401 replies to this topic

[Onion Smuggler]

john, on 24 April 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

Five million prize money for appearing in the final, ten million for winning, plus the extra revenue distribution.  For scoring the goal that made sure they went through.  Aye, big props to the lanky blond prima donna.

As I stated, they were already going through, Barca were never going to score.

Think Terry showed his true self as well, dirty horrible human being. The one solace of Chelsea getting through to the final is him not playing (and Ramires and Ivanovic)

[Eloisa]

BigWeirdB, on 24 April 2012 - 03:45 PM, said:

no way does this Chelsea team beat Real.   please god don't let us finish fourth and its all for nothing.

Better finish third, then.  You've a game in hand on Arsenal...

[Paddy]

The thing that gets me about John Terry last night is his lack of self-awareness.
"I'm not that kind of player.."
"It looks bad on the replay.."
"I probably shouldn't have raised my knee.."

I already felt he was a bit prone to stupid, petty actions like what he did, but I hadn't thought that he would rationalise it away somehow. But it seems that he has a reputation for that too. From the Guardian "as it happened" page:

Quote

"What a vicious, preposterous, pathetic red card that was from John Terry. What an oaf. He should be ashamed of himself, but knowing him he won't think he's done anything wrong."

Gary Neville's Goalgasm: http://www.guardian....torres-goalgasm
Because I experienced it, you all ought to too


Finally, I earlier mentioned Geoff Shreeves being a douche after the match. Here's the video: http://youtu.be/hhinlzXWQqg
He was on a total douche roll last night. He was also a douche to Drogba and Roberto Di Matteo about players not being available for the final.

Edited by Paddy, 25 April 2012 - 06:25 AM.

[mormont]

Even in a game as cliche-ridden as football, where it's possible (and not uncommon) to sit through ten entire minutes of commentary without hearing a single word that actually conveys anything important, 'I'm not that kind of player' stands out as possibly the most meaningless statement a professional footballer can make.

'Bob, you've just been sent off for the seventh time this season after taking a spanner from your sock and repeatedly clubbing an opposition striker around the head with it. Any comment?'

'Well, you know, I think the fans appreciate I'm not that kind of player.'

ETA - it's almost reached that linguistic barrier where a phrase crosses over and comes to signal its opposite: the surest sign that someone is 'that kind of player' is when they say 'I'm not that kind of player'.

Edited by mormont, 25 April 2012 - 07:01 AM.

[Horus Bergeron]

Eloisa, on 25 April 2012 - 06:05 AM, said:

Better finish third, then.  You've a game in hand on Arsenal...

My thoughts exactly.  I'm rooting for Newcastle to enter the Champions League.  It's a great story.

[baxus]

Calibandar, on 25 April 2012 - 03:44 AM, said:

I wouldn't write Chelsea off for the final. That's what people though about this semi as well, and they are a veteran side with a lot of experience in big games.

with ramires, meireles, ivanovic and terry out due to suspensions and cahill injured (though he might be fine until the finals, i don't know how bad his injury is) they will have a very hard time in the final.
i wouldn't say they can't win it, but i would say they will be the underdogs in that match (once again )

[polishgenius]

Arsenal should gain third without too much difficulty tbh. Yes, they have a game less than all the other teams in the race but they're playing three teams who have nothing to play for apart from pride now: safe from relegation but not troubling Europe.

Whereas Spurs have three relegation candidates out of the four teams left, Chelsea have two relegation candidates, plus Newcastle and Liverpool who will be fighting to finish above Everton, and Newcastle have one plus City, Chelsea and Everton who will be doing the reverse.

[Iskaral Pust]

polishgenius, on 25 April 2012 - 08:41 AM, said:

Arsenal should gain third without too much difficulty tbh. Yes, they have a game less than all the other teams in the race but they're playing three teams who have nothing to play for apart from pride now: safe from relegation but not troubling Europe.

Whereas Spurs have three relegation candidates out of the four teams left, Chelsea have two relegation candidates, plus Newcastle and Liverpool who will be fighting to finish above Everton, and Newcastle have one plus City, Chelsea and Everton who will be doing the reverse.

Liverpool have not seemed to be fighting for anything in the league for quite a while.

[Darth Arya]

Antonius Pius, on 25 April 2012 - 03:48 AM, said:

Well, normally their first plan works like a charm. I have a feeling though that this Barca side is on the downslide. Perhaps they've won so much that they've lost their hunger, or perhaps they're just over the hill (IIRC both Iniesta and Xavi are over thirty). Even Messi can't score and win all the time.
Having said that, their style of play favoured Chelsea's favoured defensive strategy. Chelsea has become really dull to watch, and Drogba is an atrocity to everyone watching the match at home. He should definitely be given a Golden Razzie next time around.




Mourihno personifies all that is wrong with football   But seriously, he is a bit of a madman, a theatrical clown with a casual distaste for everything that's good about football, great tactical acumen and an unwavering touch in manipulating his own players. I can't like him.

I think Mourinho is brilliant, he won us a Treble and is well loved, alot of Chelsea fans feel the same about him too.

