4-4! (AKA "The football thread")

[Hobbes]

I was expecting a high scoring game but not that! Wow.
Now just a little team to beat in the semi-final and we will be in Rome.

[Seb]

Fantastic game ! English football is great

[lodilefty]

Certainly looked like Chelsea wanted to choke at the end, though, eh?

better than the US's Professional HandEgg League

[Syt]

For a moment I thought this was a post about the Tigers, Yankees or Rays, all of which have a W-L record of 4-4 at the moment.

Oddly I don't follow soccer much anymore, but instead check on MLB.

[Hobbes]

Certainly looked like Chelsea wanted to choke at the end, though, eh?

better than the US's Professional HandEgg League

I quite like that HandEgg stuff. I thought we would be 2-0 down after 20 minutes but it took them almost half an hour!

[Rafiki]

I'll be keeping an eye on this, both because I like good football myself, and also because if you put the right kinds of football fans together, you get a flame war just as hot as any political or religious flame war can be...

Here's hoping that Man Utd will be taking the quintiple this year!

[tagwyn]

Gasp!!! Is this appropriate for a "general discussion" forum??? GASP!! Hypocrit!! t

[Rafiki]

Those who call it hypocritical are the ones who are unable to understand it, even when it is explained to them on numerous occasions. Since only one forumite has had problems understanding it, I think we'll be good.

If you find a hole in your life due to not being able to discuss e.g. religion and current politics, there are loads and loads of places elsewhere where you can do that.

[tagwyn]

Arne: I have always wanted to be the only one!! I do understand your point quite clearly!! Could not pass up a chance to dig and the "mighty" Rafiki!! t

[Rafiki]

Here's hoping that Man Utd will be taking the quintiple this year!

Oh well, maybe next year *shrug*

[Crimguy]

They're on a bit of a weird run right now. Did you catch the gunners today? Crap performance, but Arshavin was clinical with 4 goals. Torres is a stud, too. If he wore white I wouldn't even be able to utter a compliment about him ;-D

[Le Ricain]

It was handy of Arsenal and Liverpool to draw 4-4 in their latest game in order to keep this thread alive.

[Rafiki]

Priceless!

[Crimguy]

I am a die-hard American football fan, having worn Eagles green my whole life. I used to make fun of soccer even though I played it as a kid. But I started following the EPL around when Wenger took over for Arsenal, but it was tough to follow when you couldn't watch the games. Mostly listened to fixtures on the radio. Since I got the Fox Soccer Channel I can't get enough of it. My cable provider just got Setanta as well, so I'm pretty stoked. I had to catch arsenal games via "other means" until Setanta started . . .

[Crimguy]

I should point out that the reason I started following it was because of a soccer game on the playstation :-D

[Hobbes]

Well I think tonight saw the Premiership go out with a whimper. Interesting that you got into football through a playstation game Crimguy. Do you ever get to watch games in the bars and pubs over there? I assume the time difference is a bit of a problem. I imagine the Champions League final between Arsenal and Chelsea will be shown over there in May though?

Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

Ah, finally a good place to speak about good football between gentlemen !!
Strange things over there ...
I bet on Manchester-Barcelona and the last one for the trophy !!
Sorry Hobbes ...
Oh, and I almost forgot : Olympique de Marseille as France champions. I know that I speak about low-grade football, but I'm waiting that for such a long time !!! arty:

[Hobbes]

Ah, finally a good place to speak about good football between gentlemen !!
Strange things over there ...
I bet on Manchester-Barcelona and the last one for the trophy !!
Sorry Hobbes ...
Oh, and I almost forgot : Olympique de Marseille as France champions. I know that I speak about low-grade football, but I'm waiting that for such a long time !!! arty:

So Darth, still going with Barcelona? Pretty close call now but I think Chelsea will have to play for the win - and keep playing that way even if 1-0 up. I didn't realise Marseille were doing so well this year. Finally back from all the problems of a few years ago?

Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

Oh yes, always with Barcelona.
It was not a very good game yesterday, as a lot of first match in home-away confrontations. The two teams didn't want to take a goal against, at no cost, and they play a really close game.
In this connection, I think only two yellow cards for Chelsea is rather well paid. Don't you think so ? And the suspension of Carles Puyol is a really bad thing for the next game. But I'm sure that Barcelona will score at Stamford Bridge, and then ... ompom:

For Marseille, the problems aren't gone, unluckily ... We are in a good position for the title, with 5 games to play, but it seems pretty sure that we are going to lose our Coach, who had brought serenity, confidence and strictness
in a group of players who esily lost concentration. So, I wait and see ... and hope, of course !!

