Friday Football Thread
West Ham outclass a poor Cardiff team to take a 2-0 lead into the 2nd leg on Monday.
Luton beat Wrexham apparently.
FA Cup build up is almost non-existant this year with more talk about Newcastle v Man City than the final tomorrow.
Thread not appearing correctly? Click here to rebuild | Report this
Twitter
Facebook
Last.fm
SoundCloud
MySpace
Friendster
RSS
Man City linked with huge bid for Bale
season tickets on sale soon?
£40m
i wonder how many pre-season games it'll take before kik revises his opinion of him?
£40m + Adebayor + another is being bandied around
doubt it'll happen, like. Especially if we qualify for the CL.
Christ
£40m on its own is far too much
Yeah, but with Adebayor thrown in it seems more reasonable.
I'm going for about 2 months from the day he signs
At which point he'll inform us that Bale's come on leaps and bounds since joining a proper club and working with decent coaches etc.
I'm not convinced about him
He needs to stop this Billy Big Bollocks stuff, playing in the middle, stick to being a left winger. He's not consistent enough.
Admittedly, he's devastating on his day but when was the last time you really saw him take a team apart? The talent's obviously there, so he'll probably turn into a top player eventually.
vs bolton, two days ago.
meh, I didn't see that game
Apart from that he's not done anything for ages.
Cardiff looked utter grannycock at anything other than long throw-ins
I despise teams that have towels on the sidelines
Pretty sure the 5 mins of added time -
despite there not being a single injury break the entire half - was from all the ball drying and 50m run-ups. Double the horror
that did seem a lot of added time
I've got a lot of time for Green's reaction to the Cardiff fans at the end. Also I think Nolan has to be one of the biggest wind-up merchants going.
serial bottlers
they haven't stopped looking like a third rate Stoke in ten years
yet they make the play-offs season after season. They must be one of the most depressing sides in the country to support.
They were awful last night.
Though seem to be regularly in the playoffs- is there any team with a worse playoff record?
Lincoln failed in the play-offs three years in a row.
Cardiff stand to equal that this year. (And probably beat it next).
Cardiff fucking up the play offs AGAIN
:'D
I think the fact that Chelsea and Liverpool
have both so clearly had poor seasons makes it a difficult tie for the press or media to really build up- we all know they've both massively underperformed this season and we all know that will still be the case should one triumph 8-0 against the other tomorrow. I guess Chelsea making it to the Champion's League final and Liverpool having already won something this season also removes the possibility of anyone building this up as 'MUST WIN!!1' for either team.
I'm not sure what to expect from it, tbh. Poor though we've been, we're still obviously a better team with by and large better players than Liverpool. We've also got a very good record at Wembley. But Liverpool's shitness hasn't stopped them getting results against us recently, so ... Dunno. The only thing I'll confidently predict is that it'll be an ugly war of attrition.
Difficult to call getting to the Champions League final and a domestic cup final massively underperforming
I think we have massively undeperformed, week in week out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely delighted to be going to Wembley and Munich and I sincerely doubt away defeats to the likes of West Brom will live long in my mind if we win both (sod it, even just the CL would do). But look at where we are in the table. Look at the resources at the club. It's not good enough and I won't pretend it is.
On the flip side, if we lose both finals and finish 6th, would anyone say Chelsea haven't had a poor, by their standards frankly shit season? Why should 180 minutes make too much of a difference to that?
(if you win both) it'll have taken a lot more than 180 minutes innit
Blimey
Even when I say Chelsea are shit people disagree with me. Contrarian virgins.
I wasn't really disagreeing
Just think it's a bit disingenuous to imply you only need to play half-decent for two games to win the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Chelsea have underperformed this season, but not disastrously. C'mon, you're not Liverpool.
Perspective, thy name is Liverpool.
For you, it's no big deal. For us, it's enormous.
This game will define our season between success and failure.
If we lose, this is an unacceptable season. If we win, it's a great season.
That sounds silly but it's true. Seasons are judged on trophies, not on finishing positions for Liverpool. Second is nothing, as we cruelly discovered a few years ago. Even if we finish bottom half, it'd still be the season Kenny won both English cups.
We had a few good seasons in the league under Rafa after the FA Cup win, but all of them were trophyless. In a couple of years they'll be forgotten.
In 2005, finishing behind Everton and outside the top 4 was outrageous. No-one remembers that though. I'm not comparing the FA Cup to the CL, but in the long-term, this will go down as one of the great Dalglish years, with a minor footnote of league failure.
ps. final paragraph should've been qualified with "if we win it, that is."
