League, people really should grasp that we might well struggle to be seeded in the qualifying round and I would be shocked if we are not a 3 seed maybe even a 4 in the group stages.

I'm fairly sure we'll be in pot 3 for the group draw if we make it, we could well end up in a "group of death" as our top seeded opposition will most likely be one of Inter/AC/Barca/Real Madrid/Bayern as we can't face English opponents.

We definitely won't be higher than pot 3:

a lot depends on Bayern Munich, but if they get through, pots could look like this:

Pot A: Man Utd,Chelsea,Arsenal,Barcelona,Bayern Munich,Real Madrid,Inter,Porto.

Pot B: AC Milan,Lyon,Shaktar Donetsk,Valencia,Benfica,Villareal,CSKA Moscow,Marseille.

Pot C: Zenit St Petersbug,Rangers,Ajax,Bayer Leverkusen,FC Copenhagen,Fenerbache,Man City,Twente Enschede

Pot D: Borussia Dortmund (!!!), Basle,Galati (Romanian champions),Napoli, + 4 other qualifiers.

That would be about right.

Last season, there was only one movement between pot A and B, when Braga surprisingly knocked out Seville, meaning Lyon went into Pot A and Braga took their place in Pot B.

A lot of it depends on which 10 teams qualify from the play offs and what their coefficient scores are and that's not confirmed until two days before the draw.<br /><br />-- Wed May 18, 2011 11:35 am --<br /><br />

The importance is not only because we are guaranteed CL football.

It's easier to prepare for the upcoming season. The pre-season will then be better. And maybe this will convince the signings even more about our ambition.

Tbh...if we dont finish 3rd...i will be a bit sad and dissappointed tbh.

A few weeks ago i would have been overjoyed with 4th place. Now i want the 3rd spot so badly..i dont want to watch qualifiers.

Let's beat Stoke and Bolton! I thought i could watch the last 2 games without any nerves.

But there will be nerves...who feels like this?

Having to play in a qualifier in August would completely knacker pre season.

Spurs were knocked out of the domestic cups early on but still tailed off badly in the league. How much of that was due to having to peak in August?

If anything, it could work the other way:

Spurs played two extra games, against Young Boys, and qualified well giving them a bit of confidence.

If City did have to qualify, the first leg would be on August 16 or 17 and the second leg would be on August 23 or 24.

 

[DontLookBackInAnger]

Should we finish fourth I think we should expect Mancini to (quite rightly) pick a weakened side for the Charity Shield with the CL qualifier a few days away.

When is the game, I thought we are having a stupid international break again the week leading upto the start of the season as we did last year with a fixture midweek before the start of the season? Yes England are playing Holland at Wembley 10 August 2011 3 days after our game so the QR can'r be that week, play a full team and fuck the internationals.

 

[vitty]

Should we finish fourth I think we should expect Mancini to (quite rightly) pick a weakened side for the Charity Shield with the CL qualifier a few days away.

When is the game, I thought we are having a stupid international break again the week leading upto the start of the season as we did last year with a fixture midweek before the start of the season? Yes England are playing Holland at Wembley 10 August 2011 3 days after our game so the QR can'r be that week, play a full team and fuck the internationals.

As I said earlier, the qualifying round play off first leg would be on August 16 or 17 and the second leg would be on August 23 or 24.

 

[DontLookBackInAnger]

Should we finish fourth I think we should expect Mancini to (quite rightly) pick a weakened side for the Charity Shield with the CL qualifier a few days away.

When is the game, I thought we are having a stupid international break again the week leading upto the start of the season as we did last year with a fixture midweek before the start of the season? Yes England are playing Holland at Wembley 10 August 2011 3 days after our game so the QR can'r be that week, play a full team and fuck the internationals.

As I said earlier, the qualifying round play off first leg would be on August 16 or 17 and the second leg would be on August 23 or 24.

Sorry missed that mate, anyway it doesn't matter what team we play in the Charity Shield then.