Oh, by the way, Go ManU, Go !! And before all, a good game.

Regards, Mathieu.

[Hobbes]

Oh yes, always with Barcelona.
It was not a very good game yesterday, as a lot of first match in home-away confrontations. The two teams didn't want to take a goal against, at no cost, and they play a really close game.
In this connection, I think only two yellow cards for Chelsea is rather well paid. Don't you think so ? And the suspension of Carles Puyol is a really bad thing for the next game. But I'm sure that Barcelona will score at Stamford Bridge, and then ... ompom:

For Marseille, the problems aren't gone, unluckily ... We are in a good position for the title, with 5 games to play, but it seems pretty sure that we are going to lose our Coach, who had brought serenity, confidence and strictness
in a group of players who esily lost concentration. So, I wait and see ... and hope, of course !!

Oh, by the way, Go ManU, Go !! And before all, a good game.

Regards, Mathieu.

I think the next game will probably have quite a few goals. I'm expecting a nervous time! Not sure Chelsea were lucky to have only a couple of yellows - but I am rather partisan

Puyol is out and Cole back so a + for Chelsea although I think we did quite well with Messi without Cole. Some reports suggest he would have problems with Messi because he is a left footed player and Messi cuts inside. We will see.

Good luck with your next five games - might see you in Europe next season.
I hope Arsenal get a good result tonight - maybe a 10% better chance of victory if we meet them in the final over Man Utd?

Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

Not sure Chelsea were lucky to have only a couple of yellows - but I am rather partisan

I believe you are ...
Thanks for the luck, I think we are going to need it a little ...
For the next season, Champion's League participation is pretty sure, but like this year, I think we are no match for the european top 12. A qualification
for the 1/8 will sound as an exceptionnal performance, depending of the draw
of course, but as a third group team, it seems to be quite difficult for us.

For ManU-Arsenal, you must admit that a re-match of the last year final would be very interesting between Manchester and Chelsea. And despite Fabregas, Arsenal lacks talent and experience for this level of play, IMHO of course !!

Have a good game, Chris.

[Hobbes]

I believe you are ...
Thanks for the luck, I think we are going to need it a little ...
For the next season, Champion's League participation is pretty sure, but like this year, I think we are no match for the european top 12. A qualification
for the 1/8 will sound as an exceptionnal performance, depending of the draw
of course, but as a third group team, it seems to be quite difficult for us.

For ManU-Arsenal, you must admit that a re-match of the last year final would be very interesting between Manchester and Chelsea. And despite Fabregas, Arsenal lacks talent and experience for this level of play, IMHO of course !!

Have a good game, Chris.

We can speak again next Tuesday or Wednesday (Or maybe I will be in hiding).

It would be interesting to see Marseille back to their former glory. As for French football my memories are of PSG 10 or so years ago when I saw one match and was amazed at how good they were - but it didn't seem to last long and of St-Etienne when I was very young (I think I had them as a table football team) what happened to them?

Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

Or it could be me !!

Paris had had a very good team in the middle of the 90's, the 94/95 and 95/96
seasons were very good, with two finals and a victory in the C2 (Cup Winners' Cup - I precise because I'm not sure it's the same name in English ), and memorables victories against both Barcelona and Madrid in the two seasons. Since, they are in the same doldrums than Marseille. A victory or two in National cups in the beginning of the 2000's, but bad league positions one year or another. These two clubs are the most popular in France, but the executive circles couldn't answer to the high expectations, despite strong financing.
As all the French football, they made mistakes in the recruitement cell and in the clubs' structuration. That's why there is so much differences between us and the other great european championships, and that increases. Long term vision doesn't exist in the french clubs I believe ...

St-Etienne was the most popular club of an other generation, like Reims in the 50's. St-Etienne was the club of the 70's, with the memorable final in C1 against Bayern München in 76 and the famous right-angle post which had repulsed a strike which could be in with the modern posts. That's a bad memory for an entire generation of supporters !!
Since their good times, the club swings between first and second divisions, after the move of Michel Platini to Juventus. As the others "great" clubs, stability isn't their best quality. This year, there was also great expectations for them, but finally they are in great danger of relegation.

[Hobbes]

Or it could be me !!

