Blimey! United seven - Roma one

[tom pr]

Sorry Tom, but that's just plain wrong. He initially said he'd personally seen Rijkaard go into the ref's room, then when it became obvious there'd been no such visit he said Steve Clarke or AN Other Chelsea offical had told him and he was obliged to trust them.

I think he was just trying to back out to avoid more punishment than he was already getting. Even Mourinho I don't think is paranoid enough to plain lie about Frisk coming out of the dressing room, and Barcelona have been getting away with this sort of thing for years. I was recently educated about the Barca/Tenerife games in the early 90s; they're a scandelous club.

There's not much point going into too much detail on the Reading game since interpretations are subjective, but you'd need to be blinkered beyond belief to claim (as Jose did) they were far worse than Essien's foul in the Liverpool match.

I don't remember him saying that (if he did, it's a bit silly!), just that Hunt's foul was deliberate. Which I think it was; not with any intent to crack Cech's skull, but certainly to intimidate him early on. I half want to find the Neil Warnock quote about how if people had watched Hunt play in the Championship they'd know what sort of player he was, but quoting the most bitter man in the sport wouldn't help my case.

I should add that I'm not a perma-defender of Mourinho; some of what he comes out with is completely fucking ridiculous (his comments about Andy Johnson after that Everton game, for instance). But I do like him.

 

[crackerjack]

I don't remember him saying that (if he did, it's a bit silly!), just that Hunt's foul was deliberate. Which I think it was; not with any intent to crack Cech's skull, but certainly to intimidate him early on. I half want to find the Neil Warnock quote about how if people had watched Hunt play in the Championship they'd know what sort of player he was, but quoting the most bitter man in the sport wouldn't help my case.

From what I've seen of Hunt he seems more over-excitable puppy than outright thug, but I'd agree that challenge was at least negligent rather than violent.

But do quote Warnock as often as you like - there's a man I still find entertaining.

 

[IdleRich]

Not really related but check out this smartarse goal


I wish that someone had been filming when I did that last week, though I guess now I come to think of it that mine was from further out and a tighter angle and on the volley so it wasn't really the same.

 

[crackerjack]

Kinell, could this FA Cup Final be any more boring? I know Liverpool ain't exactly Brazil, but at least their presence has guaranteed a great final in recent years.

 

[hucks]

Not really related but check out this smartarse goal


I wish that someone had been filming when I did that last week, though I guess now I come to think of it that mine was from further out and a tighter angle and on the volley so it wasn't really the same.

OK, so I don't speak Swedish so can't understand the interview, and don't want to come across all Alan Hansen, but that was a cross...

 

[IdleRich]

"OK, so I don't speak Swedish so can't understand the interview, and don't want to come across all Alan Hansen, but that was a cross..."

So cynical and even if it was an attempted cross I'd say it was a pretty audacious cross - but I prefer to believe that he meant it. That's the problem for us genii(?), every time we pull of a fantastic trick there is always some sneering git on the sidelines saying it was a fluke.

"Kinell, could this FA Cup Final be any more boring? I know Liverpool ain't exactly Brazil, but at least their presence has guaranteed a great final in recent years."

Dunno, I don't think it was as bad as all that (although admittedly I missed the first/worst twenty minutes) those great surging runs from Rooney had the pulse racing a few times and I have to say it was a fantastic goal. I mean, I'm not saying it was a great game or anything but I think people are exaggerating how bad it was.

 

[crackerjack]

Dunno, I don't think it was as bad as all that (although admittedly I missed the first/worst twenty minutes) those great surging runs from Rooney had the pulse racing a few times and I have to say it was a fantastic goal. I mean, I'm not saying it was a great game or anything but I think people are exaggerating how bad it was.

That was written during the break before extra time and the game did get better as it went on. Great goal, as you say, and i'm glad for Drogba who I've always liked even though he's a diving bastard. He's been simply awesome this season.

You can never expect too much of any game involving Chelsea, but I really expected Utd to turn on the style they've been showing all season. Fergie generally has an eye for the occasion, but he let Mourinho's dull tactics stifle this one.

I'm just an FA Cup sentimentalist. I remember the great finals of 20-30 years ago and there's only been two of 'em in the last 20 years (both involving Liverpool, coincidentally )

 

[mos dan]

So cynical and even if it was an attempted cross I'd say it was a pretty audacious cross - but I prefer to believe that he meant it. That's the problem for us genii(?), every time we pull of a fantastic trick there is always some sneering git on the sidelines saying it was a fluke.

fluke or no fluke, why the hell couldn't he hit it with his right foot?? he had the half a yard of space he needed to do so. best goal in history my arse. that one by messi the other week was way better.

