Ongoing Soccer Thread

[Swear Engine]

Ok, in the Barça-Chelsea game, the referee gave 3 or 4 verbal warnings to Chelsea players before actually using a yellow card. In Spain, this would have yellow cards from the start. Than the Chelsea players would most likely not have been expelled, they would have toned down they aggression a little, which would have allowed the Barça player some more space to express they technical superiority.

Football is a contact sport no doubt. How much of a contact sport depends on the country where you play. In England or Germany, it's that a lot more than in Spain. Entirely because of the way referees take borderline decisions. True story.

I do think Spanish games are a lot more pleasant to watch and UEFA is stupid in letting Northern Europe referees set the standard. But that's just a question of taste I guess.

It's funny but in England we regard the standard of refereeing European games as much more like that of La Liga. I'd much rather watch a game which is a blend of both. In general refereeing is much stricter for Champions League/UEFA Cup games than the Premier League. We see one thing, you see the opposite, i dare say the truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.

I do agree he had a very good game by English standards.

I also known Spanish standards, and by those, he let the game turn into a fist fight.

I know Spanish standards too having watched La Liga games every weekend for several years now. As to a fist fight..? I think we watched different games. Are you seriously suggesting that Barca didn't give as good as they got? They just make more of a meal of perceived fouls. Players from English clubs are far more likely to get up and get on with the game. Players from Spanish teams sit on their backsides waving imaginary yellow cards.

Barca's quarter-final first leg at home against Bayern was refereed by an English referee and Barca won that game 4-0. Two players from each team were booked. It seems to me that the quality of the opposition had more to do with that result than the style or standard of the referee and his assistants.

QFT.

Just for the record i'm no lover of Chelsea. But i do love football. If Barca win at Stamford Bridge (or get the score draw that would be good enough to go through) i'll be just as happy as if Chelsea win. But Guardiola and his whining players would do well not to underestimate what Chelsea are capable of. And while Guardiola is undoubtedly a good coach and tactician, Hiddink is a master. Barca are far from invincible. Mentally they might have a few questions to answer come Wednesday.

 

[Gesshoo]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Chris is happy!

So are we, as this now shouldn't mess with our plans for 2 weekends from now!

Congrats on the promotion!

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

- blues in teh prem yo

- sky sports presenter apologising for some blues dude swearing in the dressing room while kev phillips was being interviewed, only for the program to cut to the blues fans singing a rousing rendition of **** on the villa 10 seconds later

- cardiff and their scummy fans lose out on the playoffs. if they'd only lost 5-0 to preston they would have been 6th looooollll

- lol newcastle are funny

 

[GeoffLacey]

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
- lol newcastle are funny

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

sorry but you were awful and i find it funny because so many dense geordies were hailing shearer as the messiah despite the fact that he has no management experience and his 'insights' on MOTD were always less than spectacular

your only hope is that hull are arguably even worse than you at the moment.

 

[Irexes]

sorry but you were awful and i find it funny because so many dense geordies were hailing shearer as the messiah despite the fact that he has no management experience and his 'insights' on MOTD were always less than spectacular

Geordie: "He's the messiah, and I should know, I've followed a few"



Newcastle always bring the lols

 

[GeoffLacey]

Geordie: "He's the messiah, and I should know, I've followed a few"



Newcastle always bring the lols

I swear, it makes me cringe when I see those supporters interviewed. They always pick the dumbest people they possibly can... Honestly, we're not all like that...

 

[Swear Engine]

Congrats to Birmingham for promotion. Nice to see a team with a good following coming back up.

The Newcastle situation is laughable but i still hope they can find 6 or 7 points from those last 3 games... It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they will win the next 2 at home. But if Newcastle and Boro draw next week you have to think they're both doomed (doooomed i tell ya!). The scary thing for the Geordies is that if they did go down there's no guarantee that Shearer has the wherewithall to bring them straight back up. The arse has fallen out of their confidence and it's just as likely that they'd do a Leeds as do a Sunderland (bounce, bounce, bounce). I like Newcastle though and hope they can find some goals over the next 3 games to scramble clear.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

newcastle-boro will be 0-0. you (maybe) heard it here first.

 

[blacksun]

newcastle-boro will be 0-0. you (maybe) heard it here first.

I also think they will draw this game maybe 1-1 or 0-0 and will both be doomed to the fizzy pop league.

 

[Gesshoo]

It's a crying shame. Newcastle have some of the best fans in the game, but have such a crappy team or manager or owner - and sometimes all 3, like now.

They should never have got rid of Bobby Robson - one of the best managers anywhere in the world in the past 30 years.

