Roiling football blather

[crackerjack]

So, why does he want to go? Both players seem to have improved this season and I would feel gutted as an Arsenal fan if I had watched them come through the ranks and get good at Arsenal and then fuck off as soon as they started to fulfill their promise. This has not traditionally been a problem for Wenger, I just wonder why it's happening now.

Until this year he wasn't really a key player - so i guess there was no urgency about tying him to a new contract. He's now (I think) out of contract, which means he can leave on a Bosman and get a fat fuck-off signing on fee in Italy.

 

[jenks]

Also Arsenal don't pay much in relation to other clubs - both Flamini and Hleb can get more elsewhere. I always admired Wenger's obduracy with regard to salaries, keeping the youngster's feet on the ground, that kind of thing.

I think this time round this squad is more fragile - bags of talent and very many youngsters but also prone to implode - Eboue, Adebeyor and Toure all liable to getting themselves into trouble when discipline is needed. It'll be interesting to see whether Wenger can exert enough influence on them to get them to mature or whether he washes his hands of them like he did with Anelka and others that didn't quite fit his model.

 

[IdleRich]

Champions League Final TODAY!

Any predictions? Obviously it's good news that Makalele kicked Cole yesterday although I guess he will play.

 

[hucks]

Everyone seems to think it will be really dull, but the game at Stamford Bridge was really good. The reason was that Chelsea took United on, and realised quite quickly that United are beatable. They had to attack, obviously, because they needed the three points then. But they have to attack tonight, too, cos they just aren't as good at defending as they were a couple of years ago. There's still no right back, Carvalho and Terry are coming back from injury, Cole's possibly out, Cech's making mistakes he didn't used to.

United are good at defending, tho. Oddly, if the game turns out to be dull, I think it'll be United's fault, not Chelsea's.

I think Chelsea will win 2-1 again.

 

[IdleRich]

"Everyone seems to think it will be really dull, but the game at Stamford Bridge was really good."

I wouldn't read too much into that game though to be honest. Ferguson took the decision - slated at the time - to put out a weakened side, presumably reasoning that they might still get something at Chelsea but that they could probably win the league even if they lost and that it was more important to win the approaching game against Barca. I think the fact that they did indeed win the league and knock out Barca shows that that (risky) strategy was vindicated but tonight it's all out with everything that everyone's got left. I reckon that it will come down to who has the most remaining in the tank after a gruelling season, which of the players who is/was doubtful for the final fails to perform and who rises to the occasion. Impossible to call I reckon but I hope it will be a good one, an early goal could liven things up a little.

 

[crackerjack]

I have a Spanish class tonight, after which I internd to go home and sulk. Or watch the last half of The Apprentice

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Scholes with horror Eduardo style leg break.
Ronaldo scores a penalty.

 

[IdleRich]

Anyone else read this in the Mail?

"We all know about famous modern managers refusing to speak to television stations because of perceived wrongs in their coverage - but what about Stockport boss Jim Gannon? He, reportedly, is not cooperating with Sky before the club's play-off League Two play-off final against Rochdale because of a nine-month customer relations dispute over his defective Sky box."

 

[crackerjack]

Anyone else read this in the Mail?

"We all know about famous modern managers refusing to speak to television stations because of perceived wrongs in their coverage - but what about Stockport boss Jim Gannon? He, reportedly, is not cooperating with Sky before the club's play-off League Two play-off final against Rochdale because of a nine-month customer relations dispute over his defective Sky box."

*Applause*

 

[crackerjack]

Scholes with horror Eduardo style leg break.

Victim or culprit?

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Victim or culprit?

Victim - goes flying in for a 50-50 challenge. I dreamt it a few nights ago, so it must be true.

 

[hucks]

England's Brave John Terry. It'd take a heart of stone not to laugh.

 

[crackerjack]

So we're just one kick away from the perfect - and I do mean PERFECT!!!! - result, where Man Yoo lose cos of Cunt Ronaldo and his interminable fucking showboating, and up steps England's Brave John Terry to take the decisive penalty ahead of Chelsea strikers . What a gloryhunting cunt.

 

[hucks]

For me it was win win. I hate Ronaldo and Terry in equal measure.

I'm a bitter small team fan, is what I am.

 

[luka]

you knew who was going to miss before they took them though... i don't think strikers necessarily are the best penalty takers in those situations

 

[craner]

Oh, your're online! Fuck football, check out my Whispers video on the 80s soul thread, it's beautiful.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Terry's normally quite a dependable penalty taker - if he hadn't slipped last night, his kick would have been perfectly placed.

Funny that there was a decisive slip for both sides: Van der Saar and Terry. Everything evened itself out.

I was almost right about Scholes - I wonder if he played on with a broken nose.

 

[IdleRich]

"So we're just one kick away from the perfect - and I do mean PERFECT!!!! - result, where Man Yoo lose cos of Cunt Ronaldo and his interminable fucking showboating, and up steps England's Brave John Terry to take the decisive penalty ahead of Chelsea strikers . What a gloryhunting cunt."

Do you reckon that was showboating? I thought he just kind of bottled it - either way it didn't matter in the end and there was the right result. Anyway, I thought you were going to be sulking and watching The Apprentice...

 

[vimothy]

That was fun... eventually.

 

[IdleRich]

Not a great game for me, there is a definite case to be made that the familiarity of the players with their opposition meant that there was a lack of surprise and I think that when this was coupled with the fear of failure there was no real space for flair to shine. Still, made for an exciting contest with both teams playing to win and both teams competing 110% for everything as you would expect. More chances than you would have guessed and a sending off to liven things up (why do commentators always say that a sending off spoils the game? I love a good sending off to get things going). United should have had it sewn up in the first half but I think that Chelsea had weathered the storm and were coming back strongly when they got their completely jammy goal. Second half Chelsea just seemed to out-power United without having the necessary spark to create the final pass that could actually unlock the defence.
I was surprised when he took Rooney off, I thought that although he didn't have as much of the ball as Tevez he did more with it than the uncharacteristically wasteful Argentine. United in general haven't been firing on all cylinders recently I think, their passing has not been as smooth as earlier in the season but at least it was slightly better last night than against Barcelona.
To me it seems a weird decision to bring on a sub two seconds before the shoot-out and expect him to keep his nerve with his first kick of the ball - especially if the guy is, what, eighteen? - but I guess the decision was vindicated for each manager.