I will probably be banned but...(football chat) [5]

[odykas]

Olympooooo!!! :D :D :D

[pino]

Olympooooo!!! :D :D :D

Great performance from them too :up:

[Storm]

Odympoo :up:

Liverpool superb under pressure again....Torres has been great this season.

[odykas]

Capello will soon be announced as new coach for England :eek: :p :

Maybe they can make it to Euro 2012.....














..... maybe not :p :

[pino]

Maybe they can make it to Euro 2012.....














..... maybe not :p :


If Capello won't make it...none will :p :

[odykas]

Maybe it's time for the big come back of Sven :p :

[jso1985]

AC Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors :D :D worth of waking up at 6 AM to hear speachless Argentine commentators when their so good team got trashed

[stevie_gerrard]

Well its been a while since ive been here, so i think i better say something.

Of course it was the battle of the big four today, and that big four is now the big two, because Arsenal and Man Utd both won today, albeit non convincingly, but a key point came out of both games. 1) Chelsea really are that bad when they have no Drogba and no Terry, and 2) Anyone thinking Liverpool will win the title this season, or has a chance of winning, only needs to see todays performance to show them the amount of chances they wasted, and how they simply cannot penetrate the bigger teams defences. Rio and Vidic were superb today, but not only that, i though Torres and Kuyt were both poor. Liverpool are closer than they were before, but they arent close enough, and if they beat Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea (where all three games are away from home) then i will eat my cap! :p : Also if Chelsea win the title this season, i will down a whole bottle of whisky. :p : I'm sorry, but Chelsea are really gonna miss their african players when they go to play the african nations cup, and if they get through that and still win the title, then they really are one of the best sides in football.

Now onto Wolves....... and away from Wolves :p : rather not talk about their current form at the moment :( absolutely shocking.

One opinion on Fabio Capello being the new England manager, i don't think he is the right man for all his wonderful history, i just feel we would have been better with a man like Lippi who has international experience.

ody got one thing right, bring back sven, the guy is on form, whoever said it was just the big four these days. Being serious, Man City have got a much better chance of finishing in the top 4 than liverpool at the current moment. Saying that, so have Everton, Portsmouth etc :p :

[pino]

Welcome back stevie :D but this time I disagree with you, Capello is a lot better than Lippi and has more international experience ;)

Anyway congrats to Milan, who now is the most winning (18 international trophies won) Team in the World :up:

[pino]

Ups I forgot....both Juve and Del Piero (2 goals in Rome against Lazio) in a great form and now in 3rd pos in Serie A :D

[Storm]

What's all the ruckus by some English managers about being "sad" that Capello got the job? Ince, Coppell and some others...do they think they can do better?
Only Allardyce and Redknapp are any good and even they have not won sh1t when compared to what Capello has won in his life.

Of course it would be better if they got an Englishman who could actually be competent enough to win, but there is no harm in winning a trophy with a foreign manager...because people will remember that the team actually won something rather than being mediocre just due to some misplaced nationalistic pride.

[odykas]

Lippi > Capello :devil:

But there's another Italian coach better than both!

[pino]

Lippi > Capello :devil:

But there's another Italian coach better than both!

Yes, Ranieri :up: :p :

[Storm]

Donadoni :p :

Pino...saw the 2 goals by Del Piero ...were pretty good although they were almost same and very similar to his goal in WC :o

[pino]

Donadoni :p :



Noway ! Not as long as he plays crap Gilardino insted of Super Pippo ( Inzaghi ) same goes for Ancellotti :crazy:

As for magic Del Piero there are no more words to describe him :s mokin:

[janneppi]

Uh, Barca vs Real Madrid on Sunday, might have to watch it. Shame Messi isn't able to play. :)

[pino]

Uh, Barca vs Real Madrid on Sunday, might have to watch it. Shame Messi isn't able to play. :)

BTW here's last quote from Real Madrid president Calderon : "Kaká wouldn't find space in this Real Madrid..." :s :laugh:

[odykas]

President to fans:

You want Kaka? .. Messi? .. Ronaldinho?...

They are all crap.. let's buy Becks! :D

[Storm]

Janneppi....Messi isn't there but Eto'o is back :D
And he has already scored 3 goals in 2 games

Olympiacos v Chelsea in CL 2nd round
Milan v Arsenal - nice for Whinger

[pino]

Janneppi....Messi isn't there but Eto'o is back :D
And he has already scored 3 goals in 2 games

Olympiacos v Chelsea in CL 2nd round
Milan v Arsenal - nice for Whinger

Liverpool v Inter
Roma v Real Madrid


FORZA BARCA !!! :D

[odykas]

Vamos Blaugrana!

Olympoo vs Chelski :|

[Storm]

0-1 crap.

[stevie_gerrard]

Is it just me or has the Premier League gone mad lately?

1) Huge scorelines: Chelsea 4-4 A Villa, Spurs 6-4 Reading, i've never known a season where there are so many goals in one game.

2) Horror Tackles: It isnt just the premier league, ive seen it in the lower leagues too, but 2 footed tackles and leg breaking tackles are just not acceptable at this level.

3) Open Season: Everyone said Man Utd running away with it, and Arsenal looking strong, with Chelsea and Liverpool looking weak, but Man Utd lost today and Arsenal have slipped up a couple of times over the past few weeks, and with pompey, man city and everton all looking strong, i get the feeling this is one of the more open seasons for a long time (As long as Liverpool win their spare games)

[Storm]

Liverpool couldn't break Man City, Torres had a couple of great chances earlier and they dominated the second half but no goals.

[pvtjoker]

I'll be at the Spurs v Newcastle game on Mar. 30. Not the best game in the world but its the only ticket I could land while town that week.

Any a Spurs fan here who can give advice on a decent place to eat in North London???

[odykas]

Happy new year!

I hope 2008 is like 2006!

(as regards to Barca and Jube :p )

[SEATFreak]

I'll be at the Spurs v Newcastle game on Mar. 30. Not the best game in the world but its the only ticket I could land while town that week.

Any a Spurs fan here who can give advice on a decent place to eat in North London???

On the subject of future games is their any Pompey or Birmingham City fans going to the game against my Sunderland team this month?

Horrible times for them. The Pompey game is something like 1:30 whilst the City game is the worst of them all...8pm!

[pvtjoker]

What does everyone make of Derby's recent transfers? Does it save them from relegation or is it a case of, "change happening too late to make difference"?

[SEATFreak]

What does everyone make of Derby's recent transfers? Does it save them from relegation or is it a case of, "change happening too late to make difference"?

I think they will easily stay up because they have used money to try to stay up.

They have a lot of points to make up before they get out of the drop zone, but they in one swoop have signed two of the type of players many who come up would love to have. Players who have earned themselves a recognisable household name with famous teams and know the ways of the Premiership inside and out.

I am miffed at the signing at the same time because:

a) In the article on soccernet Paul Jewell said Robbie had said to him he was convinced to come because, and I quote "he believed that if Derby were relegated, they would bounce straight back next season."

Does that mean certain teams not that far above them won't be able to bounce straight back up?

b) Speaking of those certain team not that far above them, doesn't say a lot for them that they cannot be appealing to names like Savage and Robert.

[Storm]

Sam Allardyce sacked by Newcastle....who's the next one , Shearer ?

[pvtjoker]

I think they will easily stay up because they have used money to try to stay up.

They have a lot of points to make up before they get out of the drop zone, but they in one swoop have signed two of the type of players many who come up would love to have. Players who have earned themselves a recognisable household name with famous teams and know the ways of the Premiership inside and out.

I am miffed at the signing at the same time because:

a) In the article on soccernet Paul Jewell said Robbie had said to him he was convinced to come because, and I quote "he believed that if Derby were relegated, they would bounce straight back next season."

Does that mean certain teams not that far above them won't be able to bounce straight back up?

b) Speaking of those certain team not that far above them, doesn't say a lot for them that they cannot be appealing to names like Savage and Robert.


Don't feel too bad for Derby or Wigan should they drop. Teams that bounce up and down between the Premiership and Coca Cola Championship collect a nice payday.

[SOD]

Don't feel too bad for Derby or Wigan should they drop. Teams that bounce up and down between the Premiership and Coca Cola Championship collect a nice payday.

the players pick up a nice payday. Players in premiership rate contracts are honoured when they're playing in Championship. Swindon Town FC got stung by that.

The clubs suffer, the players dont.

[SEATFreak]

Don't feel too bad for Derby or Wigan should they drop. Teams that bounce up and down between the Premiership and Coca Cola Championship collect a nice payday.

Don't worry. Let's just say I won't be shedding many tears for them should they be relegated.

Becase once their down I hope they stay down.


Sam Allardyce sacked by Newcastle....who's the next one , Shearer ?

He has already ruled himself out apparently.

I thought my teams was in crisis. Atleast life isn't a face which is what life in and around Newcastle as a club and as a city must be. Can anyone figure out why their board and fans do the things they do?

Dismissing their boss after less than one full calender year and seemingly being asked by fans to choose a man who has no managerial experience on the seeming basis he is a local hero.

Why do you think is the most serious candidate to be given the thankless (literally) job of bringing success and stability to the ungrateful hoards?

[Storm]

Nicolas Anelka sold to Chelsea for 15 million GBP......a good deal I would think

[jso1985]

but does Chelsea really needs more strikers?

Drogba, Shevchenko, Pizarro and Kalou seem enough for me. Maybe one of them is leaving the team on summer, but then why the rush in buying a new striker now?

[Storm]

Because Drogba and Kalou are gone for the African cup and Shevchenko is injured I think....anyways Barca seem to be hitting some form...5-0 win against Murcia yesterday with Eto'o scoring 2 goals! but he is off to the African cup as well....and Messi is still down.

[pino]

Amazing debut for 18 years old Pato in Milan-Napoli 5-2 , and great comeback for old Ronaldo, who scored twice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9WvTedKsDs

[odykas]

The new Gilardino :devil:

[MrJan]

Horrible times for them. The Pompey game is something like 1:30 whilst the City game is the worst of them all...8pm!

I hate it when that happens. This Sunday Exeter City are playing Oxford at 7:15pm. Not that bad for me as it is a home game but I can't see many Oxford fans wanting to travel down to a Conference game which will finish so late they probably won't be home until 1 o'clock. It's a sorry state of affairs when TV dictates the time that CONFERENCE games are played, should be 3pm on a saturday or 7:45 on a Turesday, that's it :)

[Mark]

King Kev is back!

