Champions League - Europa League - Conference League

[Salvatore Matrecano]

We do realise most Palace fans are decent. What’s ridiculous with the whole issue is that Forest for some reason get blamed when Palace would have been demoted from the Europa league regardless if we could have qualified ourselves or not. Its plain deflection from your chairman and glad you realise it. I don’t disagree that blind trusts and other workarounds are utterly pointless and that corruption is endemic.

I thought at the time that the squabbling might be misplaced and that the real winners would be the Conference league should that team go on to win it. So it proved. Hope you enjoy the Europa, to be honest we did have a fantastic time and go to some superb places.

[Eagle One]

Fair play - always liked palace since the 20 fa cup replays in the late 80s early 90s. Glad you won and glad you get another shot at Europe. I actually think our season last year deserved Europa - we were pipped on the last day by Chelsea with their shady money. Palace should have their anger at uefa not us…
Anyway - well done!

Cheers and agree. 

I remember those postponed replays with Forest in 1991 due to bad weather. It got called off so many times I think we started calling you Nottingham Foggiest for a while....

[Salvatore Matrecano]

Fair play - always liked palace since the 20 fa cup replays in the late 80s early 90s. Glad you won and glad you get another shot at Europe. I actually think our season last year deserved Europa - we were pipped on the last day by Chelsea with their shady money. Palace should have their anger at uefa not us…
Anyway - well done!

Cheers and agree. 

I remember those postponed replays with Forest in 1991 due to bad weather. It got called off so many times I think we started calling you Nottingham Foggiest for a while....

My first game as an adult after moving back to Nottingham was the replay that we won 3-0. Palace had a promising young striker playing name of Ian Wright, from what I remember Des Walker gave him a bit of a schooling.
Fascinating fact Forest ended the game with 10 men and we happily shook hands with the referee whose name was …..Roger Milford.

[JohnG]

Fair play - always liked palace since the 20 fa cup replays in the late 80s early 90s. Glad you won and glad you get another shot at Europe. I actually think our season last year deserved Europa - we were pipped on the last day by Chelsea with their shady money. Palace should have their anger at uefa not us…
Anyway - well done!

Cheers and agree. 

I remember those postponed replays with Forest in 1991 due to bad weather. It got called off so many times I think we started calling you Nottingham Foggiest for a while....

I think we had two draws, home and away, and two postponements. Before finally we won at the third (or fifth attempt if you could the called off games). It was late referee calls I believe on the postponements and late, as even we were on the way when we found out. Must have been terrible for your fans

[JohnG]

Fair play - always liked palace since the 20 fa cup replays in the late 80s early 90s. Glad you won and glad you get another shot at Europe. I actually think our season last year deserved Europa - we were pipped on the last day by Chelsea with their shady money. Palace should have their anger at uefa not us…
Anyway - well done!

Cheers and agree. 

I remember those postponed replays with Forest in 1991 due to bad weather. It got called off so many times I think we started calling you Nottingham Foggiest for a while....

My first game as an adult after moving back to Nottingham was the replay that we won 3-0. Palace had a promising young striker playing name of Ian Wright, from what I remember Des Walker gave him a bit of a schooling.
Fascinating fact Forest ended the game with 10 men and we happily shook hands with the referee whose name was …..Roger Milford.

Drew at their place.
I think the draw at ours might have been the game where Roy Keane was punched by Sir Brian for a dodgy back pass which caused the equaliser.
Two late postponements in there. 
Then when we won the second replay, was where he substituted Hodge off and didn't replace him. 

Has to be up there as one of the most epic third round ties ever.

[stirred]

I’ve had no enthusiasm for football since our line-up for the second leg against Villa was announced. Put the Champions league final on because you feel you should but it’s like watching paint dry. Arsenal snatch a breakaway goal pouncing on a mistake and now they’re just sat back, loads behind the ball and wasting as much time as possible. No doubt they’ll try and wait for another break or set piece, it ain’t the beautiful game though is it?

[wassy04]

I’ve had no enthusiasm for football since our line-up for the second leg against Villa was announced. Put the Champions league final on because you feel you should but it’s like watching paint dry. Arsenal snatch a breakaway goal pouncing on a mistake and now they’re just sat back, loads behind the ball and wasting as much time as possible. No doubt they’ll try and wait for another break or set piece, it ain’t the beautiful game though is it?

I like the fact you can win in lots of different ways, be boring if everyone just played the same tiki taka style. Also, we did play a lot like this last year under Nuno, get ahead then grind out the win. 

Suspect we will have plenty more games like this in the heat of the World Cup too.

