2011/12 UEFA Europa League

[Lineker]

They'll still get brutalized.

On a sidenote, Shamrock Rovers have signed Rohan Ricketts. So he gets a return to WHL.

[Matt]

What exactly made the Sion players ineligible?

[Grounded Wingman]

What exactly made the Sion players ineligible?

Sion signed the players while the club was under a transfer ban

[Matt]

Ahh right, that's a valid reason then.

[Hobo]

They'll still get brutalized.

On a sidenote, Shamrock Rovers have signed Rohan Ricketts. So he gets a return to WHL.

That's a signing right out of Football Manager.

[Berober]

Looking forward to Shamrock Spurs even more now, get to see Enda Stevens in action.

And I am glad for Celtic, their lawyers are the saviour for Scottish football everywhere...

[METALMAN]

Scottish football doesn't need saved. I can go to Kilmarnock v [any team other than Rangers and Celtic] for about a tenner] and watch one of the most entertaining football sides I've ever seen play what will more than likely be a close-fought and exciting match.

I don't want any more than that.

[Cadj]

Scottish football doesn't need saved. I can go to Kilmarnock v [any team other than Rangers and Celtic] for about a tenner] and watch one of the most entertaining football sides I've ever seen play what will more than likely be a close-fought and exciting match.

I don't want any more than that.

Pretty much, I actually like watching Hearts most of the time.

Also, I know I'm over a week late but my internet was out last week when the game was on so just to say that I thought we did well against Tottenham in London, even if it was against their youths and reserves. But hey, we had our youths and reserves out too.

No surprise the passing game worked a bit better when we had actual footballers in the midfield unlike the first leg too.

[Hobo]

And Celtic are back in the Europa League!

[Lineker]

lol, Sion.

Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart has said he is annoyed at being left out of the club's Europa League squad.

The 28-year-old hobbled off during Spurs' 5-1 defeat to Manchester City and had originally expected to be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury.

But, despite now expecting to be fit for the Liverpool match next week, the omission means the playmaker will miss Spurs' six Europa group matches.

"Spurs could at least have consulted me," he told his official website.

In a section headlined "annoying" on his website, the Dutch international said: "I still think it's a peculiar situation.

"Anyway, it's up to the point of no return. I will be focusing on the game against Liverpool.

"I'm pretty convinced I will be fit by then."

The former Real Madrid player missed Holland's Euro 2012 qualifiers and was also sidelined as Harry Redknapp's team secured their first win of the season against Wolves on Saturday.

Redknapp intends to blood a number of youngsters such as Harry Kane, Tom Carroll and Jake Livermore in the Europa league to keep his squad fresh for a top four push in the Premier League.

Spurs kick off their Europa League campaign against PAOK Salonika in Greece on Thursday.

If they get through the group stages, they will be allowed to add three new names to their squad.

[Lineker]

Add Jonathan Woodgate to the pissed-off brigade.

[Lineker]

Dynamo Kiev: Shovkovskiy, Danilo Silva, Betao, Popov, Vukojevic, Garmash, Ninkovic, Yussuf, Shevchenko, Yarmolenko, Milevskiy.

Subs: Koval, Aliev, Ideye, Haruna, Khacheridi, Correa, Dudu Rodrigues.

Stoke: Sorensen, Huth, Shawcross, Upson, Wilkinson, Shotton, Whelan, Diao, Palacios, Jones, Jerome.

Subs: Nash, Pennant, Whitehead, Walters, Arismendi.

Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hategan (Romania)

This game is on ITV4.

PAOK Salonika: Kresic, Malezas, Contreras, Lino, Etto, Pablo Garcia, Fotakis, Arias, Vieirinha, Athanasiadis, Salpingidis.

Subs: Chalkias, Balafas, Robert, Papazoglou, Ivic, Sznaucner, Tsoukalas.

Tottenham: Cudicini, Bassong, Corluka, Walker, Livermore, Townsend, Carroll, Pavlyuchenko, Giovani, Falque, Kane.

Subs: Gomes, Fredericks, Nicholson, Pritchard, Parrett, Stewart, Barthram.

Referee: Milorad Mazic (Serbia)

This game is on ESPN and BBC 5live.

[Starvinho]

Thumbs down Obafemi Martins (N) for scoring against Shamrock

[Lineker]

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp on his starting XI versus PAOK: "We've got a mixture of experience and youth and six internationals so hopefully they will all gel together. I need to shuffle the keepers around also. Carlo Cudicini starts today and Heurelho Gomes will play next time, that's how I'm going to work it."

Poor Heurelho

Martins has scored for Rubin already

[Colly]

Have to say I feel sorry for any Spurs fans who've travelled, Redknapps taking the piss with that team.

Edit: they'll probably win 8-0 now.

Edited September 15, 2011 by Colly

[Lineker]

I'm planning on applying to go to the Shamrock game in Ireland. It's only a short hop over and should be a laugh. I'd only consider applying to go further afield if we actually got to the last eight or something.

We've already had one cleared off the line.

[Lineker]

lol, PAOK. Penalty fail.

[Berober]

Bit of a technical fault on ESPN there. Probably the closest Newcastle will get to Europa League football (Y)

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

A few of the Spurs youngsters are playing well actually. I was looking forward to seeing Falque but he's being kept pretty quiet. Townsend's been unsurprisingly solid. Harry Kane and Carroll have been great.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Ooooh Falque just found some space. That would have been magnificent.