I'd have thought good season season would be more appropriate, can't imagine anyone classing it as a great one
ONE OF THE GREAT DALGLISH YEARS
No - the great Dalglish years are defined by a continuation of league dominance, with the steady accumulation of cups a supporting contribution. This season has been the exact opposite and his record this season doesn't even COMPARE to his former glories. A minor footnote of league failure is against everything that Dalglish stands/is remembered for.
I won't be forgetting the Rafa years. I look back on them all, bar his last season, incredibly fondly. Way more fondly than this season.
Get some perspective. We're a totally different club to the one we were in the 80s.
Winning two trophies with a team as shocking as this one is a big, big achievement.
Kenny winning everything with the best team in the country is very nice. Kenny winning a couple of things with one of the most average in the league is incredible.
And if you're still talking about Rafa finishing 2nd in a few years, then it'll be a sad indictment of the progress of our team.
You were the one who framed it in the context of THE GREAT DALGLISH YEARS pal...
...and, as such, this season hasn't been. 2 cups or not. Sure, there's a lot to be said for winning them but to use the word great/incredible in any context about this season is misguided.
With regards to your last point, I agree. Although Kenny's got a lot of improving to do over a number of seasons before he's judged to have done a better job than Benitez (he won the FA Cup too y'know). I'm all for giving him time but at this juncture; it's not looking good.
Maybe I overstate the significance of the job he's done.
I just think that if you look how far we've fallen since 09, and how better everyone else has got, achieving anything with this team is big.
Admittedly, he's responsible for half of the team being shit because he signed them.
But still, as a Liverpool fan, I just can't think of any more delightful image than Kenny Dalglish winning trophies with us.
It's definitely a big deal for Chelsea.
Admittedly there's a bigger deal just round the corner, but losing a final is always a big deal- no one can shrug that off particularly easily.
I pretty much agree with the sentiment that trophies are what is remembered, just meant that nothing could really gloss over the fact that huge changes are needed at both clubs.
The Polish Euros song is great
http://youtu.be/YtDhMzDkois
It's no Waving Flag
What is though?
Oh, and Rooney's overhead kick is the best goal in Premier League history.
Hmmm, interesting.
was Trevor Sinclair's overhead kick in the Premier League?
FA cup
cheers champ
there's been loads of overhead kicks though. What makes Rooney's better than, say, Eidur Gudjohnsen's for example?
I'm guessing the context of the game has a lot to do with it
not that it necessarily should, but it probably does
because it happened more recently obviously
and it was Man Utd and Rooney.
^rag conspiracy
I can honestly say it is the best goal I've ever seen
off someone's shins
You should come and watch a DiS footy match
This, this and this again.
Robin Van Persie versus Charlton
disagrees with you
Depressingly predictable
not even the second best united goal i can remember offhand
(cantona vs sunderland & scholes vs villa both better). however i guess context is everything.
Not even Rooney's best goal for me...
Prefer the one against Bolton in '07. Him and Ronaldo, the perfect breakaway. Like you say, all about context.
Just wanted to use this to talk about types of goal.
I love stanchion goals, one of It's been a few years but I remember sicknote Anderton lodging one right up there in the earlier days of the premier league.
How many of you are also headed to completely pointless and inconsequential fixtures this weekend?
(no jokes about the cup final please)
Not inconsequential, but going to the Arsenal game
Still got absolutely no idea why it's being played at 12:45 on Cup Final day when all the other Prem games are on Sunday. Don't think it's even on TV, weird. Gonna be a stinker too.
Off to Newcastle V City
I doubt the crowd will replicate the fevered hatred of when the mackems come for their day out in the big city, but I'm well up for this one. Should be a completely balls out game, both teams needing a win and all.
Got offered a ticket to Liverpool v Chelsea in the league next week
That's bound to be a cracker :/
I'm in 305 for it.
If we've got the cup it'll be amazing. You can't not go to the last home game of the season even if it is just our season petering out pathetically. It's against Chelsea!
Last home game of the season
Can't believe it.
£750 well spent
City-Swindon
i quite enjoy dead rubber matches and there'll be an inappropriate party atmosphere and it's my birthday so it should be fun
I'm unexpectedly going to Arsenal vs Norwich tomorrow
Thanks to The Hoog for donating me his regular ticket after he upgraded to club level. Prawn sandwiches and Pimms!