[GridGirl]

King Kev... pahhh you should really be talking about Super Kevin Phillips. ;)

[Rollo]

London: In the aftermath of a disastrous European campaign the British FA's held emergency talks and quickly announced a Home Nations Tournament to be held this summer to give English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh football fans something to do while the European championships were being played.

Only moments later the tournament was cancelled when those presiding at the meeting realized that none of the Home Nations were capable of winning the event.

[SEATFreak]

King Kev... pahhh you should really be talking about Super Kevin Phillips. ;)

You have an excellent point there. :up:

[gofastandwynn]

Right now I am having fun watching the progress of Leeds United. Playing in the Champions League a few years ago, not they are down in League One. The fun part is they started out they year being docked 15 points for failure to comply with rules on insolvency, now they are the top seed in playoff and 5 points out of the lead. I just wonder how many points will they be up by end of the season.

[stevie_gerrard]

Leeds have been doing well, but they aint no Man Utd :p :

yes i decided to pop back for a quick chat about football. King Kev.... Phillips that is running the Championship for the Baggies :p : Though the Baggies looked off form today, can't afford to have off days like that too often, theres a standard to be kept. Wolves won their first game in 8 at S****horpe and keep in the hunt for a play off spot, allbeit they need to get a run together before we can announce they are back in the hunt really.

Now Keegan and despite all the hype about his return, all the pundits are quite rightly having concerns that a manager who hasnt watched a game in 2 and a half years can take Newcastle back to the glory days. By the looks of it, things arent gonna happen quickly after a dour 0-0 draw against Bolton.

Carling Cup Semi's could be the highlight of the week, Spurs have a great chance to beat Arsenal and Chelsea aren't guaranteed victory over Everton.

[pino]

Great to read you again stevie :up:

Juve's back on form (3-1 away at Livorno and great scoring by Del Piero and Trezeguet). But best news is the signing of Liverpool's Sissoko, and selling of Samsoung to Lyon :D

[Storm]

Rumour out that Jose Mourinho will take over at Valencia who are in big trouble this season...maybe Jose should wait as a seat is empty at the Camp Nou in June. But maybe he likes the challenge of Valencia.

[MrJan]

E I, E I , E I O Up the City here we go :bounce:

1-0 at half time in a six pointer, Wembley here we come (again) :D

[MrJan]

HAVE IT. Wemberly, Wemberly, we're the famous Exeter City and we're going to Wembely.

The conference is a very difficult league and victory in a 6 point game against Cambridge has really helped. I hope to god that if we make the playoffs again we don't end up with a nerve racking time like we did last season.

[pino]

Capello named english squad:

http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2008/01/EnglandSwitzerland_squad.htm

[odykas]

Capello or no Capello ,
they are the same bordello!

:eek: :devil:

[pino]

Republic of Irland goes italian too :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7242896.stm

[Storm]

I see nobody else has mentioned the African Cup of Nations...Egypt won its 2nd consecutive title beating Cameroon while hosts Ghana came in 3rd.

I saw some of the high-lights on TV and did keep up on the net
Samuel Eto'o is now top scorer in the history of the tournament!

[pino]

I see nobody else has mentioned the African Cup of Nations...

Unfortunately ever since Capello took over none of our english friends feels to talk football. Is just you and me left :(

[pino]

Another big injury for him last night, he will be operated in Paris today, but he will have to stop playing for at least 9 months :s

http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/SerieA/Squadre/Milan/Primo_Piano/2008/02_Febbraio/13/MilanLivorno.shtml

[jim mcglinchey]

Republic of Irland goes italian too :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7242896.stm

Local businessman Denis O'Brien stepped in with an offer to pay half of the managers salary. and that allowed the Irish FA to aim a little higher and buy Italian quality management, and he can speak English into the bargain!

[ozrevhead]

Republic of Irland goes italian too :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7242896.stm
the Worlds gone mad!!!!!! :D

oh for those who get BskyB on their TV sets, it will broadcast the Preliminary final and the Grand Final of the A-leauge...


EXCLUSIVE: UK broadcaster BSkyB will show the Newcastle Jets versus Queensland Roar preliminary final live in the UK this Sunday.
And the UK-based broadcasting giant will also show the A-League grand final live from the SFS the following Sunday.

With a 6pm local kickoff, the match will be screened early Sunday morning in the UK.

The decision to broadcast the game live in the UK is another sign that Australian football is beginning to be taken seriously around the world. The match is also being broadcast live on Fox Sports in Australia.

The Jets are expecting a full house with a large contingent of traveling Roar supporters likely to make it an even more electric atmosphere.

"We’re going to have all of Newcastle behind us this weekend, so hopefully that can get us over the line,” said Jets skipper Jade North.

The excitement is building ahead of the match many are saying is worth a million dollars to the winner with an Asian Champions League and Grand Final spot up for grabs.

Jets coach Gary Van Egmond added: “And not just the supporters who have been here for this year, but for supporters of football in the Hunter who have been here for many, many years. It’s been a real foothold of Australian football - the Newcastle/Hunter.

"They’re a very knowledgeable crowd, they appreciate good football, they appreciate rolling your sleeves up and having a go, and this weekend we’re going to play for them.”

[Curryhead]

HAVE IT. Wemberly, Wemberly, we're the famous Exeter City and we're going to Wembely.

The conference is a very difficult league and victory in a 6 point game against Cambridge has really helped. I hope to god that if we make the playoffs again we don't end up with a nerve racking time like we did last season.

:) Hoping to go to the game in april when your lot come up to Burton :)

[pino]

the Worlds gone mad!!!!!! :D



Not yet...it looks like West Ham want to sign former Italy coach Marcello Lippi ;)

[ozrevhead]

Not yet...it looks like West Ham want to sign former Italy coach Marcello Lippi ;)
lmao

the world gone italian (or mad - same difference :p ) whilest we go double dutch

its allllllllll greek to me :p

[pino]

lmao

the world gone italian (or mad - same difference :p ) whilest we go double dutch

its allllllllll greek to me :p

Hey oz, your keeper Kalac is doing a great job at Milan, it will be hard for brazilian Dida to get his place again ;)

[ozrevhead]

very nice :D I wondered what he was doing!

A quick recap of the finals series so far

1v2 3v4

winner 1v2 has the weekend off and makes it to the GF- looser plays winner of 3v4

looser of 3v4 goes bye byes

Central Coast are in the Grand Final after winning over Newcastle 3-2 over two legs. They are calling last weeks game against the Jets the miracle as CCM were 2-0 down after first leg.

Newcastle meet Queesland in sudden death after Queensland knocked out Sydney FC 2-0 after two legs.

The also play for a birth in the Asian Champions Leauge - the Champions (winner of the Grand Final) and the Premiers (first past the post) qualify and since Central Coast were Premiers, they have already qualified which means the other Grand Finalist will then qualify.

[pino]

Juventus-Roma 1-0 Amazing Del Piero again :D

[SEATFreak]

the world gone italian

So has the domestic based topics on this thread by the looks of things!! :laugh:

[ozrevhead]

:D SEATfreak

back to the a-leauge

3-2 to the Jets after being 1-1 at the end of regular time! Didnt get to penalties but had 30min of extra time!

Derby's are a great game anyways so the Finals will be electric

Also im not sure that overseas fan got the news but the A-Leauge Final will be the last game for Tony Vidmar as he will retire after that - been a wonderfull wonderfull servant of Australian Football and I hope CCM will give him a sendoff he deserves

3-1 CCM
Good u good things!

[janneppi]

Did anyone happen to see Real Madrid -Getafe last night?
The bestest goal I've seen in ages. :D

[MrJan]

:) Hoping to go to the game in april when your lot come up to Burton :)

Could be a game which decides the playoff positions. Obviously I'm hoping that Burton continue their poor run of form and it doesn 't come down to that :D

[DonJippo]

Did anyone happen to see Real Madrid -Getafe last night?
The bestest goal I've seen in ages. :D

I did, great job by Getafe :D

[Curryhead]

Could be a game which decides the playoff positions. Obviously I'm hoping that Burton continue their poor run of form and it doesn 't come down to that :D

Yeah :D actually, what happens in the plays in the Blue Square (with there being north and south) I have no clue tbh

[Curryhead]

^^^^^
sorry, that lot did'nt make sense, I meant to say: "Yeah :D actually, what happens in the playoffs in the Blue Square (with there being north and south) I have no clue tbh?

[jim mcglinchey]

Spain might be out of Euro 2008 and Nor'n Iron in again, if the politicians dont stay the hell out of football.http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=40712&pt=s

[MrJan]

^^^^^
sorry, that lot did'nt make sense, I meant to say: "Yeah :D actually, what happens in the playoffs in the Blue Square (with there being north and south) I have no clue tbh?

In the North and South two from each league go up (think that could be automatic). The Blue Square Premier (the old conference which Exeter and Burton are in) has an automatic spot and one playoff poistion. 2nd play 5th and 3rd play 4th in a two leg quarter final (home and away with no away goals. If still equal after 2 legs goes to extra time and penalties like Exeter against Oxford last season which added about 5 years on me). Winner from each semi-final play at Wembley.

At the moment my money is Aldershot automatic with Torquay, Cambridge, Stevenage and Exeter (as it is now). If this happens I'd wage Cambridge/Exeter final (not just because one is my team but because I reckon Exeter have more heart than Torquay and can beat them). My real preference would be a South West final at Wembley, last season Exeter took around 27,000 and would liven it up having a 'rival' to shout at :D

Really people should watch the BSP instead of the Premier League because it's much more exciting, we don't have a big four to break into and often bigger clubs can overspend and drop away (see Oxford and Grays). Big up conference football :bounce:

[Iain]

Big up the Brewers. :p : :D

[MrJan]

Never, they won't get back into the playoff spots now and even if they do they will be cerimoniously kicked out when we whoop them on the last day of the season. Be warned League 2, the Grecians are coming to conquer all :D

[jso1985]

3 days after and I'm still impressed how criminally Da Silva was tackled :eek:

That Birmingham player should be banned until Da Silva can play again

[Curryhead]

Big up the Brewers. :p : :D
Big YEAH!! :p
actually, Forest are my team, its just that Burton is closer and they have young Cloughie (all bow down etc) thanks for the info Mr Yeo :)

[SEATFreak]

I am not a Boro' fan (Middlesbrough FC btw and not Scarborough FC to anyone who probably took it as that.) but why hasn't anything been said about the outrageous card given to Jeremie Aliadiere in the League game at Liverpool??!!

The FA slaps an extra game on to the ban for what they saw as a "frivolous" claim by the Boro'. Well, let us look at the fact behind this "frivolous" claim shall we? To anyone but the ref, the FA and the naturally bias Liverpool fans the former Gunner was plainly and unashamadely, was he not, goaded into a response by Javier Mascherano by something I can only descibe as a shameless and utterly meaningless grab of his face.

