A Beautiful Thread for the Beautiful Game

Yeah, it's Bayern's fault for not using their chances. Chelsea was just more effective. xD

Any change from Liverpool or Manchester United or Arsenal winning the Champion's League from the English Premiership is, in my view, a long fucking time coming. Celtic have already done it, back in the days when it was the European Cup, so there is no real need for them to do it again, as far as I am concerned. But watching Man Utd win it again - if they had gotten that far, which they didn't, would have been soul destroyingly boring.

Good for Chelsea. If you disagree with that, then it is sour grapes as far as I am concerned.

Anyone play soccer?

Yes, me! xDD

I always used to play it with the boys in school. Stupid girls and their volleyball. xD

edited 20th May '12 3:55:55 AM by kay4today

Now and then. Swashbuckling centre forward, is me!

That Liverpool team were much worse on paper and in practise. Really, 3-0 down at half-time was about right and Milan deserved shot for letting themselves begin the party at half-time. Dida, the arsehole goalkeeper, was the worst.

Mourinho's Porto were an excellent side who won two European trophies on the bounce. They might not have been the best in the competition that year all in (I still say were a better team in the Uefa Cup the year before), but they certainly aren't among the worst winners (even if Monaco were among the worst runners up).

I couldn't hear it over all the excitement in the pub I was at, but Gary Neville achieved another orgasm when Drogba equalized.

This is becoming a thing now, isn't it?

This is what was happening in the bar I was at yesterday during the final moments of yesterday's final. Just down the block, everyone in the Football Factory was flooding the street.

My cousins played soccer when I was young. I wanted to play too, but I was lured into basketball. And then when I sucked at that, I always wondered what would have happened if I had took up soccer instead.

I bet you're the cueball with the beard

Nah. That guy was mental, though. I got video on my phone of him falling flat on his face while trying to "push" a taxi cab through the mob of people in the street.

You would like that bar I was hanging around at; a lot of the City's visiting Celtic support frequents that establishment (you may have noticed the photo of Henrick Larsson in hoops on the bar near the end there).

EDIT: The one witty quip about that video of the post-match fan celebrations—"Gary Neville apparently wasn't the only one having an orgasm yesterday."

edited 20th May '12 7:18:24 PM by SeanMurrayI

Two nights removed from the that day Chelsea went and won the cup, the ecstasy finally fleeting, the party over, the booze and drugs all wearing off... there is a lot for me as both a soccer fan and a Chelsea fan to digest, and now that I've had enough time to gather my thoughts. I think it's finally time to share what we've learned. In the end, I take away from all this...

• Di Matteo might not be the right person to appoint as full-time manager. By all means, what Robert Di Matteo has accomplished is phenomenal, completely unforgettable, and that much should at least get him an interview with Boss Abramovich. However, the board is certainly going to need to examine his game strategies and determine whether that's what they want. Di Matteo has drilled an ultra-defensive, "anti-football" side that, while proving to be tremendously effective, is the antithesis of the Barcelona/swashbuckling style of play which Abramovich desires to establish almost as much as winning the Champions League trophy*
  In defense of Di Matteo, it's not like being unable to play Ramires and two of starting centerbacks or having to play Barcelona under any circumstances makes it easy to field better attacking sides, but... eh.
  . "Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships" and all that, but for his sake, Di Matteo better be able to convince Chelsea's board that he's got other strategies that he can get the team to work, apart from just parking the bus in a 4-2-3-1 formation and striking on a very rare, very disciplined, incredibly lucky counter-attack; he needs to have a solid plan already in mind to rotate the squad if Chelsea is to remain competitive on all fronts (FA Cup and Champions League victories mean Chelsea will participate in no fewer than 7 unique competitions next season) and needs to show that he can handle his part all off-pitch responsibilities (transfers, acquiring team targets, etc.), which is the the chief field wherein Di Matteo remains unproven.

• Didier Drogba is now and forever a legend. For the first six years or so of Drogba's time with Chelsea, he's earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the most feared players in his position on the entire planet. So beastly is this man that even when it was becoming clear that he was no longer able to play every game like he used to, even when Abramovich brought in competition for his spot in the first team, like Fernando Torres, Drogba would always show them they were second best when they arrived at the Bridge. He's responsible for nearly every domestic honor Chelsea has won since the Mourinho-era; however, the most coveted trophy at club level, the one thing that could legitimize him and all his hard work, has always eluded him. Being 34 now and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, it became apparent that his time with the Blues was reaching its conclusion, and the only regret amongst fans before Saturday is that he'd be leaving without ever winning the Champions League. It's amazing what a difference Saturday has made.

  Looking back at Chelsea's entire Champions League campaign, Chelsea were underdogs every step of the way. They couldn't even guarantee advancement to the Round of 16 until they won their last match in the group stage, and things got ever increasingly more unlikely from then on out. But every time it looked like Chelsea had to do the impossible, it was Drogba that carried the team every step of the way, all the way to the final and to the Champions League trophy*

  Bagging a brace against Valencia in a 3-0 rout to advance from the group stage, scoring the first goal and assisting in the winning goal in the 2nd leg v. Napoli, in which they turned around a 3-1 deficit on aggregate (second team to ever do so in the tournament), scoring the one goal in first leg against Barcelona, and, of course, the equalizer and winning penalty in the final with Bayern

  . Drogba's work paid off, and with the Ivorian already confirming that he's set to leave Chelsea, he has picked a hell of a way to say goodbye; he can leave his legend etched out in stone; he is immortal now. Superman truly must wear Didier Drogba underwear, after all. Whatever paid semi-vacation Didier decides to take in whatever footballing backwater wants to give him the most cash, he's earned it, and wherever he goes, he's going to kick its ass.

