The UEFA Champions League 2010/11 Thread

[ShiftyPowers]

Pizarro!!!!!!!!!

BUNDESLIGA FOR THE WIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Generic Oval]

Holy ****, what's going on in Genua?

 

[Xifio]

it's obscene how lucky Bremen have gotten in both legs, and how unlucky Samp have been in both legs ... absolute tragedy ... the "Germans" on this forum can feel free to gloat ... but I won't forget the tale ...

 

[dimo]

For the life of me I will never understand how someone can watch the Serie A. The diving and complaining from ONE Italian team is enough to piss me off, I can't imagine how infuriating it would be to watch two.

My new most hated player: Gastaldello. He was shameful today.

This post was made after the Markus Rosenberg goal, btw.

Haha. sure bro. There's diving in every league. And the atmosphere in the BL? Haha...it would put anyone to sleep.

You can have the 4th CL place. It's only because no one give two ****s about the European Cup\EL...How that decides CL spots, i'll never understand

Milan 2005
Milan 2007
Inter 2009

When was the last time a German team won? It won't ever happen again. You can take that to the bank:sKIp_E:

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Haha. sure bro. There's diving in every league. And the atmosphere in the BL? Haha...it would put anyone to sleep.

You can have the 4th CL place. It's only because no one give two ****s about the European Cup\EL...How that decides CL spots, i'll never understand

Milan 2005
Milan 2007
Inter 2009

When was the last time a German team won? It won't ever happen again. You can take that to the bank:sKIp_E:

1) No there isn't diving and play acting in every league. I think it's a great crime that us fans have been duped into the "oh, everyone does it!" attitude. No, not everyone does it. You know who does it? Mediterranean and South American countries. That's it. There's sportsmanship in other nations.

2) Every single season the Bundesliga has the most goals per game than any other major league in Europe. Serie A is consistently 4th, outscoring only France.

3) I agree that the UEFA Cup or Euro League or whatever should not have as much say on the coefficients, but it does matter a lot to the teams who participate, and it's a good way to see the depth of leagues.

4) The last time a German team won was 2001, there was also a German team in the Final this year in case you forgot.

5) The financial tides of football are changing. Italian, Spanish, and English clubs have traditionally been financed by debt, and as a result clubs go bankrupt relatively frequently; in Germany the clubs only spend what they make, which in the ridiculously inflated 2000s kept the clubs out of contention in Europe. Well, now with the financial meltdown the debt heavy clubs are rethinking their strategy and spending a hell of a lot less money which means that there is a lot more money in Germany now relative to the rest of the top leagues than there used to be. If the Bundesliga isn't back yet, it will be VERY soon. It also has to do with the German economy, which despite having to bail out the rest of the EU is doing relatively well, and can raise revenue from the increasing prosperity of its fans. The fans in Italy and Spain are much less prosperous than they were 8 years ago, and it is going to start to make a major impact on the pitch.

 

[Xifio]

1) No there isn't diving and play acting in every league. I think it's a great crime that us fans have been duped into the "oh, everyone does it!" attitude. No, not everyone does it. You know who does it? Mediterranean and South American countries. That's it. There's sportsmanship in other nations.

I was going to say Steven Gerrard, but then I remembered he's a Mediterranean South American ...

2) Every single season the Bundesliga has the most goals per game than any other major league in Europe. Serie A is consistently 4th, outscoring only France.

more goals = better quality of football? give me a break ...



---



I agree that German football is on the rise, but not because the scoreline today shows that Bremen overcame Samp ...

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I agree that German football is on the rise, but not because the scoreline today shows that Bremen overcame Samp ...

Duh.

EDIT: And I have NEVER seen Gerrard grab his face and squirm on the ground trying to get someone sent off even though he wasn't touched. I've never seen him carted off on a stretcher to waste time either.

 

[Xifio]

Duh.

sometimes it is necessary to state the obvious ... and considering how this result could unfortunately have far-reaching repercussions in the coefficients table, this was one of those times ...

EDIT: And I have NEVER seen Gerrard grab his face and squirm on the ground trying to get someone sent off even though he wasn't touched. I've never seen him carted off on a stretcher to waste time either.

yeah, but he dives ... so 'Mediterranean and South America, that's it' is already out the window ... plus, I was watching Sky Sports News, and saw the Rangers keeper Alan McGregor (?) grab his face when he had barely been touched this past weekend ... your theory of regional absolutes is bilge; get over it ...

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Xifio, that's a losing argument. Don't bother. You know what I mean and you are purposely taking what I said to the extreme for effect. Stop it.

 

[Xifio]

dude, I agree 100% that simulation is pathetic ... I was disgusted when Max Volta lay balled up on the ground in the middle of the D, clutching some part of his body, until the ball was put out of, after which he got up ... does it happen more in some countries compared to others? definitely ... but you want to make it sound like South America and the Mediterranean nations are the only "tainted" ones, while leagues like England and the Bundesliga are compleltey "pure" ... it's not true ... it does happen everywhere ...

plus, roughhousing physical play disgusts me just as much ... I want to watch football ... not rugby, or breadmaking ...

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I don't mind physical play, but I have a problem with dangerous play. It upsets me when people confuse the two. The World Cup Final in 2006 was one of the hardest games I've ever seen, but it was fair. If that game was played this year I feel like it would have turned into a farce with yellow after yellow after red cards being handed out.

 

[Deisler]

An Italian team won it on 2009? I missed that.

