The European Comedy Cup?

For starters, I like the UEFA Cup - the 'not quite there' aspect of many of its chasers is attractive to me. On an average day, I'd get much more out of watching the likes of Strasbourg or Brondby or Basel than Juventus or Real Madrid or Chelsea. Odd? Perhaps, but that's how it is. To me, it's a version of romance. However, I've just looked over the groupings for the UEFA Cup, and have noticed a quite ridiculous situation that marks this next phase of the competition. For the record, the draw includes:-

Group D
AZ Alkmaar
Middlesbrough
FC Dnipro
Grasshopper Zurich
Litex Lovech (?)


Group H
Besiktas
Sevilla
Bolton
St Petersburg
Vitoria Guimaraes

'The top three sides from each group progress to the last 32, where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage'. This is ridiculous. Three out of five! That's the equivalent of the Championship play-off places being extended to the team ending in 14th (or 15th!) place. This is a recipe for half-empty stadia and the prospect of 'resting players'. Steve McLaren does not need any help in appearing dull. As for Mike Bassett at Bolton, I suspect that the Turks and the Spaniards will squeeze his team. Oh for knock-out UEFA Cup football - forcing our Premiership sides to step up to the plate, and affording no hiding place for managers whose rich-boy squads are not cutting it. Oh indeed.