[Archived] Champions League

[thenodrog]

Don't feel sorry for any of them : they're all overpaid and over-rated tarts.

I thought the general behaviour of the players throughout the match was appalling : constant berating of the referee and dramatic rolling around on the ground after the slightest tackle. It was a dreadful advert for English football ; hopefully the millions watching around the world would realise the worst culprits were foreigners.

And Joe Cole.

[Flopsy]

was he on the pitch?

Scholes and Tevez are likely to get a ban after some fisticuffs which led to Scholes getting his nose bleed

[thenodrog]

Thoroughly enjoyed the game, thought it had everything, especially Ronaldo's and Terry's penalty misses! It certainly served Ronaldo right for being cocky - bit of humble pie for him served nice and hot please

I called his miss correctly 2 minutes before. The camera panned on the line of Utd pen takers with their arms around each others shoulders and Ronaldo had a haunted look and was as white as a sheet. His one weakness may indeed be lack of bottle.

Must say though that when I was taking pens for the team 3-0 up in the last 10 and I could have scored with a backheel but when it really mattered my legs felt like jelly too.

[modes98]

Didn't really care who won but I nearly p1ssed myself watching John Terry do a creditable impersonation of William Gallas at Brum! Big girls blouse that he is. 250,000 dead in Burma, 40,000 dead in China and he has a big girly wail. He needs to get to grips with the real world.

Why are you going into World Affairs when talking about a football match, get a grip yourself!

Don't feel sorry for any of them : they're all overpaid and over-rated tarts.

The fans and the media interest force the wages up so you can't complain. You can still have compassion for people who get paid a lot of money.

First half was all Man Utd

Second half was all Chelsea

ET was all Chelsea

IMO Chelsea would have been the more deserving winners but failed to push over the finish line. Still no London team winning in Europe.....Shame for the poor media who love London so!

[M-K]

ET was all Chelsea

Well, apart from the last ditch clearance off the line by JT from Giggs that would have won it for Utd.

Plenty of chances for both of them, some great football and classic bawling by JT at the end. Top game.

[thenodrog]

Why are you going into World Affairs when talking about a football match, get a grip yourself!

Top piece of moderating that modes! I try to introduce a sense of perspective and you come out with that rubbish!

Switched on the telly on Tues and there were newsreels of real tragedies and pictures of countless thousands of shocked and distraught people desperately inconsolable for their dead relatives / destroyed homes.

Switched on yesterday to witness a tearful John Terry his whole body shaking uncontrollably with big shuddering sobs just cos he lost a football match! ffs! England captaincy and team leader? The British stiff upper lip! I bet Capello has just had his mind made up by yesterdays pathetic display.... Mine has.

Tell you what modes I cannot ever rem footballers who profess to be big well 'ard types crying publically in my day whatever happened. Chopper Harris would be deeply embarrassed by Terry's girly display yesterday. People really used to be made of sterner stuff!

[LeftWinger]

I think you're being very harsh Gordon. Footballers are often criticised for not caring enough, and when one is clearly upset to have lost, he gets criticised again.

If you'd just lost in the biggest game of your career for the club you love, and felt you were to blame, I'd hope you'd be upset. I think the last thing on his mind would be - "Oh well, at least I'm on loads of money and I'm not Chinese".

I'm not Terrys biggest fan - but saying he slagging him off for being girly is harsh. He clearly cares what happens to his team - a rarity in the modern game.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I don't like Terry, but he is getting more stick than Anelka, who looked like he was having a blast.

[Eddie]

Quite right leftwinger. We'd be delighted (in a way) to see a player burst into tears having cost us a trophy. Yes, it makes him a bit of a girl, but fans cry all of the time, so isn't it nice to see a player who cares enough to do the same? It obviously meant a lot to him. He was one penalty, probably just one non-slip, away from winning the Champions League.

It was a good game last night, which was surprising. A very good advert for English football really, even if it lacked some of the pace we'd normally expect.

