[Archived] Champions League 11/12

[neekoy]

Barcelona want the English Premier league to throw out four clubs.

So that they can play Manchester United on a Saturday afternoon.

what a (Please don't use that word again)

I wish they would just ###### do it already, go it alone, Barcelona playing Litex Lovech, Dinamo Minsk or Sheriff Tiraspol...yeah those fixtures would be well worth reducing the PL numbers and income

[Audax]

UEFA/FIFA officiating is farcical, they try to say these competitions are the pinnacle of football but as far as I'm concerned they are 2nd rate in the way they are run. I don't even like Chelsea but it's been clear they've been robbed in the European competition but I guess it's a big revenue-maker but to me, it's close to being a Mickey Mouse competition. I'll take the Premier League, Championship League any time over it. Just my own thoughts.

[Audax]

Also, the Champions League too has a history of corruption and as recent as to around the year 2000. No thank you.

16 teams? Perhaps that would mean only 1 or 2 teams would ever be relegated. Sounds like a bad idea. The PL is more or less as successful as the Champions League. I'd think more so.

[MarkBRFC71]

Sad night for Mike Newell last night - his 16-year-old record for the fastest Champion's League hat-trick was finally broken by Bafetimbi Gomis of Olympique Lyonnais, who bagged 3 in 7 minutes during Lyon's 1-7 smashing of Dinamo Zagreb ....

[Stuart]

Sad night for Mike Newell last night - his 16-year-old record for the fastest Champion's League hat-trick was finally broken by Bafetimbi Gomis of Olympique Lyonnais, who bagged 3 in 7 minutes during Lyon's 1-7 smashing of Dinamo Zagreb ....

We know Mark.

I'm not having it though, the first goal was in the first half!

[SAS]

Sad night for Mike Newell last night - his 16-year-old record for the fastest Champion's League hat-trick was finally broken by Bafetimbi Gomis of Olympique Lyonnais, who bagged 3 in 7 minutes during Lyon's 1-7 smashing of Dinamo Zagreb ....

Bit of Controversey in that natch isn't there?

Didn't they need to win by six to progress?

[Audax]

Now this looks, it's too coincidental, lots of stories on this with Ajax, they should open up an investigation and exactly why the Champions League is tainted, Brian Clough managing Derby County thought Forest got a bad deal vs. Juventus, there was that Leeds match, about '72 where they were probably robbed and this is not the first time in recent memory this has happened.

Add on that bogus refereeing, it got so bad a few years ago, I refused to watch a few games but then watched the final.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2071803/Ajax-want-probe-Lyons-7-1-win-Dinamo-Zagreb.html

[Stuart]

How can it be a 7 minute hat trick if there was a 15 minute break in between?.

Plus there were 3 minutes of injury time at the end of the first half!!

WTF

[Audax]

Now Lyons is calling these rumours unfair, false, possibly libel. We will see, I myself don't mean to jump to conclusions.

[speeeeeeedie]

Arsenal got a good hiding in Milan last week. Chelsea got one tonight. Will either of them get through?

[Rovermatt]

No.

[hesfromburn]

Talking to two chelsea fans tonight they under the opinion that avb is not picking enough experience. But IMO Ashley cole legs have started to go and Lampard has been overated for a long timme. Wont wast my breath on terry.

[LeChuck]

All three are still miles better than Bosingwa, Meireles and Luiz. Essien should have started as well.

[Mattyblue]

Now I like Gary Neville as a pundit, but they are all so one eyed when it comes to English football.

'Chelsea are a far better side', 'Napoli are no better than an average PL team'.

Obviously that isn't the case, as they gave them a good slapping and have knocked City out already.

[alexanders]

Not enough balanced the team AVB put on last night.

I follow a little bit of Italian football and Napoli have just got some form back. As i saw the team Chelsea put out I knew they would struggle against the likes of Lavezzi, Hamsik and Cavani.

They were way to offensively set up. A midfield three of Ramires, Meireles and Malouda isnt good enough defensively.

Lavezzi had a very good game shining in between Chelseas midfield and defense.

[LeChuck]

Not enough balanced the team AVB put on last night.

I follow a little bit of Italian football and Napoli have just got some form back. As i saw the team Chelsea put out I knew they would struggle against the likes of Lavezzi, Hamsik and Cavani.

They were way to offensively set up. A midfield three of Ramires, Meireles and Malouda isnt good enough defensively.

Lavezzi had a very good game shining in between Chelseas midfield and defense.

Indeed, that midfield is very weak, especially with three very attacking players ahead of them.

Mikel, Essien and Lampard would have given them a much stronger platform to build on.

Not sure what's going on with AVB at the moment. He seems to be trying to build a new team by removing the older players, but he's being very hasty at dropping the players that have seen Chelsea be the second best team in the country over the last 6/7 years or so.

It's either a power struggle with the older established players or a misguided and hasty attempt at replacing experienced players. You might say the situation has a whiff of Steve Kean about it...

[Mattyblue]

Or Souness at Liverpool...

[K-Hod]

Think the team selection was all wrong, and they had no answer to Napoli's rapid counter attacks. They look very weak at the back to say the least.

The solid defence was the hallmark of Mourinho's side but now it's the complete reverse.

A few years ago Cech looked unbeatable, now.....

[thenodrog]

Arsenal got a good hiding in Milan last week. Chelsea got one tonight. Will either of them get through?

Suffice to say that Man City apart for very obvious reasons that MU, Arsenal and Chelsea are not the teams that they were half a dozen years ago and Lpool are certainly no better that they were at that time. Through a combination of factors but mainly financial the Premier League curve has dipped substantially.

Nice to see too imo.

[speeeeeeedie]

Suffice to say that Man City apart for very obvious reasons that MU, Arsenal and Chelsea are not the teams that they were half a dozen years ago and Lpool are certainly no better that they were at that time. Through a combination of factors but mainly financial the Premier League curve has dipped substantially.

Nice to see too imo.

Looks like your theory has some legs. Both Manc teams are out now. However English teams rarely win abroad.

Chelsea snesked through. They will meet Real Madrid and get hammered in the quarters.

[Tom]

I know fergie has bigger priories but united were massively outclassed in both legs of their tie.

I think all but one of the Bilbao team were Spanish and look light years ahead of English players technically.

[Rovermatt]

I think all but one of the Bilbao team were Spanish and look light years ahead of English players technically.

Surely every one of them is Basque?

[Tom]

My point stands

Now stop basqueing in the glory of correcting me

[mhead]

If you look at the profile of Siriwan, a member of the Board since 2004, you will see the incredible contribution of our Club to the development and management of Athletico Bilbao. They play in our colours usually away from home....and our famous colours were their colours at home for a number of years after the 1900s.See also Fred Pentland,our player with Bob Crompton in that era,and their most successful manager.

Could our upcoming group of young hungry players start to make us as happy as the incredible performance last night of the Basques? Keep the Faith.

[speeeeeeedie]

I will bump up this threwad again.

Watching a bore draw; Chelsea - Benfica. What makes it worse is Gary Neville. I rarely hear him commentate over here. He isn't very good.