Not really sure what to expect. I'd like to think we'd completely outplay them. Van Persie vs Russell Martin is not something that should be happening in the Premier League. Having nightmares about Grant Holt's troll face though. If we drop the ball now and let Spurs back in... not even worth thinking about.
Favouritism
Next time you can fight over it
Re-enacting the bout between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates
You support Nottingham Forest!
Well, Arsenal are my second team...and I live nearer
and, er, yeah fair point.
I still can't believe that they play the FA Cup before the end of the season nowadays
Of course, it's possible they've been doing this for years and I just haven't noticed because...I stopped paying attention to the FA Cup ages ago but still, outrage.
and also lets put it on at a time when many people will still be travelling home from games anyway
nice one FA
It happened as far back as 2002
I think that was the first time it happened anyway.
around the time Arsenal stopped challenging for it, i expect.
Possibly
I think it was more when Championship/relegation fodder teams started reaching the final all the time.
By no means a West Ham fan, but pleased for Collison and Tomkins
Both look like good prospects and Collison especially seems like a decent sort. By the same token feel a bit sorry for Whittingham, he's much too good for the Championship, though I'd imagine he'll get offers in the summer anyway.
Is there a squad in any of the leagues that does not have at least
one player with an arm covered in tattoos?
Arsenal?
Cesc was well on his way to one when he left, maybe THAT'S why Wenger sold him.
Think Walcott and Song are gradually heading that way
Wilshere's got an abomination on one of his arms, but he's never going to play again so not sure he really counts.
I saw a picture of Jack Wilshere on the side of a bottle of Pepsi yesterday
Took me a good couple of minutes to remember where I knew him from.
I was trying to remember if Walcott did, he seems the type
Think he just wears long-sleeves so his mum doesn't find out.
:D He just wants to fit in
He's tried crap facial hair, being a bit gobby, diving, tattoos and now being a bit of a dick over his contract, but still everyone thinks he's just sweet, hapless Theo
Oh Theo!
Norwich?
I don't actually know, but they seem like such a nice bunch of young men.
are you Ray Wilkins?
One of their wingers is pretty tatted up.
Think it's Pilkington.
They've also got a couple of people like Morrison who look like squaddies
Sure they've got a fair bit of ink between them
Well,
they've certainly gone down in my estimation
http://www.inthestands.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/joey-barton-bradley-johnson-norwich.jpg
Well,
they've certainly gone even further down in my estimation
Not overly enamoured with Capello today
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/04/roy-hodgson-england-fabio-capello
Pretty sure Hodgson doesn't need Capello to tell hi how international management works
at least he'll be in the same country as his players
Bah, the back page of the guardian had the headline
'CAPELLO AND SOME GERMANS SLAM WOY' or some such, and then if you actually read the interviews it's Capello understandably saying it's a difficult job, and some Germans understandably saying they don't really know much about him.
Indeed
of course, we all remember the uproar over here when Germany appointed Joachim Low.
Been a bit surprised how much the Guardian have been on his case too
HE'S NOT EVEN DONE ANYTHING YET (though some people are saying he's told Pearce to do one)
Weiß nicht wer sie sind, freund. Vielen dank
Not overly enamoured
because he basically says that Harry would have been a better choice? It's only what we're all thinking.
so it seems liek chris martin suffers from tinnitus
:(
hopefully this means Coldplay will call it a day
amirite?
Mogwai did the half-time draw at Celtic Park last night, apparently
Would probably have been more interesting than the game, was a typical end-of-the-season-with-nothing-to-play-for performance.
I like that this post turned up
Just under the Chris Martin tinnitus post, thought Mogwai had played a half-time show and ruined him forever.
I'll be honest, i wouldn't be that kean on us signing Gareth Bale.
Though to be honest, i don't remember being that kean on us signing say, Gael Clichy at first, and a couple of others, so i'll trust the manager and judge the signing after a fair period of time, if it even happens.
I don't think he'd fit into our style of play, though. We're just not one of them "hoof it upfield then whip a quick ball into the box" sort of sides, though we do very occasionally resort to that when we're desperate, and he's probably better than Aleksandar Kolarov.
£40m, though? That's probably double what he's realistically worth.
double-honesty, so...
Some Freudian Blackburn obsession going on there
Dunno, Bale would give some real width, though.
That ability to change style a little could have been the difference in some of the stickier matches this season.
Plus sticking him in a team that already has Silva, Nasri and potentially Hazard floating around behind the striker
Might almost be enough to convince him that he's actually just a winger, not Ronaldo.
guys, stop using the words 'rag' and 'conspiracy' together.
its really annoying.
