Aston Villa have applied to enter the Inter Two Bob competition should they fail to reach European football for next season through finishing high enough in the league table.

It's not really called the Inter Two Bob it's called the Intertoto Cup and while some might see this as a waste of time, I quite like the idea. We won it after all in 2001.

By applying, Martin O'Neill is covering bases and had quite a bit to say on the subject on the club site. "It's something for us to keep in the back of our minds as we press forward - why not have it as an option?

"We didn't apply last season because when they were talking about it we had a lot of ground to make up. We're still making up that ground, but we're a bit better equipped this time around."

This is how it works; any club which wishes to participate must apply for entry, with the highest placed club (by league position in their domestic league) at the end of the season entering the competition.

The club does not necessarily have to be ranked directly below the clubs which have qualified for another UEFA competition; if the club which is in this position did not apply, they will not be eligible to compete, with the place instead going to the club which did apply.

If we are accepted and it's our only option then we'd need to win just one two legged tie before the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. It's the long way around but it is the UEFA cup.

Following my mantra for today and looking on the plus side, it will mean European football next season if get in by not qualifying for the UEFA Cup or dare I say it, the Champions League.

Comments (37)

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Pongo1981 said:

You can read this two ways. 1. We're covering our tracks incase we fail but he believes we have the squad to qualify for europe automatically. 2. He thinks we'll struggle to get into europe automatically but knows in the summer we'll be able to strenghten the squad considerably and be able to compete in europe next season. Either way we look at it, MON believes we will be able to compete in europe next season and for me that's all that matters!! utv

February 15, 2008

Dizzy Mugs said:

What if we finish 5th? Do we go to Inter TwoBob cup or the UEFA cup?

February 15, 2008 | url

Damian said:

Dizzy, Intertoto is a fallback - if we finish 5th it would be UEFA cup ..

February 15, 2008 | url

kernowvilla said:

uefa cup

February 15, 2008

monsoon said:

I enjoyed it last time I was in the Holte End watching the smallest trophy in the world being lifted and I will enjoy it again. Football, sun, euro footy at Villa Park - bring it on.

February 15, 2008

K4 AVFC said:

5th, 6th and 7th .... will all be UEFA cup places this year BECAUSE i think Chelsea will win the Carling cup and two of the top four will contast the FA cup final. So 8th place will take the Intertoto Cup this year. Lets hope we can finish in the top 7, i would be extremely dissapointed at this stage if we couldn't do that.

February 15, 2008

PaulE said:

It's a good idea, just in case we get loads of injuries and things trail off, but I think we'll finish 6th for the UEFA cup. Also, we would have played both legs and, hopefully, qualified for the UEFA cup well before the transfer deadline, so we could still use UEFA cup football as a draw for decent players.

February 15, 2008

Dizzy Mugs said:

Cheers for the heads up Damian. I think we're 99% guaranteed at top 4-7 spot this season. Unless the whole team break their knees this weekend.

February 15, 2008 | url

mossiewalsh said:

i still fancy us for 4th, just comparing our run-in to the teams around us i think we will do it.

February 15, 2008

Olof the other reindeer said:

God forbid Spuds win the hokey-cokey cup and a team from outside the top 4 reaches the FA cup final, then 5th place only will secure a spot in the UEFA cup next season. It makes sense to have a back-up plan, especially as we are not competing in other competitions between now and year end

February 15, 2008

Olof the other reindeer said:

year end..?! meant season end..

February 15, 2008

Chrisodon said:

I'd prefer UEFA Cup footie to champs league remember what happened to Everton when they qualified a season or two too early for the champions league. I'd like a stable build up rather than a quick a fix.

February 15, 2008

AV4EVER said:

If playing in the intertoto cup means qualifying for the eufa cup then so be it, playing european football next season create's such a buzz for the fans. With most players plying their trade at the european championships, Villa should be pretty fresh, as most of their players are english & were not at the championships, so winning the intertoto cup could be a good possibility. I don't think we are ready for the champions league just yet, purely because we haven't enough quality players in the squad. You need quality & quantity to cope with the rigours of the premiership & champions league.

