Football Focus

[Keef]

I was literally considering not watching at all, and just loking at the score after... I can always check highlights if it's a good score :-S

[TillieTrotter]

You cant do that Keef. Youve got to be a man and take the pain!

[Sandperson]

I'm looking forward to tonight. Hopefully they'll kick lumps out of each other.

[atila the gooner]

Sandperson Wrote:

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> I'm looking forward to tonight. Hopefully they'll

> kick lumps out of each other.

We leave that sort of behaviour to the likes Neville and Scholes who excel at kicking. They both look and sound like donkeys.

[atila the gooner]

I'm off to The Arsenal tonight to watch the game with my 17 year old son. I can't wait.

[mockney piers]

Go on Atila, just for me admit that Roanldo is a good player, and will be next year, and isn't a one trick pony.

Even El Pais had nothing but superlatives for the lad today.

Roughly translated "Cristiano Ronaldo's got it all: If a player tries to climb him, he'll dribble past/dodge it, if he gives him a metre not to get sucked in by the sidestep, he'll mark a run, and if all else fails he'll do it with a foul" (I'm guessing here, not sure what 'crack the leather' means).

[Ladygooner]

Judging from the picutre in El Pais and the one in the Metro yesterday, looks like Ronaldo has been taking ballet lessons!

[Sandperson]

Well, I hope you and your son have a terrible time and then can't get home....or something equally as irksome. As for Neville and Scholes well I can't see the Neville as donkey analogy but I don't think you'll find a UNITED fan out there who wouldn't agree with the fact he can't tackle. Personally, I wouldn't say he was particularly malicious though just misguided about his own tackling prowess.

[Annasfield]

That's not particularly sportsman like Sandperson. :'(

I've just been looking in to the CL final tickets ballot. Serves me right I guess for not reading the small stuff, but apparently:

"You can, at any time during the sales process (until 19 March 2008 12:00 CET), access your personal application to cancel and/or change your order or the information you have given us.

After 19 March 2008 12:00 CET you will only be able to view your order status but no changes will be accepted."

Hmm, now I've yet to have confirmation that I have/haven't won - but if I can't go or don't want to go this reads as though I cannot do anything about it.

In a worst case scenario, i.e. we don't qualify, I will have to find a wealthy person who wants to be there who is prepared to pay for me to go with them. According to the site - entry will only be granted to me (with my passport) and the person who has the other ticket has to be with me. Crazy!

It's actually poor that UEFA allow for tickets to be allocated prior to knowing who the finalists will be. All this does is encourage touts.

[atila the gooner]

Sandperson Wrote:

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> Well, I hope you and your son have a terrible time

> and then can't get home....or something equally as

> irksome. As for Neville and Scholes well I can't

> see the Neville as donkey analogy but I don't

> think you'll find a UNITED fan out there who

> wouldn't agree with the fact he can't tackle.

> Personally, I wouldn't say he was particularly

> malicious though just misguided about his own

> tackling prowess.

I expect nothing less from a Midlander who supports Man Ure. What a prat.

[mockney piers]

Anyone thinking about going may want to sort out a visa sooner rather than later if they qualify. If you want it sorted on the day at the Russian Consulate it's 120 odd quid. It goes down to ?30 a couple of weeks in advance.

Oh, and they charge Irish passports less than UK ones *gnashes teeth*

[Annasfield]

I have nothing against Russia and would love to visit. However given the reports about the cost out there and brutality of the fans and police, I'm not sure it's the best location to hold a CL final. Add to that visas etc, it's not going to be easy to sort a trip.

[Sandperson]

atila the gooner Wrote:

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> Sandperson Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Well, I hope you and your son have a terrible

> time

> > and then can't get home....or something equally

> as

> > irksome. As for Neville and Scholes well I

> can't

> > see the Neville as donkey analogy but I don't

> > think you'll find a UNITED fan out there who

> > wouldn't agree with the fact he can't tackle.

> > Personally, I wouldn't say he was particularly

> > malicious though just misguided about his own

> > tackling prowess.

>

> I expect nothing less from a Midlander who

> supports Man Ure. What a prat.

A compliment at last!

Anna, I didn't think it was that harsh, in fact it was tongue in cheek but it made Atila throw his toys out so he must be nervous. As far as ticketing goes you'd expect nothing less confusing/counter-intuitive from a governing body would you?

[atila the gooner]

Sanperson you are a prat and no mistake, you mug yourself off everytime you come on the forum.You are a two bob mug.Anyone from the midlands who supports Man Ure instead of a midland team is a glory hunting two bob mug.As for nervous, I am about as nervous as I am of you, you muppet.

[Keef]

Now now boys, lets not get personal for f**ks sake.