 

[BelgoSuisse]

It's a crying shame. Newcastle have some of the best fans in the game, but have such a crappy team or manager or owner - and sometimes all 3, like now.

There's always the Spanish solution to that: the fans are the owners of the club. And when they don't like the management, they vote them out.

 

[Gesshoo]

Yeah, that's an idea that's been floated at Liverpool this year. I've signed up as a possible share purchaser if it ever comes to pass.

 

[GeoffLacey]

It's a crying shame. Newcastle have some of the best fans in the game, but have such a crappy team or manager or owner - and sometimes all 3, like now.

They should never have got rid of Bobby Robson - one of the best managers anywhere in the world in the past 30 years.

I've been like a broken record, repeating this very statement year after year. With Robson, we had a young team, who qualified for the Champions Legaue and were an outside shot at the title in 02/03 until late on in the season. Since he went, there has not been a glimmer of hope at the club, with poor decisions being made year after year throughout the entire club, whether it be at board level, or managerial level. It's such a dissapointment, but something I've personally come to expect.

There's always the Spanish solution to that: the fans are the owners of the club. And when they don't like the management, they vote them out.

Tbh, to a degree, this is how it is at Newcastle, and it hasn't helped at all

 

[beardyian]

Joey Barton in trouble shock

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8033495.stm

 

[Swear Engine]

Well Man Utd went through to the Champions League final comfortably enough. Just a shame the fussy referee sent off Fletcher for what looked a decent tackle and he'll miss out on it. I can't remember a player falling over tonight without it being given as a freekick. Rosetti is usually a good ref but i thought he was poor tonight. He didn't let the game flow at all. Maybe he should've been in charge of the Barca v Chelsea first leg and the German ref who caused such outrage in that game should've been in charge tonight.

Too many of Arsenal's best players haven't produced over the two legs. Walcott was virtually anonymous again. When the kid finds some consistency he'll be some player though.

 

[Shylax]

YESSSS!!!!

What a goal by Iniesta!! Barca advances!!!

As an Arsenal fan, I didn't want the Blues to win but karma rears it's head. That red card on Abidal just might be the worst call I've ever seen. Although to be fair that was a blatant handball on Pique.

But wow what a finish!!!

It sucks though because it looks like Bara's back line are ineligible or injured for the final.

I hope Henry gets healthy by the 27th. Come on Barca!!!

P.S. Essien is still a beast. That goal was awesome. For my money, he's the third best player in the world behind Ronaldo and Messi. That man has scored more heartbreaking goals against the Guns for me to think otherwise.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

LOL CHELSEA MORE LIKE CHOKESKI.

brum going up followed by chelsea losing in heartbreaking fashion - this is a great week for football imo.

 

[Nick]

So rigged it's unbelievable.

Last year got rigged in the final.

Year before rigged in semis.

Year before that lucky barca strike again.

This year rigged in the 93rd minute when we made the most talented football team in the world look like schoolboys for 180+mins.

Ridiculous, just ****ing ridiculous.

 

[Shylax]

So rigged it's unbelievable.

Last year got rigged in the final.

Year before rigged in semis.

Year before that lucky barca strike again.

This year rigged in the 93rd minute when we made the most talented football team in the world look like schoolboys for 180+mins.

Ridiculous, just ****ing ridiculous.

How was this rigged?!?! The refs sent off Abidal basically because he happened to be near Anelka who tripped on his own feet. I've never seen anyone get an automatic red for not touching someone.

Barca was down to 10 men yet Chelsea backed off and played defense instead of using the advantage and going forward.

I agree the handball non call was atrocious. But Chelsea chose to be passive and it cost them. They should have got aggressive and push for the second goal.

Rigged last year? What someone made John Terry slip on the penalty kick to ice the game?

Honestly, they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[vanquish]

go zenit!

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

 

[Shylax]

^^^

LOL. That's awesome. And quick. Didn't know the gif turnaround was that fast, lol

 

[Nick]

Nice pics Chris.

Regarding rigged, we could/should have had 4 penalties. OK the player shouldn't have been sent off but 50% of those penalty shouts should have gone our way.

We kept a team who have scored a ridiculous amount of goals this season out for over 180mins. One of the most talented football teams ever to grace the planet - and they didn't have one shot on target until that last fluker-strike - if that isn't rigged I don't know what is.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

yeah the ref was terrible.

what the heck a norwegian ref who officiates the equivalent of Asda XI vs Tesco XI on a weekly basis was doing reffing a CL semi final i really dont know.

but still, i consider it karma for drogba/anelka/cole/etc's ridiculous diving.