wankers- used to quite like Boro fans' songs

if it ends up Leeds-Bradford in the semis, we'll have to start working on airport-related puns.

Woo hoo, our big night has arrived. Will have to judge the acceptable degree of gloating well tonight, though, as the missus is from a long line of Chelsea fans (genealogically that is, I don't mean she's just emerged from a queue).

Becchio gives the home side a half-time lead.

mata immediately equalizes just after half time. chelsea seem to have brought on all their stars now.

The first change, Hazard for Marin, wasn't until an hour in.

I assumed that multiple players were on at that stage. I didn't realise that they had started with such a strong team.

Chelsea are now taking it in turns to score. Even Torres has managed to dip his bread in, getting the fifth one.

Never mind. All is vanity when all's said and done.

Jamie Redknapp is conducting his cousin's contract negotiations at length in the Sky post-match.

Evariste Euler Gauss wrote:


Quite right.

Semi-final draw coming up.

Chelsea v Swansea

Bradford v Aston Villa

Villa were the popular choice in the "who do you want to play?" sweep.

I think there was a bit of apprehension of having Chelsea run up the score over two games whilst getting a larger pay day, and I doubt a tie against Swansea would fill up either team's stadium.

ah shit Chelsea will win it then

Chelsea should finish in the top four, but I suppose reaching the final wouldn't guarantee their opponents a Europa League slot?

I don't think it does. I think it goes something like:

Three places in Uefa Cup:

1. Fifth placed team in Premier League.

2. FA Cup Winners or Runners-Up (if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe and runners-up haven't.)

3. League Cup Winners but not the runners-up (place goes to next lowest placed Premier League team that hasn't already qualified.)

I'm not certain, though. The Premier League's rules are inconclusive - they don't mention the League Cup runners-up at all, but I'd not take that to be a positive sign.

I don't think they've ever done the runners-up get a place in Europe for the League Cup, have they? It didn't happen after the 2001 final IIRC, anyway. Birmingham were in the First Division back then, I think, and Liverpool (winners) qualified via the league. Blues didn't play in Europe.

I think Tranmere were told the same thing in 2000, that even if Leicester qualified via some other method, Tranmere wouldn't get a European spot.

Yep, there has never been a spot on offer for being League Cup runners-up to my knowledge. I don't remember how things were pre-1985, though.

Ian's access list is close to correct. I believe it runs something like this.

1) FA Cup winners
2) Highest Premier League finisher who are not FA Cup Winners or qualified for the Champions League (very usually 5th, on odd occasions something else, like last season when Spurs were in this slot for 4th)
3) League Cup winners
4a) FA Cup runners-up, if FA Cup winners have a place in CL
4b) Any remaining spots go to highest league finishers without a European place otherwise. However, despite having a lower entry priority than the FA Cup runners-up, they will place higher in the eventual order (i.e. this season, Newcastle took a contingency place as the 2nd team qualifying by league position, whilst Liverpool took the FA Cup runners-up spot. Desipte Newcastle only getting in because there was a spot spare, Liverpool begun in the Europa League a round earlier)

Note that if a team combines an FA Cup win with a fifth placed finish, then (assuming no other complications) the sixth-placed Premier League finisher gets the spare Europa League spot, not the FA Cup runner-up.

There's never been a spot for League Cup runners-up, even prior to 1985.

As an example, in 1980-81 Liverpool beat West Ham in the League Cup final. Liverpool also won the European Cup that season so automatically qualified for the following seasons European Cup. West Ham didn't pick up a European spot as consequence, the UEFA Cup places went to Ipswich, Arsenal, West Brom and Southampton who had finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th in the league respectively.