 

[dimo]

1) No there isn't diving and play acting in every league. I think it's a great crime that us fans have been duped into the "oh, everyone does it!" attitude. No,]not everyone does it. You know who does it? Mediterranean and South American countries. That's it. There's sportsmanship in other nations.

What would you call this in german?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6-8ZDvnVFY

DUUUH. IT DONT HAPPEN IN GERMANY. From the crap that comes out of your mouth, it's obvious that you have a problem with Serie A. Just admit it. Don't dance around the subject. Where's the sportmanship in that, I thought german football was pure? Maybe watch some Serie A, which I know you don't, before you give your expert opinion. Divers are everywhere. From England to Italy, to BMO field in Toronto. It's not exclusive to the Mediterranean.

2) Every single season the Bundesliga has the most goals per game than any other major league in Europe. Serie A is consistently 4th, outscoring only France.

Keep shooting for the stars. It's hard to put 8 past Hertha Berlin these days, is it? They're doing mighty fine for a capital club. Where's all those new found deutsche marks you keep talking about?

3) I agree that the UEFA Cup or Euro League or whatever should not have as much say on the coefficients, but it does matter a lot to the teams who participate, and it's a good way to see the depth of leagues.

Winners of the last 10 EL\EC

Atlético Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Zenit St. Petersburg
Sevilla
Sevilla
CSKA Moscow
Valencia
Porto
Feyenoord
Liverpool

I'll fully admit Italian teams, quite stupidly, ignored this competition. But where's the germans and the depth of their league? Seems like a crapshoot to me.

4) The last time a German team won was 2001, there was also a German team in the Final this year in case you forgot.

Nah, I think I remember something from that game.

5) The financial tides of football are changing. Italian, Spanish, and English clubs have traditionally been financed by debt, and as a result clubs go bankrupt relatively frequently; in Germany the clubs only spend what they make, which in the ridiculously inflated 2000s kept the clubs out of contention in Europe. Well, now with the financial meltdown the debt heavy clubs are rethinking their strategy and spending a hell of a lot less money which means that there is a lot more money in Germany now relative to the rest of the top leagues than there used to be. If the Bundesliga isn't back yet, it will be VERY soon. It also has to do with the German economy, which despite having to bail out the rest of the EU is doing relatively well, and can raise revenue from the increasing prosperity of its fans. The fans in Italy and Spain are much less prosperous than they were 8 years ago, and it is going to start to make a major impact on the pitch.

The tides aint changing. Rich clubs running 'debt', or however you want to call it, isn't going away anytime soon. Nobody gives two ****'s about the BL. Money will win in the end, and the BL isn't a product to invest in. They can run all the clean books they want, but it will be the same as always. There ain't no arab sheiks looking to expand their portfolio in Hamburg.

And saying all that, I'll fully admit that Serie A has problems. But just because UEFA gifted the 4th spot to the BL, it will always be minor and second rate...heck, I'll admit Serie A is going that way too. We're only saved by having 3 rich clubs(maybe 2.5) with some historical pedigree. And this is coming from someone who attended BL games, and realistically has no problems with the league. It's just when crap is spewed, a response is needed.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

You guys pick out isolated incidents and then try to say "it happens rarely in Germany and England, and very frequently in Italy and Spain... it's all the same!!" No league is pure, but some seem to value sportsmanship much higher than others.

Hertha actually are in the Bundesliga 2 right now; granted the club would probably do better if it was run by monkeys, but that still should say something about the rising strength of the league.

I don't necessarily have a problem with Serie A, I just have a problem with a certain style of play, and that problem has been WELL documented on these forums. You don't see me coming on here bitching about Palombo because I think he's a perfect example of what I like to see. I wasn't bitching about Luca Toni or Gabriel Milito or Pazzini because I think they play the right way. There's a lot to like in Serie A and I'm not trying to indict everyone in the league. But there seems to be a lot more diving and play acting in that league than in certain other leagues. Trying to get a player sent off when he doesn't do anything is probably the thing I hate the most in this sport.

As far as the Euro League... yeah the winner seems random, but the coefficients for every league is different and some teams value the competition more than others. Like I said, it should not matter as much as it does, but it can't be ignored.

Finally, the debt is going to be a massive problem. I think most Premier League teams will be saved by sheiks and Real Madrid will be saved by the Spanish Government who would probably beg the World Bank for a loan to bail out the club. Other than that, no one is immune; even ******* Barcelona had problems paying wages this summer. Clubs are going to make a choice: run debt and pray for a bailout before the club is destroyed, or balance the books and have the fans get pissed about you lacking ambition. It's going to be interesting.

 

[Mus]

losers value sportsmanship over winning..

 

[nor-rbk]

Damn, I'm so ******* nervous before today's match. This is either going to be one of the best days of my life or one of the worst!

 

[Coruja]

Go Rosenborg!!

I want classy teams to pass trough


To group stage this night i hope:

- Rosenborg
- Sparta Praha
- Tottenham
- Zenit
- Ajax

 

[dimo]

An Italian team won it on 2009? I missed that.

Yep. A Serie A team that was founded on the ideas of the 'International' with an diverse squad and some italians won it. Did Bayern, with their assembled squad, win?

When the BL has an owner willing to invest like Moratti does, then you can talk.

Again, money will win in the end. Bayern invested and they came close(with the help of the refs). You have to win to talk though, and the BL aint doing that anytime soon.

 

[Mus]

inter won it in 2010 btw.

 

[Xifio]

ugh ... proudly exclaiming "from top of the arm to the back of the net" ... f*cking disgraceful