[tcj_jones]

I agree on the ref-bating and constant cheating, but the standard of football was good and it was a very exciting game. I love it being a neutral and getting to watch a really exciting spell of extra time and then penalties.

The only way it could have gone any better would have been if Ashley Cole lost it for Chelsea.

[Iceman]

was a shocking performance by the referee and his assistants on the night.Not sure what Tevez was on about,as he just seemed to go crazy lol i like many thought Chelsea should have buried United completely,this after united could have been 3-0 up at half time.

i cant understand how a striker can take such a shocking penalty as what anelka did.

Drogba shouldnt have been sent off,yes his finger was in Vidic's face,but really now that is no where near to a straight red.ive seen games in Columbia where players actually smack the ref,and dont get sent off(No just joking)

[RibbleValleyRover]

It was passion, passion for the club he loves. Terry wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all everytime he plays.

In the words of Avram Grant after the game:

“He’s Mr Chelsea. He’s Chelsea through and through. He wanted this more than anyone at the club. I just want to say not many centre halves would have stood up and taken the fifth penalty, a penalty of that importance. That’s testament to the man. He’s a man’s man. No one at Chelsea will criticise him at all.”

I think its completley stupid that he is getting so much stick.

[Eddie]

Anelka's penalty wasn't that bad. It was one of those where if the keeper had gone the wrong way it would have looked perfectly fine. It wasn't great, he'd hope for better, but it wasn't horrible and we have all seen worse.

Drogba had to be sent off. You can't raise your hands. It's a clear-cut rule and he broke it. It was idiotic on his part.

[den]

Anelka's penalty wasn't that bad. It was one of those where if the keeper had gone the wrong way it would have looked perfectly fine.

That made me laugh Eddie.

[Eddie]

You know what I mean.

[M-K]

It was passion, passion for the club he loves. Terry wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all everytime he plays.

In the words of Avram Grant after the game:

“He’s Mr Chelsea. He’s Chelsea through and through. He wanted this more than anyone at the club. I just want to say not many centre halves would have stood up and taken the fifth penalty, a penalty of that importance. That’s testament to the man. He’s a man’s man. No one at Chelsea will criticise him at all.”

I think its completley stupid that he is getting so much stick.

He's not getting stick - just mickey taking. People should take packs of Kleenex to chuck at him whenever Chelsea are in town.

[LeChuck]

Switched on the telly on Tues and there were newsreels of real tragedies and pictures of countless thousands of shocked and distraught people desperately inconsolable for their dead relatives / destroyed homes.

Switched on yesterday to witness a tearful John Terry his whole body shaking uncontrollably with big shuddering sobs just cos he lost a football match! ffs! England captaincy and team leader? The British stiff upper lip! I bet Capello has just had his mind made up by yesterdays pathetic display.... Mine has.

You don't half talk some @#/? sometimes theno.

If that had been Rovers in the final last night, and we'd lost on penalties, how many tears would there have been from the fans? You and I know both know there would be plenty. Well, for Terry the emotion would be even worse; that should have been the peak of his club career, scoring the winning penalty for the club he's supported as a boy in the biggest club competition in the world. It's pretty much what everyone one of us dreams of doing for the club we support when we're young, except it went tits up for Terry.

You're one of the first to complain when these over-paid footballers don't give a toss, but equally you're first to complain if they show too much obviously genuine emotion. I'm sure there's a lovely world of sport somewhere for you theno, where the competitors care, but not too much of course...how dare they?!

By your logic the only things any of us can get upset about are the top 2/3 catastrophic world events. I'm pretty sure millions of people in Britain today will have a cry over something not related to things like China, and no doubt you'll be able to tell them all where they're going wrong about it too.

