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Spurs to question fixture change

nedley

John Duncan's Love Child
Jul 28, 2006
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Tottenham Hotspur fear fixture change may benefit Manchester City

• Manchester City v Stoke City league game moved to 17 May

• Spurs believe City could gain an advantage in race for fourth

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Harry Redknapp will be hoping the Premier League reschedules the Manchester City v Stoke City league game. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur will lobby the Premier League over the rescheduling of the Manchester City against Stoke City league fixture, amid fears of a potential carve-up of the result to influence European qualification. The two clubs were due to met at Eastlands on FA Cup final weekend but their participation in the showpiece has forced a rethink and the game is now set for Tuesday 17 May, in the final week of the domestic season.
Yet Tottenham are concerned that this could hand City an advantage in the fight for a fourth-place finish. If Stoke were to lose the FA Cup final at Wembley on 14 May, they could still qualify for next season's Europa League if City were to finish fourth in the Premier League. That would see City make the Champions League and mean that they would not need the FA Cup's Europa League place, which would go to Stoke.
However, if City were to win the Cup but finish fifth in the league, they would take the Cup's Europa League place, ahead of Stoke and England's third Europa League berth would go to the sixth-placed league finisher. Tottenham worry that if City won the Cup, it might be in Stoke's interests to lose at Eastlands, as it could improve their own chances of making Europe, and they would like to see the fixture rearranged to before the FA Cup final to remove any element of suspicion.
The Premier League, though, feels that would cast unfair aspersions on Stoke, whose integrity it does not doubt. The League have rules in place that deal with the selection of weakened teams and they would bring them into force if that became an issue.
City's victory over their neighbours Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final and the potential for a Europa League spot to go to sixth place in the Premier League has rekindled the European hopes of Liverpool, Everton and Bolton Wanderers. The situation adds a layer of intrigue to more than just the City v Stoke end-of-season fixture.
Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield on 15 May, a match where, paradoxically, defeat could potentially improve their chances of earning a European place by helping Spurs into fourth, while City's trip to Everton on 7 May could carry an extra edge. City's final-day visit to Bolton Wanderers could also prove pivotal for both teams.
 

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,840
56,924
We can complain all we want - it's not going to be re-rearranged. It just seems every time we're fighting for 4th something comes up to make it harder for us. Lasagna-gate, Fulop-gate, and now City and Stoke's ridiculously confusing 'route in to Europe'-gate.


We came through the last one, no reason why we cant battle through this.
 

Mr Pink

SC Supporter
Aug 25, 2010
54,770
99,329
It doesn't bother me that much...although it should really. Put it like this if it was away to Stoke I would be raging.
 

WhiteStripe

Get out of my club you cretin!
Aug 23, 2006
14,190
4,905
How about we focus on the job in hand. This fixture is insignificant if we better citys results from here on in.
 

Spurger King

can't smile without glue
Jul 22, 2008
43,881
95,147
If our hopes on getting into the Champions league depend on Stoke, maybe we wouldn't really deserve a place?

Just win the games we have to and make that match a non-event.
 

ItsBoris

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2011
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Um haven't Stoke already got into Europe by being in the final? If the winner is already in a European competition because of their place in the league, the other finalist automatically qualifies, so even if we finish 4th, Stoke will still be in the Europa league and Liverpool won't.
 

leffe186

Well-Known Member
Sep 2, 2004
5,322
1,695
Um haven't Stoke already got into Europe by being in the final? If the winner is already in a European competition because of their place in the league, the other finalist automatically qualifies, so even if we finish 4th, Stoke will still be in the Europa league and Liverpool won't.

Apparently not, see the OP. If Man City win the Cup but then finish fifth, according to the BBC the team in sixth gets into the Europa. That's why it smells funny.

Still, if there's one thing we know about Stoke it's that they don't exploit the rules of the game to gain an advantage at the expense of the spirit and soul of the ga.....oh bugger.
 

ItsBoris

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2011
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^^You sure? Because before the Stoke Bolton game everyone was saying that whoever wins is in Europe.
 

not_tenth-again

Well-Known Member
Jun 19, 2009
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Me too, I thought with man City already in europe then Stoke would get the spot usually designated to 6th on the table..... my mistake I guess. I might be misunderstanding something but does that mean that Liverpool are hoping for a Man City cup win and then will lay down for us so that we get 4th and 6th becomes available to them??
 

ItsBoris

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2011
7,467
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I doubt they'd roll over for us, even if it was the last match of the season and us winning meant they would play in the Europa and any other result meant not.

This is confusing, why has everyone been talking about Liverpool catching us for 5th as the only way into the Europa when all along there was a perfectly reasonable scenario where they get 6th and make it?
 

dimiSpur

There's always next year...
Aug 9, 2008
5,844
6,750
This is all complete bollocks I think. This only applies for League Cup finals doesn't it? I know historically, you get to the Final, you're in Europe if the other team plays in Europe already.
 

Lilbaz

Just call me Baz
Apr 1, 2005
41,363
74,893
I thought they changed the rules last season that runners up no longer get a cup place?
 

dimiSpur

There's always next year...
Aug 9, 2008
5,844
6,750
Main Article said:
If Stoke were to lose the FA Cup final at Wembley on 14 May, they could still qualify for next season's Europa League if City were to finish fourth in the Premier League. That would see City make the Champions League and mean that they would not need the FA Cup's Europa League place, which would go to Stoke

That makes no sense. If Man City finish 5th, they still wouldn't need the FA Cup's qualification spot.
 

Legacy

SC Supporter
Mar 29, 2007
2,878
6,280
Doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

One, we'll already have 4th place sewn up after we beat City on May 10th.
Two, City will bottle the FA Cup final and Stoke will have Europe anyway.
Three, Stoke throwing a match to seal a European place is about as likely as Liverpool throwing a match to seal a European place.
 

kishman

Well-Known Member
Apr 22, 2005
10,575
771
That makes no sense. If Man City finish 5th, they still wouldn't need the FA Cup's qualification spot.


That's what I thought. I mentioned it in various of other threads, assuming City win the FA Cup, as long as they qualify for the Champions League, Stoke are in the Europa League, however if City finish 5th then 6th place get Europa League. However as pointed out in the other thread, Liverpool will need City to finish 5th to get into the Europa League so this could help us.
 

Blockbuster

Well-Known Member
Jun 28, 2007
2,765
1,568
I think finishing higher up the league is prob worth more than a few Europa League games.
 

Yid-ol

Just-outside Edinburgh
Jan 16, 2006
31,097
19,275
I think finishing higher up the league is prob worth more than a few Europa League games.

Dont know about how much money it will get but my guess is even the Europe league would bring in slightly more than a place or two in the league, and could be more of a pull for some players to sign, so i would say europe would be probably worth more.
 

Paxtonite

Active Member
Nov 28, 2004
1,956
32
This type of moaning to the league or running to the courts just always seems to make us look petty imo. Behaving like spoilt brats. Our destiny is in our own hands at the moment. Win all our remaining fixtures and nothing else matters. Besides a)Stoke will probably win cup and b) even if they dont, Pulis is pals with "arry so doubt that he will roll over at city.
 
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