Soccer thread 08/09 (will have spoilers!)

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:34 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:He is one lucky SOB, if nothing else. This has to rank up there with that CL win against Milan.

At least in the CL final he made tactical changes that led to that amazing second half.

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:38 pm

Macca00 wrote:
MACTEPsporta wrote:He is one lucky SOB, if nothing else. This has to rank up there with that CL win against Milan.
At least in the CL final he made tactical changes that led to that amazing second half.

Yeah, and I shuffled lottery tickets before picking the one that ended up being the winner. It was all LUCK!!!

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:26 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:
Yeah, and I shuffled lottery tickets before picking the one that ended up being the winner. It was all LUCK!!!

Ooh feel the bitterness

Any allegedly world class team that gives up 3 goals to a team that is 5th in its domestic league, particularly in a Final, doesn't deserve the silverware. LOL

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:47 pm

RobVarak wrote:
MACTEPsporta wrote:
Yeah, and I shuffled lottery tickets before picking the one that ended up being the winner. It was all LUCK!!!
Ooh feel the bitterness Any allegedly world class team that gives up 3 goals to a team that is 5th in its domestic league, particularly in a Final, doesn't deserve the silverware. LOL

Yeah, a little bitter, still.

In a final you can throw away the records, it's one game - win or lose. I think even the most dedicated of Liverpool supporters will acknowledge that Milan was the better team that year. So, when put together: some bad managing from Ancelotti, good subs from Benitez and a crapload of LUCK - result in Benitez holding on to his job for 4-5 extra years.

Hey, at least we (Milan fans) have major tournament gaffes to be bitter about. How about that goal by Sheva in the semis against Barca, that may have taken us to the final against Arsenal? Or the second leg of the Deportivo tie, where we managed to get knocked out of CL after winning first leg 4:1? Coul've won 5 Champion's League titles in a row, the team was that good.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:58 pm

With that degree of bitterness you should be an Everton supporter.

Too bad Milan couldn't have bribed the refs in the CL like they do in Serie A.

EDIT: To be fair you did decisively beat us a few years later by a whopping 2-1 score including a goal that went in off a player's hand. Uh oh...now I'm getting bitter.

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:04 pm

Macca00 wrote: Too bad Milan couldn't have bribed the refs in the CL like they do in Serie A.

I demand the word "allegedly" to be used at least four times in this sentence. Right, Rob?

Our owner runs the damn country, what do you expect? We laugh at Man City's problems.

Hey, Macca, how is that transfer for Gareth Barry going?

Macca00 wrote: EDIT: To be fair you did decisively beat us a few years later by a whopping 2-1 score including a goal that went in off a player's hand. Uh oh...now I'm getting bitter.

We absolutely didn't deserve to win the trophy that year. But I think we've suffered for it. Ancelotti didn't get fired, no players were bought, and we finished fifth the following year, so now we are missing out on CL.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:02 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote: I demand the word "allegedly" to be used at least four times in this sentence. Right, Rob?

Ordinarily, yes. But where Italian football is concerned? No.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:50 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:Hey, Macca, how is that transfer for Gareth Barry going?

Rafa felt like he wasn't over-paying enough at 18 million so we'll come back in January with a 30 million pound bid. After which I'll continue to whine about how we don't have enough money to compete with United and Chelsea.

That said, United paid 17 million for Carrick and I think Barry's better than him...but when you can get Deco for less than 10 million it's all a little silly.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:35 pm

Deco's wages are sky-high, though.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:40 am

MACTEPsporta wrote:
Macca00 wrote: Too bad Milan couldn't have bribed the refs in the CL like they do in Serie A.
I demand the word "allegedly" to be used at least four times in this sentence. Right, Rob?

Our owner runs the damn country, what do you expect? We laugh at Man City's problems.

Hey, Macca, how is that transfer for Gareth Barry going?

Macca00 wrote: EDIT: To be fair you did decisively beat us a few years later by a whopping 2-1 score including a goal that went in off a player's hand. Uh oh...now I'm getting bitter.
We absolutely didn't deserve to win the trophy that year. But I think we've suffered for it. Ancelotti didn't get fired, no players were bought, and we finished fifth the following year, so now we are missing out on CL.

AC Milan, who's every defeat I cheer to the rafters, have just signed Philipe Senderos from Arsenal. And their stadium's a crumbling concrete wreck (having been there).

So now who's got problems ?

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:33 am

..and Shaun Wright-Philips has returned to City, and a net profit of about £12m for us.

So that'll be him on the right, Petrov on the left and Jo in the middle....time for some cautious optimism at the Blue Camp.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:21 am

Until you are eliminated from the Uefa Cup here in roughly 2 hours.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:28 am

davet010 wrote:..and Shaun Wright-Philips has returned to City, and a net profit of about £12m for us.