[Iceman]

you an idiot....how many football fans cry when their teams lose,or get relegated or even promoted.Terry showed loads of commitment,passion and energy throughout the game.If it was rovers,we would have all felt bad,and shed some tears.If you have ever played in a final of huge importance,and you lost you would have showed the same emotion as what Terry and the rest of the Chelsea players showed.

so give the guy a break,yes he sometimes pisses me off,but he showed the other side of him.If only some of our players could show that kind of heart and commitment.

[speeeeeeedie]

I've read the last few pages and there are some decent summaries. I thought that it was a very good game of football, especially when you compare it to past Euro finals (2005 excluded). They went at each other, had chances, good saves, and some passion. I could have cared less who won as I'm not a fan of either team so pens was the best outcome for me.

Scholes could have gone for his attempted swipe, Tevez got someone in a headlock and gave them a quick jab. Drogba was a silly sod and deserved to go. Ashley Cole was amusing, especially the 1st half when he waited until he saw the line for the area then dived accordingly. Did Joe Cole play?

As soon as Terry stepped up I knew he was gonig to miss. He's English, wears his heart on his sleeve, and is a central defender. Theno's berating of him is plain stupid, but what can you do?

[American]

Anelka's penalty wasn't that bad. It was one of those where if the keeper had gone the wrong way it would have looked perfectly fine. It wasn't great, he'd hope for better, but it wasn't horrible and we have all seen worse.

It really was no worse than Giggs' penalty if you look at where the ball was placed.

[MarpleLeaf]

Watching the Champions League final last night was a curious experience, especially as I wasn't bothered about who won, until Chelsea scored. Then it dawned on me how awful it would be if they were to win. Here are ten other unanswered thought provoking questions.

In contrast to John "Chels Through and Through TM" Terry, how "bothered" did Sulky Nic Anelka look when he missed?

Sir Alex Ferguson says United deserved to win it because of the history of the club, does a club therefore have to have suffered a tragedy in order to deserve to win it?

When did UEFA introduce the rule that insists on bald directors leading the teams up for their medals, and why did Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive, get a medal, and why did Sir Bobby Charlton refuse his?

Does this say anything meaningful about character and class?

How come only Drogba got sent off for raising his hands in the handbags melee?

Wasn't it funny when Wayne Rooney had a wee hissy fit when he got subbed?

When did Joe Cole become the biggest moaner in a team of spitting and snarling moaners?

When the camera panned from Avram Grant to Abramovich, sitting in those outrageously grand official seats, the rich one was seen leaning over and saying something to his girlfriend, was I the only one who thought it looked like "kill him" a la Armstrong and Miller?

How long was it before someone started sending things like this around by email?

A pic is on my blog here.

[philipl]

Fairly decent comment by Mihir Bohse. He also spotted the ref getting the hairdryer treatment.

[mode_m]

Drogba got sent off all because Tevez didn't kick the ball out where they wanted it. Drogba's "slap" was totally uncalled for and although Chelsea gets away with that sort of behavior in the premiership I am glad that he was sent off. Terry falling during the kick was icing on the cake.

Glad to see Chelsea go down.

[USRoverME]

Thought it was an enjoyable game to watch as a neutral. Dismayed a bit by the theatrics, but I'm growing numb to them in that I hate them on the whole, but get less angry at each individual act. Joe Cole has been a maoning diving git for a while, but I actually almost thought about feeling a bit bad for him tonight as he has 1 or 2 legitimate gripes.

The pen shootout was full of laughs for me.

Ronaldo's miss (does this means he keeps the "choker" tag)

Terry miss (couldn't have happened to a more over-rated player)

Anelka's miss (between his history, drogba's antics, and the fact that chelsea's chances came to a player they got at half season... haha)

All of those events made me laugh so hard my wife had to ask if I was okay.

Giggs getting the winner is fitting.

[Eddie]

When did UEFA introduce the rule that insists on bald directors leading the teams up for their medals, and why did Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive, get a medal, and why did Sir Bobby Charlton refuse his?

They were there to represent their respective boards. Charlton didn't refuse his, he simply, quite rightfully, wouldn't have it put around his neck.