Existing Users: Because of an update to the forum software you will need to reset your password. Please use the "Forgot?" link on the sign in form to do so. If that doesn't work, send me an email at feedback@forzaminardi.com and I'll sort you out!
I watched the game after just getting back from our hols. Oh dear.
I am glad the neutrals agree the ref was poor - panicking, I thought.
Oh well, next year, next year ... (the consolation is denying Spurs a Champions League place).
Managed to see the GPs while away - dull, dull, dull. END TYRE CHANGES. It won't improve much when we are down to one supplier - will catch up with the rest of the gossip soonliest.
After watching yesterday's game, you realize why for the second year in a row England is taking 3 teams to the Champions' League semis (no real chance for AS Roma against Red Devils tonite...). Chapeau! Congrats to both Liverpool and Arsenal for a fantastic performance, even though I still cannot understand how could the Gunners let Babel to the penalty area just one minute after Adebayor's score (vanifying the incredible Walcott's performance!). I honestly supported Arsenal this time, as we've seen Liverpool already twice in the final in the last three years. Let's see now if they are gonna make it again against Chelsea, despite being 12 points below in the Premier League. I seriously hope to see the Blues winning this time, let's see. And, unless Shalke 04 or Roma invent a legend tonight (which is not gonna happen) the other semi between Utd. and Barça is also not to be missed....
Special Invitation: ARSENAL F.C. End of Season Dinner Dance
Starter Egg on Face Seasoned Hash Frogs legs (past their best) Spanish Surprise (well beaten)
Main course Humble Pie Chump Chops French (has) Beans Manager's Beef (not rare) Catch of the Day - (gutted) NB: everything is imported, nothing is home grown.
Dessert Sour Grapes (may be hard to swallow) Fruitless Tarts Raspberry Fools Hard Cheese
Drinks Bitter Little Spirit French Whine Cabernet Empty 2008 Champagne - sorry none ordered STRICTLY NO DOUBLES OR TREBLES
NB: drinks should be consumed from glasses as there will be no cups this year.
Guests are asked not to get HAMMERED
Guest speaker: Steven Gerrard & Rafa Benitez - "What it's like to win the European Cup"
Please note that the club’s European Tour for the season 2008-09 is not guaranteed.
Great final yesterday, worth symbol of the total domination of English football over the rest. Really a joke that the national team is not gonna be part of Euro 2008.
Man Utd probably deserved the cup considering the whole campaign. But Chelsea deserved it more yesterday, and it would have also been more right since Red Devils had already snatched the Premier League. And I feel really sorry for Terry (imagine how he's feeling by now) and for Grant (who came 5 centimeters away from the chance of his life, and missed it). But clearly, the football gods yesterday had cast Man Utd, and against them there's nothing to do...... C'm on Blues, it'll be for next year.
Thank God for that. I hardly ever cheer for that red lot but I couldn't bear it if the blue lot had become the first London winners of the European Cup. + there's nice symmetry with 50 years since Munich, 40 since the first win, etc. Fergie is now one of the undoubted greats.
re: the England team - very few play for Chelsea, Man U or Arsenal! The first two are also owned by foreigners and the latter has hardly any English players - can they thus be described as 'English teams'?! They certainly play in the English Premiership ...
The first two are also owned by foreigners and the latter has hardly any English players - can they thus be described as 'English teams'?! They certainly play in the English Premiership ...
Aren't the FIFA considering a rule saying that at least 6 players in each team have to be from the nation the team is from? That might actually be a good thing for the British league. The league might become a bit weaker without all the international heavyweights, but maybe it will help people to identify with the men on the pitch.
The first round of this new Italy-England Champions' league challenge went to the Brits, and deservingly. Juve was a bit unlucky having to play this game without several key players, but Chelsea showed anyway a superior set-up (and scored one more goal with Drogba, that was not seen by the ref).
Plus Reds ridiculised Real Madrid!
Let's see tonite Roma-Arsenal (tricky game, open to all results), and specially Man Utd-Inter Milan. It's gonna be a great football night, whatever the result is. If both Man U and Arsenal go through, this is the time we might get 4 English teams in the semis (Barça permitting).
so 4 English teams into the quarters, but alas, we (Liverpool) get Chelsea for the 5th year in a row! Shame, would've liked to have seen all the English clubs kept apart for the chance to be an all English semi final!
