Due to the fact that my team lost (Lyon) I will go for a final against Barcelona and Arsenal

Barcelona should probably win

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"Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily"
Napoleon Bonaparte

"ANd yes, Filippo Inzaghi is back...!"


However, must be last season for the squad as we know it.....too many approaching their seniors Travel Passes.

Maldini (bow, genuflect, 'I am not worthy') sat out almost all the game. Gattuso, Mr 110%, had to come off during the second half. Stam off early with an injury – will miss Barca game – already going to Ajax in June. Inzaghi (‘ita musta be me’) does at last seem to be actually co-operating up front, but, Shevchenko (only the current World's greatest striker) is showing signs of having to take more and more rest periods during a match. For me, I've still to see the Kaka magic they keep going on about? The goal-keeper I've never been impressed with, and still am not. But who could ever follow Dino?



OK, Milan have gone for experience in this competition, but, where is the replacement talent that must take over?

No.9

Milan was close a couple of times but Barca scored the only goal. Now, Juventus is losing points and definitely Milan has a chance. Just wonder which series Milan will concentrate on? Will the A team rest during the weekend and play next week in Spain or are they trying to get the points with the best team from Messina?

The same goes for Arsenal. Villareal ONLY lost 1-0 so interesting to see if Tottenham can take the points today because I certainly can guess Arsene Wenger wants to continue into the Champions´ league final!!

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Four-year England deal for McClaren

Steve McClaren has been confirmed as the next England head coach and will take up his new role from August 1 on a four-year contract.

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Very strange season with Middlesbrough and rather a strange decision but good luck to Steve as the new head coach!

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Arsenal v Barcelona in Champions League Final. At least my Gunners will have some glory this year!

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Saw two games when in Italy last month, the Milan Milan derby and the Milan Barca game. The derby was a cracker, plenty of ‘names’ being rested (for Barca) meaning more of the new guns on the field. Was that game mean and fast. Inter were poggered. Re the Milan Barca game, awful. AC weren’t playing as a team, just a series in individual flares and wasn’t even nice to watch, and that ******* Bazilian goalkeeper……….. Don’t pay the pratt to play better, pay him to **** off. Probably a good time to bring in new management who appreciates you need more than names to make a top team. As everyone knows, power is nothing without control.

If Arsenal and Barca keep their respective edges in the final it should be one of the best.

No.9

im not a huge fan of football (American). i dont mind soccer, i dont play it often though. this year i played rugby for my school team. i really enjoy it, if i had to name one team i have to go with New Zealand (the All Blacks are a beast of a team). the U.S National Team is improving and will be playing up with you Europeans soon, you just wait .

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"A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody crowds into doorways, ya know? And they all get chummy together. Perfect strangers. The only difference, of course, is in a war it's also raining on the other side of the street and the people who are chummy over there are trying to kill the people who are over here who are chums."
-Hawkeye Pierce

Not nice...

The Juventus board resigned on Thursday, the club said in a statement, after days of press revelations over embarrassing telephone interceptions involving its top management.

The Italian Football Federation is investigating the content of tapped telephone conversations involving Juve general manager Luciano Moggi talking of refereeing appointments for games with a Football Federation official responsible for selecting match officials.

http://www.eurosport.com/football/se...to883135.shtml

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Probably about time for another scandal in the Italian set-up. It’s been on British TV, together with the observation that general match attendance in Italy has fallen. What conclusion anyone is supposed to draw from that?

See on the Eurosport site the piece about Schevchenko maybe moving to Chelsea following a talk with Berlusconi. Possibly Shev asked for a bit more, or a lot more, which Silvio wouldn’t say yes to? Then again, Shev is nearly 30 and the white hairs have appeared. Sad if he ends up as a Lineker type striker, hanging around the box waiting for the odd poke? Still reckon there has to be a big shake-up at AC, need to restore a cohesive team and find some new youngsters.

No.9

oh yeah, and get shot of that ******* goalkeeper

FA Cup ..............

Sadly becoming less important with the World Cup this year and all of the European Cups going around.

West Ham didnt do enough to win, but didnt deserve to loose.

Liverpool has a Goalie who is crap for 119 minutes, pulls off one fingertip save in real time then saves 3 Penalties!!

Gerrard has the most powerful shot on goal I've ever seen

(Recovering from a 3AM finish!!)

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Whe're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ - 6 Australian Infantry Div, Bardia January 1941

"It’s been on British TV, together with the observation that general match attendance in Italy has fallen. What conclusion anyone is supposed to draw from that?"

It was great to see the Families and youngsters at Cardiff, compare that to the crowds of loonies at an Italian Game.

The FA has done a lot to improve the image of Football, the Italians see it as a Colisseum

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Whe're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ - 6 Australian Infantry Div, Bardia January 1941

Attend matches in Italy do you Morshead?

And when was the last time you were in central Cardiff after dark, match or no match? Why do you think they play matches in the afternoon, unlike Italy, where they play them at night.

No.9

No, but the regular TV coverage we get here on payTV doesnt make the Italian stadiums look inviting.

I assumed they played in Daytime to avoid the Rain, I suppose you are claiming that Cardiff is the Violence centre of the UK??