If anyone thinks I am wrong and can without question say Jeremie deserved it, then your clesrly also able to inform me to what end Mascherano felt he had to grab Jeremie's face.

[MrJan]

3 days after and I'm still impressed how criminally Da Silva was tackled :eek:

That Birmingham player should be banned until Da Silva can play again

Wasn't a bad tackle so would be well harsh. There has been much worse this season that players just got lucky with. Even Arsene 'Whinge About Everything' Wenger retracted his statement that Taylor should be banned. Eduardo was just far to quick for a slow, old fashioned player and the injury was terrible but banning Taylor would be the wrong thing to do.

[Storm]

Eto'o back with a bang with that hat-trick against Levante....the lead is only 2 points now...c'mon Barca :D

That was the first La Liga game I saw live on TV this season!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Wasn't a bad tackle so would be well harsh. There has been much worse this season that players just got lucky with. Even Arsene 'Whinge About Everything' Wenger retracted his statement that Taylor should be banned. Eduardo was just far to quick for a slow, old fashioned player and the injury was terrible but banning Taylor would be the wrong thing to do.

I agree! Taylor must me terribly upset that he might have ended Eduardo playing career. Hopefully he'll make a speedy recovery.

[stevie_gerrard]

Cannot believe that it would take 9 months for a full recovery for eduardo, it looks like it could be a hell of a lot worse, i honestly dont see him back till the end of next season at the earliest, a horrible challenge.

Oh yeh, i'm back for now by the way, i've rather abandoned this place lately because of the stresses of coursework and drinking :p : So lets have a quick update on the latest footballing stories:

1) Silly Red Cards: Yes they are incredibly silly, Lampard got one for practically nothing today and Boa Morte started on him if anything. Also, in the same game, Makelele didnt even get booked for a terrible challenge which showed 1000000 times more malice than Taylor's challenge on Eduardo. Seriously, someone needs to revamp the rules on challenges and what constitutes a red card.

2) Championship: Wolves back to form ( for now :p : ) with a second win in a row against Colchester. WBA back to winning ways as well after a rather shocking run of form for them. Bristol City Top! My word :D

3) La Liga: Real Madrid win in crazy game full of stupid challenges, tackle on Robben was the worst, and Barcelona amazingly lost tonight, funny old game football is.

4) Fa Cup: Quarter Finals next weekend, and im predicting a win for the gas over the baggies ;)

5) Champions League: Liverpool quite brilliant after the shambles against Barnsley, none of the other British Sides really impressed, Roma with a good opportunity in my eyes to beat Real in midweek. Talking of roma......

6) Serie A: Cannot take my eyes off italian football at the moment, its really taken to my heart. Roma won tonight 4-0 but AC Milan struggled again, and have worrying injury problems, which could very well affect their chances to defend the Champions League much longer.

I think that covers most important stories :p :

[pino]

What a great surprise stevie :up: what you think about my Juve ? and how about Capello ? the right man to bring England to the top ? :p : Can't wait for Milan-Arsenal and Inter-Liverpool, you ? :D

[MrJan]

Lampard got one for practically nothing today and Boa Morte started on him if anything.

Lashing out is a red card offence and Lampard is experienced enough to know he shouldn't do it. Also I'm pretty sure he said 'it was a red' to one of his team mates as he left the field.

The one revision that I really want to see is to stop players having a go at the ref. This should be brought closer to rugby where it is the offending player and he captain that are talked to and no one else. Players need to show officials much more respect than they do at present. This is not least because it's embaressing to have teams crowding the ref and shouting at him, John Terry in particular who gets away with terrible behaviour, especially considering he is the captain and supposed to set an example.

Also well done for the yellow against Downing. Obvious dive (despite what Shearer says) and it's another part of the game that needs to be stamped out.

[pino]

Bye Bye Milan, Arsenal was the better squad, and are now my fave to win the Cup...what a fantastic squad !!! :eek: :up:

[Fangio]

Barca beats Celtic today!...But that kid Messi......so accident prone :(

[stevie_gerrard]

What a great surprise stevie :up: what you think about my Juve ? and how about Capello ? the right man to bring England to the top ? :p : Can't wait for Milan-Arsenal and Inter-Liverpool, you ? :D

They have been good, but i feel they are lacking something in their squad, if trezuguet and del piero arent playing and scoring, there isnt a lot more options for Juve to rely on. Must say though the game against fiorentina at the weekend was great to watch. :up:

I still have my reservations about Capello, it was a good start against the swiss, but i feel that he needs a few games before he finds a side he can trust in. The academy may not be good here in the UK, but there are young english players who have impressed lately and who are adding their name to the choice for the first squad, the likes of walcott and agbonlahor, hopefully Capello will make the wise choice.

Talking of walcott, and more particuarly Arsenal, they were outstanding against AC Milan last night, best performance by an English side since Liverpool beat them in my opinion, If aRsenal can continue to do that, then they will be good bets for at least a final appearance. However, I think in General, all 4 english sides have a great side of making it to the final, i did say that this was a start of an english revolution in Europe, expect many more years of it. :)

Man united struggled through, but i think they have other important games to worry about like Pompey at the weekend, and regaining top spot in the premiership. Barcelona got through against Celtic with ease, but losing Messi will not help their push for the La Liga Title, or for the Champions League title. Fenerbache ended yesterdays action with a shock win over Sevilla on penalties, giving them a first appearance in the quarter finals.

Chelsea tonight against Olympiakos, which should not be too hard for the blues, and Liverpool play their game against Internationale next week, and should just qualify, though i feel they may need to score to do it.

[pino]

They have been good, but i feel they are lacking something in their squad, if trezuguet and del piero arent playing and scoring, there isnt a lot more options for Juve to rely on. Must say though the game against fiorentina at the weekend was great to watch. :up:



That was an amazing game, unfortunately it did not end the way I wanted :( Better this way anyway, so Juve now knows that a lot of work still needs to do, and more quality players must come before next season ;)

btw...bye bye Real Madrid :wave: :p :

[Storm]

Bye Real ! But Roma are in... :s

[pino]

But Roma are in... :s

So what ? I too don't like them, but they have a strong squad at the moment and deserve to be there ;)

[Bezza]

Juve should still be in Serie B (or C) after their max-fixing fiasco. One season is Serie B was a disgracefully soft punishment for the worst possible crime in football.

Anyways....

THE FA CUP! I love the bloody competition. Without question THE BEST CUP COMPETITION in the world!

Man Utd beaten by Portsmouth, in comical fashion
Chelsea beaten by Barnsley :laugh: who also beat Liverpool equally brilliantly in the previous round.

When I go back to work tomorrow I expect the plastic Scousers and Mancs to say "who cares" and "We're only concentrating on the Champions League" and the usual drivel. But they don't mean it. They will be hurting.

Semi's:

Barnsley v Cardiff
Portsmouth v West Brom

I actually don't care who wins, because whoever does it will mean somebody completely different is getting a bit of silverware and a bit of glory. No prima-donnas paid 100,000 a week are going to win it - proper football people from footballing towns are going to win. Brilliant.

[GridGirl]

Ohhh it's so not fair!!!! I can only get one ticket for Wembley and I've promised my dad I'd give it to him. :bigcry:

[pino]

Juve should still be in Serie B (or C) after their max-fixing fiasco. One season is Serie B was a disgracefully soft punishment for the worst possible crime in football.



My dear friend, so far no real-prove of cheating have been found except for some phone-calls, that punishment was more than enough !

Btw for a while I tought you were going to comment about those Southampton players stealing money from a garderobe in a night Club...you disappointed me...

[Rollo]

When I go back to work tomorrow I expect the plastic Scousers and Mancs to say "who cares" and "We're only concentrating on the Champions League" and the usual drivel. But they don't mean it. They will be hurting.

Sir Alex (I'm a grumpy old *******) Ferguson:"It's absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain it. Managers get sacked because of things like that and he's going to referee a game next week. He's not doing his job properly and he needs to be assessed. I'm assessed as a manager, players are assessed, referees should be assessed properly by the right people. That performance today should not be accepted by our game."
This sounds like someone who was concentrating on the Champions League ;)

Myself as a Liverpool fan... hurting? Kinda. Bloody irate, disgusted and calling for those American gits to just Gordon Ramsey off? Absolutely.



Semi's:
Barnsley v Cardiff
Portsmouth v West Brom

I actually don't care who wins, because whoever does it will mean somebody completely different is getting a bit of silverware and a bit of glory. No prima-donnas paid 100,000 a week are going to win it - proper football people from footballing towns are going to win. Brilliant.

I totally agree with this sentiment. The romance of the FA Cup is back! Four clubs who've all killed giants now have a chance at silverware. I despise the idea of putting Premier League clubs in only the 3rd round in the first place, and this shows why.

As a neutral now (grumble, grumble) the 2008 FA Cup race will be the most interesting and dare I say it, exciting in living memory. And to top that off, it's back at home where it should be - Wembley.

Brilliiiiiant, Fantastiiiiiic!

[Storm]

Torres is turning out to be brilliant this season....finally he is transforming his talent into performance...bye Inter Milan. Go Liverpool and Barcelona of course :)

[MrJan]

As far as I'm concerned the magic of the cup never went. The final isn't in May, it's the first Sunday of the year. For the majority of teams in England there is just a hope that on that day in early December your team gets called out next to one of the big ones.

I absolutely love going out and getting hamered on 2nd round Saturday and then getting up all hungover on the Sunday to watch the shocking teams on BBC (think in was Mansfield and Harrogate Railway this year) and then watching the 3rd round draw. At that point, no mattter who you support, it's impossible not to have a intake of breath or little cheer when Man Utd get an away fixture at Crawley. :D

Incidentally, did you see that if Cardiff win the cup they might not be able to play in the UEFA cup because they are ruled by the Welsh FA?

[Rollo]

Incidentally, did you see that if Cardiff win the cup they might not be able to play in the UEFA cup because they are ruled by the Welsh FA?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/7292287.stm

When the FAW formed the League of Wales in 1992, Cardiff, Swansea City and Wrexham all decided not to join it choosing to remain playing in the English Football League.
As a result, Uefa decided the clubs would no longer be allowed to compete in the Welsh FA Cup and therefore would not be allowed to qualify for Europe that way.
The FAW agreed with that decision and Uefa take the view that because they play in English competitions, they are English clubs.