February 15, 2008

oldman villain said:

UEFA please that would do us grand

February 15, 2008

Topsy said:

Uefa Cup will do great for me. This is a great plan for a back up just in case. I'm confident we won't need it. We better qualify because i'm sick of my Dad saying the only way we'll get into europe is if we write a song and enter eurovision.

February 15, 2008

nan was a fan said:

FACT. We're ready for Europe. How long since we've all felt that to be really true? Bring it on.

February 15, 2008

PJ said:

@ Dizzy - it would be a massive blow if the whole team broke their knees thie weekend - especially given that we're not even playing! @ Olof the other rainderr - you must be doing your year end reports like me!

February 15, 2008

Eli said:

ok so it is agreed European footy would be welcomed BUT CL would be too much for us. Let's just say MON brought in Deco, David Bentley/James Milner,Brad Guzan, fat Ronaldo/Henrik Larrson, Crouch, and Nelson. Would be ready?

February 15, 2008

andy5759 said:

Good idea, shows intent. The trophy makes a brilliant egg cup.

February 15, 2008

nan was a fan said:

I think I read somewhere that MON was taking the team Slalom skiing in the Austrian alps this weekend. Can be iffy on the knees.

February 15, 2008

Ian said:

Seems a canny idea to me, go for it. www.claretandbluewedding.com

February 15, 2008

monsoon said:

Nice one MON, best season for years! lots to be happy about> steady progress. Look where we were this time last year and you will see small heath are there.

February 15, 2008

cameron :) said:

back up but hey we all wnat uefa cup !!! cum on u villa boys

February 15, 2008

Villa_Rules said:

Good idea to enter aswell at least its there to fall back on

February 16, 2008

dad was a blues fan, so i put him in a home said:

great new but i dont think it would be a bad thing qualifying for the champs league, because if you get knocked out before the group stages you go into the eufa cup so its a win win situation, and champs league football is more attractive to new players than the eufa cup

February 16, 2008

K4 AVFC said:

I'm bored and i'm looking forward to going to the Madejski next week so i'm going to do the team i want to see start the game. Carson Gardner Davies Laursen Bouma Maloney Barry Reo-Coker Young Harewood Carew

February 17, 2008

jonathanleewaldron said:

k4 avfc, spot on team selection totally agree, routledge on the bench maybe 20 mins at the end when we are 3-0 up. dad was a blues fan, agree too, everton were unlucky to have a Riquelme-driven Villareal to go up against in the qualifying round of the CL because of the seeding. I fancy Villa to do over a team over two legs in the CL third round quals. Uefa good, CL better but more likely next two seasons

February 17, 2008

warwickvilla said:

middlesbrough,sunderland,bolton,scum,wigan,at home lets call that 12 points,reading ,arsenal ,portsmouth,man scum,derby,everton,west ham,away,lets call that 10 points,22 more points will get us there me thinks,what do you lot think?

February 17, 2008

pazzler said:

bring it on!

February 17, 2008

AV33 said:

Hi Everyone... If we don't get some kind of Euro football for next season, it will be a disaster ! I don't really mind in what way it happens because either UEFA or Champions League will be a step up from where we are and will make people take notice of Aston Villa. There was something in the News of the World today about the top six Prem clubs being involved in a Super League and fookin Newcastle were involved ahead of us! We must put an end to the way people see our great club by movements on and off the field..so far the boys on the pitch are doing exactly what is required, i just hope they can keep it up. If it means scraping a way through via Inter Toto or hitting the heady heights of the Champions League a bit early (from the 5 year plan) via 4th spot this season, I don't mind. I beleive that Randy and MON will up the tempo a bit in the summer now they have seen that that Top 4 in the Prem is there for the taking. MON has been in Europe before, don't forget with Celtic and didn't do too bad with their limited resourses. Liverpool are in serous disarray at the mo, Everton looked very ordinary during their midweek Euro encounter...maybe it might be our season ? Even though we weren't playing this weekend, i've enjoyed the limited football available. Fair play to Barnsley and their inspirational skipper and keeper, Bristol Rovers on their first inclusion in the sixth round for over 50 years and Hasselbank's beauty putting Cardiff through (Peter Whittingham's mate !) What a great sight to see all of that was, but I also felt a bit gutted that we weren't involved. Maybe next year...eh? UP THE VILLA