 

[don_quixote]

yeah, the fa cup final was boring but as a forest fan i was still nursing very VERY open wounds

 

[IdleRich]

"fluke or no fluke, why the hell couldn't he hit it with his right foot?? he had the half a yard of space he needed to do so."

He scored from twenty yards by flicking his foot behind the other leg and you're complaining that he didn't just kick it straight in? I see that as typical suspicion of the gifted individual from a water-carrier type footballer - "None of that fancy stuff, get ten men behind the ball, grind 'em down, get it in the mixer - 'ave it".

Maybe doing that wrong-footed the goalie and the defender, maybe he was just showing off, either way it went in, what more do you want? It's not exactly that easy to score from there anyway.

"best goal in history my arse. that one by messi the other week was way better."

Who said it was the best goal in history?

 

[vimothy]

So cynical and even if it was an attempted cross I'd say it was a pretty audacious cross - but I prefer to believe that he meant it. That's the problem for us genii(?), every time we pull of a fantastic trick there is always some sneering git on the sidelines saying it was a fluke.

"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."

- James Joyce

 

[mos dan]

He scored from twenty yards by flicking his foot behind the other leg and you're complaining that he didn't just kick it straight in? I see that as typical suspicion of the gifted individual from a water-carrier type footballer - "None of that fancy stuff, get ten men behind the ball, grind 'em down, get it in the mixer - 'ave it".

i am a wimbledon fan, and therefore you have caught me red-handed.

yeah you've got a fair point. i'm probably just over-reacting to the 'best goal in history' tag, which came from the metro/london lite/one of those 'orrible free rags.

 

[IdleRich]

"i am a wimbledon fan, and therefore you have caught me red-handed."

Ha! I knew it. So, do you follow Milton Keynes Dons now or what?

 

[vimothy]

Milton Keynes Dons

"Who the fuck are we!" LOL

 

[mos dan]

Ha! I knew it. So, do you follow Milton Keynes Dons now or what?

how DARE you? disgraceful thing to ask.

www.afcwimbledon.co.uk

 

[IdleRich]

Fair play.

 

[vimothy]

 

[IdleRich]

Liverpool made Milan look ordinary but they still lost. Sometimes a team can soak up all the pressure and score with a deadly counter-attack. Sometimes they can be jammy, I think last night was more of the latter. Milan didn't put together a decent move until the 85th minute, shame they didn't play like that against United. Their defence is very very good though and that means you've always got a chance. Liverpool didn't have the guile to unlock them and their best chances actually came from Milan giving it away when trying to over-elaborate and play their way out of difficulty. I'm surprised Bellamy didn't get a run-out as he would have posed a different problem from Kuyt (or Crouch for that matter) - was he injured or something?

 

[crackerjack]

Liverpool made Milan look ordinary but they still lost. Sometimes a team can soak up all the pressure and score with a deadly counter-attack. Sometimes they can be jammy, I think last night was more of the latter. Milan didn't put together a decent move until the 85th minute, shame they didn't play like that against United. Their defence is very very good though and that means you've always got a chance. Liverpool didn't have the guile to unlock them and their best chances actually came from Milan giving it away when trying to over-elaborate and play their way out of difficulty. I'm surprised Bellamy didn't get a run-out as he would have posed a different problem from Kuyt (or Crouch for that matter) - was he injured or something?

Dunno what's up with Bellamy. Benitez clearly doesn't trust his consistency, which is fair enough, but I really couldn't see the point in bringing on Kewell when we were a goal down and making little headway.

I agree with your assessment. We were much the better team 1st half, but lacked penetration in the 2nd. Thought the ref was generally very good, but after Milan went 2-0 up it looked like he was just trying to avoid extra time.

 

[IdleRich]

"Dunno what's up with Bellamy. Benitez clearly doesn't trust his consistency, which is fair enough, but I really couldn't see the point in bringing on Kewell when we were a goal down and making little headway."

I agree, Bellamy hasn't had a great season but on his day when he's got a bit of fire in his belly he can upset defenders. I assume that he would have been up for the final and I would have been tempted to get him on there to run at the old legs (although he is obviously a colossal wanker). I wish Pennant had run at them a bit more as well, Liverpool were crossing (badly) from too deep and Milan could head it away all night.
I thought that the ref had a pretty good game to be honest, the only thing that annoyed me is when he kept blowing-up for nothingy fifty-fifty headers, both in the box and near the half-way line, especially the latter. This is more of a problem in the modern game though rather than something specific to that ref. I just really hate it when it's a fifty-fifty header, no-one gets any advantage and they stop the game, you see the replay and there is nothing in it at all, why not let it flow? Goalies get too much protection as well, just 'cause someone tries to head it doesn't automatically mean it's a foul.