Football Season 2017-18

[killthenet]

Could go either way for me, I'm a big fan of Ronaldo and it would be great to see him lift the trophy for a 5th time but I'm also a huge fan of Jürgen Klopp and was gutted in 2013 when his Dortmund team just missed out so it would be nice for him to put those demons to rest.

In terms of quality of football Liverpool certainly deserve it more but Real have managed to find a way in every round even when they were pummeled by Juve and Bayern, if the game goes to the plan of the last few matches each team has played in the competition then it's going to be a belter of a final but I'm expecting it to be uncharacteristically nervy and end up 1-0 (probably a late Ramos header considering his pedigree).

But for me it's the second most important game of the day, I'm going to be biting my nails hoping Villa come through in the Championship play off final from 5pm. Definitely expect that one to be a very tight and nervy affair as play off finals tend to be. 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

I've heard that argument so many times over the last few weeks and I don't really understand it. A better question would be, "do you want to see a rival club win the most prestigious European competition?" and the answer for that would be...no, not really. It's not a country vs. country competition, it's club vs. club. Liverpool are representing the club and area of their city; they are not representing the country as that's not the way the competition works. Would any sane United fan want to see City win the Champions League as they're an English club, or vice versa? You will struggle very hard to find them. Liverpool fans already use the "we won it 5 times" line to gloat over the rival fans, so why would the rivals want to hear any more of that? 

In the World Cup, if a Liverpool player scores the goal which brings the cup back to England, then I will cheer for them as they're wearing an England shirt and are representing England. Therein lies the difference. This is a club competition, not a country competition. 

It would be good for the city of Liverpool if they do win the competition, as the football that they have played this season has been first class, even if they have been extraordinarily lucky with the decisions that have gone their way in Europe. But, I think Real Madrid will use their knowledge and experience of playing in recent finals to get through. They'll find a way to nullify the Salah threat and I think they'll go about the game in a professional way to win.

I've never understood this mentality, but then I've never understood the whole rival club thing, even more so when fans aren't actually from the area they support.  

For me it's always about the country of the team when it comes to English teams in a European final, whether they are so called rivals or not.

[Fierce_LiNk]

22 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I've never understood this mentality, but then I've never understood the whole rival club thing, even more so when fans aren't actually from the area they support.  

For me it's always about the country of the team when it comes to English teams in a European final, whether they are so called rivals or not.

We will just have to disagree.

Living in Bournemouth at the moment and there's just no way the people here would stomach supporting Southampton in a final. It just wouldn't happen. I don't think it's necessarily deliberately not supporting an English team, but the fact it's a close rival. I guess it's just how you're brought up and how you've lived. We were in a very much pro-United household, with Mum coming from the area, Dad moving from abroad to that area in his late teens and them forming a family there. (Mum was always a bit homesick and there was always talk about moving back up there) We were always a fairly competitive household and a win would always be even more sweeter if it was over someone like Liverpool or City. Part of the fun is being able to have laughter with "the other side" and that rivalry, and that's what makes the match-ups even more tasty for me. I grew up around United and Liverpool fans and it was always fun being able to have that competitiveness and rivalry. It just adds another layer to the game. Without that fan interaction and that layer, it's just a bunch of millionaires kicking a ball on a field.

I don't go as far as some fans and actively "hate" other teams, because that's where hooliganism and such tend to stem from. But, I won't actively go out and support "the other side". Saying that, I'm not actively supporting Real Madrid either because they are a nasty club and I don't like the way that they do their dealings. If there was a way for both teams to lose, I'd take that option!

So yes, we'll have to disagree. Good luck for tonight, and I hope that it is a good game. 

[Julius]

12 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

For me it's always about the country of the team when it comes to English teams in a European final, whether they are so called rivals or not.

My problem with this is that, by the same logic, Atlético and Barça fans would want to see Real Madrid win tonight, just because the club is based in Spain. In a similar vein, I doubt that Milan, Inter or Torino fans were wanting Juve to win it last year because they’re from Italy too. 

As a Chelsea fan, I know that some wanted us to win the competition against Bayern back in 2012, but at the same time, I had fans of Arsenal and United hoping for a Bayern win that night. 

22 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I've never understood this mentality, but then I've never understood the whole rival club thing, even more so when fans aren't actually from the area they support.  

Rivalries are one of the largest aspects of sport, and given the long history of club football, I’m not too sure there’s that much to understand besides that. I’ve never had a problem with fans being from an area different to that of a club, considering just how easy it is to find some of yourself, or something interesting, in a team that you first see growing up. 

I’m a Chelsea fan, and I’ve been to Chelsea games, despite not being from/ever living in London. I first saw them on MOTD on a Sunday morning when I was around five years old, and my favourite colour at the time was blue, and I found myself enjoying watching football for the first time. I’ve supported them ever since. 

[Fierce_LiNk]

4 minutes ago, Julius Caesar said:

My problem with this is that, by the same logic, Atlético and Barça fans would want to see Real Madrid win tonight, just because the club is based in Spain. In a similar vein, I doubt that Milan, Inter or Torino fans were wanting Juve to win it last year because they’re from Italy too. 