February 17, 2008

villain said:

y not play? we're gonna play pre-season friendlies neway? at least this way they actually mean something we mite b in better shape at the start of the season 4 it.

February 18, 2008

Richie p said:

i think mon registering for the intertoto is his way of just sayin were ready to take on europe

February 18, 2008

tonebone said:

We had to register for it. If spurs somehow beat Chelsea at the weekend, 6th place in the league could miss out. We have to hope in the FACUP both chelsea and Man Utd win and then avoid each other in the semi finals otherwise that place goes to the runners up. Dare i say it West Brom have drawn Bristol Rovers and with a good semi final draw could be in Europe next season themselves.

February 18, 2008

Ulrik Bust said:

Hi. It seems like the common opinion among you guys on European qualification is that 5th place will go to the UEFA cup the winner of the Carling cup the winner of the FA cup but as far as I have read before the season started England got 2 extra places in the UEFA cup because of very good displays the last couple of years and that means 5th, 6th and 7th place go straight to the UEFA cup the winner of the Carling cup the winner of the FA cup. If the Carling cup is won by a team placed in top 7 the place will go to number 8 in the league and if the finalists in the FA cup is in top 7 the place will also go to number 8 in the league. If both things happen number 9 in the league will get UEFA cup. I hope I'm right and not giving you fall hopes - it would be nice with a clarification though as my sources are the danish papers. All the best for the rest of the season.

February 18, 2008 | url

Ulrik Bust said:

Sorry - my comment was not printed with a plus sign so I'll try again Hi. It seems like the common opinion among you guys on European qualification is that 5th place will go to the UEFA cup plus the winner of the Carling cup plus the winner of the FA cup but as far as I have read before the season started England got 2 extra places in the UEFA cup because of very good displays the last couple of years and that means 5th, 6th and 7th place go straight to the UEFA cup plus the winner of the Carling cup plus the winner of the FA cup. If the Carling cup is won by a team placed in top 7 the place will go to number 8 in the league and if the finalists in the FA cup is in top 7 the place will also go to number 8 in the league. If both things happen number 9 in the league will get UEFA cup. I hope I'm right and not giving you fall hopes - it would be nice with a clarification though as my sources are the danish papers. All the best for the rest of the season.

February 18, 2008 | url

tonebone said:

Ulrik - i wish you were correct but I am afriad not. England have 3 uefa places allotted to them. We may gain another if The premier league finish top of the fair play league. However as we stand the situation is as follows. 5th place - def uefa cup Winners of Carling Cup - uefa cup (if the winner qualifies for europe through league postion that place goes to 6th place in the league) Winners of the FACUP - UEFA CUP (if the winner qualifies fro europe through league postiion the plce goes to runners up, then if they also have qualified for Europe it goes to 7th place in the league) There are few permutations where things could work differently - eg liverpool winning the champs league and finishing 5th. But in reality 5th place will def get in uefa cup, 6th as long as Chelsea win on sunday and 7th only can happen if Man Utd and Chelsea meet in the FACUP Final.

February 19, 2008

Ulrik said:

Damn! - I've been relatively calm all season because I was pretty sure we would qualify due to the extra places I thought England had received. Yesterday I wrote to the leading danish football magazine "Tipsbladet" and they have contacted UEFA today and admitted that they have made a mistake in the magazine after UEFA confirmed what you said Tonebone. Good luck with european qualification - WE NEED IT!

February 20, 2008 | url

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