Barca should have had a penalty in the first leg - also, in my opinion in both legs the ref let Chelsea away with tackles that merited cards - but the Barca players quite often didnt even go down.

For years I listened to British (and Irish) commentators bemoan the "latin temperament" when it came to diving - but they're quite hushed about it now that English teams are just as culpable of the very same cynicism.

Meh.

(sorry)

I'm in mixed minds about it really. I wanted Barcelona to go through but can sympathise with the Chelsea players' anger at what I thought was one of the worst refereeing performances I've seen. Chelsea had four good penalties denied them and to my mind Barcelona showed almost nothing throughout the game.

I think that unless Barcelona can improve dramatically for the final, Man Utd have nothing to fear.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...paper-reaction

This is a good article about how the sporting media in Spain reacted to last nights match, the whole thing was thoroughly entertaining.

Personally i dont feel sorry for Drogba or Ballack with their pissing and moaning shit, neither have played properly for Chelsea this season and they dont deserve to be in the final. You contrast that with Barca who have had a nucleus of players who have excelled, and i dont get how any Chelsea fan can claim im being wrong to be happy Barca went through.

after a day to think about it.

1. Obstructed and forced to the ground inside the box. Defender would've been beat to the ball if he didn't obstruct. Penalty.

2. Bit of pulling on the shirt inside the box, but Drogba goes down too easy. Wasn't enough contact to pull him down or trip him. Not a penalty.

3. Blatant hand ball in the box. Hand ball is NOT called based on intention. Doesn't matter whether he did it intentionally (which it looks like it was) or not. Penalty.

4. Even worse than the first hand ball. It does catch him above the elbow, but look at the angle he sticks his elbow out, it's above his head. Intentional or no, that's using your arms to deflect a strike. Penalty.

Ballack and Drogba acted without class, but their anger is justified. That ref was beyond terrible. Worst officiating I've ever seen, in any sport.

The ref on the first leg was pretty poor too (Alex?).

Man U will probably feel more comfortable with a back four that has used to play together (and in case Ferdinand's injured, Evans can come in, the situation occured during the championship).

Barca will experiment at the back. A hit or miss.

I've given it some further thought too, after the hysteria has died down and i agree with you.

I think the two teams were pretty even over the two legs (Barcelona edging the first one, Chelsea the secong) and while it's almost certain that had just one of those penalties been awarded Chelsea would've gone through, it wouldn't have made them the better team. They have a right to be frustrated at the incompetence of the referee, but not at the justice of the final outcome.

I'd say Chelsea the plc has every right to feel frustrated at the financial ramifications of the referees incompetence though. There would have been a hell of a lot of money to be made by them as a result of getting through to the final, even more if they went on to win it.

UEFA is going to be pretty down on Chelsea right now, I reckon they should give 'em a really good reason to hate them, and take legal action against them to recover the loss of income as a result of the appointment of an incompetent fool as referee.

The incompetence thing is one of those impossibly grey areas in sport though. A referee is paid to referee competently, and when he doesn't people talk of a club suing them for financial loss. But what about a footballer? A footballer is paid to play competetently but if he misses a basic chance he's talked of as being either out of form or unlucky. I'm not excusing the referee, but he made about as many errors as Drogba did in that game. Had Drogba done his job as well as the referee was supposed to do his, then Chelsea would be through and nothing more said about it.

***POSTING IN A THREAD I'VE NEVER CLICKED BEFORE***

is this about the superbowl?

:)

yes.

who are you?

That ref had officiated 21 Champions League games before Wednesday apparently, so Jamie Redknapp and his "This guy was from Norway so he clearly just trotted in straight off a Sunday league pitch" arguement falls down just a tad

Anyway, i reckon West Ham will hold Liverpool this weekend and thus hand the title to Man U. I also expect a tiresome 0-0 between Newcastle and Boro on Monday leaving them both doomed even though Hull are so bad they could be Norwegian

^^^ football in liverpool, you say?

hang on... I knew that answer a minute ago....

I keep it written down on a stickie note...

for now, please call me John. as in John Madden. he features prominently in this thread, I assume.

I RESENT THIS

Go Oilers

^^^ pardon, who?

well, couldn't you folks find something else to play?? oh, say, like tennis?

football is really an american thing, don't you think?