In the case of Cardiff they've been playing in England for practically ever. They even won the FA Cup in 1927, so if they wanted proof that for UEFA purposes they were an "English" club, I'd be fronting up to the court and slam a big fecking silver trophy on the desk as evidence.

[jso1985]

I think they could play but being "classified" as an English team.

see the case of Derry City FC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Cup_2006-07

[Rollo]

This is the point where I'd hoped to go "Ha ha" to Bezza, but Blackpool-Preston was a scoreless bore draw. With the two sides only separated by a point and potentially within 2 games of the drop, it's certainly a strange state of affairs.

Personally I hope that it's you fellows who go down and not us... as is what you'd expect :D

[stevie_gerrard]

Premier League Title Race back on: Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea seperated by just 3 points at the mo. and with chelsea to play man utd and arsenal at home ,you got to fancy their chances of possibly winning the premiership which i never thought i would say.

Wolves having hit and miss form at the mo, we can lose one poor game against preston, yet beat burnley away comfortably. It's just been one of them seasons for Wolves.

Champions League, anyone else think that the draw is fixed with the possibility 0f a 3rd semi final clash between liverpool and chelsea in 4 years? Do you reckon UEFA hate Chelsea that much? :p : Kind of disappointed that arsenal got liverpool, the two in form sides in the Champions League, but it will be a classic game.

[pettersolberg29]

Must mention a great win for Fulham. Leon Andreasen in centre-mid is absolute class!

WE ARE STAYING UP!

[pino]

Real lost again but stupid Barca missed again the chance to close the gap :mad:

[SEATFreak]

Do you reckon UEFA hate Chelsea that much? :p :

Yes. I do. Chelsea had won the game against my beloved Black Cats on Saturday before the game even began but Joe Cole was his usual placid self :uhoh: , and the decisions that seemed to go in their favour, whether they tried to draw the decision or whether the ref (Mike Dean) awarded them it when they didn't deserve it, was shocking. Over 43k fans cannot be wrong when they booed the ref. The last time I heard the fans boo that much the Newcastle United team was being read out by the stadium announcer.


Real lost again but stupid Barca missed again the chance to close the gap :mad:

Darn! Typical Barca! :p : ;)

[Storm]

:(

[Rollo]

Darn! Typical Barca! :p : ;)

Perhaps they should sign Kaka! :D

Why is there always some little person taking a dump in the backgorund of a Catalunyan nativity scene for?

[pino]

Barca beated by Valencia and now out of Spanish Cup final :s

Beckham's back into english squad against France :bounce: :p :

[MrJan]

Pointless. As Sean Lock said he'll be showing his grandchildren his caps and be saying "Here's the one for tthe 2002 World Cup game against Argentina, this one's from the Greece game when I scored right at the end, and this one is the pointless sentimental one they gave me at the end when there were at least 3 players that should have played instead of me.

[Rollo]

Seriously, I think Rafa should have done more to Mascherano for his outburst this afternoon. Reason? 3-0 down. Down to ten men, Liverpool were playing catch up this afternoon all because of that man - there was simply no call for it. You'd thiunk that after being carded once for mouthing off he'd have got the message but nooooooo... dolt.

[stevie_gerrard]

Pointless. As Sean Lock said he'll be showing his grandchildren his caps and be saying "Here's the one for tthe 2002 World Cup game against Argentina, this one's from the Greece game when I scored right at the end, and this one is the pointless sentimental one they gave me at the end when there were at least 3 players that should have played instead of me.

There is no guarantee that he will play in the game, but he deserves it more than anyone for all the effort and commitment he has had to the england team, i honestly hope he gets it. and the fact is, yes there is better players out there, but half the time they are injured, and in the end, its Capello's choice as to who plays when. He has a bit of a goalkeeping crisis as the moment, apart from James, he has had to call Paul Robinson and Robert Green, both who have leaked numerous goals recently, because Kirkland and Carson are both injured.

honestly, Mascherano should be banned for more than 3 games for his childish playacting today, he was looking for a sending off, and i cannot believe rafa tried to defend him. after what has gone on this week with Ashley Cole in midweek and now this, It is time the players started showing more respect to the referees, after all, it is a really difficult job to do.

Two horse race for the Premier League between Chelsea and Man United, Arsenal are far too inconsistent, and repeating myself, Chelsea have a great chance to pull off a memorable comeback this season.

[pino]

Hey stevie, how could you forget to mention these 2 great results : Inter-Juventus 1-2 and...Real Madrid-Valencia 2-3 :p :

[Storm]

Barca 4-1 Valladolid :)

[pino]

3 interesting matches tonight :D

France-England
Brazil-Sweden
Spain-Italy

[MrJan]

There is no guarantee that he will play in the game, but he deserves it more than anyone for all the effort and commitment he has had to the england team, i honestly hope he gets it. and the fact is, yes there is better players out there, but half the time they are injured, and in the end, its Capello's choice as to who plays when. He has a bit of a goalkeeping crisis as the moment, apart from James, he has had to call Paul Robinson and Robert Green, both who have leaked numerous goals recently, because Kirkland and Carson are both injured.

I just think that Beckham deserves to be remembered from all the effort that he has put in, not the way he kept playing for sentimental value. Scholes, Shearer and many other greats have stopped playing international games while still playing well and that's how I'll think of them. For Beckham will always be the fantastic player who just kept playing for too long.


What nationality is Newcastle's sub keeper Harper (who whatever he's called)? Always thought that he is much better than people think just because the defence in front of him is so poor. Reckon if he's English he actually deserves a call up instead of one of the others.

[Rollo]

I seriously have my doubts about David James as a keeper. He's cost clubs FA Cups, had howlers in internationals, and was largely responsible for sending one club in particular into relegation. Tonight proved yet again that if he is indeed England's first choice keeper, then England are in trouble.

Actually I was totally uninspired by England tonight. So many players who shouldn't have been out there and played like it was of no concern to them.

[gadjo_dilo]

Spain 1-0 Italy;
Austria 3-4 Netherlands; ( after 3-0)
Denmark 1-1 Czech Republic;
Poland 0-3 USA; ( ????)
Montenegro 3-1 Norway (!!!!!!!);
Romania 3-0 Russia; :laugh: :laugh:
Belarus 2-2 Turkey;
Israel 1-0 Chile;
Ukraine 2-0 Serbia;
South Africa 3-0 Paraguay;
Hungary 0-1 Slovenia;
Estonia 2-0 Canada;
Bulgaria 2-1 Finland;
Bosnia 2-2 Macedonia,
Brazil 1-0 Sweden

[pino]

3 interesting matches tonight :D

France-England
Brazil-Sweden
Spain-Italy

1-0
1-0
1-0

I am only satisfied for Pato's goal wich gave Brazil win over Sweden. Spain-Italy was an exciting match, where both side could win. Villa's amazing score gave Spain the victory but I was happy about Italy performance...can't wait for Euro 2008 :D

[MrJan]

can't wait for Euro 2008 :D

Oi, don't rub it in :p :

Only saw a few clips of England but have to say that from what I saw they looked too Italian. Not in terms of being good but trying to pass it around and boring the opposition into losing (no offence Pino :D ). It's a system that works very well for Italy and several other teams but England isn't a patient team, we rely on passion and determination to get us through and our players simply aren't good enough to play slow, measured football. When I first turned the telly on it seemed like they were playing a 4-5-1 with Rooney on his own up front, has Capello not watched any videos of England with that formation? It just doesn't work. If anything England need 2 strikers with Rooney in a supporting role behind them.

Feel free to shoot me down if everything I said was completely wrong. Like I mentioned I didn't watch much of the game so just going on initial impressions :)

[pino]

Oi, don't rub it in :p :

Only saw a few clips of England but have to say that from what I saw they looked too Italian. Not in terms of being good but trying to pass it around and boring the opposition into losing (no offence Pino :D ). It's a system that works very well for Italy and several other teams but England isn't a patient team, we rely on passion and determination to get us through and our players simply aren't good enough to play slow, measured football. When I first turned the telly on it seemed like they were playing a 4-5-1 with Rooney on his own up front, has Capello not watched any videos of England with that formation? It just doesn't work. If anything England need 2 strikers with Rooney in a supporting role behind them.

Feel free to shoot me down if everything I said was completely wrong. Like I mentioned I didn't watch much of the game so just going on initial impressions :)

This morning when reading UK newspapers I've had a good laugh ;) most people have forgotten that it was only Capello's 2nd match as England's coach and that they were playing against France...in France not San Marino. Like it or not Capello is a winner, give him some time and he will prove that even coaching England :p :

[MrJan]

The thing with England is that most managers recently have got off to a good start, even McLaren had a few good wins, thus when they lose under a new manager (and play quite badly) people aren't filled with hope.

[fandango]

Why is there always some little person taking a dump in the backgorund of a Catalunyan nativity scene for?


It doesn't have a lot to do with football, but I can explain. This figure is called a caganer - literally a "****ter". It's a Catalan tradition that has existed for centuries. It was originally a peasant, but now is often a representation of whoever's in the news at the time, so you find it in all the Christmas street markets and there are different ones every year. And the reason? Well, after nearly a decade living here I'm still not quite sure, but I think it comes from Catalan humour where in every momentous occasion in history there's always someone caught out by being on the throne at the key moment. We've all run back from the bathroom after missing the vital moment in a match...

[stevie_gerrard]

What nationality is Newcastle's sub keeper Harper (who whatever he's called)? Always thought that he is much better than people think just because the defence in front of him is so poor. Reckon if he's English he actually deserves a call up instead of one of the others.

I am pretty sure he is english, and you are right, statistically he does deserve a call up more than anyone else.

Champions league tonight, and Liverpool have slight advantage in the Liverpool-Arsenal trilogy (poorly made trilogy if you ask me :p : ) Quite fancy liverpool to hang on at anfield.

Great credit for the past month must go to fenerbache though, having knocked sevilla out the Champions League, they now have Chelsea on the back burner with a good 2-1 victory tonight. No surprise really, i expected them to do well at home. rather pointless though, because with Chelsea's home record, Fenerbache don't have a chance, but the job the likes of zico, carlos, alex and deivid (despite the own goal) have done in the last few months deserves a round of applause. They are setting themselves up to be a major force in europe and it's shown this season.

quick comment on France-England and the aftermath of reports, i happened to be on holiday this time last week, so didnt bother watching the game live, but did watch the highlights. From what i saw, credit is deserved for France, and there is work to be done at England, but the criticism for Capello after only two games in the job is ridiculous. The fact is all the negative reports i read after the game were ridiculous, France are one of the favourites for Euro 2008, if not the favourite (sorry pino :p : ) and quite simply England are not ready for a major tournament or major competition against a top international side until the revamp of the squad is complete. He's allowed to experiment, so those who give him stick shouldn't, cause quite simply he is the best England has got at the moment, and it will take time.