[BLU-RAY]

Yeah, I like Mourinho, he's hilarious, and he's a brilliant mind when it comes to football.

[Pope Nasrudin the Second]

I think Mourinho's next club will be a non-league team, at which he will endeavour to win the Champion's League .  Where else can someone so egomaniacal go after Madrid?  Get ready, Frimley Green FC, it is going to be quite a ride.

[BLU-RAY]

He should take over Leeds Utd, the Targaryens of English football.


I have only now just realized that if Aston Villa manage to see out their cockup to the end, McLeish will have gotten two Birmingham teams relegated in two years. Impressive.

[Darth Arya]

He should come back to Inter .

[Inigima]

DVD ROTS, on 25 April 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

He should take over Leeds Utd, the Targaryens of English football.

I can't stand Mourinho, but come on. No one deserves that.

[mormont]

DVD ROTS, on 25 April 2012 - 11:01 AM, said:

Yeah, I like Mourinho, he's hilarious, and he's a brilliant mind when it comes to football.

He'd surely like to think so: but one thing that he'll never have over Guardiola is that he'll never be recognised as an influential thinker about the game. Guardiola has a distinctive and (IMO) influential philosophy on how to play the game: Mourinho is only a win-at-all-costs mercenary. The most distinctive thing about his approach is that he's been quite happy to make even the biggest teams in the world play ugly football if he thinks there might possibly be an advantage in it. Not really what I'd call a legacy.

Interesting first half: the tie's completely even now. I think Real are looking more likely, though, as Bayern look vulnerable in defence, Boateng especially.

[john]

I think there's something impressive about any discipline executed well.  Whether it's building something up or breaking it down, on the ball or off the ball.  An intelligent tactician is always going to be influential, even from a solely pragmatic viewpoint.  Plus Jose is better looking.

It's true that the game tonight more deserves a running commetary than last night's.  Although the second half has been much tamer.

[ericxihn]

john, on 25 April 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

Plus Jose is better looking.

This might have been indisputably true a year ago...

[BLU-RAY]

mormont, on 25 April 2012 - 02:33 PM, said:

He'd surely like to think so: but one thing that he'll never have over Guardiola is that he'll never be recognised as an influential thinker about the game. Guardiola has a distinctive and (IMO) influential philosophy on how to play the game: Mourinho is only a win-at-all-costs mercenary. The most distinctive thing about his approach is that he's been quite happy to make even the biggest teams in the world play ugly football if he thinks there might possibly be an advantage in it. Not really what I'd call a legacy.

Interesting first half: the tie's completely even now. I think Real are looking more likely, though, as Bayern look vulnerable in defence, Boateng especially.

Eh, I don't know. Guardiola will go down favorably in history because his teams play a more attractive style, and that will win him points in people's hearts- but he's now lost the league to Mourinho, and his CL problems have frequently come at the hands of Mourinho-influenced sides (Chelsea, Inter).  If we're going to give him credit for the Tiki-Taka game (rather than, say, Cruyff and his Total Football vision, which I think you could argue is the real idea for which Pep is just the executor), then you've gotta give him the blame for not being able to handle this counter, even though Mourinho-style sides parking the bus against Barca isn't exactly a groundbreakingly new idea.

And frankly, I'd say Mourinho's philosophy is as distinctive and influential as Guardiola's- the issue for him legacy wise is that everyone hates his philosophy and loves Pep's. Which is fair, Barca are certainly more attractive (speaking objectively)... but I agree with John, when it's your team, and you watch them more than other sides, you learn to enjoy the sort of disciplined, 1-0 deconstructions of the opposition that '07/'08 Chelsea were capable of.


ETA: Oh, right, a point I intended to make about Bayern-Real: Both are fielding very nice starting XIs, but holy shit, look at the benches.  See anyone you recognize among the Bayern subs? Thomas Muller, I guess, and maybe Pranjic.  Whereas sitting on the Real bench- Kaka, Higuain, Albiol, Coentrao.  I think Real wins the game in extra time because they can do shit like take off Di Maria for Kaka.

Edited by DVD ROTS, 25 April 2012 - 03:32 PM.

[john]

Ericxihn, on 25 April 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

This might have been indisputably true a year ago...

You mean before Pep lost the rest of his hair? :-/

Edited by john, 25 April 2012 - 03:32 PM.

[ljkeane]

DVD ROTS, on 25 April 2012 - 03:28 PM, said:

ETA: Oh, right, a point I intended to make about Bayern-Real: Both are fielding very nice starting XIs, but holy shit, look at the benches.  See anyone you recognize among the Bayern subs? Thomas Muller, I guess, and maybe Pranjic.  Whereas sitting on the Real bench- Kaka, Higuain, Albiol, Coentrao.  I think Real wins the game in extra time because they can do shit like take off Di Maria for Kaka.

It'd be more impressive if it was the Kaka of 5 or 6 years ago rather than the current vintage. Bayern still seem to be creating the better chances, Gomez really should have scored with a couple of minutes to go, but it's tight and you can't rule out Ronaldo popping up with a goal.