| Football Bettor's Survey | ||
|
Things are changing for European football and next weeks final in Istanbul is going to be the last ever Uefa Cup final.
The tournament has been much maligned in recent years and has suffered due to the increasing popularity of the Champions League and of the inadequate group stages but there is no doubt that the Uefa Cup has been an amazing tournament that so many people have taken to their hearts.
The very first winners were Tottenham Hotspur when they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers in a two-legged final in the early 1970s and the last Uefa Cup final will be contested by Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine and Werder Bremen from Germany.
Next season sees the Europa League come into being, which will include the Intertoto Cup element and see the tournament presented more along the lines of the Champions League. The league table fixtures will see a double round-robin of matches between the four teams, which immediately improves on the current level and brings it more into line with the Champions League.
Big Changes for Next Season
One immediate benefit of having groups of four teams is that no team has a blank week and every team will be involved when the others are.
This will also benefit Uefa in being able to strengthen their Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night offerings for TV with a greater level of consistency. There is no doubt that these moves have been done with money in mind and it can be seen there is a need for the Uefa Cup level teams to earn more money or the chasm between them and the Champions League teams will grow even wider.
There is already a split in the Champions League with the English teams and the Spanish giants being in a different financial sphere from everyone else so there is a need for Uefa to redistribute fund more effectively to encourage competition at all levels of the game.
The top teams have the top players and this is what fans want to see so it is only right that they get a large proportion of the money but if the gap continues to grow, soon the top teams will only be facing themselves as the smaller teams struggle to compete. However, that sort of talk can be left for next season when the Europa League begins and the current focus should be on the last ever Uefa Cup final.
Zenit Saint Petersburg are the current Uefa Cup holders after they finally smashed through the anti-football wall constructed by Rangers in a final which brought relief to football fans everywhere as attacking football finally won out over defensive monotony. Sadly, the final was overshadowed by the rampaging behaviour of Rangers fans in the city of Manchester and it can only be hoped that the last ever Uefa Cup final is remembered for action on the pitch as opposed to the scenes of blood and terror that filled the newspapers and TV screens in the aftermath of the final.
Ukraine and Germany in Semi-Finals
The semi-finals featured matches between teams from the same country with Donetsk overcoming European legends Dynamo Kiev over the two legs. A 1-1 draw in Kiev gave Shakhtar the platform to win at home and they managed this in a comfortable and convincing manner.
Donetsk have been regular attendees in the Champions League in recent seasons and have shown themselves to be one of the more consistent performers hailing from the former USSR. There is no doubt that oil and gas money have went a long way to raising the profile and level of football in these nations but money is no guarantee of success. Clever imports and strong tactics have cemented Shakhtar Donetsk’s position as a good European competition team and success in the last ever Uefa Cup final would be a fitting tribute to the progress the club has shown in recent years.
Away Wins in Germany
Standing in the way of Shakhtar are Werder Bremen, who overcame Hamburg in their all German semi-final. A 1-0 defeat in their home leg gave Bremen a mountain to climb when they travelled to Hamburg and not many gave them much hope of progressing to the final in Istanbul. The club rallied though and were soon defending a 3-1 lead on the night as they turned the tie around. Hamburg managed a late consolation goal which tied the aggregate score at 3-3 but had Werder Bremen ahead on the away goals rule.
Hamburg were unable to strike again and so were left ruing a perfect opportunity to make a European final and give their fans something to cheer about.
A Ukraine versus Germany final was always going to happen with the way the semi-finals panned out but the odds on this exact final would have been fairly attractive after the first leg.
Although there is no real need for any further incentive for the finalists to emerge triumphant from the final, there is one in that the winner will be the only team who is guaranteed their place in the group stages of the Europa League, providing they are not qualified for the Champions League. However, the chance to win a trophy and earn a medal is the more likely factor that will spur the players on as will be the opportunity to play in a Uefa Cup final that will be remembered for a long time.
Some Great UEFA Cup Moments
There have been some memorable Uefa Cup finals in recent years with Liverpool’s 5-4 win, Celtic and Porto’s epic battle and Middlesboro’s complete capitulation at the hands of Seville being some of the more glorious finals in recent years. Seville also served up an exciting final against Espanyol at Hampden Park so it is fair to say that Shakhtar and Werder Bremen have a lot to live up to when they take the field in Istanbul. Whatever the outcome, one of the teams will be able to say that they are the last ever winners of the Uefa Cup and their name will remain in the history books for their achievement. Next season the Europa League ushers in a new era for European football but for the next week, lets remember the Uefa Cup for the exciting tournament that it proved to be on numerous occasions.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
Would you like to contribute to this site?
We welcome new ideas, columnists and partnerships with other sites.
Please write an email to 
and let us know how we can work together.
 |
 |
Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