It's about 20 years since I visited Wales, it cant have got all that bad.

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Whe're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ - 6 Australian Infantry Div, Bardia January 1941

At stadio Olimpico there are sections of the stands where you cannot see the whole pitch...

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'We march. The enemy is retreating in transport. We follow on foot.' Lt.Neil McCallum 5/7 Gordons 19th November 1942

To keep it in perspective, we have evening matches in Scotland too. I also remember going to several Scottish cup finals on Sundays in the past.

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Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Agreed on AC No 9, they need to get young players in and soon. Wasn´t AC´s defence line´s middle age 33-34 years in the Barca game?

It´s also interesting how views change. Some 5-10 years ago a footballer´s career was considered being over when he was 30. Now they just continue on and on. A Finnish sports magazine BTW told that a spokesperson for AC Milan had mentioned that "fortunately Nesta is so young"..Isn´t he 30 or something? have you read that No 9?

OK back to the FA cup final. Liverpool came back and took the trophy, well, West ham had a good opportunity but Gerrard made another great long shot in the overtime. I guess it´s just another trophy for Liverpool so personally I think if West ham had won it´d have made a bigger impact that now with Liverpool. Anyway,Liverpool did what they needed to and took the victory. (Life´s a ****...?) Congrats to Liverpool however!

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I usually get to two to four AC games a year at the San Siro, accompanied by my wife, street park whatever car we’re driving, and watch the match from the regular terraces. Not only would I not take my wife anywhere dangerous, she wouldn’t go anywhere unsavoury and certainly not go back again.


The Rosso-Nero group are always located at the same end of the stadium, (which has no blind spots), with the visitors group at the opposite end. Yes they are loud, very loud, and their chants can include telling to opposition to f*** off back home. They wave or display huge flags and banners, and let-off red road flares, despite being searched for same on the way in. On occasion, depending on what may have happened in the match, some may find their way onto the pitch.
Rosso Nero

No doubt the police do collar a few from time to time, but I’ve never seen any incidents of brawls either in the massive car-park that surrounds the stadium or in the surrounding streets. There’s always police around but equally I’ve never seen any heavy-handed tactics being employed and generally people are allowed to be noisy and boisterous if they want to be. If you want to sit quietly and clap at the end of a performance better go to La Scala.

I’m sure incidents can be sited, but not more than any major Euro or Scandinavian stadium, and probably less than some. Falling gates in Italy is probably mostly due to windscreen TVs and surround sound so many have at home.

Re Cardiff, the day matches are so the crowd doesn’t empty straight from and back to the pubs and bars. The Millennium Stadium is all-weather. As a matter of course there is always a huge police presence in central Cardiff on Friday and Saturday nights. Cardiff is one of the top weekend trouble spots in the UK, but only one. Perhaps you’ll get to see some of the ‘Police in action’ documentaries they show here?

No.9

I hadn’t heard that Kai, sounds like a bit of ‘spin’ to me – they weren’t quoting Blair were they? However, considering AC have an old squad, perhaps you can call Nesta [i]”young”[/I at 30? Look at the ages of their ‘names’: Seedorf 30; Shevchenko 30 in September; Inzarghi 32; Stam (leaving anyway) 33; Serginho 34; Rui Costa 34; Maldini 37 and Costacurta a whopping 40! Gattuso and Ambrosini are mere babes at 28. Then on one site they list Pirlo as being born in 1999 (1979), making him just 6!

Let’s get King George back, he’s only 39. [img]graemlins/salute.gif[/img]


Flash, I would say there are totally different ‘way-of-life’ reasons for when matches are played in Britain and Italy. For sure in Italy alcohol has nothing to do with it. For a start, bars are open early morning to late night, sell alcohol anytime and children are allowed. Hence, it’s no big deal for a child to go into a bar and they probably grow up with wine on the table at meal times anyway. Italian children don’t grow-up in a pi**head culture and bars are not seen, or used, as liquid drug dispensaries. If you’re not working, afternoons are a time for siesta, not going to football matches. Re Sundays, its often thought, with Italy being a Catholic country, everything stops on Sunday and everyone hobbles home on their knees after the obligatory church service. In reality, Britain is (and certainly was) far more ‘puritanical’ than Italy. Sunday is a day for getting out and about visiting friends or places, and staying late. A lot is open on a Sunday and many markets, fares and events are specially set for Sunday’s. The ‘deadest’ day is Monday, where, to get over ‘Monday mornings’, most places close Monday’s and many shop owners take all or part of Monday off – there’s sensible for you boyo. Even all hours hypermarkets may not open until 2:00pm or later on a Monday.

No.9

True enough, No 9.

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Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

BIG big game today! Arsenal v. Barcelona in the Champions League Finale. Should be a very exciting game to watch! I think it starts around 2/2:30PM EST (could be wrong - might be closer to 3 or 4). I'm already wearing my Arsenal Jersey. The only bad thing is that i'll be heading to the airport by the time the game starts, so i wont know the results until afternoon on Friday, Australian time, when i arrive. Its going to be a nervous flight (though hopefully when i get to LAX some one will tell me who won). My dad said he would tape the game for me (since he has to drive me to airport) so my fingers are crossed!

ARSENAL ARSENAL ARSENAL!

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