After two mediocre first legs in the semis, now it's time to see who goes to the final. I think Gunners can make it against Man Utd., but I mostly expect to see Chelsea-Barça. What Barça did today in Bernabeu stadium was simply unbelievable, see if they can repeat it in Stamford Bridge. Don't forget, anyway, that, despite the great Liga they played, Real is on a lower level, as shown against Liverpool. I expect a wonderful game. I'm afraid my Inter will not be able to gain anything in Europe even next year, at the moment the English and Barcelona superiority is too big, even ridiculous, and Italian football in general is by far on the low tide compared to Premiership and Liga.
A final between Rooney-Tevez-Cristiano Ronaldo and Eto'o-Henry-Messi would be a dream, and it's definitely what Michel Platini is hoping for, but if Man Utd and Barça play the second leg underrating Arsenal and Chelsea, we might have big surprises!
That didn't go very well. Best wishes to Manchester United, the far better team. If that rabble from west London make it through to the final I shall be supporting you once more.
Yes, Simon, fully agree with you on ManU-Arsenal, simply, the best team won neatly and deservingly. Arsenal will maybe be the best team in 2 years, if they keep all the young players and pursue the Wenger project, but right now they are a couple of steps below.
As for Barça-Chelsea, I think it's the right final for what we saw during the year, but I feel very sorry for Chelsea for the way things went, they probably deserved more than Barça to pass, after the 180 minutes they played. They just paid not having closed the game before, and probably a few mistakes by the ref. UEFA cannot send a Norwegian, used to semi-prof football at home, to referee a game like this.
Chelsea was incredibly unlucky for the second year in a row, I really hope this to be the price to be paid for victory next year (I know you do not agree with me....:-)).
As for the final, it's definitely the one UEFA hoped (Hiddink may be right in his allegations......), just hope it to maintain its promises. Even though, considering the importance of the prize, very rarely finals are great games. Anyway, I'm of course going to support Barça, I'm fed up with this Fergie band, in the last 3 years we've seen them aaaaaaaall the time, both in England and in Europe!
So it's Barça this year. For what was shown during the season, both teams deserved to be there and to win (even though Barça was at least veeeeery lucky in the semi against Chelsea).
But clearly Man Utd got to the final with no fuel left. So, cheers to Barça that scored 104 goals in the Liga, and that dominated the game, surely also helped by scoring after 9 minutes. And I'm happy, because it cannot be always Man Utd. And it's also a great satisfaction to see Ferguson losing, sometimes!
The Golden Ball will now clearly go to Messi (who also has a serious chance to lift up the World Cup next year in Jo'burg).
Next year I really hope it to be Inter. If not (sorry, Simon :-)), then I'll support Chelsea, after the two atrocious losses they had in 2008 and 2009.
Now, after the last Serie A games next Sunday, I hope not to hear anymore about football until mid-August!!!
Unbelievable game yesterday by Inter, the greatest we played in Europe in 2 decades. The Special One simply read perfectly the game, put a fully offensive team on the field, forced Zhirkov and Ivanovic to stay in defense. The result was we resisted easily (apart from the last 5 mins of the first half), then Chelsea was tired and did not even get close to our goal in the second half. Fantastic Eto'o, Samuel and Snejder. But not a great Chelsea, I have to say. We were also helped by a ref who adopted a very fiscal approach, whistling for every single contact (which does not suit the English teams, used to a more laissez-faire style).
Finally, we exorcised the English curse, even though this does not mean Italian football filled the gap as opposed to English: by the way, thanks Man U for delivering four buns into AC Milan's goal :-) :-) :-)
Arsenal in great shape too, might be a surprise if underrated, just like CSKA and Lyon. That made it great in Bernabeu, and Florentino Perez can stick the money for Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo up his a.. :-) Let's see Barcelona tonite, and first of all let's see the drawing on Friday, that will set the path to the Madrid great final!!!!
Yes, a 'special' result for Inter - a Chelsea-supporting friend of mine said the score was inevitable! Maybe its simply not meant to be for Chelski. I dearly hope so.
Another unforgettable night against Barça!!!!!!!!!!!! Shame on getting that stupid goal against. Third goal was not offside, there was probably a penalty for Barça at the end, and there was as well an unexisting off-side on Milito in the first half.
