Liverpool Fanview: Europa League - Worth Winning Or A Waste Of Time?

The morning after the night before, and time for the inquest. The red half of Merseyside awoke today with heavy heads and heavier hearts. Liverpool's ignominious exit from the Champions League last night casts a long shadow across the city on an oddly-bright day. But at the end of the storm....as they say.

Liverpool's fans have long been classed as a knowledgable bunch. Even the harshest critics of the Rafa Benitez regime - Graeme Souness to name but one - have spoken glowingly of the Kop's "patience and understanding" in the face of some woeful results this season.

But what now? Now that they have crashed out of the Champions League, a tournament deeply embedded in Liverpool's history? Is the Europa League - ever the poor relation - adequate compensation for a lapsed membership at Europe's top club?

Goal.com UK asked Reds fans what they made of Liverpool's exit, and their hopes for the rest of the season.

And, whilst every fan shared the disappointment at the Reds' failure to navigate their way out of a tricky but not impossible group, the general consensus is that the Europa League offers a chance to salvage some pride from the fall.

Liverpool won the competition under its former guise, the UEFA Cup, in 2001. That success, masterminded by Gerard Houllier, represented the Reds' ascent back into the realms of European royalty, after a hiatus of almost 20 years.

A repeat of that success this season, it seems, is now the minimum expectation on Merseyside. As one door closes, another opens, according to the Liverpool fans.

Reds fan John, 25, says; "I do think it is worth winning, it will prove we are still a force in Europe, and how far we have come since we last won it."

It is a sentiment shared by plenty of others. Another Red, Kirsty, claims that the Europa League could prove to be "strangely refreshing", and adds that the tournament is "definitely winnable".

Meanwhile, Andy, 24, speaks of how the tournament retains a certain prestige, and is littered with "Champions League sides such as Benfica, Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk". Winning the tournament, it appears, is high on most Reds fans' shopping list.

Too much too soon | Fans were 'spoiled' by success

They don't all agree of course, Reds season ticket holder Francis is of the opinion that "it is worth concentrating solely on the league now, we need to get in the top four".

He is also nonplussed at the idea of Thursday night European games, and Sunday afternoon Premier League fixtures, claiming that "even if we won the Europa League, it wouldn't be the same as the Champions League, it's a poor substitute."

So what of Benitez? The Spaniard has taken his fair share of criticism for his side's indifferent start to the season, and questions - rightly or wrongly - are bound to be asked in the wake of such an unexpected failure. Nevertheless, it seems that most Liverpool fans remain sympathetic towards the manager, and refuse to contemplate the thought of him leaving Anfield.

Paul Tomkins, author of eight books on Liverpool, and a fierce defender of the Spaniard, is of the opinion that Benitez is a victim of his own success.

"If it wasn't for Rafa taking the team further than expected in Europe over the last five years," says Tomkins, "then there would be no concern."

Tomkins also points out that "Manchester United exited the competition at the same stage in 2005, and won the Premier League the following season", so there should be little reason for Reds fans to panic, although he concedes that a repeat - this season at least - is unlikely.

These points, it seems, are shared across the board. A fan on one Reds forum offers up a staunch defence of the beleaguered Benitez in the face of criticism from some supporters, and it is strong stuff:

"Because of what he [Benitez] has done for this club, you [critical Liverpool fans] have now become spoilt brats. He's given you something you couldn't have dreamed of five years ago, and yet you still want more. Greed, greed and more greed."

Liverpool fans, it seems, have long memories. Memories which stretch back to the dark days of Souness, when European football was a luxury rather than an expectation. Benitez and his side may have failed in this season's Champions League, but their record in recent seasons should afford them some breathing space.

It is this kind of perspective which prevents Reds fans from falling into the knee-jerk trap, and ensures that, even in the Europa League, Liverpool will be able to count on fantastic and unwavering support.

Neil Jones