P.S.The mighty Wolves on the up, into the play offs and with some tough games left, need to keep up the spirit they have shown the last few weeks :)

P.P.S I know i'm a wolves fan, but good luck to the baggies on saturday, here's hoping for a midlands victory, it's about time the central of england was back on the footballing map. :up:

[GridGirl]

Picked up my tickets for Wembley on Saturday this morning! Excited me. :D

[MrJan]

Pah, been there done that :p : Hopefully going again this year, fingers crossed.

I'm in the weird position of going to watch a football game tonight. For some reason Exeter v Droylsden was rescheduled on a Thursday, it'll feel very weird up there tonight as the crowd will probably be down just because no one expects an evening game on anything other than a MOnday or Tuesday (at least in our league they don't)

[GridGirl]

I've been there and done that since the new Wembley opened too :p Twice infact if I count Race of Champions. Still exciting though even if we will loose. :)

Football on a thursday is just wrong. Thursday is the day of Darts. :p

[MrJan]

Yeah I've been lucky enough to do it twice. Once for the playoff final and once to watch Muse which was awesome.

Only a draw for my Thursday night football, still feels like a blooming Tuesday though :mark:

[jim mcglinchey]

Good job Liverpool popped No 4 in because that penalty call was bit tough on Arsenal. What about Walcotts run!?

[stevie_gerrard]

Football Update for this week:

West Brom lose at Wembley again (well, it was always gonna happen :p : ) Being serious though, extremely gutted for them they played well and deserved anything but defeat in the end.

P.S. I'm still yet to go to Wembley, being a Wolves fan i doubt i ever will :p :

Champions League: and omg, what a game! the last half hour of liverpool's game with arsenal was undoubtably the best half hour in the Champions League. Torres goal to put Liverpool 2-1 up was sensational. Arsenal called on their young guns and Theo stepped up to the rescue and made one of the runs of the season without a doubt, the kid can definately play, he proved that this season already, and it's an absolute travesty he's not a regular fixture in the arsenal squad. So Adebayor made it 2-2, then instantly cutting back from the replay of the goal, Babel went down in the area. now, firstly, i'd like to say that there IS contact between Toure and Babel. the first contact is OUTSIDE the penalty area, suggesting that it should really have been a free kick rather than a penalty. However, Babel kept himself up, and Toure was climbing all over the back of him in the are before he went down. for me, the referee has no option but to give a penalty basically because Toure is fouling Babel. However, considering the first contact is outside the area, i think Arsenal will feel a bit agreived that it wasn't a free kick instead. Up stepped Gerrard for 3-2 and then Babel just burst past Fabregas in injury time to add a fourth. One of the great night's yet again at Anfield, and Liverpool continue on where they will play Chelsea yet again!! they beat Fenerbache as predicted by myself :p : and will look forward to this tie more than they have done in the past. The fact is this will be much closer than ever before (if thats possible between these two in the CL) because of the fact Liverpool are at home first. I would still fancy Liverpool to do the job, but it will be mighty close. Saying that, Chelsea were not all that convincing tonight and they have a certain premier league game in the middle of the two semi final legs that could decide the title...... Chelsea vs Man Utd. Be interesting to see the side Avram Grant chooses over that 8 day period.

Wolves now, and well, they havent actually played that much lately, 2 games in hand now which should see them hopefully secure a play off place, despite the fact one of the games in hand is a certain tie against WBA. A game which could not only secure Wolves play off hopes or shatter them, but also secure WBA's Automatic Promotion hopes or shatter them. A game not to be missed.

P.P.S just a quick note to say that the F.A. Cup is making an appearance at my university in Bristol this month :) The closest a wolves fan will ever get to the trophy will happen on that day, as i attempt to grab a picture with the famous trophy. :p :

[pino]

Another robbery by Liverpool, Arsenal dominated the match and especially in the 1st half gave them a football lession, before Liverpool scored with the only chance they've had. Almost same story in 2nd half, then the match was decided by a very very generous penalty gave by the referee. The penalty in Arsenal favour in the 1st match was much much clear than that one, too bad that referee closed his eyes about it...another robbery :mad:

[Storm]

Arsenal played well in the 1st half and more so Liverpool played poorly with all midfielders guilty of giving away the ball far too many times...but to say Arsenal dominated is not correct....same can be said when Liverpool dominated the 2nd half totally but Arsenal only scored their goal on the break with Walcott doing the most work and all defenders caught out...Penalty was harsh for sure but overall the Liverpool managed to make the most of all chances they got while Arsenal (Adebayor especially..did not).

Fun game to watch....and good to see Whinger acting like a child when they conceded :p :
Inspite of all the hype about Man Utd, I feel Liverpool will take the cup if they meet in the finals...unless Barcelona discover their form and motivation.

[pino]

Storm my friend, we saw a different match then ;) I still hope Barca wins the Cup if not then Man U. Liverpool ? noway :p :

[veeten]

Man 1-0 Rom

[Brown, Jon Brow]

:D

Very much looks like Man Utd versus Barcelona in the other semi. As long as Man Utd have Vidic and Ferdinand fit then I think they will win :up:

[veeten]

and they tie Juve for most home wins in Champions League. :)

one more and Manchester will have the lead (22, 23 April). :D

sorry, pino. ;) :p :

[pino]

Man U are just too strong for Roma, they deserved to go ahead :up:

veeten, my Juve will be back in CL next year ;)

[MrJan]

Fantastic run by Theo last night, reckon Capello will have to sit up and look at that one again cos it was fantastic. Can't wait for Walcott to be get a few more starts and develop as a player, shame he didn't get loaned out to somewhere like Fulham where he would at least have got time on the field to progress.

As usual I have to point out the BSP. 4 playoff spots with 5 teams in with a real chance of getting them. We are in a poor position at the minute but I have a feeling it will all come down to our last game of the season against Burton (another of the playoff hopefuls). I wish IO had never been introduced to football because I'll be lucky if my heart can put up with the strain of the next 3 weeks :disturb:

[Storm]

Man Utd v Barcelona should be fun to watch...
Barca have been throwing it away this season and been unconvincing but do not count them out especially in the CL, looks Messi might be back to play atleast 1 leg of the semis as well...

[pino]

Barca needs a miracle to beat Man U, but let's hope Barca will prove I was wrong ;)

[leopard]

Obviously Abou Diaby (this sounds like Abu Dhabi eh ;) ) scored the first and beautiful goal from narrow corner for Arsenal-Liverpool battle.

[Storm]

Pino its not difficult to prove you wrong, and that miracle will be Lionel Messi :cheese:

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Pino its not difficult to prove you wrong, and that miracle will be Lionel Messi :cheese:

Perhaps the miracle will be no Ferdinand and Vidic for Utd. I fear without those two Barcelona's attack could tear Utd apart.

It could be a high scoring match-up, a bit like a few seasons ago when Real beat Utd about 6-5 on aggregate.

[pino]

Ronaldinho will play for Milan next year, the announcement very soon :D

[MrJan]

Took my Mum to her first ever football game today. Thought I'd start her out at the top so went to Exeter v Northwich ;) Think she enjoyed it although wasn't so pleased to hear me shout "F*** off ref you c**t" :eek:

In terms of the game it certainly wasn't a classic but 3 points are 3 points. Good news for us is that Stevenage, Cambridge and Burton all lost which will be a great help in the race for the playoffs. Bad news is that Aldershot still need to win the league in their next game which is against us on Tuesday. Hopefully we'll be able to turn them over.

[jso1985]

Took my Mum to her first ever football game today. Thought I'd start her out at the top so went to Exeter v Northwich ;) Think she enjoyed it although wasn't so pleased to hear me shout "F*** off ref you c**t" :eek:



That's why I never go to football games with my mum or any girl I like :p

Ronaldinho to Milan? :s as they're going only to the UEFA cup next year they're lowering their standards right? :p

[Storm]

Yeah looks like done deal with Dinho....also Gudjohnsen might go and Henry is being put in the shop window also it seems ! Might not be bad to get some money out those two now that Bojan Krkic and Giovanni seem to have stepped up to the task..c'mon Henry do something good while you are here..

[MrJan]

That's why I never go to football games with my mum or any girl I like :p

It's nothing she hasn't heard before though.

Great goal from matey whose name I can't remember for Villa yesterday. I know Carroll was off his line but that was a superb strike.

[Storm]

La Liga and Premiership titles almost decided then...Real won with 10 men against Murcia and Barcelona drew again :( , points gap is back up to 9

[pino]

Juventus-Milan 3-2 :D and Inter still 4 points ahead of Roma with 5 matches left...

[alfa155btcc]

I`m a big Chelsea Fan and I must say after last nights display Premier League has gone for another season, dissapointing as we have not played that well and still been in with a chance, with Avram Grant there we will win nothing, Abramovich should down on he knees and hands and beg the special one to come back. Another season of what it and what could of been, not good enough, the passion has gone out of the team and this comes from the top ie the manager.
:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Brown, Jon Brow]

It would be quite sweet if Utd won the title at the Bridge :D

[MrJan]

It will be rubbish if Aldershot win the title at the Park tonight. ;)

Up the City.

[alfa155btcc]

It would be quite sweet if Utd won the title at the Bridge :D

It would not, but it would`nt be as good as when we had allready won title for a nothing game at old trafford and still beat you guys 3-1. :p :

[MrJan]

It would not, but it would`nt be as good as when we had allready won title for a nothing game at old trafford and still beat you guys 3-1. :p :

You're living in the past, quit living in the past :p :

I'd of thought United fans would rather win at home, oh wait Stamford Bridge is 'home' ;) :p :

[alfa155btcc]

just like old trafford is our home we have as good a record as anyone up there. as for in the past stop kidding your self it was only 3 years ago.
:p :

[MrJan]

as for in the past stop kidding your self it was only 3 years ago.
:p :

Hardly breaking news though is it.

If we are going by that rule then we took Man Utd to an FA Cup replay, that was in 2004-05. Okay so we got knocked out in the second round this year against Bury but that doesn't matter :p :

[Curryhead]

Hey Mr Jan Yeo, still fancy Exeter will be in the playoffs? I reckon so, I think the playoff teams will be those as the table stands today :)

[MrJan]

Never lose hope Curryhead. I've been saying that we'd make it from the beginning of the season and I can honestly say that I never doubted it would be a close run thing.

We've got what should be an easy game against Stafford on Tuesday, they are already relegated but some times Exeter struggle against hoofball teams. That said if Stevenage fail to get a result from their game we'll be in a very good position.