Sorry Howard
YCMIU
this week of all weeks?
when Fergie's handpicked Uncle H for The Great SJP Title Robbery?
Come off it, pal.
Exactly.
If the Rags stopped conspiring, the term would immediately become unnecessary.
Because it's just come up again in the office, I want to make sure you've all seen this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxnTxBnTDIM
If we start Carragher, we'll lose the game.
If we start Agger and Skrtel, we'll win it.
I'm expecting the archetypal Dalglish selection of Carroll, Suarez, Downing, Gerrard, Spearing, Henderson.
In terms of what's riding on this, as I said earlier, it will make or break our season for me. In terms of who we're playing, although the rivalry's died down as we've declined post-Rafa, the Torres factor, coupled with the Chelsea fans behaviour on the 15th, it's a big one for the fans.
Please Nando. Don't score.
Pretty sure Drogba will have to be stretchered off for Torres to get anywhere near the pitch
how many times will he have to stretchered off tho?
As if he won't play!
Ok you wouldn't start him, but if you're chasing the game, or even if it's 0-0 on 65 minutes - imagine bringing him on, in current form, in a cup final against Liverpool. You'd be mad not to.
(this doesn't take into account how poor he's played against us in his previous games, mind)
don't think i've ever known less build-up to a Cup Final.
which has to be a positive thing.
genuinely don't think either side (the actual club, not the fans) will be that arsed, win or lose.
Chelsea's season is either going to end in undeoubted glory or catatrophic failure, and i'm not sure this game will have any bearing on either. Winning the FA Cup must be like winning the Charity Shield now for them, in terms of excitement.
defo
I'd rather win one Champions League than three FA Cups any day.
But we're currently a mid-table team for whom the Champions League is a distant memory, relying on one very good player and a lot of average/very poor ones. Got to adjust your standards accordingly havent you?
if it's fish, fish ala king. if its beef, fish ala king.
I've got a sneaky feeling tomorrow will be a 3-2 AET barnstormer of a game
Not sure why.
It's an FA Cup final
Odds are it'll be 1-0 or 2-0 and barely anyone will be awake by the end.
Of course!
9 out of 10 cup finals are exactly what you describe (and why I scarcely bother watching them) but... something about 2 teams whose games have been difficult to call in recent seasons, and who've got a fair amount riding on it, is making me think this could be a more exciting encounter.
If I'm wrong - I couldn't be less surprised.
Think the league game on Tuesday will probably be more entertaining tbh
Liverpool generally play pretty well in big games at Anfield, lots more energy, pressing and attacking play, it's just all the other games where they're putrid. Plus Chelsea will rest a few so there'll be gaps and we'll have the Torres sideshow
We don't do boring cup finals, sorry.
And the ball's come out to GERRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD.
*ball flies innocuously into Club Wembley*
*cough*1996*cough*
The, and I mean THE worst of all living memory cup finals.
81 minutes of horrible, horrible football culminated in King Eric poking it through about 7 men with legs all outstretched in vain as the ball trickled into the onion.
A dreadful game with a dreadful conclusion.
Remember watching it with my dad cos the FA Cup Final was still a big deal then
And when Cantona scored my dad said *Thank fuck for that*, such was the dread of another half hour of that shite
GERRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAURRGHGHH*
I can see it being 0-0 after ET and 47 missed penalties
The referee awards the win to Liverpool because he's got to be in New Cross Venue before the queue gets too long.
Guys, what do you reckon is the cheapest I could get a Bayern Munich shirt for?
£40
</3
It's one thing not wanting someone to win, but this ... This is too much.
Gonna get *I h8 Chelsea* printed on the back too
(I'm not really going to do any of this)
Please do.
Reminds of the time at school
when a fairly little, nerdy kid came in on a non-uniform day smugly wearing a Spurs shirt with *I H8 ARSENAL* on the back. Some Arsenal fans in the year above gave him death tunnel and beats. He didn't do it again.
One of the abiding memories of my childhood is a non uniform day at school
And this kid Wayne turned up in his Spurs shirt. I think at the time they were doing really badly (was it 93/94 - was that the points deduction year?) and we made a circle round him chanting *GOING DOWN! WITH SWINDON TOWN!* non stop for about 10 minutes. The poor guy just stood there sobbing
Real formative years
halcyon days
he became a priest
True facts
£17.99
But I'll give it to you for £15.