Now at the Nou Camp on Wednesday. It will be hard, very hard. Very hard, but the aim is the final after 38 years. C'm on guys, let's believe in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And we're back to the final after 38 years. Will be against Bayern, without Ribery (unless his disqualification is reduced). And after another crazy night against a strangely unfair-playing and dull Barcelona.
I think what happened to Barça was the same as happened to ManUtd in the final last year: they just had no fuel left! That's why Guardiola tried to provoke all the week to move this game into the nervous side.
Let's go to Bernabeu now. And try to get this cup home, in the face of black-white and red-black bastards!
And another extraordinary night by the boys, and we are European Champions after 45 years!!!!! Perfect game, against a honest but not irresistible Bayern, but after beating Chelsea and Barça! Unforgettable emotion, something that remains inside of you forever, thanks to the Special one and the fantastic Zanetti, Milito, Cambiasso, Samuel, Eto'o, Julio Cesar, Chivu, Stankovic, Lucio, Maicon, Snejder, Pandev, Cordoba, Santon, Balotelli, Materazzi.
Arsenal made me dream two nights ago against those AC Milan bastards! Unfortnately, this was the proof Wenger and his lot are just good losers. 3-4 from 0-4 and then they just stopped!! The usual Arsenal, an unaccomplished masterpiece!
The accomplished masterpiece, instead, is Barcelona. Those guys are writing a new, incredible and indelible page of the history of football and of sports in general!!!
Now I wait to see what my wrecked Inter Milan band is gonna do against Marseille (without real hope....). What a difference reading the posts above from 2 years ago!!!!!
manlio, considering where Arsenal were at the beginning of this season, Wenger has worked some magic to turn it around. The Milan game was a shame but at least it looks like we will be back in the mix next season.
Crazy, crazy, incredible and fantastic end to the premier league with Manchester City achieving something that will remain in the history of English football for the next 50 years!!!
And my idol Roberto Mancini is also in the history of English football forever!!!
Yesterday it was one of my greatest emotions in 32 years following sports, it's something comparable only to Manchester-Bayern of 1999, or Liverpool-AC Milan of 2005, or Hamilton winning the title in 2008 passing Glock three corners from the end while Massa was already celebrating!! It was even more than Adelaide '86, because the two goals in injury time were like Prost passing Piquet in the penultimate lap and then Mansell's tyre exploding in the last lap. Crazu, crazy, crazy, crazy!!!
Now let's see the Bayern'Chelsea final!!! See if also Di Matteo will enter football history! Simon, you're supporting Bayern, I suppose, although it would be fascinating the Champions' League to go to London for the first time in the Olympic year. Still, I see it very difficult Bayern to miss this chance at home!
Viges, after seeing AC Milan winning 5 Champions'Leagues I know by personal experience how you must be feeling now. Have to say I'm sorry for Robben, Ribery, Neuer, lahm and Schweinsteiger, who lost 2 finals in 3 years, but am also happy for Lampard, Terry, Drogba and for Cech who was the hero of the night! And of course for Di Matteo. But Bayern cannot lose the final at home after scoring at minute 82, and Robben cannot miss a penalty in the extratima, otherwise you deserve to lose!! Now let's dive into Euro 2012!!!
Chelsea are the first London team to win the European Cup. That was a very hard sentence to type.
Yes, for once I was supporting the bloody Germans who for once, naturally, failed me ... in penalties. Great God.
Bayern dominated but I think this one was written in the stars: Drogba is a big game player and he was determined to bow out on a high. The only positive is that Chelsea's victory has denied Spurs a berth in the contest next season. If that lot had lifted the cup I would have turned to crack cocaine.
re: Chelski and their millions, I am reminded of Ken Tyrrell's remark about Ferrari winning the constructors' title in '99: 'the only surprise is its taken them so bloody long to do it'.
As far as our friends in the north go, I could not care less. Man U, Man C, Chelski, Scousepool are all the playthings of foreign zillionaires and once they walk away, well, none of us will enjoy that ...
Comments
I am glad the neutrals agree the ref was poor - panicking, I thought.
Oh well, next year, next year ...
(the consolation is denying Spurs a Champions League place).
Managed to see the GPs while away - dull, dull, dull. END TYRE CHANGES. It won't improve much when we are down to one supplier - will catch up with the rest of the gossip soonliest.
Congrats to both Liverpool and Arsenal for a fantastic performance, even though I still cannot understand how could the Gunners let Babel to the penalty area just one minute after Adebayor's score (vanifying the incredible Walcott's performance!).
