[fishmonkey]

got a good response to a thread i started about the FA Cup Final (well, t'was more johnnywinternoshow, lucyrulesok, h8kurdt, Iain and myself - getting all hot and bothered by the whole scene)
so here goes another footy thread about the Champions League Final tonight. Are there any Gunners fans out there or Barca-heads?

i personally will be up for Barcelona, where are your loyalties?

[candymoan]

barça -- mostly because of my personal dislike for arsenal..

i probably won't be watching the game though..

[sonicl]

Being a Chelsea fan I usually hate the Ars, but I've been really impressed by Terry Henry ever since he took Fulham apart single-handed, and I'd like to see him get a Champions League medal, so I'll be a Gooner this evening.

[fishmonkey]

Originally Posted by candymoan

barça -- mostly because of my personal dislike for arsenal..

i probably won't be watching the game though..

me too, i'm a Utd fan so therefore i cannot be anyway happy about the Arse lifting any cup this evening. but i suppose i prefer Barca because of Ronaldinho, that chap can fair kick a ball, he is surely some player.

and i wont be able to watch it either, due to finals in college next week and serious cramming to be done... boo-hoo....woe is me

[Bertrand]

I don't mind. Both teams give their youngsters a chance & provide good football. I'll be happy whatever the result, and will watch the game more comfortably than if there was a team I loathed (a bit exaggerated here) or disliked (like Milan AC).

The dice said : Barça 0, Arsenal 1.
But they failed me more than once.

[candymoan]

it's a pity barça usually gets less attention than real madrid..
it is all a mraketing gimmick folks.. not football..

[Florya]

I'm a gooner - born and bred.
My prediction - Arsenal will come from 1-0 down to win 2-1 in the dying minutes of the game.
It should be a great game no matter what the result, a real treat for the neutrals.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

That red card ruined everything, what a cheap call!

[fishmonkey]

Originally Posted by Florya

I'm a gooner - born and bred.
My prediction - Arsenal will come from 1-0 down to win 2-1 in the dying minutes of the game.
It should be a great game no matter what the result, a real treat for the neutrals.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!

jesus, that went totally the other way as to what you predicted, sorry man. i feel for you

[johnnywinternoshow]

poor arsenal, that referee was shit all match long, almunia made a great save from eto'o but was beaten twice at his near post from tight angles, bit crap really

[sonicl]

That's the only time in my life I have ever been, and will ever be, disappointed to see Arsenal lose.

I really hope Thierry Henry doesn't move on, I think English football needs players like him. His interview on TV straight after the game was spot on (but what a shame his shooting during the game wasn't).

Going off-topic briefly, did we lose Sergi from Barcelona when we moved over from the old board?

[fishmonkey]

Originally Posted by sonicl

His interview on TV straight after the game was spot on

i feel he came across as a little bit of a bad looser... although, i could be biased

[_slavo_]

I was up for Barcelona.

Neverheless, I got my heart on a different place yesterday - in Ice Hockey World Champs quarterfinals Slovakia played with Canada....and lost 1:4.
Fuck, getting drunk yesterday was a MUST.

[Hip Priest]

Thierry Henry is a super player and generally a fine fellow, but I suspect his remarks last night were the result of frustration at himself and others.

Lehman committed a deliberate red-card offence; as a player, if you feel you must bring your opponent down, you always have the option of reaching him through the ball (that's often enough to placate the ref somewhat), but Lehman went straight for the man. Off.

All this nonsense about the ref denying Arsenal a fair game is laughable - the suggestion that red card offences should be allowed if committed early enough!!!! I don't think so.

I admit to being much more a cricket chap than a football man, but I must say that as far as I'm aware, the ref would have been within his rights to let that goal stand and send Lehman off - that would have been the right thing to do in my opinion.

The main reason Arsenal lost is the reason that has cost English clubs more European games than any other: defending whilst one-nil up. It's the deadly trap that they all fall for (Liverpool vs Brondby is one of many examples). Arsenal effectively just gave Barca 45 minutes to score - with a team as talented as that, there's an inevitable outcome. And of course, once they score one, the impetus is with them. We couldn't believe Arsenal resting on their laurels like that - ten men or not, they were playing very well and could have had the game. Their two second-half chances were fluffed too, of course.

Yet agaion, we gave ITV's commemtary a chance, but in the end (yet again) it turned out to be partisan, moronic and xenophobic (how do they get away with it?). We turned the volume down and put Radio 5's commentary on.

[fishmonkey]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

Thierry Henry is a super player and generally a fine fellow, but I suspect his remarks last night were the result of frustration at himself and others.

The main reason Arsenal lost is the reason that has cost English clubs more European games than any other: defending whilst one-nil up. It's the deadly trap that they all fall for (Liverpool vs Brondby is one of many examples). Arsenal effectively just gave Barca 45 minutes to score - with a team as talented as that, there's an inevitable outcome. And of course, once they score one, the impetus is with them. We couldn't believe Arsenal resting on their laurels like that - ten men or not, they were playing very well and could have had the game. Their two second-half chances were fluffed too, of course.

some good good points you made there Hip, also the fact that european football is different, English football is tough - the players are taught to play hard and expect their team mates to take it, as they would dish it out in return this is not the way in Europe where a foul is direct and diliberate contact with another player
i.e the are softer!

[PAULYBEE2656]

i smiled a smile. tough on arsenal and the ref wasnt wonderful but i still smiled.....

tottenham 2007 uefa cup champions and future dominators of london football!!!!

apologies to jeff!

[sonicl]

The period of feeling sorry for the Arse is now over.

Q. What's red and white and goes beep beep beep?
A. Arsenal's open top bus being put back in the garage.

[Florya]

I have no problem with Lehmans red card. Once the ref had blown his whistle he had no option but to send him off. KIlled the game tho.
Eto'O was definitely offside for their first goal, and Henry was being kicked all over the place.

On the other hand having a shit ref helped us when Eboue dived to get the free kick that we scored from

I was gutted at the result, but I'm optimistic for the future. Henry is staying and we have a great young team for him to lead out into our fantastic new stadium.

Paul - what makes you think that the future of Tottingham will be any better than their past? Your players havn't even mastered basic personal hygiene yet, let alone the beautiful game!

[sonicl]

Originally Posted by Florya

Paul - what makes you think that the future of Tottingham will be any better than their past? Your players havn't even mastered basic personal hygiene yet, let alone the beautiful game!

Consider yourself well and truly repped!!

[Hip Priest]

Originally Posted by PAULYBEE2656

...tottenham 2007 uefa cup champions and future dominators of london football...

Dimitar Berbatov will be a good signing - you're building a very decent team.

'll discuss Manchester City's prospects for the upcoming season as soon as I spot them.