[stirred]

Because it’s so tedious, I thought I’d check out the cost of them putting together their squads. I mean playing low block and dark arts football is kind of understandable when you are the club with the weaker players. But Arsenal spent more on their squad than PSG according to AI via Transfermarkt.

“ Arsenal: €924.1 million. PSG: €822.5 million (sometimes listed as €822.52m)
Arsenal have therefore spent roughly €101.6 million more than PSG to buy the players in their current 2025/26 squad.”

I think this is why they are so unpopular. They spent a fortune putting their squad together and play negative football with it.

[stirred]

I’ve had no enthusiasm for football since our line-up for the second leg against Villa was announced. Put the Champions league final on because you feel you should but it’s like watching paint dry. Arsenal snatch a breakaway goal pouncing on a mistake and now they’re just sat back, loads behind the ball and wasting as much time as possible. No doubt they’ll try and wait for another break or set piece, it ain’t the beautiful game though is it?

I like the fact you can win in lots of different ways, be boring if everyone just played the same tiki taka style. Also, we did play a lot like this last year under Nuno, get ahead then grind out the win. 

Suspect we will have plenty more games like this in the heat of the World Cup too.

Yeah but see my point above. We played low block when our squad cost bottom half in the division. Arsenal have spent over £900million, more than almost any other club they play - barring Man City and Chelsea?

[wassy04]

Because it’s so tedious, I thought I’d check out the cost of them putting together their squads. I mean playing low block and dark arts football is kind of understandable when you are the club with the weaker players. But Arsenal spent more on their squad than PSG according to AI vs Transfermarkt.

“ Arsenal: €924.1 million. PSG: €822.5 million (sometimes listed as €822.52m)
Arsenal have therefore spent roughly €101.6 million more than PSG to buy the players in their current 2025/26 squad.”

I think this is why they are so unpopular. They spent a fortune putting their squad together and play negative football with it.

They're not the first team to ever be expensively assembled and be boring though. All of Mourinho's teams, every Italian team in the 90s when they were dominant, Conte's Chelsea. They've assembled the best defensive central spine with Gabriel, Saliba and Rice, nothing wrong with that. I'd argue Pep's Man City team have largely been pretty boring too.

Only really been Klopp's Liverpool recently of the top English sides that have been interesting unless I'm missing someone?

Suppose when you play like this you have to win, if you don't then you get rightly criticised. I don't think you can be criticised if you win the double though.

[Reds73]

I’ve had no enthusiasm for football since our line-up for the second leg against Villa was announced. Put the Champions league final on because you feel you should but it’s like watching paint dry. Arsenal snatch a breakaway goal pouncing on a mistake and now they’re just sat back, loads behind the ball and wasting as much time as possible. No doubt they’ll try and wait for another break or set piece, it ain’t the beautiful game though is it?

If Forest had done that at Villa, you’d be lauding it ! 
Different ways to win football games

[stirred]

Because it’s so tedious, I thought I’d check out the cost of them putting together their squads. I mean playing low block and dark arts football is kind of understandable when you are the club with the weaker players. But Arsenal spent more on their squad than PSG according to AI vs Transfermarkt.

“ Arsenal: €924.1 million. PSG: €822.5 million (sometimes listed as €822.52m)
Arsenal have therefore spent roughly €101.6 million more than PSG to buy the players in their current 2025/26 squad.”

I think this is why they are so unpopular. They spent a fortune putting their squad together and play negative football with it.

They're not the first team to ever be expensively assembled and be boring though. All of Mourinho's teams, every Italian team in the 90s when they were dominant, Conte's Chelsea. They've assembled the best defensive central spine with Gabriel, Saliba and Rice, nothing wrong with that. I'd argue Pep's Man City team have largely been pretty boring too.

Only really been Klopp's Liverpool recently of the top English sides that have been interesting unless I'm missing someone?

Suppose when you play like this you have to win, if you don't then you get rightly criticised. I don't think you can be criticised if you win the double though.

Well I don’t disagree with that, but I never liked watching any of those teams either! I tried watching Italian football in the 90s but it was too slow for me. And I also find Man City on the whole pretty boring to watch with the tiki taka possession stuff. What’s frustrating is that Arsenal have that strong spine as you say, and you’d hope they could use that as the platform for creative players. Wenger had a strong spine at Arsenal but played more attacking football and I liked to watch Arsenal back then. 

Also agree on Liverpool, much as I dislike the club, they were good to watch, and won stuff. Spurs were good to watch but mostly for comedy value.

I do disagree on not being able to criticize them though, I definitely will regardless