:)

so how come americans are so good at tennis? are you pining for our governance once more?

You're thinking of Rounders

I have no idea what yr talking about.

tennis is for girls, not real americans.



ok. so, I feel slightly guilty about ruining something that I've managed to NOT ruin so far. that slight guilty feeling is a sure sign that I've gone WAY overboard. pardon our dust.

I liked rounders.

anyway, leeds v milwall in the league one play off semi first round. a match requiring more security than the G20 summit. leeds 2 - 1 winners i say.

"Stand up, If youve killed someone. Stand up, if youve killed someone..."

When I was a kid, Millwall were the only team I wasn't allowed to go and watch West Ham play.

Talking of trouble, I'm seriously worried about the prospect of Cardiff going up to the prem.

when i lived in leeds my mum came to visit one day when we where playing milwall. the look on her face when the bus windows the milwall fans where on came through and a large bald drunk man was punched by another large bald man was an image i cant ever forget.

'you'll never make it to the sation, you'll never make it to the station...'

The evil is not in extremes
It's in the aftermath
The middle mass
After the fact
Vulturous in the aftermath

Summer close season
A quiet dope and cider man
But during the season
Hard drug and cider mates

The boy is like a tape loop
The boy is like a uh-uh

Not much contact
Drinking, the men wait
They are set at nought
Because cripple states a holy state
Because cripple states a holy state
The Werhmacht never got in here
The Werhmacht never got in here
The Werhmacht never got in here
The Werhmacht never got in here
Thought it took us six years
The werhmacht never got in here
And living here you whisper, bub
And living here you whisper, bub!

This boy is like a tape loop
And he has soft mitts
But he's the last domain
Of a very black, back room brain
He learned a word today
The word's misanthropy
And he's running to and from
The cats from tin pan alley
And he's running with and from
The cats from tin pan alley
And going down the alley
Take the cats from the alley
Up to them
The alley's full of cats from tin pan

Come into the back room Brian
And meet
The middle mass
The middle mass
Vulturous in the aftermath
Middle mass

I honestly think that MES's lyrics are the only ones that stand up to being read as words alone.

I think he's done a couple of other songs about football and hooliganism, Sparta FC for example. Id like to see him do another one soon, its a subject he seems well able to capture and frame

And on that note:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUiPs1PxKo

:)

Sparta Prague, you mean?

Nah mate, this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJBlN...eature=related

It's not about hooligans but this is still the best song about football ever.

"Under Marble Millichip, the F.A. broods."

Sparta F.C is sort of ruined for me cos of the way the BBC use it for Final Whistle. I just can't disassociate from Garth Crooks' fucking ugly cunt face anymore. Crooks has managed to alienate me from a Fall record. That's straight up criminal that is.

yeah..

(the video is made by ronaldos right arm coming up towards the end, looking at his own groin - almost in desperation... presumably willing jesus to sort this situation out)

wtf?!?! hahaha

thats one of the funniest things i have ever seen.

Man U are champions
West Brom are down
Spurs are mid table


But most importantly im going into the last week of the Sonic Youth Fantasy Football league in 3rd!

No tricky qualifiers for me early next season, i can give myself an extra few days off, and i dont have to bother with no intertoto bullshit



Dorothy will be pleased about that one, Ray.

Rafa Benitez on congratulating Alex Ferguson on leading Manchester United to their 18th League title:

"I prefer just to say well done to the club, a big club, a good club. Normally you have to be polite and respect the other manager but during the season we have seen a lot of things that I didn't like, so that's it. I say congratulations to United because they have won. And that's it."


Sour grapes, or just lack of class?

Benitez wants to be the new Mourinho ha ha.
kidding.
many man U fans in here?

I hope not too many.

Speaking of which, are there any Liverpool FC fans here, except myself and the obvious Scouser Danny Himself?

and me.

mental connection is undeniable.

by the way, when you get the package from myself, let me know. I sent it on Friday.

haha, let's just hope it won't need a second sending like my damn shirts :p!
btw, I'm not sure I have an idea on the actual content... perhaps I have...perhaps I don't...we'll see!!

2 albums included ... one of them including the whole "Keepers EP" and the second one is just a random pick from my last weeks's shopping spree :)
enjoy.