Football Focus

[Bluerevolution]

?...BREAKING NEWS...celtic have announced a new shirt sponsor for next season...no more nails.

[SCSB79]

Are you for real? Abuse at a manager??? Shock horror, whatever next?!

Lennon brings a lot of it on to himself with his atrocious pitch side behaviour. It's not just Rangers fans that can't stand the man. I've many non-OF supporting fans as friends that dislike him as much as I do.

He needs to learn to act with some decorum and respect.

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Alan Medic Wrote:

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

> -----

> > I have to say that given everything that's

> > happened, I thought Lennons ear cupping gesture

> at

> > the end was ill judged.

>

> Quite the opposite. What he put up with during

> that game in chants from rangers fans, should be

> addressed.

[SimonM]

I agree. Went to a Sheffield United game with a mate once and its was a great laugh.

Oh well trust me you do need a strong and resilient sense of humour to watch the lads on a regular basis!:))

[Sandperson]

United were superb last night. I just wish we'd played like that all season. Having Valencia back and in such good form is like having a new signing.

[Mick Mac]

SCSB79 Wrote:

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> Are you for real? Abuse at a manager??? Shock

> horror, whatever next?!

> Lennon brings a lot of it on to himself with his

> atrocious pitch side behaviour. It's not just

> Rangers fans that can't stand the man. I've many

> non-OF supporting fans as friends that dislike him

> as much as I do.

> He needs to learn to act with some decorum and

> respect.

>

> Mick Mac Wrote:

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

> -----

> > Alan Medic Wrote:

> >

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

>

> > -----

> > > I have to say that given everything that's

> > > happened, I thought Lennons ear cupping

> gesture

> > at

> > > the end was ill judged.

> >

> > Quite the opposite. What he put up with during

> > that game in chants from rangers fans, should

> be

> > addressed.

You are missing the point (again). Rangers fans made an official complaint to police about being offended by Neil Lennon cupping his hand to his ear. Some Rangers fans must be easily offended. Neil Lennon did not make any complaint about the treatment by Rangers fans or say he was offended. Peter Lawell said it was laughable that Rangers fans would abuse Neil Lennon for 90 mins and then feign offence at him putting his hand to his ear. I agree with him.

Neil Lennon is big enough to take verbal abuse all day long from Rangers fans. Its when it comes to threatening his family that he says it affects him, and of course it does, he openly admits this but continues in the job.

The irony of a man being subjected to all levels of abuse, then being the subject of a complaint for cupping his hand to his ear is lost on noone.

Unsurprisingly the Police have batted the complaint back and will focus their efforts on finding nail bombers. With the police, Celtic and Rangers will concentrate on eliminating sectarian abuse from matches. Then there will be no need for people to say the subjects of sectarian abuse bring this on themselves ( you SCSB ) or that making any response to these bigots is ill judged (Alan Medic).

I don't normally respond to your posts but today I'll make an exception.

[Atticus]

Annasfield, once again, you are tarring. I wanted us to kick their arses on sat because I'm an Everton fan. The bitters tag is a worn one, we have little to be bitter about regarding Liverpool these days.

[Alan Medic]

I'm sorry to disagree with you Mick Mac but Lennon is silly to give idiotic people some more ammunition. I can understand wanting to take his side (as I do) but he should try and distance himself from it and not get involved. He has not been a manager too long and maybe he will learn that his actions affect people who support Celtic. Some fans will think it is ok to respond to provocation, as the manager himself does. The club and he must find the higher ground if all this crap is ever to be wiped out of Scottish football.

[Mick Mac]

Fair point Alan. I agree with you that he might have been better off not doing it but it would take an incredibly mature person to have shown no reaction at all given the abuse and also the result he had just achieved. Let's say he was chuffed to come away with a result given all that had happened recently.

[SCSB79]

Ever seen Walter Smith walk off after a game cupping his ears after being called a 'sad orange bas*ard' by 50,000 Celtic fans?

No, neither have I.

Regardless of the amount of abuse directed towards Lennon, this is a man caught on camera calling the Rangers bench 'cheats' and 'orange bas*ards', spat on a Rangers scarf, sent threatening messages to an ex/mother of his kid, been suspended for 8 games in his first full season as a manager...

Whilst not condoning any actions of fans, the man is quite simply a trouble maker and really needs to wind his neck in and start to act like a man in a responsible position.

[Mick Mac]

Top goal by Messi last night. Mourinho spoiling tactics did not work this time. Should make for a good final with MU having "home" advantage.

[matthew123]

Last time an English team played European Cup final at Wembley was Liverpool. But I don't think United have a pray.

[Mick Mac]

If they were playing Bruges they would probably win though.

[matthew123]

United will be relying on tried and tested Howard Webb that night wearing the number 7 shirt at Wembley... King Howard... Hmmmm... no, definately Barcelona

As for Brugges in 1978 they were not good enough in perhaps one of the most one sides European Cup finals, until 1999 although on that occasion it went the other way

[Mick Mac]

I like that Matt. Had to check who won in 1999. Of course who could forget.

I had ?50 on Bayern that night, so I was probably the only person in the pub not happy.

I only had the bet on because I did not think MU could win without their midfield, both Keane and Scholes. However they still managed to pull it off so credit where its due.

Lothar Mattaus was a star performer that night but just ran out of legs about 10 mins from the end.

