24-08-2023, 09:54 PM
Not the greatest view from the BBC Scotland studio at Hearts v. PAOK; you can just about see the opposite stand's roof, but mainly the backs of spectators on the way out.
The BBC DOG missing once again on the scoreboard.
It really should have been ditched a few rights cycles ago after the top four leagues fourth placed side got automatic qualification into the group stages. It's even more odd that it's part of the central contract when the same is not the case in the UEL and UECL.
As for next year, I dread to think how bad the qualifying system will be after trying to understand the format of the main competition on a number of occasions. It will probably start in January and feature ties over three legs to rival the absurdity of the new 'Swiss-style' format.
The BBC DOG missing once again on the scoreboard.
(23-08-2023, 10:24 PM)Rdd Wrote: Didn’t see. But it does bring up the fact that the continued central contracting of the play-off round is looking more and more anomalous - with only 12 teams in it and no clubs from the biggest countries now it is something tv companies are mostly fulfilling as a contractual obligation. RTE gave a 15 minute slot for build up last night (and that was with Rangers v PSV, probably the pick of a not terribly attractive bunch of ties). I don’t think it gets much better under the new format next year either.
It really should have been ditched a few rights cycles ago after the top four leagues fourth placed side got automatic qualification into the group stages. It's even more odd that it's part of the central contract when the same is not the case in the UEL and UECL.
As for next year, I dread to think how bad the qualifying system will be after trying to understand the format of the main competition on a number of occasions. It will probably start in January and feature ties over three legs to rival the absurdity of the new 'Swiss-style' format.