I honestly supported Arsenal this time, as we've seen Liverpool already twice in the final in the last three years.
Let's see now if they are gonna make it again against Chelsea, despite being 12 points below in the Premier League.
I seriously hope to see the Blues winning this time, let's see.
And, unless Shalke 04 or Roma invent a legend tonight (which is not gonna happen) the other semi between Utd. and Barça is also not to be missed....
ARSENAL F.C.
End of Season Dinner Dance
Starter
Egg on Face
Seasoned Hash
Frogs legs (past their best)
Spanish Surprise (well beaten)
Main course
Humble Pie
Chump Chops
French (has) Beans
Manager's Beef (not rare)
Catch of the Day - (gutted)
NB: everything is imported, nothing is home grown.
Dessert
Sour Grapes (may be hard to swallow)
Fruitless Tarts
Raspberry Fools
Hard Cheese
Drinks
Bitter
Little Spirit
French Whine
Cabernet Empty 2008
Champagne - sorry none ordered
STRICTLY NO DOUBLES OR TREBLES
NB: drinks should be consumed from glasses as there will be no cups this year.
Guests are asked not to get HAMMERED
Guest speaker:
Steven Gerrard & Rafa Benitez - "What it's like to win the European Cup"
Please note that the club’s European Tour for the season 2008-09 is not guaranteed.
Man Utd probably deserved the cup considering the whole campaign. But Chelsea deserved it more yesterday, and it would have also been more right since Red Devils had already snatched the Premier League.
And I feel really sorry for Terry (imagine how he's feeling by now) and for Grant (who came 5 centimeters away from the chance of his life, and missed it).
But clearly, the football gods yesterday had cast Man Utd, and against them there's nothing to do......
C'm on Blues, it'll be for next year.
re: the England team - very few play for Chelsea, Man U or Arsenal! The first two are also owned by foreigners and the latter has hardly any English players - can they thus be described as 'English teams'?! They certainly play in the English Premiership ...
[Edited on 24-5-08 by viges]
Plus Reds ridiculised Real Madrid!
Let's see tonite Roma-Arsenal (tricky game, open to all results), and specially Man Utd-Inter Milan. It's gonna be a great football night, whatever the result is. If both Man U and Arsenal go through, this is the time we might get 4 English teams in the semis (Barça permitting).
What Barça did today in Bernabeu stadium was simply unbelievable, see if they can repeat it in Stamford Bridge. Don't forget, anyway, that, despite the great Liga they played, Real is on a lower level, as shown against Liverpool. I expect a wonderful game.
I'm afraid my Inter will not be able to gain anything in Europe even next year, at the moment the English and Barcelona superiority is too big, even ridiculous, and Italian football in general is by far on the low tide compared to Premiership and Liga.
A final between Rooney-Tevez-Cristiano Ronaldo and Eto'o-Henry-Messi would be a dream, and it's definitely what Michel Platini is hoping for, but if Man Utd and Barça play the second leg underrating Arsenal and Chelsea, we might have big surprises!
Yes, I thought they were typical semi-finals - the second legs have to be better.
That didn't go very well. Best wishes to Manchester United, the far better team. If that rabble from west London make it through to the final I shall be supporting you once more.
Bollocks.
As for Barça-Chelsea, I think it's the right final for what we saw during the year, but I feel very sorry for Chelsea for the way things went, they probably deserved more than Barça to pass, after the 180 minutes they played. They just paid not having closed the game before, and probably a few mistakes by the ref. UEFA cannot send a Norwegian, used to semi-prof football at home, to referee a game like this.
Chelsea was incredibly unlucky for the second year in a row, I really hope this to be the price to be paid for victory next year (I know you do not agree with me....:-)).
As for the final, it's definitely the one UEFA hoped (Hiddink may be right in his allegations......), just hope it to maintain its promises. Even though, considering the importance of the prize, very rarely finals are great games.
Anyway, I'm of course going to support Barça, I'm fed up with this Fergie band, in the last 3 years we've seen them aaaaaaaall the time, both in England and in Europe!
For what was shown during the season, both teams deserved to be there and to win (even though Barça was at least veeeeery lucky in the semi against Chelsea).
But clearly Man Utd got to the final with no fuel left. So, cheers to Barça that scored 104 goals in the Liga, and that dominated the game, surely also helped by scoring after 9 minutes.
