Champions League 2012-13

[dtaai-maai]

....Devastating news,I know,for caller who has been a lifelong Chelsea fan since 2003 ............

Ouch!

I sense an indignant "I'll have you know..." coming up later!

[caller]

Nope, can't be assed.

Its quite funny seeing the reactions this morning. Well worth dipping into the Telegraph and reading Henry Wynters report on the game, certainly xenophobic and borderline racist, a truly shocking piece of biaised, indignent, tub-thumping writing, and then go to the Guardian and read an objective, well balanced report, a bit like mine above!

The different reaction to the sending off by the two managers was a key moment. SAF's reaction was to try and get on the pitch and kill the ref and wave his arms at the crowd to pile on the noise, Mourinho reacted with an immediate tactical substitution that caught SAF cold and that in minutes had won the game, only then did SAF do what he should have done when Nani was sent off.

It worth noting that in europe, the Utd record of having players sent off at Old Traffic, far exceeds anything they get in the premiership. Wonder why that is?

Still waiting to hear if eufa will take any action against Ferdinand and love the fact the FA's respect campaign using SAF berating players surrounding the ref, is now in tatters!

[JimmyGreaves]

Well,you dont mind losing as long as its all fair and square but that decision to send off Nani was one of the worst I have seen in football.

Oh you never saw the spurs goal at old trafford that was two foot over the line then?

[Zidane]

caller,
Being serious for a moment,I read Henry Winters article and I think it was excellent....bang on the money !
I'm sure if he had written a similar article just after Chelsea had been knocked out by Barcelona,a few years back,following another display of shocking continental refereeing you would have been praising him and not calling him xenophobic or borderline racist !
Old chap,you need to sit yourself down in your luxury Kensington apartment,pour yourself a gin and tonic and reflect on your recent posts.You will see that they are driven by your hatred of Manchester United and not the real facts !
With Chelsea playing at Manchester United this weekend and Frank Lampard being rumoured to be going to Old Trafford to replace the retiring Paul Scholes,I'm worried that you could be pushed over the edge and my soon be making your posts on this forum from The Priory !

Jimmy,what on earth are you going on about ?......how many years ago was this ? Roy Carroll was Uniteds keeper then and he's older than many posters on this forum now !
Of course it was a goal.....even Stevie Wonder said it was......it was such a long time ago....get over it man or you'll end up in the next room to caller in The Priory !

PS:this post is written in a lighthearted vein.....well,mainly !

[Arcadian]

Sendings off in Champions League, deserved or not? Get over it. Arsenal had Lehman sent off in the final against Barcelona, deserved according to the letter of the law. Van Persie sent off for two yellow cards, one for a shot on goal after the whistle had gone for offside, which he claims he didn`t hear. The referee could have shown discretion but didn`t. It`s all part of the game. Man U have had their fair share of decisions over the years. I loved the spectre of Ferguson pushing his minion out of the way in his fury and trying to get to the pitch.

[JimmyGreaves]

Get over it, never, them robbing bastards cost us a place in europe and 28.69 million pounds. One of the worst decisions you've seen eh Zidane? How old are you 15?

[Arcadian]

Yeah, get over it Zidane, I managed to get over the fact that Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-nil in the 1952 Cup final when newspaper photos at the time clearly showed the ball was 1 yard over the byline before it was crossed for George Robledo to score.
Obsessive, moi?

[Zidane]

Two days after the event I am over it and life goes on but I'm worried about you older chaps bringing up controversy from yesteryear.
Spurs missing out on Europe because of one goal which cost them 28m quid.What about the other 37 matches of the season ? Forwards missing easy chances,defensive mistakes your team made.
Sure,one goal could cost you if the league was only 4 matches a season but over 38 games things even themselves out.

Arcadian.....I doubt if many of us were around in 1952 so I'll take your word for it on Arsenals bad luck.
Why not try to stir up more recent controversy like re-opening the Maradona 1986 "hand of God" debate or even Geoff Hursts controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup.
You might even get German tourists to Hua Hin posting about the merits or otherwise of Russian linesmen !
At the very least have your excuses ready for when Arsenal depart the Champions League next week....youve had plenty of time to think about it !