Come on Atila, I also said I hoped you had a crap night, it was a joke meaning I hope you're not happy when you leave the ground, nothing more. And to be fair to Sand person, he inherited his team from his dad, which is fair enough (my God, I'd be Arsenal had I done the same *shudders*)

Right, Mrs Keef has just told me she has a load of work on tonight, and I'll be in the way if I stay home, so looks like I'm watching the match after all...

[atila the gooner]

Sorry Keef, I can't be civil to the plastic Manc.

[mockney piers]

You don't have to be civil Atila, but must you sound like Danny Dyer ;-)

Still waiting for you to admit Ronaldo's a good player.

[Annasfield]

Yipee*! - beers round mine then Keef :)-D

*I would also like to add that I feel sorry for Mrs Keef with all that work to do.

[bon3yard]

C'mon you Scousers...anything to thwart the evil designs of Blind Bob and Pat 'The Rice' Butcher. I love that look on Wengers face, post defeat when you know hes going to come up with something ridiculous and downright bitter to say about the world in general and anyone in particular who wont let his team of effeminate luvvies play proper football. Wrap up warmly ladies cos the Northerners are gonna spank ya!...erm, and yes I am a Spurs fan.

[Sandperson]

Blimey, I really did touch a nerve.

As I said, the comment was tongue in cheek, no offence meant, I don't want your mum to die or anything. In fact I'm too old for all this. May the best team win tonight (although, and I am saying this without malice, I think Liverpool might get a result). As for being plastic, I've been called that for many years and worse so do your worst.

[atila the gooner]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> You don't have to be civil Atila, but must you

> sound like Danny Dyer ;-)

>

> Still waiting for you to admit Ronaldo's a good

> player.

Damn, you've sussed where I got the line from. As for the spotty winking ballerina, I find it strange that that the world and his wife, Rooney and Man Ure included are so forgiving of his antics at the world cup. It would have been interesting to see the reaction in the press and from the TV pundits had he played for any other club. But that's Man Ure all over. So you'll wait a long time to hear anything positive about the winker from me. When he jumps ship to Real Madrid, he will fit right in as trying to get players sent off in La Liga (and Serie A) seems to be the done thing.

[Keef]

I don't think anyone (outside of Man U) will forget what he did, I personally think he's a horrid little tosser. BUT, he is a fantastic player, and that I can't deny.

[mockney piers]

It wasn't so very long ago that we (in the loosest sense of the word) were hanging effigies of David Beckham, and now I suspect he'd make it into the House of Lords if it was open to the public vote.

He's still an irksome little git (witness his exasperation and disbelief every time he failed to be awarded a foul for a weak pratfall last night) but seems to be showing signs of maturity. If Rooney can forgive him, that's good enough for me; time heals all wounds Atila.

[Sandperson]

atila the gooner Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> mockney piers Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > You don't have to be civil Atila, but must you

> > sound like Danny Dyer ;-)

> >

> > Still waiting for you to admit Ronaldo's a good

> > player.

>

> Damn, you've sussed where I got the line from. As

> for the spotty winking ballerina, I find it

> strange that that the world and his wife, Rooney

> and Man Ure included are so forgiving of his

> antics at the world cup. It would have been

> interesting to see the reaction in the press and

> from the TV pundits had he played for any other

> club. But that's Man Ure all over. So you'll wait

> a long time to hear anything positive about the

> winker from me. When he jumps ship to Real Madrid,

> he will fit right in as trying to get players sent

> off in La Liga (and Serie A) seems to be the done

> thing.

Not to prolong this argument any more than I should but I was just wondering what planet you were living on at the time? The vitriol for Ronaldo ('spotty tosser' if actually using his name confuses you) was unbridled. Along the same lines as Cantona 'he'll never play in this country and probably never play pro football again', Beckham, same thing after the France 98 red card and then Ronaldo. In fact weren't there effigies hung a la Beckham of him too? What you seem to have misunderstood is that people's appetite for this vitriol soon disappears. The press get bored and so do the fans. How many games into the season did we get before opposing fans stopped booing him? Like a true pro (and an adult) he got his head down, became a better player and if truth be told stopped diving as much as he used to. And before you pick me up on that, I know he still dives. There was a couple last night in fact but it's still less.

[citizenED]

Ronaldo is a brilliant player - a joy to watch. He is also brave enough to "cheat". He probably thought about it long and hard when he was an apprentice. He knows he's quicker and nimbler than most defenders. He knows that many defenders cannot deal with him, so they will simply kick him, trip him or pull him back. So he decides once in a while to fall over when he is not tripped. Call it retribution on the defender's fraternity. I don't like it much but I certainly can understand it.