Oh, To Be in England: Is European Football a Bad Thing?

‘Oh, to be in England’ – Is European football a bad thing?

By Chris Stanley

“Have you ever won the European Cup, the European Cup, the European Cup?” Those words rang out from the top of the North Stand midway through the first half of the dullest Second City derby in a good few years. With the deficiencies of the two sides obvious, the only thing we each had to boast about was our past glories. And barring a rule change where the Auto Windscreens Shield becomes as significant as the cup with the massive handles, it’s safe to say Villa will always hold the upper hand in that particular argument.

But that chant contained a hollow truth: our newest bitterest rivals will never, never win the European Cup like the mighty class of ’82 did; not until I’ve got wings growing out of my back and taken up the harp, they won’t. But then again, it’s unlikely that Aston Villa will and that’s the sad thing about it all. In terms of world football we are reduced to begging for scraps. That’s why the League Cup quarter-final takes on a new significance for both teams.

We’re not alone, alas. There are five, maybe six teams in the entire country that have a realistic chance of making the knockout stages of the Champions League, meaning we have as much chance of lifting the Big Pot again as Derby County have of righting the wrongs of their semi with Juventus nearly forty years before. The logical conclusion is that to be truly measured a success, you must be one of those five or six teams. Anywhere else is nowhere, which makes being knocked out of the Europa League by the same team two seasons running particularly galling.

In 2009/10, losing the play-off to Rapid Vienna was frustrating but perhaps tempered by the knowledge that European adventures had knackered a small squad out in the race for fourth the season before. When it became obvious that the same thing would have happened whether we were in Europe or not, the pendulum swung back – it was better to compete for a European trophy, whatever it was, to prove we were definitely back in the big time.

So being knocked out so early again this season was not part of the plan. There were possibly mitigating circumstances but it was starkly disappointing, especially given the advantages of an away goal and taking the lead in the home leg. It’s become a short chapter in a season that’s sliding slowly towards a stodgy middle.

But for argument’s sake, let’s assume that Rapid had been defeated easily and Villa made the group stages of the Europa League. What benefits would that have bought the club?

Firstly, we have prestige. Despite the fact that it’s not the Champions League, there are only two European pots to play for now and winning one is not to be sniffed at. Any silverware for a team that hasn’t won a proper trophy for fourteen years would be very welcome indeed, and may go a little way to securing long-term contracts for certain players who get itchy feet at the sound of the Champions League theme.

Added to that, you have revenue. A long European adventure could have benefited the coffers, which we are led to believe consist of a battered old leather wallet and a couple of dead moths. Television money, special edition shirts, prize money – it all adds up.

And thirdly, and most importantly, it gives the fans a huge morale boost to see their team beating opposition that they don’t see on television every week. Beating Ajax 2-1 is a result that has already gone down in Villa folklore and it was merely a group game. Imagine how those semi-final results felt to the Fulham fans last season.

But then, like everything, Europe has its downsides. Most obviously, it’s massively overrated, no matter which of the two competitions you enter. Okay, so Tottenham may point to superb results like the home Inter game, but like the World Cup, that was a high point in a sea of defensive 1-0s between teams from Greece and Portugal. The Europa League is the same: barring one or two shock runs, the likely lads usually emerge from their groups. If that weren’t enough, we see the same less successful Champions League teams fall into the Europa League just in case they didn’t earn enough from their brief sojourn.  

And then there is the thorny matter of a squad like Villa’s being stretched too thin. The two seasons under O’Neill that collapsed around February were due to many reasons, but a small squad was the key one. That was the manager’s fault for his transfer policy but the fact remains that we just couldn’t compete on all fronts. People may point to Fulham or Boro’s European runs with small squads, but at the time neither were competing at the very top end of the Premier League and having to thrash their best players to gain the results they needed. In the two previous seasons Villa maintained serious cup involvement well into the latter months.

Revenue has its negative arguments as well. You might earn a hefty chunk for a European adventure but more has to be spent on policing, staff, catering, logistics, television. Villa have yet to achieve a sell-out this season and the story has been much the same despite Lerner taking control of the club. For most European ties, Villa Park has been at least a quarter empty. Success brings its own stresses too: to compete, your better players want higher wages and you need more good players to keep you at the top. Manage this incorrectly, like Portsmouth, and you’re looking at a very likely heartbreak.

On balance, you would have to agree that European competition, even with its downsides, is a good thing for a team like Villa. Despite the fact most would struggle to name the winners of the last five UEFA cups (or whatever), it’s a result that will always live in history. Results like these enables Villa fans of all ages to taunt our rivals with a reminder that their club has achieved a level of prestige they could never hope to match.

But the main thing that European competition offers for all teams is a place to aim for. Without European football to compete in the league for, the season would peter out sometime around Christmas for a good three quarters of the Premier League. As it is, the Baggies and Blackpool are making strange grunts about European qualification given their starts to the season, and it would be untrue for Villa fans to claim they didn’t want the stress of attempting to finish seventh or higher. Everton managed to penetrate the top four some six years ago and have dined out on it ever since – their best players, having the briefest of glimpses, have decided to stick with the club as they believe lightning will strike twice.

And when it happens, you won’t quite believe it. Just ask yourself where Spurs were six years ago. Can you remember? Nor can I. When Villa are back amongst the big hitters where they belong, we’ll have forgotten about Rapid bloody Vienna.

Chris Stanley