Potentially stupid question here
but where did the term dead rubber come from?
From the word 'dead'
Meaning 'not alive'.
And the word 'rubber'
which is a slang term for a condom. Which can't be alive anyway. Hence the irrelevance of 'dead' rubber.
don't be like that
:D
Exact origins unknown
but "rubber" comes originally from the card game bridge and has been found back as far as the early 1600s. The third and final game in bridge is called the "rubber game". A set of three games is also called a "rubber". There is some evidence of a 17th & 18th century Dutch influence in English card games, and in Dutch "robber" means serie of matches or contests.
Nothing to do with eleastic bands, or condoms.
For those of you interested in winning money this weekend.
The odds on Newcastle (and even, to a lesser extent, the draw) are PLUMMETING fast.
6/1 > 7/2.
I'm shit with bets
is that good or bad for Newcastle?
heavily odds-against at home's good for any team...
but paticularly the joint form side in the league.
typically, you'd be about 4/6 against sides below you, maybe 6/4, 2/1 at home to the better sides, but i might be wrong.
6/1 was fucking ridiculous, but you won't get those odds again now. they were even 11/2 yesterday morning.
the draw's even over 3/1.
i'll be cleaning up, make no mistake about that.
stick both on doubles with United to beat Swansea.
go large.
printing money.
honestly can't fail.
im not arsed about betting it was more that the bookies think
the result will be. I'e anyone giving us a chance of beating you's
Chelsea bid for the Battersea site
http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2759942,00.html
Am I going mental or didn't you already do this a few months ago?
It'd make a fucking cool stadium if the chimneys can remain in-tact somehow
Definitely the first time the club have announced a formal bid
but that doesn't mean that earlier reports were or weren't true.
I'm pretty torn by it, but I won't bore you all to death with a million word post on it.
(I'd actually like to read your thoughts on it)
They're muddled.
On the one hand, it's clear that we need greater gate receipts in order to not just compete, but even sustain our current position. Our lack of capacity for youth concessions is also a major worry. And the Battersea site could be extremely iconic.
But I also have neurosis about what a club really is- if we aren't at Stamford Bridge, in what capacity are we Chelsea?
I see what you're saying
But London clubs have very little room for manoeuvre and aren't fortunate like out of town clubs who have miles of land to work around.
Battersea, if it was linked by a new footbridge maybe, isn't TOO far away...
Plus I suspect most Chelsea fans have had to move further afield anyhow.
But I totally see what you saying. There was uproar when Southend floated the idea of moving the stadium a whole mile away
Are you even that over-subscribed to the point of needing the extra capacity?
Or is this more based on the prediction that your success will breed more fans long-term?
It's not like Battersea is that far away from where you currently are though is it. I can understand that point of view for the likes of Spurs trying to go to Stratford etc but it's well within the catchment area that you already patrol I guess. That said I can see the sentimentality behind it for sure.
Seems more about 'growing' the demand for capacity.
You can't really get 60k bums on seats until you have 60k seats.
I dunno, don't wanna sound pompous and all that shit, but you've spent years of your life taking the same route to the ground, drinking in the same places near the ground, just having the same routine ... I dunno. I'd get used to it, I guess.
Oh for sure. I totally get it.
I'd absolutely hate it if Utd ever moved from OT (not that it's likely and I haven't been for a few years now)
You would get used to it though and the pros of a new ground would surely outweigh any of the sentimantal downsides. (Plus Stamford Bridge is a shithole ;) )
something about an electric atmosphere.
*asbestos (ie poisonous)
Really looking forward to seeing Chelsea playing inside a coal-powered power station.
could someone work 'powerhouse' into an amusing pun please?
Pictures?
all their plans sound far too sensible
Must be trying to cover up building the death star
i don't understand why you'd spend all that money for such a marginal increase.
it's as if they know that despite challenging for just about every trophy, every season for nearly a decade, they've still got hardly any supporters.
have some balls, ffs. build something bigger than Wembley, charge everyone a tenner to get in, steal everyone elses fans.
Been to Darlington lately?
Sky have claimed...
Chelsea have agreed to preserve the shell of the power station?!?
Could be fucking brilliant.
as a listed building they would have to keep at least certain parts of it anyway*
*obviously these rules have a way of changing when there's a big pile of money involved
I'd be pretty cross (middle-class outrage) if they actually used Battersea Power Station
it's an iconic building, should be in the public domain (not really sure what I mean by that, but let's go with it) rather than being some kind of hideous racist mecca.