As a Chelsea fan, I know that some wanted us to win the competition against Bayern back in 2012, but at the same time, I had fans of Arsenal and United hoping for a Bayern win that night. 

Rivalries are one of the largest aspects of sport, and given the long history of club football, I’m not too sure there’s that much to understand besides that. I’ve never had a problem with fans being from an area different to that of a club, considering just how easy it is to find some of yourself, or something interesting, in a team that you first see growing up. 

I’m a Chelsea fan, and I’ve been to Chelsea games, despite not being from/ever living in London. I first saw them on MOTD on a Sunday morning when I was around five years old, and my favourite colour at the time was blue, and I found myself enjoying watching football for the first time. I’ve supported them ever since. 

The Barcelona and Madrid comparison is even more extreme considering that many club players actually struggled getting along due to their club allegiances. There was a divide in the international dressing room due to players representing Barcelona or Real Madrid. But that's a more extreme version of what we're talking about, I guess.

There's no way many Barcelona fans will be supporting Madrid tonight, especially with the recent calls for Catalan independence

[Julius]

10 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

The Barcelona and Madrid comparison is even more extreme considering that many club players actually struggled getting along due to their club allegiances. There was a divide in the international dressing room due to players representing Barcelona or Real Madrid. But that's a more extreme version of what we're talking about, I guess.

There's no way many Barcelona fans will be supporting Madrid tonight, especially with the recent calls for Catalan independence

Yeah, that’s a good point. I was actually going mention the current political strife between Spain and Catalonia, but didn’t think I wanted to get into the politics of it all too much  it will be really interesting to see how well the Spain team gels at the World Cup this summer for the very reasons that you cited, though. 

[Hero-of-Time]

It's time.

[Julius]

Really, really cagey start, by both sides. 

Have to say that Liverpool’s high press is working well for them so far, but I’m a little worried that they’ll try to sustain it for too long and run out of legs towards the end of the game. 

[Hero-of-Time]

5 minutes ago, Julius Caesar said:

Really, really cagey start, by both sides. 

Have to say that Liverpool’s high press is working well for them so far, but I’m a little worried that they’ll try to sustain it for too long and run out of legs towards the end of the game. 

Yeah, that's also my worry, especially if we can't get a goal or two out of it. 

[Fierce_LiNk]

Think the Madrid game plan is to play the first half on the counter or to soak up the Liverpool pressure. Think Liverpool need to get a goal before half time, because I imagine Real will start the second much better than the first.

[Fierce_LiNk]

So many sloppy Real passes. Can't really get out of their half. 

[Julius]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Yeah, that's also my worry, especially if we can't get a goal or two out of it. 

Yeah, Real’s levels of fitness all over the pitch has been the difference in most of their recent victories in Champions League finals. Not to mention the options that they have on the bench when it comes to attacking.

Their defence is seriously fragile, and completely prone to mistakes. For all of the attacking records being broken these days, there’s been a serious lack of world class centre backs (your Maldinis and your Cannavaros) for a while now. 

I definitely think that you’re capable of finding a goal, and I think the timing of it - and who scores first - could decide the game’s flow. 

1 minute ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

So many sloppy Real passes. Can't really get out of their half. 

It’s surprising me just how sloppy they’ve been, especially that Kroos pass - you could really see that he was caught in two minds. 

[Hero-of-Time]

Be interesting to see if that knock will effect Salah.

[Fierce_LiNk]

This has got Ramos 90th minute header winner written all over it.

[Hero-of-Time]

He's done.  

[Emerald Emblem]

Looks like Salah is off and my bet with it.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Gutted for Salah. He deserved to play the entire final and that's a sad way for him to finish the game.

[Julius]

Heartbreaking for Salah. 

This could definitely go either way now, considering the effect that could have in the psychology of the Liverpool players. Very classy of the Real players to show what looked like some genuine concern for him. 

I just hope he’ll be in good shape for Egypt at the World Cup now.

[Hero-of-Time]

Gutted for him. Well, we had a good run.  

[Fierce_LiNk]

I know that Ramos is a great footballer, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if he went out there to hurt Salah. Such a dirty player. 

[Julius]

1 minute ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

I know that Ramos is a great footballer, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if he went out there to hurt Salah. Such a dirty player. 

Tell me about it. Remember what he did in last year’s final to get Cuadrado sent off, even though they were already clearly going to win the game?

[Fierce_LiNk]

Just now, Julius Caesar said:

Tell me about it. Remember what he did in last year’s final to get Cuadrado sent off, even though they were already clearly going to win the game?

Can't remember that far back, but I imagine it was something really, really filthy. What a dick.

[Emerald Emblem]

Looks like Carvahal is going off in tears as well.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Emerald Emblem

[Fierce_LiNk]

Bluddy hell, will anybody finish this game?!

[Julius]

Just now, Fierce_LiNk said:

Can't remember that far back, but I imagine it was something really, really filthy. What a dick.

84th minute, 4-1 up. Cuadrado is already on a yellow, goes to pass Ramos to get the ball for a throw-in, and very clumsily steps on his foot - but there’s clearly not much malice there. Ramos’ reaction?