Pretty much though I think it'll come down to the last game of the season against Burton who are also playoff hopefuls and I reckon that our grit and determination can see us through. I think I said back in October that it would all come down to the last game, I just wish that it hadn't for the sake of my heart :eek:

Whatever happens it'll make me wish that I never started watching football but if we manage to get to the playoffs and beat Torquay it'll be a very, very sweet moment :D

[Curryhead]

well soon see, saw the Brewers/Stevenage game friday, seemed Stevenage were going to win pretty comfortably, but not so, I think there luck is running low, myself, I'm hoping the Brewers win the play offs, but good luck to you and Exeter mate :)

[MrJan]

We don't need luck mate, we've got Adam Stansfield and Matt Taylor :D :D :D

Stevenage are on a very poor run but have two easy games to finish the season, that said I'm not sure that any game is a certainty in the Conference.

[Curryhead]

that is true (the certainty bit, not the bit where you don't need luck :p ) I'll put my faith in the son of a God :) :) :)

[MrJan]

I'll put my faith in the son of a God :)

That'll be Matt Taylor again then :D :p :

On a serious note he is a central defender that came from Bath university team. Understandbly most people were a bit nervous about this and one bloke referred to him as "A Southern League oil tanker". He as been almost everyone's player of the season and I don't think he'd look out of place in league 1 (which is a shame because he probably won't be with us for much longer). Not only is he a very solid defender but is also capable of scoring, quite a lot :D

[Curryhead]

not quite :) but I agree, Taylor is a quality player, I'm a recent convert to the Blue Square, must say, I'm loving the raw football being played, long may it continue :up:

[stevie_gerrard]

Football Update:

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea. Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Liverpool play well enough to get in front, thgen have a couple of good chances in the second half to extend the lead, but its a last minute riise own goal that saves chelseas skin and puts them into the final of the champions league. Some of you will be saying "hang on a minute, theres a leg at stamford bridge still to come" However, i would say Chelsea at Stamford Bridge almost 100 games unbeaten. last lost at stamford bridge in 2004 and that was on penalites to charlton in the league cup. If liverpool do the unthinkable and beat Chelsea there, i will be mighty shocked. Quite frankly, Chelsea will beat Man Utd at the weekend and Liverpool next wednesday, but will lose out on both titles to the red devils ;)

Man Utd in prime position to beat Barca but i think it will be a lot tighter than people think with Barcas recent troubles. And Ronaldinho to Milan? You must be kidding, its all over the news the brazilian wonder is off to man city next season, sven is weaving his magic before getting the chop ;) :p :

Wolves now, and they have had a bit of a bad patch recently, having lost to WBA (rather unfortunately in my opinion despite the fact WBA did do well on the night) and a last gasp draw at the weekend with Ipswich. However, the first of 3 vital games was won tonight against a Cardiff side concentrating on the FA Cup. With Coventry and Plymouth left, they are both very winnable games, and if we win them two, i fancy Wolves to make the play offs. Currently 2 points off in 7th.

Pino, i look forward to juve being the CL again next year :D have to say its been weird without the likes of the italians and bayern as well. Be even weirder when AC Milan arent there next year ;)

[MrJan]

Balls to Liverpool the best news of the night was that Northwich beat Stevenage 2-1. Add to that a 4-1 win for the Grecians and Exeter are in the playoffs again :D :D :D

P.S Hope that Wolves give Argyle a thrashing :up:

[Storm]

Crap..own goal in 95th minute? how bad is that......I watched the first half and then off to sleep thinking Liverpool might hold on to the lead :s

Come on Barcelona!! Show all the media who are gushing about how great Man Utd and Ronaldo are....Henry score a goal before you are sold off :p :

[pino]

For once I was glad to see Chelsea score a goal :up: :p : As for tonight I really hope Barca plays a great match, only that can beat Man U.

stevie mate, I can't wait to see Juve's squad for next season with 3/4 great new players :D ...btw Milan isn't out of CL yet ;)

[veeten]

Barca 0-0 Man U.

well, the scene now changes to United's home turf.

here's to a better outcome. :)

[Storm]

It was a decent match not a dull 0-0 and after Ronaldo wasted a great penalty chance in the 2nd minute I'm sure Barcelona are much happier to take a 0-0 than a 1-1 right now......65 % possession for FCB but they couldn't convert that into a goal...Messi looked sharp but Eto'o was not his usual self and wasted a good chance. Henry when he came on had a rasping shot saved as well ..If they do convert their chances at OT, they can get to the final!

also the commentry and so called pundits on the channel were so biased towards Man Utd just because they are a English club was unbelievable...in their predictions they said 3-0 to Man Utd..talk abt over hype!

[veeten]

Man U 1-0 Barca Yay!! :D

On to the Finals! :D :D

[MrJan]

Got my ticket today for Exeter v Torquay in the playoff semi-final (sort of local rivals for those that don't know) Will be one of the most nerve racking games of my life. I also end up missing the return leg at Torquay because I'm motor racing. Safe to say that I will be in contact with as many people as possible on that day to keep up to date with the score.

Well done to Man U, good to see an all English club final, just a shame that there won't be a few more English players in it but that's a different topic all together.

[GridGirl]

Boing Boing, Baggies Baggies! West Brom pretty much got promoted to the Premiership yesterday. :D

[veeten]

Man U. :devil:

( had to get this over with. Look at the post number. ;) :p : )

[jso1985]

what's so evil with 667? :p

Now I don't mind who wins, all I wanted was Barça to not win it :D

[Storm]

:(

60% possession in away game and still no goals. ****.

Completely lost interest in the final now unless Liverpool make it and manage to beat Man Utd.

[tzh]

£6m for Nugent
£5m for Chopra

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Well done to Man U, good to see an all English club final, just a shame that there won't be a few more English players in it but that's a different topic all together.

Well the Utd team that played yesterday had just as many Englishmen as Barca had Spanish: Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Carrick, Scholes (and Giggs who should be English :p ).... the spine of Man Utds team is English and they could have Rooney and Neville back for the final.

Over the 2 legs Utd showed that their defence is as tight as a nuns $%*&!!!! :p
Despite all of Barcelona's possession they never really created more than half chances.

[MrJan]

Well the Utd team that played yesterday had just as many Englishmen as Barca had Spanish: Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Carrick, Scholes (and Giggs who should be English :p ).... the spine of Man Utds team is English and they could have Rooney and Neville back for the final.

Over the 2 legs Utd showed that their defence is as tight as a nuns $%*&!!!! :p
Despite all of Barcelona's possession they never really created more than half chances.

Hargreaves is Canadian, I wish that Carrick was from anywhere but England, Scholes is retired English and Giggs is Welsh through and through :p :

[Rollo]

BOB SAGET!!!

I don't like Chelsea, but I hope they get the double now so that that **** Ferguson doesn't. 4-3 on aggregate to Chelsea and it all went awry when Pepe didn't hold the ball first up. If he had held that, then there would have been no follow up.

[pino]

Well done and well deserved Chelsea :up:

[AndySpeed]

All English final then, and I hope Chelsea win it just because I don't like Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo!

[MrJan]

I would far rather that the cheating players at Man Utd won than the cheating players at Chelsea because at least United have the decency to play beautiful football.

And Ronaldo may be a cheating see you next Tuesday but he is no worse than Drogba or Ballack. COME ON YOU REDS.

But far more importantly lend your support to the mighty Exeter City who are in the playoff semi-final tonight. A bumper 8,500 capacity crowd should have St James' Park rocking and if you have Setanta tune in to see the delights of Logan, Moxey and Stansfield :up:

[jim mcglinchey]

[quote="AndySpeed"]All English final then,

Is it too late to get the venue switched to Wembley?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Is it too late to get the venue switched to Wembley?

yes

[Iain]

Who cares. :p : City of Manchester Stadium on May 14th is where's it's happening. :D :D I really need ody's dancing bananas smiley right now. :laugh:

[Brown, Jon Brow]

So two English teams are going to Russia for the Champions League final and a Russian side is going to England for the UEFA cup final. :s

[pino]

Congrats to Rangers, but you need to play a lot better to beat Zenit in the final. Btw great "catenaccio" tonight :up: :p :

[Iain]

I hate playing 4-5-1 as it's so negative, but it's worked for Scotland lately and Rangers so who can argue. It's not pretty, but it gets results. Not very good for your nerves though. :p :

Zenit were superb earlier, good to see Oliver Kahn getting beaten like that, I don't think there's anybody in football I hate any more than that nasty man. :D

[pino]

I hate playing 4-5-1 as it's so negative, but it's worked for Scotland lately and Rangers so who can argue. It's not pretty, but it gets results. Not very good for your nerves though. :p :



Iain, Rangers played 1-9-1 not 4-5-1 but it's worked so :up:

[AndySpeed]

And Ronaldo may be a cheating see you next Tuesday but he is no worse than Drogba or Ballack. COME ON YOU REDS.

Who knows though, Drogba might not last another season with the Blues so that would be one less dirty player. I'm not a huge fan of either side, but Chelsea edge it if only because they're closer to home! (I frequently nearly get lynched for saying that up here though).

[stevie_gerrard]

Quite frankly, Chelsea will beat Man Utd at the weekend and Liverpool next wednesday, but will lose out on both titles to the red devils ;)

I am the mystic meg of football :p :

its all gone well so far, plus i happened to have predicted all of the past 4 big games with english sides correctly, chelsea beating man utd 2-1 and liverpool, man utd drawing 0-0 with barca at nou camp, and winning 1-0 at old trafford.

The rather annoying thing is i had no balls to put any money on any of these results happening till man utd-barca at old trafford, and made a nice handy sum there too.

So if any of you want to know how your club will do in the upcoming games or next season, leave me a message on here and i will have a gaze in my crystal ball.

Oh, and i have my money on croatia to do well in euro 2008, i'm talking semi finalists at least here, you have been told ;)

Well done to the baggies, who should confirm their place in the top flight on sunday, i'm just really hoping Wolves could join you. I don't hold any hope for our final game, even though it is a possibility we can make it into the play-offs. Even if Wolves did make the premier league, it is likely we wud come back down. A lot of fellow fans i have talked to in the past weeks have said they would want a stability in the squad before having a crack at the premier league. Quite frankly i think our young players could give it a hell of a good fight up there, and i certainly think we can better derby's performance this season. Plus, i think its about time the best derby in the UK, the black country derby between Wolves and WBA finally got some recognition on the big stage, it is always a good game to watch, but being in the lower leagues, it doesnt get the press it deserves sometimes. I'm sure those of you supporting lower league clubs will back me up on that in your respective derbys.