``Hideous racist mecca``
:D
2017;
Capello guides Chelsea to their 3rd European Champions Cup victory, on home turf at Battersea Power Stadium
hmm
They'll probably build the stadium next to the power station
and turn the building itself into John Terry's World of Adventures
City kits to be made by Nike from 2013
I just really hope that if they do a red and black stripe away kit, they don't give it those stupid jaggedy lines. A return to the red and black sash on a white shirt would be nice, like Inter's current away shirt.
That's a shame
City's Umbro kits have been consistently good
It's a shame we won't be using Umbro any more.
Though i think they're owned by Nike now anyway.
Was pretty inevitable considering our deal with them was only worth about £3m a year and United and Liverpool's were worth around £20m a season.
I wouldn't expect ours to be quite as lucrative, we just don't shift as many shirts as those two, might not ever do, but i certainly get the impression both domestically (outside of Manchester) and from my travels abroad, that we shift more than, say, Arsenal, Spurs, even Chelsea now, so it should rise significantly.
Really doubt you sell more than Arsenal or Chelsea.
Selling Torres shirts to Spanish people who seem a bit behind on how Nando is getting on seems to account for 90% of our income.
Not sure about Chelsea
but can't imagine City sell anything like Arsenal globally
It's the impression i've got.
Been to quite a few countries over the last couple o' years. City shirts everywhere. Don't get it. We've not really won owt yet.
Way, way behind Liverpool primarily, but also United. Chelsea seem to have pockets of significant support around Eastern Europe particularly, not sure why. No-one really seems to bother with Arsenal. You always meet one gobby Spurs fan wherever you go, like, obv, but Gravesend Barry's aside, not much.
I went up Snowdon last year
Got to the top, absolutely knackered. Saw some fat bellend in a city shirt stroll of the train that goes up there with the Champions League badges sewn on. Never been angrier.
Yeah, sorry about that!
(PS: what the fuck are Champions League badges?)
You know the ones that go on the sleeve when you're playing in the CL
See also: Gold premier league badges for the champions. Makes me cringe my arse off when I see people with these (or the normal premier league badges for that matter)
to be honest, seeing grown-ups wearing their club's current shirt makes me cringe anyway.
if you get a name on the back, let alone badges on the sleeves, you should probably be put down.
I think you'd have to say exactly the same for retro shirts too, can't see why people think this is in any way more acceptable
(I don't personally have any problem with people wearing shirts, just think the distinction people make between new and old is a little hypocritical)
Why?
It's handy at away games so you can identify pals
or pubs where you can have a good time, or lounging around in on sunday morning, but I never wear one out to the shops.
In the cast of our home shirts, if you don'g get a name you just get a shit black square.
dan_thw was wearing his at a DiS game once
well lol
This is what kids wear these days in world football:
http://i49.tinypic.com/2zg6yhc.jpg
in Finland (and the rest of Scandinavia)
it's 50% Utd/Pool, then Arsenal and Chelsea. Many people picked a side in the 80's when betting became popular and national television showed english matches. Even teams like Wednesday, Leeds and Stoke have supporter's groups. But honestly I've never ever met a City fan, never. There's one barkeeper in Tampere who's aggressive about it but his half-english or something.
yeah, Scandinavia's notoriously Scouse.
i've never been there.
Also loads of Wolves fans, apparently.
One of our few pockets of significant foreign support.
Sweden's been notably more Arsenal based since Ljungberg's Invincibles period
My missus is from Dublin
For reasons I can not fathom loads of blokes she went to school with support Charlton
see far more arsenal shirts around than city (and chelsea and spurs)
besides, every city fan lives within a mile of the ground and goes to every game, so thats only shirt sales of about 46k isnt it?
you live in the past, mate.
we attract a wide range of supporters nowadays - lots of Asian matchgoing fans, for instance (that didn't used to be the case at all), and families.
personally, i think it's a good thing. not saying you have to.
yeah, its strange how the opinions of City fans have changed on this issue in the past 3-4 years
after lambasting United for having such a highly-weighted foreign fanbase. i can't quite put my finger on why..
you'd have to take it off that huge bunch of straws first, buddy.
totally different kettle of fish.
City don't fly entire Irish towns over for home games and relieve them of £400 apiece for a ticket, programme and a night in a Premier Inn.
