General Weekend/Midweek Football

[MikeO]

I don't have a problem with any nationality or country, just individuals (sometimes teams)....I'm an equal opportunity advocate when it come to hating people .

[Zoo]

Gomez. 2-0.

[Zoo]

Robben. 3-0. No way that the goal should have been given.

[MikeO]

Robben. 3-0. No way that the goal should have been given.

 

I agree...amazed .

[Zoo]

Bartra clearly can't use his left foot either. I've never seen a professional football go around the ball rather than just hit it with the foot that was naturally placed, if he would have swung for it I don't think Neuer could have done much to stop the goal.

 

Odd.

[MikeO]

Should've been four.

[Zoo]

It is.

[MikeO]

Now it is.

[Zoo]

I don't see any way back for Barcelona, even at the Camp Nou. If it would have finished 3-1 then I'd have still fancied their chances but at 4-0 I think it's going to be a bridge too far. They're going to have to come up with a world class display next week to reach the final and I'm not convinced that they will.

 

Congrats to Bayern, I just hope that either Dortmund or Madrid can stop them in the final.

[Fearthainn]

Well that was fucking amazing

[Bailey]

Would love to see a Real v Bayern final myself. I think it would be a cracking game!

[pete0]

Would love to see a Real v Bayern final myself. I think it would be a cracking game!

Hoping Dortmund win it as it will give teams like Everton hope that it can be done the right way.

[GoodisonRoad]

Hoping Dortmund win it as it will give teams like Everton hope that it can be done the right way.

This. Dortmund are the little bright light showing that promoting from within can be done. Madrid vs Bayern would just be horrible for football IMO

[Zoo]

I'd like Dortmund to win it. It's totally hypocritical of me as I said that I didn't want a German team winning at Wembley but it would set a good example to teams throughout Europe that you don't need to spend big to win big trophies.

[MikeO]

Bayern/Real is the equivalent on a ManU/Arsenal FA Cup final....boring.

[Steve_E]

I hope it's an all German final. Don't really care who goes on to win it then, I like Dortmund better, but Bayern have two players who used to play for my favorite team in Belgium in Van Buyten and Dante. Dante was part of the Standard Liege team that beat Everton a couple of years ago actually. He left for Gladbach 6 months after that for just €2,5m. He would have been a great signing too, especially for that kind of money. Strong, tall, quick, has got the most beautiful sliding you've ever seen and is classy on the ball:

 

Edited April 23, 2013 by Steve_E

[Dalziel Kane]

At risk of being labeled a know all statistical fuck from some areas, Bayern Munich and Madrid met regularly in the knockout stages around the turn of the last century with the Spanish invariably coming out on top but never a final meeting. Would favor a Real Madrid victory but still some way to go yet.

 

Michael too young to remember the 1979 FA Cup Final then FFS (obviously in reference to 2005 in your defense, but it wasn't always like that as you're doubtless aware)

[marcopaulo]

know all statistical fuck :shaking fist:

[Fearthainn]

I hope it's an all German final. Don't really care who goes on to win it then, I like Dortmund better, but Bayern have two players who used to play for my favorite team in Belgium in Van Buyten and Dante. Dante was part of the Standard Liege team that beat Everton a couple of years ago actually. He left for Gladbach 6 months after that for just €2,5m. He would have been a great signing too, especially for that kind of money. Strong, tall, quick, has got the most beautiful sliding you've ever seen and is classy on the ball:

 

 

Quite amazing how Dante only has 1 cap for Brazil really (if I'm not mistaken). Ok so they have Thiago Silva and David Luiz at the moment, but from what I've seen of him, Dante could easily start ahead of Luiz.

[MikeO]

 

Michael too young to remember the 1979 FA Cup Final then FFS (obviously in reference to 2005 in your defense, but it wasn't always like that as you're doubtless aware)

 

My point was that a final between two of the usual suspects (in whatever competition) doesn't really grab my interest....the football might be good but if I don't give a shit who wins there's no real excitement.

 

I could've said Celtic/Rangers, Chelsea/Liverpool or Inter/Milan.

 

I like an underdog (failing an allegiance).

[Dalziel Kane]

It works in Europe if it's a non-British affair, as any British teams that get to a european final now, I take an instant dislike (Celtic 2003 was one exception), and would most often want the other (overseas) team to win, but this year looks like being a decent contest, to whoever makes it, and the competition needs resurrecting after last years debacle.

 

As for domestics, there hasn't been a true upset in the FA cup final since 1988 and more often than not, the favorites win over the other opposition, and even when smaller named clubs such as Portsmouth and Cardiff City made it to the showpiece event in 2008, it was merely two lesser names facing off and no heavyweight involvement. They'll always be upsets in any major competition, but as for the final itself, 90 per cent of the time (if indeed not higher) the favorites win and the lesser club or unfancied team comes a poor second. Maybe it's better when there are two heavyweights contesting, as one big name at least has to lose, and it's a better attraction than say Madrid against Leverkusen in recent years. At least, that's how I feel about it

[MikeO]

As for domestics, there hasn't been a true upset in the FA cup final since 1988 and more often than not, the favorites win over the other opposition...

 

1995.....team finishing 15th in the league (having been bottom a third of the way though the season) beat the runners up (equivalent to Stoke beating City today). That was a bit of an upset if memory serves .

[Matt]

I hope it's an all German final. Don't really care who goes on to win it then, I like Dortmund better, but Bayern have two players who used to play for my favorite team in Belgium in Van Buyten and Dante. Dante was part of the Standard Liege team that beat Everton a couple of years ago actually. He left for Gladbach 6 months after that for just €2,5m. He would have been a great signing too, especially for that kind of money. Strong, tall, quick, has got the most beautiful sliding you've ever seen and is classy on the ball:

 

looks like an old school defender.

[Dalziel Kane]

 

1995.....team finishing 15th in the league (having been bottom a third of the way though the season) beat the runners up (equivalent to Stoke beating City today). That was a bit of an upset if memory serves .

 

I thought that would get mentioned somewhere, but it's not an upset in the true sense. I remember reading various pundit reports before the game that thought we were more than capable of doing it. Every member of that team (Limpar apart) had a bite to their game and would have caused United any measure of problems. We had only been champions of the country only eight years before, and been in regular attendance at the FA cup Final in recent years and certainly had a decent side at the time. Half of the poor league showing was Walker's doing some will argue, and many said at the time, it would be no real surprise if we were able to do it. It was nothing like the shocks of 1987 and 1988 for example.

[Zoo]

LEWANDOWSKI!

[Zoo]

Sepp Blatter has had his Twitter account hacked;

Edited April 24, 2013 by Zoo

[Romey 1878]

Didn't Louis post this the other day?

[Zoo]

I don't know, I've only just heard about it.

 

Dortmund are 3-1 up by the way (should be 3-0 as the Madrid goal was a joke - Lewandowski hat-trick).

 

Edit: Lewandowski scores another from the spot - it's four.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Zoo

[GoodisonRoad]

Make that 4-1... What a player, Love this Dortmund team its a real shame its probably going to get torn apart in the summer. Look forward to how Klopp goes about building his next team though, should be interesting

[Zoo]

Make that 4-1... What a player, Love this Dortmund team its a real shame its probably going to get torn apart in the summer. Look forward to how Klopp goes about building his next team though, should be interesting

 

It's good and bad though. I understand that their team will be torn apart but with the money they get they can re-invest. If Klopp signs the right players there is no reason why they can't do the same next year.