UEFA's reformatting of both their tournaments has undoutably messed with them. It's like what FIFA keep doing to the World Cup; soon it might well be harder NOT to qualify for the finals LOL. So I accept that the organising bodies continue to mess with many aspects of oiur game to its detriment in terms of quality (adding useless international tournaments and friendlies so as top players get wrecked physically can be added to that).
My point is that finding ways to devalue appearing in a European final is pretty naff IMO. What's the point? I mean, taking THAT stance is a personal choice isn't it? And I don't understand why people simply cannot look forward to being in a European final without some sort of 'qualification'?
We played 12 games in the 83/84 run (each game was 2 legs - not sure if that's what you meant by 'straight knock-out' but it wasn't one-off ties, always home and away).
We have already played 14 matches in this season's tournament, with Wednesday being the 15th. I think the newer format is actually a bit weird TBH, and I'm not sure it makes things any easier. Our stats are interesting...
https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/clubs/1652--tottenham/statistics/
I suppose someone could look at those stats and say that the Europa League standard must be lower if we're doing that well in the tournament because our league form shows worse stats? Which (again) to me anyway would be a really weird and proactively negative way to view being in a Final.
p.s. BTW mate -and I'm sure you didn't intend it to be- but hanging my '91 comment on the SF against the goons? One of the greatest games in our modern history for so many reasons (not the least of which we were staring down the barrell of an ugly fiscal gun)? You know that match was the outlier of the whole affair (with Forest also being formidable opponents) and you surely know I was referring to Blackpool, Oxford, Pompey, and Notts.County?!!!!!!!