Neither do we wheel in coachloads of Japanese tourists every 45 minutes, giving them a quick tour of the ground then leaving them in the club shop with the doors locked.
but if City could find a way of doing so, do you think they wouldn't?
i'm taking no high ground here, it's all business now. just interesting how the opinion of the fanbase (as this isn't just you) has gone almost 180 after a taste of success.
what taste of success is that, pal?
you know how it works, when you're shit you pride yourself on being a local club, it's all you've got, look at Everton as a good example of where we were. when you're better, you pride yourself (partly, or occasionally) on the rapid growth of the club.
when it gets to the point where these people stop you getting tickets, sure, that might be a problem...but then i'm not sure that's something that'd ever trouble someone who prides themselves on never going.
can we leave this here? let's leave this here.
The FA Cup?
sure it gets a bad rep, but its a trophy innit. i remember pompey getting a bit rich about things before they realised redknapp had ripped the guts out of the club.
you're right, mate.
it's a scary comparison.
we'll be back in League 2 soon.
they may well end up doing do, but I don't think it's crucially important for them to do so
with Utd, as with other clubs, it's this commercialisation which has funded big transfer fees, wages and club expansion - it's been necessary to maximise income to grow the club and be succesful.
City could slash all their ticket prices for a season and easily suck up the loss of revenue if the owners so wished to do so without it needing to have an effect on club, because as a business it isn't entirely run as a business.
it is now.
it has to be.
...and ticket prices really are t'riffic value for what you get. Proper adult ones started at around £400. They'll go through the roof at some point, but i think most supporters appreciate that's the price you pay for nearly winning titles occasionally.
I thought City had a 10 year contract with Umbro
Obvs not
Which can be reviewed based on (leaps in) progress.
Subthread:
Anyone done any stadium tours?
Went on one at SJP last summer and it was great for seven quid or whatever it was. They do it in groups of ten, so there's load of chances to ask questions, and the blokes who do it have worked there since the 1940s so they've got a load of great stories.
It took about an hour and a half, and we were allowed to amble around at our own pace; no rushing us around. Got sit in the dugouts/ draw on the tactics board in the dressing room, mess about in the media room etc. Nice to see all the places you never see at games.
Done the Camp Nou one and the old Wembley one
Both were quite good.
Cheers.
I've done Wembley, which I'm sure a few people have
Can't remember how much it cost but was pretty good, the guide we had was really good too though so it wasn't an entirely dry and factual tour.
yeah
Valley Parade x2 (great)
Old Trafford x2 (alright)
The Reebok Stadium (alright)
Elland Road (awful)
went to old trafford and anfield when i wuz a kid
got a couple autographs at old trafford, but anfield was miles better as far as the tour is concerned.
went to nou camp two years ago. rubbish.
I've been on the one at Old Trafford.
A free bee.
They have a big button in the tunnel that pipes crowd noise around the stadium, i shit you not.
To be honest, the part of the ground i was interested in (the old tunnel, where the players used to come out from), wasn't covered. Bit sad, but i've always wondered about that.
Also, remember when they won their first title and they had a proper gantry for trophy presentations, did they take that out soon after, or is it still there but the Premier League demand presentations are on the pitch? Remember when we installed a temporary one for the UEFA Cup Final. I quite like them.
I heard that each seat has an 'autopilot' button
like in Airplane!
and that all the coachs and physios that sit behind Fergie
are made of straw. Same goes for Bebe, come to think of it.
Hadn't ever thought about that actually
I assume it went when the north stand was done up.
thinking about it...
could they just've worked the current dug-outs into it, etc?
don't remember it being that far up.
when exactly was it United starting encouraging opposition managers to sit in their own little castles halfway up the stand anyway?
This:
New Arsenal stadium (before it opened)
Camp Nou
Olympic Stadium Berlin
The last one is (architecturally) the most interesting, even though the insides have been completely refurbished and the dressing room smelled of rotten eggs.
Oh, I've done the Olympic Stadium
Someone broke a window.
Highbury Stadium Tour
on an LSD assisted, pouring down, jobless afternoon in 1997
Spent a while trying to work out which former Arsenal player has the initials LSD.
Before I realised.
Sounds like fun though!
it was a good day out but the stadium tour was very staid and old school
not NEARLY enough lasers and flashing lights and techno
actually, it must have been 96 'cos Arsene had just taken the managers job but they still had the George Graham presented video reel :)
did the old trafford one when I was 9.
trained on their indoor pitch as well. was awesome.
Also, if I remember correctly, they had a separate room in the lockers built for Cantona as he didn't like warming up on the pitch with other players. Best bit of the tour was when our group thought we spotted David Beckham walking around the carpark. the poor guy started running when he noticed 20 kids sprinting towards him.
