Football Focus

[red devil]

*Polishes EDF Cup...*

[Otta]

Looks like I'll have to settle for Europa. Can't see me overhauling DaveR's 5 point lead and nicking that last champs league spot.

[Otta]

With Brave John Terry ruled out of the final, I actually feel more like wishing Rafa's Chelsea good luck.

[Alan Medic]

Oh I don't know. I'd sort of like Terry to rush up to collect a loser's medal.

[red devil]

Otta Wrote:

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> With Brave John Terry ruled out of the final, I

> actually feel more like wishing Rafa's Chelsea

> good luck.

Not so hasty Ots, apparently he may be allowed to lift the trophy if they win...resplendent in his kit...again http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/10057648/Europa-League-final-2013-Chelsea-v-Benfica-John-Terry-may-lift-trophy-in-Amsterdam-Arena-despite-injury.html

[DaveR]

"Looks like I'll have to settle for Europa. Can't see me overhauling DaveR's 5 point lead and nicking that last champs league spot"

If we finish level on points will there have to be a play-off?

[red devil]

DaveR Wrote:

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> "Looks like I'll have to settle for Europa. Can't

> see me overhauling DaveR's 5 point lead and

> nicking that last champs league spot"

>

> If we finish level on points will there have to be

> a play-off?

No, final placings for players tied on points will be decided by their participation %...Ots would be placed higher.

[maxxi]

Otta Wrote:

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> With Brave John Terry ruled out of the final, I

> actually feel more like wishing Rafa's Chelsea

> good luck.

Except that you know the c**t will be wearing his kit under his suit - poised to run/hobble on at the end to photo bomb. Oh, and they say - if Chelsea win - he will lift the trophy.

Still feeling the love?

eta: sorry RD - kind of a cross post/duplicate post thing... which means i didn't read your before posting...

[Mick Mac]

El Pibe Wrote:

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> Whilst I totally agree with you in general terms

> MM, football isn't exactly the real world.

>

> At ?5 million odd a year top contracts are worth,

> I wouldn't give a toss if the grandees of football

> added the invention of perpetual motion in my

> contract, let alone winning the treble, I'm taking

> the role!!

And then you get sacked and it might not damage your reputation immediately but a second one might. Targets are a means of quantifying what the expectations are of both sides and are should not be viewed as a bad thing necessarily.

[El Pibe]

10 million quid and I retire baby!!!

[Jah Lush]

Forget Chavski playing Benfica in Amsterdam this evening. Fifty years ago tonight Tottenham Hotspur became the first British club to win a European trophy, beating Atletico Madrid 5-1 in Rotterdam in the European Cup Winners Cup Final. Jimmy Greaves and Terry Dyson both scoring twice with the late great John White scoring the other goal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_European_Cup_Winners%27_Cup_Final

Legends.

[Otta]

I heard that on the commentary too ;-)

[Otta]

I missed the first half, which apparently Benfica bossed without even having to try particularly hard. I watched the second half though, and enjoyed it for the drama.

Based on the second half Chelsea deserved that.

[Otta]

He fucking went and did it again though. What a cunting wankstain!

[Jah Lush]

John Terry basking in it again. Tosser! I see David Luiz has an imaginary friend too. Anyway, I think it's about time the Chelsea fans and everyone at the club showed some respect to Rafa Benitez though I doubt they will. No class.

[maxxi]

Not even content with wearing a tracky - knob.

I hope someone follows him around for the rest of his life and any time he shows a photo of the final celebrations (to his grandkids or anyone) pipes up and says "Yeah, but you didn't actually play, did you? I mean, you weren't in the team were you? But I suppose you aways wore your kit to games whenever you were injured or banned right?"

[Otta]

What Jah said.

Torres hasn't actually had a bad season either.

[glasshalffull]

How do you actually qualify for a winners medal? I always thought you had to play in the final or be a sub for the final.

[Mick Mac]

Otta Wrote:

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> He @#$%& went and did it again though. What a

> @#$%& wankstain!

Indeed. Quite unbelievable.

[red devil]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> John Terry basking in it again. Tosser! I see

> David Luiz has an imaginary friend too. Anyway, I

> think it's about time the Chelsea fans and

> everyone at the club showed some respect to Rafa

> Benitez though I doubt they will. No class.

I'm no defender of Chelsea fans, but Benitez showed a lack of class not retracting/apologising for the slagging off he gave Chelsea fans when he was Liverpool manager...

[StraferJack]

"but Benitez showed a lack of class not retracting/apologising for the slagging off he gave Chelsea fans when he was Liverpool manager..."

You think so? I disagre. I thought what he showed was a maturity by not indulging the childish whims of the average football support (below average in CFC's case) who appear to have the feeling of a 12 year old boy.

so he said, when Liverpool manager:

"?Chelsea is a big club with fantastic players, every manager wants to coach a such a big team,? said the Spaniard. ?But I would never take that job, in respect for my former team at Liverpool, no matter what. For me there is only club in England, and that?s Liverpool.?

and

"?We don?t need to give away flags for our fans to wave ? our supporters are always there with their hearts, and that is all we need. It?s the passion of the fans that helps to win matches ? not flags."

which, as manager of a team playing Chelsea you would expect him to say

And for that he has received endless abuse from Chelsea supporters as he guided them to another European trophy - some of the abuse shameful

To me, Benitez' class has appreciated 100% over the last 6 months

[StraferJack]

@Mick Mac

You may not have explicitly talked with reference to billionaires, but but "agreeing with City" that is ultimately what you are doing

When you have bilionaires buying these clubs at the top, they all have the same tarfet but only one can achieve it - and that achievment is merited but various factors over a single season can contribute - injuries, ref decisions etc etc

I'm agnostic about targets generally - in some areas they are a good thing but I think they have become abused by lazy modern management (see parking tickets or even some areas of medical treatment)

But if you apply to be a manager at say, City, I don't think you need targets in your contract. You clearly have your own personal target of winning as much as possible. Your record will probably back that up. Writing targets into the contract doesn't really help anyone

[Chillaxed]

I'm no fan of Brave John Terry but I understand you need to be in your kit to collect a medal or lift the trophy. And if you've played your part in winning the thing, why not?

[StraferJack]

Because a dignified response is preferable to a desperate one?

because people remember players like Bergkamp and Pires missing out on cup final victories, and who were able to carry themselves with said dignity

Because they are already disposed to Very Much Not Liking BJT, and this just proves their point

[Chillaxed]

I think your last point hits the nail on the head. He's a knob so people ridicule him for this.

Your Arsenal examples do nothing for me. Come on the Geordies!