That is a tidy piece of business. I shudder to think of the indignities that City will suffer as their retribution for such success.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:55 am

fsquid wrote:Until you are eliminated from the Uefa Cup here in roughly 2 hours.

Couldn't give a crap - UEFA Cup generates a shedload of fixtures for no money. Rather get knocked out and concentrate on domestic competitions.

Still, we could always meet Bayern when they get knocked out of the CL.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:09 am

The Champion of the UEFA Cup gets the same amount of cash as all the clubs that make the group stage. Should at least make the group stage and then tank it.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 12:53 pm

After that group draw, you might be right Dave.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:01 pm

Full CL Draw

Group A
CHELSEA
Roma
Bordeaux
CFR Cluj

Group B
Inter Milan
Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos
Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C
Barcelona
Sporting Lisbon
Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group D
LIVERPOOL
PSV Eindhoven
Marseille
Atletico Madrid

Group E
MAN UTD
Villarreal
Celtic
Aalborg

Group F
Lyon
Bayern Munich
Steaua Bucharest
Fiorentina

Group G
ARSENAL
Porto
Fenerbahce
Dynamo Kiev

Group H
Real Madrid
Juventus
Zenit St Petersburg
Bate Borisov

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:11 pm

fsquid wrote:The Champion of the UEFA Cup gets the same amount of cash as all the clubs that make the group stage. Should at least make the group stage and then tank it.

Bloody hell, we can't even throw games properly....jammy OG in the last minute then 4-2 penalty win

Still, if becoming a side challenging for the top means you get loads of scrape results, then mebbe we're starting to learn what MU and Liverpool have been pulling off for years.....Hughes must have been taking notes while at Old Trafford.

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:30 pm

Can you tell Rob was using British site to get the groups?!
How do Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina end up 4th seeds is beyond me. Zenit gets 3rd seed after winning UEFA Cup, while PSV is 2nd! Go figure...

Groups G and H should prove to be interesting, I think Dynamo Kiev will put up a fight this year, after setting goals against record last year. Zenit may just spoil things for Real and Juve, although they are playing like crap lately.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:20 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:Can you tell Rob was using British site to get the groups?!
How do Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina end up 4th seeds is beyond me. Zenit gets 3rd seed after winning UEFA Cup, while PSV is 2nd! Go figure...

Groups G and H should prove to be interesting, I think Dynamo Kiev will put up a fight this year, after setting goals against record last year. Zenit may just spoil things for Real and Juve, although they are playing like crap lately.

To do with their finishing positions in the relevant leagues - Athletico were 4th in La Liga, Fiorentina 4th in Serie A, PSV won the Dutch League, Zenit I think won theirs but it is not a very strong league, made up as it is of 3 billionaire's playthings and a host of dross.

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:22 pm

davet010 wrote:
MACTEPsporta wrote:Can you tell Rob was using British site to get the groups?!
How do Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina end up 4th seeds is beyond me. Zenit gets 3rd seed after winning UEFA Cup, while PSV is 2nd! Go figure...

Groups G and H should prove to be interesting, I think Dynamo Kiev will put up a fight this year, after setting goals against record last year. Zenit may just spoil things for Real and Juve, although they are playing like crap lately.
To do with their finishing positions in the relevant leagues - Athletico were 4th in La Liga, Fiorentina 4th in Serie A, PSV won the Dutch League, Zenit I think won theirs but it is not a very strong league, made up as it is of 3 billionaire's playthings and a host of dross.

NO. By your logic Liverpool should be seeded 4th as well. It has to do with their overall UEFA club standings, which are mostly measured by their results in UEFA competitions. Season standings affect the overall standings but to a lesser affect. Strength of the league is also taken into consideration. In any rate, I wasn't looking for an explanation as to why these teams are seeded this way, but simply pointing out how unfair this system is. Thank you for attempting to explain it though.

Any major football league is a collection of "billionaires' playthings" and dross. EPL, is by far, the most notable of examples.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:30 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:Can you tell Rob was using British site to get the groups?!

Sorry, none of the Ukrainian sites that I typically monitor for football news had the draw up yet

MACTEPsporta · Post by **MACTEPsporta** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:32 pm

RobVarak wrote: Sorry, none of the Ukrainian sites that I typically monitor for football news had the draw up yet

http://football.ua/champions_league/new ... age14.html

There you go

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:40 pm

MACTEPsporta wrote:
RobVarak wrote: Sorry, none of the Ukrainian sites that I typically monitor for football news had the draw up yet
http://football.ua/champions_league/new ... age14.html

There you go

I must have gotten some kind of virus. All the writing on that site is in Elvish.

rubba19 · Post by **rubba19** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:05 pm

I'm a total noob at this CL thing, but is there a rule that sometime during the run of play, do Liverpool and PSV and ManU and Celtic have to play each other?