I'm 99.9% sure I did one at the old Wembley
but I can't remember a single thing about it. That's really weird.
San Siro one is really good
Did the Nou Camp when i was about 15
twas pretty cool, I remember teasing my Utd-supporting brother by pointing at each of the many places on the pitch from where Barca had recently scored against them.
Nou Camp when I was 12.
Was going to do it again the other week, but there was a lengthy queue so we decided not to.
St Andrew's - Twice. Firstly I was the mascot for an Italy under-19 team (or something like that) when I was 10. Secondly, about 5 or 6 years back, my dad won some hospitality package thing that included a stadium tour, fancy meal and whatnot.
Molineux when I did work experience there, that was quite good. Went on an actual tour and saw a lot of stuff anyway during the course of my work experience.
old trafford, old wembley, nou camp, villa park, hillsborough
the last two were the most enjoyable
i dont think i'm going to watch the FA cup final tomorrow.
i just dont think i can bothered.
It's quite annoying that I'd like both teams to lose
but due to some technicality in the rules that's not possible, apparently.
I'd happily watch if there was a guarantee that at the fianl whistle
they only showed shots of the losing team and fans UNLESS there's any post-match handbags, love some of that.
Chung Yong Lee playing football against Wigan u14s
https://p.twimg.com/AsDdlVfCAAEa20k.jpg
<3
Did you forget to sign in as Pocket Mouse again?
New Newcastle away shirt
https://p.twimg.com/AsDwpOjCAAA91bv.jpg:large
Not bad, not bad at all. But then again anything's an improvement on bright orange.
Wonder if this'll be a generic top for all Puma teams.
virgin
:D
Got bored of waiting for Chelsea to release their drawings of the stadium
Hope it looks like this. If it did, I'd probably start supporting them*.
http://i.imgur.com/d3Xop.jpg
* I wouldn't
not sure how I feel about all of this Battersea stuff
lol
I think it would look incredible.
And Stoke may occasionally score a "goal" through the chimneys.
*Torres
Also I hope this doesn't mean Chelsea's plan
includes nuclear annihilation of south London.
Yellow Bastard
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/60045000/jpg/_60045530_james_collins_fabian_delph_chris_herd_getty_pa.jpg
James Collins
http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/2005_Sin_City/005SCT_Nick_Stahl_012.jpg
Cannot wait to hear this ringing around the Emirates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c6tcF4nlVNk
Actual tears
do you think you'll be ready for pre-season, jack?
;'D
could you be the sprout?
The current top football stories on the BBC website, in order
- Villa players in nightclub fight
- Chelsea bidding for Battersea Power Station
- Blackpool v Birmingham tonight
- Martinez is manager of the month
- Newcastle v Man City press conference quotes
- The FA Cup final
Maybe romanticism is playing its part here, but I can't remember the Cup final being so low priority before.
I wish I could :D about our press room cuttings being harder priority than Chelsea/Liverpool
but I'm too nervous about Sunday's game to feel it :[
accidental this^, sorry
Didier Drogba is on Graham Norton tonight
With Simon Amstell and Julie Walters!
Best green room small talk potential ever.
Nancy Dell'Olio is on HIGNFY as well
update
she's great
New Palace kit
http://footballfashion.org/wordpress/2012/04/28/crystal-palace-fc-201213-home-and-away-kits/
Jelly Comms, Sarf lahndahn & proud.
Ray Lewington :'''''')
Remember that season when Derby were woeful and got about 5 and a half points?
When we concede tomorrow we will take the record for shittiest defence ever :/
You got a bunch more points and Ebanks-Blake though
Didn't Swindon concede 100 goals?
Why am I phrasing that as a question? I know they did.
Shittiest home defrnce in the PL I think we are up for...
Roger Johnson was worth every penny!
Is there anyone who doesn't want a side in this half of the playoffs
To beat west ham in the final? Dont care who.
Was about to say this FA cup final should be generating more interest because it doesn't feature a rubbish mid table club for once... Except this time it clearly features one, and another who probably won't even finish in the top 5. Still on paper should make for the most interesting one since... Gulp... Man utd - Chelsea
why should it?
Cos it involves two teams people actually care about
For the first time since that final. Other than that I'm really out of ideas though. Carroll/Torres? Idk
Surely people would care more
when it was a more unfashionable side like West Ham or Everton or Portsmouth (OK maybe not Stoke) taking on a bigger team.
Come on the Pool!