• David Luiz is an amazing drunk. I never figured he'd be a Champions League winner at this relatively early stage in his career. But who cares? I love this guy!

• Petr Cech has once again proven himself to be the greatest goalkeeper in the world. Not even reflecting on his heroics against mighty Barca, on penalties alone, Cech dove the correct way 6 out of 6 times, he got a touch of the ball on 4 of those 6 occasions, and he made 3 out of 6 saves. The man has shown that he's still a beast.

• No one else will ever become both a World Cup and Champions League winner as easily as Fernando Torres has. Speaks for itself. Word is that 'nando is unhappy about not starting the final or taking one of the penalties. He's tired of being confined to the bench, and maybe he wants to leave? His time at Chelsea won't be seen as a total loss anymore, but given how much he cost to get from Liverpool and what he's being paid, using him as a benchwarmer doesn't justify his price.

edited 21st May '12 9:43:16 PM by SeanMurrayI

USA v Scotland on 24 May, in Jacksonville, Florida. Our squad is:

Goalkeepers: Matt Gilks (Blackpool), Craig Gordon (Sunderland), Allan Mc Gregor (Huns)

Defenders: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Steven Whittaker (Huns), Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan Athletic), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic), Lee Wallace (Huns), Andy Webster (Hearts)

Midfielders: Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Scott Brown (Celtic), Craig Bryson (Derby County), Don Cowie (Cardiff City), James Mc Arthur (Wigan Athletic), Matt Phillips (Blackpool), Shaun Maloney (Wigan Athletic)

Forwards: David Goodwillie (Blackburn Rovers), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Kenny Miller (Cardiff City), Johnny Russell (Dundee United)

The XI really ought to be:

Mc Gregor
Whittaker Caldwell Mulgrew Wallace
Mc Arthur Brown
Cowie Maloney Russell
Miller

What I'm basically saying is COME AT ME BRO

And Drogba celebrates winning the Champion's League by slinging his hook from Chelsea.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18152689

Spoke my piece on that as much as I need to, already. Having claimed the Champions League trophy, Drogba can leave Chelsea without there being any unfinished business. His story can have closure, and he can be released back into the wild or put to pasture for a few more years in $£China¥€ or wherever he gets a good deal. (Although there is also a naughty rumor going around that Barcelona might try to get another year of top-level play out of him and make him a cheeky offer)

He's sealed his reputation. One of the most magnificent central forwards his sport has ever seen the world over, and he will always belong to Chelsea. Build the man his freakin' statue.

Moving forward, the only thing Drogba said that I find of note is that he believes in Fernando Torres and believes that he will be the future of Chelsea FC. 'Nando did start to show a few signs of the player of old here and there near the end of the season, buuuuut... I'll believe it when I see it.

edited 22nd May '12 12:30:16 PM by SeanMurrayI

I don't believe it. This absurd illustration of Barcelona kits for the next season◊ is actually proving to be more and more like the real deal.

Come August, Barcelona will have an utter abomination of an away kit. The home kit isn't all that pretty to look at, either.

If I didn't love FC Barcelona with a huge chunk of my football-loving heart, I would not be able to tolerate those kits. What were they thinking?

I home the away kit. Hell, I actually like the away kit although for some reason I picture Real wearing somethig more like that.

edited 22nd May '12 9:58:39 PM by TheWesterner

That thing is their kit? Good gods...

Xavi, the true love of my life, will be wearing that suff...

If I accidentally take two sticks of dynamite and jam them right through my eyes before I light the fuse, is there any chance that I'll still be able to watch the rest of the game? If not, I'll have to make sure that there's no dynamite within reach when I watch Barcelona's away games next season...

Heh. No football kit in creation is, was, or ever will be worse than the Pink away strip that Glasgow Rangers wore for a season, and the Bumblebee away strip that Glasgow Celtic wore for a season. Both of those shirts could be seen from SPACE.

We actually wore the Bumbles twice. From 1996 to 1998, then from 2009/10. There's a nostalgic fondness to it all, for all we never seemed to win a game while wearing them.

2007/08 away, however, was just pure sex to look at.

Yeah I was talking mainly about the Nineties version. Which was hideous.

I definitely liked the 2009-'10 away kit.

As awful as it is, it does conjur up plenty of nostalgia for the likes of Paul Mc Stay, Paulo Di Canio, Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Jorge Cadete and early-days Henrik Larsson all wearing them.

I've still got mine. Sponsorless with long sleeves was just <3

We did well with away kits in the last decade. We've been on a good run since the bizzare strips of the 1990s.

Nothing beats the Hoops, though.

Edit - new BBC documentary on the goings-on at Rangers over the last twenty years will be broadcast at 20:00 tonight. Looking forward to it.

edited 23rd May '12 7:39:16 AM by TheBatPencil

Sir David Murray made off with £6.3m from this EBT thing personally. 100 people benefited in all, for which 53 side letters have been uncovered as proof. Christian Nerlinger, Stefan Klos and even former Rangers and Scotland captain Barry Ferguson among the improperly registered going back to 2001.

Setting up a game of EBT bingo on another forum - pick a name, and if they benefited illegally from an EBT you win a prize!

Edit - I'll fill you all in after 9, but suffice to say right now that HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS EXPLODING THE INTERNET.

edited 23rd May '12 11:51:44 AM by TheBatPencil