The Football.....

[Maz]

Why don't they have the game played at a neutral venue?
Yes, I know they decide the venue waaaay in advance, but why not have 3 possible venues, then you're guaranteed to have a neutral one!

 

[Archie_tect]

Takes too long to organise the Police, security and travel plans for one event never mind keeping everything up in the air for 3 venues to be kept on hold til the very last minute -needs to be sorted months in advance.

 

[Brandane]

In Claudio Ranieri's last season as manager, before the Russian Mafia bought the club, Chelsea finished 2nd, the players that he bought still form the core of the team. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003–04_FA_Premier_League

According to Wiki, Chelsea became Chelski in June 2003. They had been doing not too badly under Ken Bates ownership from 1982, but prior to that they were up and down the divisions.

 

[LarryDuff]

What really bugs me is the bitterness you hear from some British fans, and saying they are going to support Bayern in the final. I really don't get how you can support a foreign team against a British team. The number of Barca "supporters" there are at my kids school drives me nuts, it's the ultimate in plastic fandom. TBH, I really think you should support a club that you have some sort of connection with eg either your local club, or the club that your family support. I can just about understand kids choosing to support a succesful (British) club, as long as they stick with them through thick and thin.

Seeing as Spurs, Newcastle or maybe Arsenal could end up 4th in the Premier League, then if Chelsea win the CL final then they get the 4th CL spot for next year instead.
I'm sure all fans of whichever club ends up 4th will be shouting for Bayern.

 

[Ajay]

I will be supporting Bayern Munich because:

1. I don't like the fact that some Russian with too much money has simply decided to buy success. Where were Chelsea and their supporters before he came along?
2. Drogba is a diving, cheating, conning @!*%$.
3. The only thing "British" about Chelsea is that they play in the English league and have 1 or 2 British players. As I am Scottish, the English connection does not do it for me; I am as much German as I am English.
4. IF they win, the English media will go totally over the top with their hero worshipping of Chelsea.

It's a bit like telling us Scots that we should be supporting England when you are playing against Johnny foreigner. Why? England are foreign to us, so we have no more reason to support them than your opposition. Au contraire; see reason #4 above .

Wow, here are some for your other shoulder

 

[ceepeebee]

Love the way Athletic Bilbao play football, so fluid. Their ground is one of the best I've been to as well, great atmosphere, so many good bars near it too....

 

[PaulB]

There's nothing I love better than a team who can defend well and frustrate technically superior opponants. To have played an open game against barca would have been suicide.

That's about the saddest thing I've read today. You like anti-football-football, don't you?

 

[User482]

There's nothing I love better than a team who can defend well and frustrate technically superior opponants. To have played an open game against barca would have been suicide.

There's nothing I love better than a team who can defend well and frustrate technically superior opponants. To have played an open game against barca would have been suicide.

Barcelona had 180 minutes yet couldn't beat a team supposedly much inferior. It's nothing to do with bad luck, they simply weren't good enough.

 

[ceepeebee]

parents - make sure and show your kids the assist by Llorente there, perfect centre forward play.

 

[Doseone]

I will be supporting Bayern Munich because:

1. I don't like the fact that some Russian with too much money has simply decided to buy success. Where were Chelsea and their supporters before he came along?
There are haves and have nots in football. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's just the way things are and something that those of us who support smaller clubs like I do have to get used to. We can only look up at the bigger, richer clubs with envy and the best we can hope for is to give them a metaphorical bloody nose every now and then. I think this is why a lot of people are happy to see the likes of Swansea and Norwich doing well, because it keeps the illusion alive that it's not just about the money. They seem to be attempting to do something about it in the Championship with financial fair play, it will be interesting to see if it works, I hope it does.
2. Drogba is a diving, cheating, conning @!*%$.
Yes, but he is also one of the most gifted strikers on the planet. Did you see his goal against Spurs? Unfortunately you have to take the bad with the good.
3. The only thing "British" about Chelsea is that they play in the English league and have 1 or 2 British players. As I am Scottish, the English connection does not do it for me; I am as much German as I am English.
I dunno, their ratio of British to foreign players isn't that bad and is better than some. With Terry, Lampard, Cole and Sturridge at any one time that's a fair percentage of the England team. With regards to the Scottish, German, English thing I won't even go there
4. IF they win, the English media will go totally over the top with their hero worshipping of Chelsea.
Agreed, the English press have a lot to answer for including amongst others the sacking of Glen Hoddle and the recent deification of Harry Redknapp.