[Arcadian]

The Gunners, the last hope for English football this year, 3-0 win would do it.
I`m sure you took my post as being a little tongue in cheek, as unlike another team in North London we have had a lot to cheer about over the years. As for 1966 I was there, no segregation from the German fans and everyone, especially the English, had a good day, no aggrevation or bad humour. My series of tickets for all the English matches at Wembley cost £22.00. All in all a different world.

[bsdk1960]

Get over it, never, them robbing bastards cost us a place in europe and 28.69 million pounds. One of the worst decisions you've seen eh Zidane? How old are you 15?

well well all your manchester united haters maybee you should get over that we are a
winning team and most of yours pussy teams are decades of winning something.
How old are you ?

[Arcadian]

Get over it, never, them robbing bastards cost us a place in europe and 28.69 million pounds. One of the worst decisions you've seen eh Zidane? How old are you 15?

well well all your manchester united haters maybee you should get over that we are a
winning team and most of yours pussy teams are decades of winning something.
How old are you ?

It`s only a game after all, as a supporter of any team it doesn`t make you a bigger/better/richer/poorer if they win or lose, just enjoy the best times and accept the bad. For example I well remember Man U in the second division. I presume you were a fan even then and come from Manchester

[bsdk1960]

Get over it, never, them robbing bastards cost us a place in europe and 28.69 million pounds. One of the worst decisions you've seen eh Zidane? How old are you 15?

well well all your manchester united haters maybee you should get over that we are a
winning team and most of yours pussy teams are decades of winning something.
How old are you ?

It`s only a game after all, as a supporter of any team it doesn`t make you a bigger/better/richer/poorer if they win or lose, just enjoy the best times and accept the bad. For example I well remember Man U in the second division. I presume you were a fan even then and come from Manchester

can only agree with you but im getting borring about all the hate and all the argument about the
the reffere,fa hav been bought and whatever the haters use as a escuse to attack manchester united because the lack of their own winning of something.

im from denmark and have follow united since 1970, so have seen ups and downs.

I can joy a good game with fantastic players like suarez,bale and many more as long as they lose to
my team.

as you say its only a game to enjoy,but I think sometimes its about live and dead in uk.

[bsdk1960]

just see Bale' s goal ,he is on fire at the moment and have to say suarez same same just a shame their
team not can mach them,will they still be there next season ? I wonder but maybe suarez will but I think bale will move on.

[caller]

reflect on your recent posts.You will see that they are driven by your hatred of Manchester United and not the real facts

Completely wrong. I was quite happy for United to do well - have a look at my initial post. Chelsea were shafted in the Barca game in a different way. What we're talking about here is whether Nani should have been sent off? By the strict application of laws of the game, yes. Thats indesputable. However, how that law is interpreted is the issue. We all know its different on the continent and we all have to deal with that.

But SAF and Utd didn't, either at the time or after and the bleating was nuts and eufa have taken a dim view of that. SAF should have done his job and for once, he flunked and his response after the game was pathetic.

I can't tell you how angry I was after that Barca game so I know how you feel. But we had 90 minutes of nonsense to deal with, you had once incident and the response wasn't there, we all saw that and thats what cost you the tie.

Thats also why I highlighted the two articles, to show that not everyone saw it as Winter did. He's gone on to write a really stupid piece about the referee and the quality of refs in europe in general. All he has demonstrated is his ignorance and how anyone in the UK can criticise referees form elsewhere when you look at our current crop beggars belief, bar Howard Webb, who is probably the best anywhere at the moment, as reflected by his appontments.

In some respects, having been a ref myself, albeit my highest appt. was in the 1st round proper of the FA Cup - 2 rounds before the big boys kick in, before chucking it in, has affected my enjoyment of the game, as whether on TV or more noticebly at live games, I still look at the refs and what I knew as linesman and consider their game, positioning etc.

Footballs an emotional game, thats what gets us all and deep down many of us will obviously be biased towards our own. But the clubs and media response to this incident was nuts. Chelsea got slaughtered, quite rightly after the Barca game which kind of demonstrates that when it comes down to it, there isn't a level playing field as that wasn't the media reaction after this game.

[bsdk1960]

In some respects, having been a ref myself,

just happy you quit that,have enough blind refs out there already.