And I'm happy, because it cannot be always Man Utd. And it's also a great satisfaction to see Ferguson losing, sometimes!
The Golden Ball will now clearly go to Messi (who also has a serious chance to lift up the World Cup next year in Jo'burg).
Next year I really hope it to be Inter. If not (sorry, Simon :-)), then I'll support Chelsea, after the two atrocious losses they had in 2008 and 2009.
Now, after the last Serie A games next Sunday, I hope not to hear anymore about football until mid-August!!!
Fantastic Eto'o, Samuel and Snejder. But not a great Chelsea, I have to say.
We were also helped by a ref who adopted a very fiscal approach, whistling for every single contact (which does not suit the English teams, used to a more laissez-faire style).
Finally, we exorcised the English curse, even though this does not mean Italian football filled the gap as opposed to English: by the way, thanks Man U for delivering four buns into AC Milan's goal :-) :-) :-)
Arsenal in great shape too, might be a surprise if underrated, just like CSKA and Lyon. That made it great in Bernabeu, and Florentino Perez can stick the money for Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo up his a.. :-)
Let's see Barcelona tonite, and first of all let's see the drawing on Friday, that will set the path to the Madrid great final!!!!
Now at the Nou Camp on Wednesday. It will be hard, very hard. Very hard, but the aim is the final after 38 years. C'm on guys, let's believe in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Edited on 29-4-10 by manlio27]
I think what happened to Barça was the same as happened to ManUtd in the final last year: they just had no fuel left! That's why Guardiola tried to provoke all the week to move this game into the nervous side.
Let's go to Bernabeu now. And try to get this cup home, in the face of black-white and red-black bastards!
Perfect game, against a honest but not irresistible Bayern, but after beating Chelsea and Barça!
Unforgettable emotion, something that remains inside of you forever, thanks to the Special one and the fantastic Zanetti, Milito, Cambiasso, Samuel, Eto'o, Julio Cesar, Chivu, Stankovic, Lucio, Maicon, Snejder, Pandev, Cordoba, Santon, Balotelli, Materazzi.
Thank you, guys!!!
The accomplished masterpiece, instead, is Barcelona. Those guys are writing a new, incredible and indelible page of the history of football and of sports in general!!!
Now I wait to see what my wrecked Inter Milan band is gonna do against Marseille (without real hope....). What a difference reading the posts above from 2 years ago!!!!!
And my idol Roberto Mancini is also in the history of English football forever!!!
Yesterday it was one of my greatest emotions in 32 years following sports, it's something comparable only to Manchester-Bayern of 1999, or Liverpool-AC Milan of 2005, or Hamilton winning the title in 2008 passing Glock three corners from the end while Massa was already celebrating!! It was even more than Adelaide '86, because the two goals in injury time were like Prost passing Piquet in the penultimate lap and then Mansell's tyre exploding in the last lap. Crazu, crazy, crazy, crazy!!!
Now let's see the Bayern'Chelsea final!!! See if also Di Matteo will enter football history! Simon, you're supporting Bayern, I suppose, although it would be fascinating the Champions' League to go to London for the first time in the Olympic year. Still, I see it very difficult Bayern to miss this chance at home!
Have to say I'm sorry for Robben, Ribery, Neuer, lahm and Schweinsteiger, who lost 2 finals in 3 years, but am also happy for Lampard, Terry, Drogba and for Cech who was the hero of the night! And of course for Di Matteo.
But Bayern cannot lose the final at home after scoring at minute 82, and Robben cannot miss a penalty in the extratima, otherwise you deserve to lose!!
Now let's dive into Euro 2012!!!
Yes, for once I was supporting the bloody Germans who for once, naturally, failed me ... in penalties. Great God.
Bayern dominated but I think this one was written in the stars: Drogba is a big game player and he was determined to bow out on a high. The only positive is that Chelsea's victory has denied Spurs a berth in the contest next season. If that lot had lifted the cup I would have turned to crack cocaine.
re: Chelski and their millions, I am reminded of Ken Tyrrell's remark about Ferrari winning the constructors' title in '99: 'the only surprise is its taken them so bloody long to do it'.
As far as our friends in the north go, I could not care less. Man U, Man C, Chelski, Scousepool are all the playthings of foreign zillionaires and once they walk away, well, none of us will enjoy that ...