Almost forgot to mention Rangers, how could i forget?? i terrific performance, and i think its good to see a scottish side in a European final again. I remember watching Celtic in the top days of 2003 (i think) when they made the UEFA Cup final and lost to FC Porto 3-2, a cracking game that was. I hope Rangers against Zenit will be just as good. Heres hoping for a Rangers victory :up:

[pino]

Milan has signed Arsenal french talent Flamini :eek: and have also decided to not to sign Ronaldinho anymore, most players were not happy about signing him.It could be true or just a strategy by Milan to force Barca to give him away a lot cheaper ;)

[MrJan]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

2-1 down after the first leg. Then we go 1-0 down (3-1 on aggregate) in the away leg. And then magic happens. First a goal, then a penalty, scored and it looks like extra time. Then another goal, if we don't concede we'll be through in normal time. Then another goal, the Grecians are going to Wembley.

4 goals in 20 minutes and where was I? At the game, nope. Watching it on telly? Nope. Listening on the radio? Nope. No I was at a speed event completely oblivious until I returned to my mobile phone that had 5 missed calls and 5 messages telling me about the good times :up:

The chesire cat who also got the cream was no where near as happy as I am.

Up the City.

[Iain]

C'mon you Brewers. :p : ;)

[Storm]

Barcelona 1-4 Real M
:(
Worst season in a long time...since the van Gaal days for Barca.
Lost in semis of CL and 3rd in La Liga plus the humiliation of losing both games in the league to Madrid.

Something needs to be done now!
I like Riijkaard and I am a fan of Dinho too but both of them need to go. Abidal and Zambrotta are useless. Atleast Belletti scored crucial goals.

Yes pino, I think Milan tried to get him cheap , now they are not that interested and its good as Kaka and Ronaldinho in the same team would be tactical suicide. Interestingly Gattuso is on his way out?
Maybe Barcelona need someone like him (or Xabi Alonso/Mascherano) in the midfield and less flair players like Deco. Messi and Eto'o can do the job upfront if the midfield is more solid and shields the defenders more.

[stevie_gerrard]

well Guardiola is taking over at the end of the season, so that's one down.

Congrats to Exeter on another Wembley appearance upcoming, however my beloved wolves wont be there. Despite winning our final game, we lost out to watford on goal difference by 2 goals to get into the play offs. The 1-0 win at Plymouth last weekend summed up our season, good enough to win games but never score enough goals. Hopefully next season we will give a real push for automatic promotion. i believe it could be the last chance for Mick to pull it off.

[Rollo]

Harry "I'm too injured to fly, whinge whinge bloody whinge" Kewell has finally been shown the door at Liverpool :D Oh hap-hap-happy day! :D

There's the door Harry. Don’t let in hit you in the arse on the way out (we don't want yukky Kewell infested stains on the door.)

At last, the magic number 7 can go to someone worthwhile again!

[pino]

Good Luck to Pepi and Barca :up: he's a better choice than Mourinho or Laudrup ;) btw Gattuso's on his way to Bayern Munich :eek:

[SEATFreak]

Appologies if we have already talked about it but Kevin Keegan (manager of Newcastle United FC) recently came out......in the press and said after the 2-0 defeat by Chelski at Sid James' Park that they are a long way from getting in the top 4. So what does Mike Arseley, the NUFC chairman, do? Summons him to London for 'crisis talks'. Incredible.

I am wondering why it is Mike gives me the impression he is the only person in the clubs outside of the top 4 who cannot acccept, seemingly, that his club simply does not have the financial stockpile of Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Is no Abramovich or Glazier in terms of his financial investment.

He is 54th in the Sunday Times Rich List; Roman is 2nd. Ashley is worth £1,298m; Roman is worth £11,700m.

Is his ambition located on the verge of delusion? Because it seems so. Be ambitious by all means. But shouldn't you be realstic about your clubs position and what you would need to do to match the bar of Man U or Chelsea? What would or could happen if you bought more than what you had to spend? Do we look to Leeds as an exaple?

[Storm]

Yeah Riijkaard gone, Guardiola in.
Ex-player, captain and he knows the club well, but does he have the skill to make all the butting heads come together for the good of the club? First he needs to clean out some of those 'cracks'.
Mourinho would be my pick to get the team playing as a team again, of course it would mean they win the league easily but play crappy football :)

[MrJan]

Despite winning our final game, we lost out to watford on goal difference by 2 goals to get into the play offs. The 1-0 win at Plymouth last weekend summed up our season, good enough to win games but never score enough goals. Hopefully next season we will give a real push for automatic promotion. i believe it could be the last chance for Mick to pull it off.

It's so annoying when a season goes like that. From what I remember of the Argyle highlights Wolves looked like they had enough chances to have got those two goals. Still you should consider yourself very lucky that you are playing football at such a high level.

As for the boss man I think it'd be a shame if he was let go as I reckon he's an alright manager. Not premiership material but certainly a very good Championship coach and should be able to get Wolves into a high position.

[Rollo]

Dear Wigan,

for the hope of all sane people in the world, please score at least twice so that those ****s at Man Utd don't win another league title.

Signed,
Most of the fair and decent football fans in the world.

[MrJan]

Dear Wigan,

for the hope of all sane people in the world, please score at least twice so that those ****s at Man Utd don't win another league title.

Signed,
Most of the fair and decent football fans in the world.

Hey you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. In my opinion Chelsea are a far worse prospect as champions. At least United sort of earned their money rather than just having some bloke drop it on the door step.

Personally I'd much rather a team like Villa or Everton won, one of the teams where they don't have a lot of support in Devon. I'm fed up with people wearing Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal shirts around Exeter when they have absolutely no link with the clubs whatsoever, especially when I've probably been to more Man United games than most of these so called 'fans' of the team.

Well done to Gravesend & Northfleet for winning the FA Trophy yesterday and thoroughly ruining Torquay's season just a shame that the team is a bit of a joke because of the ownership.

[pettersolberg29]

YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

FULHAM STAY UP!!!!!!

WE ARE FULHAM, SUPER FULHAM, WE ARE FULHAM, FFC!!!!!

Never has my heart failed so many times in a 90 minute period! With Chelscum down the road losing as well - all is good and the sun is shining ;)

[AndyRAC]

So the Scum 'win' the Championship!! With a lot of help from all their friends. Absolute joke. All the dodgy penalties, decisions,....just makes you want to vomit. Not only are they bad losers, they're bad winners as well - no class at all!!
If they're Champions , then I'm Pope Gregory the Ninth.

I see Sky Sports are doing their best propaganda as usual!!

Glad it's all over, bring on the real Football with Euro 2008!!

[MrJan]

Glad it's all over, bring on the real Football with Euro 2008!!

Think you'll find that the 'real' football is actually next weekend. Come on City.

[Rollo]

Glad it's all over, bring on the real Football with Euro 2008!!

I think you'll find that as far as the UK is concerned, Euro '08 is a dead loss. Admittedly the Scots hate the English but if Scotland had made it, then I'm pretty sure that for the summer, a prevalance of red wigs would have fallen across the "green and pleasant land".

[Iain]

Think you'll find that the 'real' football is actually next weekend. Come on City.

City?! Cardiff? :p :

[MrJan]

City?! Cardiff? :p :

You know full well that wasn't what I meant. No a boring Cup Final between two foreign Clubs doesn't really interest me.

Exeter City v CAMBRIDGE UNITED, one of whom will be staying in the Blue Square P*** Pot for another year and can look forward to games against Burton and Torquay ;)

[SEATFreak]

Glad it's all over, bring on the real Football with Euro 2008!!

Then how come I am verging on clinicaly depressed even with Euro 2008 and the UEFA Champions League final and of course Croft to go to at the start of June?!! :bigcry:

What possible reason, other than being a fan of Derby, could be a good reason for fans to wish the Premiership over? I don't have any. OK, my beloved team Sunderland put in some poor performances like the one at Bolton, Newcastle (owing to the mad 4-5-1 formation) and Everton (7-1), bought Paul McShambles and Andy Cole, and it was sad to see the demise of Carlos Edwards and Kieran Richardson for a long spell so early on but we unearthed a diamond in Kenwyne Jones, rediscovered why we love Johnny Evans so much, saw the emergence of an unlikely Wearside hero in Geordie Michael Chopra and for sure I think saw Roy Keane learn a lot more about the Premiership. From the attendance point of view, as a season ticket holder, we saw the SoL break 47,000 four times (Newcastle, Man Utd, Portsmouth & Arsenal) and consistently be above 40,000 with only Reading, Fulham and Birmingham below in the 30's. The most important of all? Staying up! And having proved ourselves good enough I hope now will come the big names in the summer.

Roll on August 16 2008 I say.

[pino]

Crazy season finish in Serie A thanks to Inter :crazy: they managed to lose 11 points gap to Roma and last matches on Sunday are : Catania-Roma, Parma-Inter where all 4 sides must win for differents reasons. Also only a miracle can now give CL access to Milan after they lost at Napoli 1-3 :s Juve still on 3rd pos with Del Piero (19 goals) closer to became the best scorer of the year. Not bad for an old man like him :up: :D

[stevie_gerrard]

It's so annoying when a season goes like that. From what I remember of the Argyle highlights Wolves looked like they had enough chances to have got those two goals. Still you should consider yourself very lucky that you are playing football at such a high level.

As for the boss man I think it'd be a shame if he was let go as I reckon he's an alright manager. Not premiership material but certainly a very good Championship coach and should be able to get Wolves into a high position.


You are right, and that is what the problem has been. I hope he stays as well because i actually think he's the best manager wolves have had for a while, but i get the feeling he will struggle to keep the best players next season and if he doesnt take us up, questions will be asked whether he can live up to the high standards or not.

Rangers 0-2 Zenit St Petersburg

Even though Rangers didnt play well last night, credit to them for fighting like heck throughout the tournament to get so far. They have been a pleasure to watch. Also, here's hoping those scots who caused so much rioting last night get their just desserts for shameful behaviour :mad: No-one wants to see that kind of thing coming back into football.

[pino]

.... They have been a pleasure to watch.



stevie, I've a great sympathy for Rangers but... a pleasure to watch ? noway ! :p :

[MrJan]

:bounce: :D :bounce: :D :bounce:

[Allyc85]

:D :D :D :D :D Awsome isnt it chap!

The last 10-15 minutes were killer though. I couldnt take much more, though I think the lad infront of me was even worse and nearly had a nervous breakdown he was sweating so much!

[MrJan]

Awsome isnt it chap!