[Bluerevolution]

wasn't that the infamous 9 minute "Fergie time" at the end of 90 mins, 2 goals scored in that time?

[Alan Medic]

Bluerevolution Wrote:

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> wasn't that the infamous 9 minute "Fergie time" at

> the end of 90 mins, 2 goals scored in that time?

No it wasn't BR. Fergie time was introduced when United beat Sheff. Wed in the league when he won it for the first time. Steve Bruce scored the winner if I remember correctly. It was 6 minutes not 9. The CL winner in 99 was early in added time.

[Alan Medic]

You obviously!

[malumbu]

I think it was a good result for Spurs. West Brom snuffed most of their attacks out and countered very well and could have nicked it at the end. Also West Brom should have been two nil up before the equaliser (not shown on MoTD). The arrogance of North Londoners eh?

But I thought that there would be some interest in who was going down from the Prem.

So to move onto the chants from the Kop. In a time when Liverpool was the centre of the new pop music, as groups were getting hold of American RnB due to the trade across the Atlantic, it was quite difficult to hear this on national radio due to the stuffy BBC, controls on what they could play (pop songs were often played by the BBC house orchestra as a condition of license) and no independent radio network. Pirates Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg, and that was about it. Discos were in their infancy. So where did you go and have a good sing song of the latest pop songs? The terraces! Even when I started to go in the early 70s it was great to hear pop songs and sing along to your own version "Oh Ally Ally, Ally, Ally Ally Ally Brown" (To son of my father my Chicory Tip, then top of the charts, and still used for new versions".

My fave was the story of a foggy match at Anfield. There was a goal at the other end that the Kop did not see, so they chanted "Who scored the goal, who scored the goal, eh i adioh who scored the goal" The retort from the other end was "Hunt scored the goal Hunt scored the goal, eh i a...". And the reply was "thank you very much for the information, thank you very much thank you very very very much, thank you very much for the information" To the tune of thank you very much for the Aintree Iron" (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1840,00.html, not about Brian Epstein's sexuality after all!) the novelty song by the Scaffold.

A golden age of terrace humour that we will sadly never see again. And I was too young to be there before anyone thinks that I am an ancient rather than old fart.

[Jah Lush]

malumbu Wrote:

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> I think it was a good result for Spurs. West Brom

> snuffed most of their attacks out and countered

> very well and could have nicked it at the end.

> Also West Brom should have been two nil up before

> the equaliser (not shown on MoTD). The arrogance

> of North Londoners eh?

>

Were you at the game last Saturday? Because I was and Spurs should have won it. However, two very good goals from the Baggies and that result and all the other ones against teams beginning with W this season has buggered up our chances of Champions League football next season unless by some miracle we win all our next games. Highly unlikely I know.

[malumbu]

I was in the tube following Pompey's dodgy victory in the semi-final against West Brom where Baros controlled the ball with his hand before setting up the only goal. So I said to this to a Pompey fan and he replied "who cares, we won". Which is always my answer to "we should have won". And that was also to some Baggies' fans in the Haringay Irish Club afterwards on Sat(note; two places where there are no pubs to drink afterwards in London, Spurs and Millwall. For different reasons I hasten to add).

When I was in the church choir, we sang "I was glad" (Psalm 6, opening tune to Wills and Kate's big bash today"). But outside we would substitute the best result of the day "I was glad, glad when they said unto me, Birmingham City 0 Stoke City 3". Another good psalm is the 23rd, the Lord's my Shepherd. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9xQnBEVVaQ&feature=related But for some balance after saying modern football songs are rubbish here is my fave: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbfJcRQG6g&feature=related (couldn't find the into to this where they shout TJ TJ, and some guy is lifted onto the shoulders to start it off.

And for some futher balance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hckgwh7ryU&feature=related Although a bit too professionally produced for my liking.

And more importantly who is going down from the Prem?

[Mick Mac]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> > Had to check who won in 1999. Of course who could forget.

> You obviously!

It was Matt's implication that it was a one sided final that the weaker team won that threw me. Could not remember a final that quite fitted the bill.

[Alan Medic]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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

> Alan Medic Wrote:

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

> -----

> > > Had to check who won in 1999. Of course who

> could forget.

>

> > You obviously!

>

> It was Matt's implication that it was a one sided

> final that the weaker team won that threw me.

> Could not remember a final that quite fitted the

> bill.

United were fairly lucky that night but it was the first time an English team got that far since English teams were banned from Europe (Heysel). It was a commonly held view that when English teams did return to Europe, European football had moved on. It took English clubs some time to readjust to it. 1-0 wins can be one sided but surely not as much as 4-0 or 3-0 one's of which there were several. Blinkered view from that poster as appears to be the norm.

[matthew123]

What draconian measures did Neil Warnock want passed on West Ham a few years back.. maybe the FA will take that tough approach into consideration over QPR, we shall see..

[maxxi]

As a life-long Irons fan I hope Warnock gets all he (then) desired (delighted to see Sheffield Utd bite the dust too). Yes, I know WH could be relegated too but if it got rid of the opportunist sharks who only took over the club because they saw a killing to be made re the Olympic stadium, then it would be worth it. Paulo for boss! Certo.

[Bluerevolution]

Cheers Chelsea, nice one. Now the conundrum, Arsenal or ManUre to win tomorrow? Arsenal methinks, happy with 4th and would so love to see Chelsea do ManUre over, would make my season complete ! >:D