Paris had had a very good team in the middle of the 90's, the 94/95 and 95/96
seasons were very good, with two finals and a victory in the C2 (Cup Winners' Cup - I precise because I'm not sure it's the same name in English ), and memorables victories against both Barcelona and Madrid in the two seasons. Since, they are in the same doldrums than Marseille. A victory or two in National cups in the beginning of the 2000's, but bad league positions one year or another. These two clubs are the most popular in France, but the executive circles couldn't answer to the high expectations, despite strong financing.
As all the French football, they made mistakes in the recruitement cell and in the clubs' structuration. That's why there is so much differences between us and the other great european championships, and that increases. Long term vision doesn't exist in the french clubs I believe ...

St-Etienne was the most popular club of an other generation, like Reims in the 50's. St-Etienne was the club of the 70's, with the memorable final in C1 against Bayern München in 76 and the famous right-angle post which had repulsed a strike which could be in with the modern posts. That's a bad memory for an entire generation of supporters !!
Since their good times, the club swings between first and second divisions, after the move of Michel Platini to Juventus. As the others "great" clubs, stability isn't their best quality. This year, there was also great expectations for them, but finally they are in great danger of relegation.

It's very interesting Darth - thanks for posting. What is the support like for the top teams in France? What sort of crowds do you get and is there much money from TV? Interesting that the national team has been so good for many years but the league seems to be less than that of the Spanish, English and Italian leagues. In France I wonder why football is not bigger as I think Rugby is not a big sport apart from some regions and you have no cricket The French just spend their time making love? (Or making bad long term decisions - I just read your post properly - but it must be more I think?)

It's odd to think most countries have their hard luck stories that other countries probably don't remember. I have no memory of the St-Etienne post incident. St-Etienne remind me a bit of Borussia Mönchengladbach who also seem to have vanished and maybe Nottingham Forest from England - remember them?

Arsenal 1-0 down
Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

You're welcome !!

The affluence in the different stadium is average. List has been published recently :
1- Marseille ~ 51.000 / 60.000 total capacity
2- Paris ~ 40.000 / 48.500
3- Lyon ~ 39.000 / 42.000
We have some other stadium with a capacity between 25.000 and 35.000, in Bordeaux, Nantes, St-Etienne, Toulouse, Rennes but they all have a quite weak occupancy rate, mostly depending of the team results. All of these stadiums had been built for the 98 World Cup, and some others are in re-construction or expansion, like in Lille and Lyon.
The money distribution is a little complicated, depending of a number of things, and the Federation is in quite bad hands, and that doesn't help !!
TV rights money is distributed more or less proportionately, but the biggest and most popular clubs want more !! Not really surprising, isn't it ?
It's also interesting to note that our best players, from the 98-02 period, are all in great foreign clubs by that time, where they learn discipline and "winning culture", and where they improve their skills with the best players in the world. It's one of the reason of the french league weakness, our best players are sold to foreign clubs since a long time, for financial considerations most of the time.

For the football in general, it's the most popular sport in the country, by far,
but I believe we haven't the "Football culture" as other countries have. And don't forget that the French people is a little volatile and unpredictable , he changes his mind quite often. Maybe this caracteristic is applicable to our kind of supporting !!

Concerning spending time making love, I believe it's a not so bad way to waste time, is it ?
For the bad long term decisions, I only spoke about our football clubs, not in general ... but that could be discussed, now I'm thinking about ...
And for some of us, we also spend time playing Ageod's great games, which is a quite good occupation I think !!

Finally, you're right about all countries old little stories. But the big difference is that either Borussia and Nottingham Forrest had won the C1, twice if I remember well, St-Etienne only made a final once. Marseille is the only one french club to have a victory in this competition, and it's a great pride for supporters. Even if we haven't won anything since 1993 !!

1-0 is well paid for Arsenal, big first period and a great Almunia. It could be worse for them. I'm in a quite good situation with my bet after the first round !!

Cheers too. Rendez-vous in a week !!

[DarthMath]

I think a little "Yurk yurk" or "Gniark Gniark" is expressive enough !!
No more needed, my dear fellow Englishman ...

[Hobbes]

I think a little "Yurk yurk" or "Gniark Gniark" is expressive enough !!
No more needed, my dear fellow Englishman ...

Off to my brothers to watch the game Darth

We don't seem to have a smiley that represent being a little scared and a little excited and a little confident.

Henry out is no bad thing.
Back in a few hours!

Cheers, Chris

[DarthMath]

No problems !!
You're right for Henry!!
And a Pique-Busquets as central defenders isn't very reassuring too !!
Good match !! And good luck too !!

[DarthMath]

Ouch !! What a goal !!
But it changes nothing. We must score anyway !!

[Generalisimo]

Abidal sent off... really, this does not look good...