The last 10-15 minutes were killer though. I couldnt take much more, though I think the lad infront of me was even worse and nearly had a nervous breakdown he was sweating so much!

I was planning a night on the town but when me and my mates got to the pub we all but passed out. Turns out that so much energy and emotion had gone into the day that we'd just tired ourselves out. We managed a curry and a few pints on Brick Lane but pretty much sat around with smiles on our faces and staring into the distance. By the time we got on the train we all just fell asleep :D

Nice that Exeter are back in the league finally. No more trips to Weymouth, Droylsden or Torquay ( :D ), instead we'll be heading for Bournemouth, Port Vale and Bradford. Up the City.

[GridGirl]

Seriously, no one can describe going to Bradford as a good thing! :s

[Mark]

What time is the kick off for the Champions League match on Wednesday?

[SEATFreak]

What time is the kick off for the Champions League match on Wednesday?

Cannot wait Marky! A whole THREE QUARTERS OF AN HOUR of pre-match build up before k/o!! :up: The TV coverage starts at 7pm and the big event starts at 7:45pm.

Who are you pulling for? I am pulling for Man Utd. Not just because our manager is one of their greatest names (Roy Keane) and not just because several players either starterd there like Paul McShambles but more famous names like Dwight Yorke and former player Andy Cole, but because of one man; Christiano Ronaldo.

When we entertained them on Boxing Day (only the third highest attendance that season) only one man has ever commanded the applause of over 47,000 fans (yours truly included) when he was substituted other than Thierry Henry and that was Ronaldo.

I predict Man Utd to win 2-1 in a very entertaining game. Ronaldo and Rooney to get the goals and Drogba to get Chelseas.

[Mark]

Cannot wait Marky! A whole THREE QUARTERS OF AN HOUR of pre-match build up before k/o!! :up: The TV coverage starts at 7pm and the big event starts at 7:45pm.


7.45, cheers :up:



Who are you pulling for?.

Nobody. The reason I want to know the time is so that I can arrange my evening out to avoid the coverage completely. Have to make sure I eat and get back to my hotel before all the pubs just turn themselves over to football. Although I don't know how bothered about two English clubs they will be in Scotland.

[SEATFreak]

Nobody. The reason I want to know the time is so that I can arrange my evening out to avoid the coverage completely. Have to make sure I eat and get back to my hotel before all the pubs just turn themselves over to football. Although I don't know how bothered about two English clubs they will be in Scotland.

Not into footie?

I must admit for a while now the BTCC has out paced footie in terms of my time and attention due to waking up to finally realising the financial farce that is the Premiership but after 11 years watching my team I find it hard to pull away and concentrate more on my motorsport interests because if it weren't for my beloved team I wouldn't really be fussed about football at all. It is only because of my beloved Black Cats I am into football.

[Mark]

Not into footie?

Not really, no. I do wonder why that comes as such a surprise to many people. I don't follow football just like others may not follow snooker (for example), it's just another sport.

[Storm]

One of the few boredom inducing finalists in recent history....atleast thats my impression having seen so many Man U and Chelsea games over the years. Yes they are good but their games are generally not.
TV coverage here bombards the Premiership down our throats continuosly and thats the reason I like to see Italian or Spanish clubs make the later stages.

I will still watch it though (most probably).

[SEATFreak]

Not really, no. I do wonder why that comes as such a surprise to many people. I don't follow football just like others may not follow snooker (for example), it's just another sport.

I don't really count myself as those who are surprised. I seem to experience that bizarre split second jolt you probably feel inside your somewhere every time you hear something for the first time that surprises you, but something that surprises me never persists. In an instant I accept things.

[MrJan]

A lot of car people don't like football. In fact a lot of people full stop aren't really into it.

I know for sure that I like football. The final whistle on Sunday which confirmed Exeter's promotion very nearly made me cry :bigcry: and I was drained from the emotion and effort I'd put in. Not quite sure why I should care so much but I do :D

[Allyc85]

Strange what football does to you isnt it lol.

Heres a few pics that I took on sunday with my phone.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f123/allyc85/Mobile%20pics/DSC00002Medium.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f123/allyc85/Mobile%20pics/DSC00013Medium.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f123/allyc85/Mobile%20pics/DSC00012Medium.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f123/allyc85/Mobile%20pics/DSC00003Medium.jpg

[veeten]

Man U WINS!!!! :D

[veeten]

What a match! :D Man U and Chelsea left it all on the field, as we say here in the states. ;) :)

Tied at regulation, went through two overtime sessions, and decided at shootout.

and the owner Malcolm Glazer, a winner on both sides of the atlantic. :D

[janneppi]

Nice game to watch.

[veeten]

hmmmm... nice how BBC put it, Chelsea receiving their medals that is... :s

2244: Manchester United applaud the beaten finalists as John Terry leads them up to receive their losers' medals. It's a long old walk for the Chelsea players.

[pino]

Fantastic match really :up: wrong winner though :p :

[Storm]

I was too tired to watch it....I came home from work at 11pm and had some food and the kickoff was at 00:15 but I was almost dozing off...saw the first 5 mins and then decided whoever wins or loses I wasn't going to be that happy in any case :p :
Drogba got sent off?...nice :cheese:
Good to hear that Ronaldo and Terry missed their penalties :p :

[AndyRAC]

Fantastic match really :up: wrong winner though :p :

Agreed!!

[MrJan]

The winner was the team that held their nerve and from that game both teams deserved it. At least Man Utd played well enough to deserve a victory and just because you don't like them doesn't mean that they shouldn't have won.

[stevie_gerrard]

What a thrilling game, full of drama and action, and the fact is i have to disagree with some people and say that Chelsea did deserve to win the game, despite the fact Man United have been the better side in Europe all season if not convincing.

Man Utd dominated first half, but werent clinical enough to score more than one goal and then made the mistake for the equaliser, and from then on Chelsea were the better side. They looked like they had more intent to win, hit the woodwork twice, really gave Man Utd a run for their money. United had their chances but in the end Chelsea probably had the slight edge going into penalties.

Its funny how much you would want to be in Ronaldo's position, he is such a lucky boy, even when he makes a mistake the gods still smile on him. He is a gifted footballer but why he stopped mid run on his penalty i have no idea. JT was so unlucky to slip at the exact wrong moment, just like Becks in 2004, and in the end United had the advantage in the fact that they were the ones now exerting the pressure.

No doubt Man united deserved to win considering the wonderful season they have had, but i just ge the feeling it wouldnt have been wrong that chelsea won on the night.

[veeten]

too true, s_g. It was one of those games where you really hate to see either team walk off the loser. :)

[MrJan]

I don't think that the slip caused JT to miss as he'd pretty much already hit the ball and it was decent penalty (if the goal had been an inch bigger). To be honest I think he just tried to place it when he actually should have done what Anderson did and belt it.

As soon as Ronaldo stopped mid run up I just thought he'd miss it. Also I thought that this kind of run up had been disallowed.

[pino]

As soon as Ronaldo stopped mid run up I just thought he'd miss it. Also I thought that this kind of run up had been disallowed.

For what I know isn't allowed to stop the run but most of the times it's up to the referee. BTW as soon I saw Anelka on his way to the final penalty, I say to myself...bye bye Chelsea :s Anyway I still think Chelsea deserved it more sorry :p :

[DonJippo]

BTW as soon I saw Anelka on his way to the final penalty, I say to myself...bye bye Chelsea :s Anyway I still think Chelsea deserved it more sorry :p :

So true it was written all over his face "I'm going to miss this one" :( Was hoping Chelsea to win it instead of ManU.

[Josti]

For what I know isn't allowed to stop the run but most of the times it's up to the referee. BTW as soon I saw Anelka on his way to the final penalty, I say to myself...bye bye Chelsea :s Anyway I still think Chelsea deserved it more sorry :p :

Van der Sar himself explained he already took a smile when Anelka hit the ball. He knew he was going to get that one.

Great game, both deserved to win, but I'm glad it got to Man Utd :up:

[Storm]

I haven't seen the penalty shoot-out in the news either...but Ronaldo has done it before too...stopping min-run while taking the kick....that is a stupid thing and anybody who does that deserves to miss the kick!

[dc10]

So true it was written all over his face "I'm going to miss this one" :( Was hoping Chelsea to win it instead of ManU.

Yup, you could see he just didn't want to be there. There was no way he was going to score. Feel really sorry for Chelsea as I think they were actually the better side on the day.

[gadjo_dilo]

BTW as soon I saw Anelka on his way to the final penalty, I say to myself...bye bye Chelsea :s

Even the guy who commented on TV and was supposed to be impartial said " The final is over. You can see from the way he walks he''ll miss the target ". :laugh:

[Storm]

Oliver Kahn retired from football yesterday in.......Kolkata, India !!

Bayern Munich won 3-0 against local club Mohun Bagan and the Salt Lake Stadium was packed like it is for local derbies (against East Bengal)

Over 100,000 fans watched the friendly to say goodbye to the great keeper..

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/315438.html

[pino]

Only 5 foreign players allowed from 2110 :up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7421348.stm

[pino]

Ups I forgot, Mourinho will replace Mancini at Inter (Milan)...another reason for dislike them both :p :

[turves]

from 2110 :up:



We have to wait 102 years for this... :laugh:

[pino]

We have to wait 102 years for this... :laugh:

LOL... I meant 2010 :p :

[Storm]

Maybe Inter will finally win something proper then....Also Zambrotta to Milan from Barca and looks like Barca are signing Hleb for 12 mil :s

[pino]

Storm mate, Inter has won the last 3 Serie A titles, what you mean something proper ? :confused: If you mean CL then you need both quality and luck to win that ;)

btw Italian/Brazilian Amauri has finally signed for Juve :bounce:

[Storm]

First of those scudettos was when Juve's title was taken away, next one was when Juve were in Serie B and Milan were docked points, and this year Milan have been crap so by default Inter had to win...thats what I meant by proper...beating good teams when they are playing well :)
Amauri is the player from Palermo ?
Looks like Eto'o might be headed to Milan and I think we can assume Drogba will be in black & blue stripes next year ?

[pino]

Yes Amauri from Palermo and Juve is also very very close to sign Xavi Alonso from Liverpool :D Both Eto'o and Drogba could be playing in SerieA next year, both in the City of Milan ;) Mourinho will be announce tonight by Inter...

[oily oaf]

Ups I forgot, Mourinho will replace Mancini at Inter (Milan)...another reason for dislike them both :p :


Hahahaha I had to come back to find out your opinion on the appointment of The Special One as new boss of Inter Pino .

It was just as I expected ;)

PS I hope you're well old friend :D