It's a bit like telling us Scots that we should be supporting England when you are playing against Johnny foreigner. Why? England are foreign to us, so we have no more reason to support them than your opposition. Au contraire; see reason #4 above .
FWIW I would always want a Scottish team including the National team to win against a non British side, but I know that doesn't always work the other way round

Chelsea are not my team. They are my team's bitterest rivals, although sadly we hardly feature on their radar anymore. But I have to take my hat off to them. To be 2-0 down in the Nou Camp, down to ten men and to come back to 2-2 is a pretty good show. In 180 minutes of football against supposedly the world's greatest team, there were only about 5 minutes where Chelsea were behind. It was a battle of technical superiority against tactical superiority. I hope they don't park the bus in the final though.

 

[Smokin Joe]

That's about the saddest thing I've read today. You like anti-football-football, don't you?

I like a closely fought contest, not to see one team stand back and admire the opposition.

 

[RedRider]

I'm gonna regret admitting this but I was astonished to find myself rooting mildly for Chelsea the other night. It's one of the few times I remember wanting another English club to win in Europe (and a plastic one at that)! My previous admiration for Barca, founded on history, politics and one night in Anfield when they gave us a Kluivert-inspired thrashing, has weakened over the years following an evening in the Nou Camp pockmarked with monkey chants for Emile Heskey and then this unremitting love-in of recent times.
I maybe a lonely scouser in this view, and maybe I've spent too long down here but I agree with Smokin' Joe. Football is great because different styles compete. Chelsea were right to play as they did and Barca just didn't have the creativity to adapt.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Chelsea are not my team. They are my team's bitterest rivals, although sadly we hardly feature on their radar anymore. But I have to take my hat off to them. To be 2-0 down in the Nou Camp, down to ten men and to come back to 2-2 is a pretty good show. In 180 minutes of football against supposedly the world's greatest team, there were only about 5 minutes where Chelsea were behind. It was a battle of technical superiority against tactical superiority. I hope they don't park the bus in the final though.

How many players will be left on the pitch come the end of the game Sunday, Doseone? We'll have to watch out for Drogba's antics, he'll be trying it on and given the bungling referees of recent, he's probably in with a chance of getting one of ours sent off. Terry is more likely to self-implode so I hope he's in the starting eleven, but I think Mereiles will be the one to watch for.

FWIW, they did what they had to do at the Nou Camp, but I think it was more Barca's unwillingness to adapt that killed them off - as Fabregas said, they didn't compromise their style and were always trying to score that perfect goal with a pass or three too many. I think Chelsea going down to ten men actually galvanised the plan to sit back and soak up predictable attack after attack.

Either way, I'll be rooting for Bayern come the final and whilst I feel a bit sorry for the Atletico Madrid lad who got sent off tonight in the Europa semi following a blatant handball from the Valencia player, and the ensuing scuffle that broke out, I'll be rooting for the Atletico Bilbao in what I reckon might be the better game of football.

 

[Brandane]

Wow, here are some for your other shoulder
View attachment 8848

Not at all! If it was Liverpool, Man U, Newcastle, Arsenal, Everton etc., I would most likely be supporting them, dependant on the opposition. However Chelsea or Man City are IMHO bankrolled by spoilt rich boys who deserve to be brought down to earth. At least in Man Citys case the money has been earned honestly, from oil. Chelseas on the other hand is from very dubious origins!

Neither do I have a chip on my shoulder with regards to my nationality, but like most Scots I am fiercely patriotic and also like to differentiate between England and BRITAIN. There is a HUGE difference!

 

[PaulB]

I like a closely fought contest, not to see one team stand back and admire the opposition.

It's one thing when colossal stupidity forces such measures on you but if that's the way of the future, then there is no future. Bayern didn't play like that in the lion's den they found themselves in. They played fearless football for the entire duration of the game.