Champions League final & Junternationals

[-james-]

Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Sie sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Une grande réunion
Eine große sportliche Veranstaltung
The main event

Ils sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die Besten
These are the champions

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions


Conference League final in Tirana is tonight (Roma vs Feyenoord).

Champions final in Paris is on Saturday (Real Madrid vs Liverpool).

What's more, we have a new Nations League campaign kicking off next week. Please feel free to familiarise yourself with the structure and draw by clicking here. England face Hungary, Germany, Italy and Hungary between the 4th and 14th.

Scotland host Ukraine in their rescheduled play-off semi-final on Wednesday, with the winner meeting Wales on Sunday. I hope they win!

[Jimmy Floyd]

'Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung'. Sometimes you have to admit that Goebbels did a cracking job, saddled as he was with that sodding language.

Enough about reviled German leaders, though: will Klopp be shown up again?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I don't recognise football threads posted by anyone other than Ian.

[Baz]

Cmon you reds

[Don]

Why did they play the EL final before the ConL final?

Internationals should be a good end to the season. We currently have a friendly with Canada which is under immense political pressure to be cancelled. Oi you fucking melt, yes our government shot down the plane that had your wife and kids on it but this is bigger than that, this is about WC prep. Our participation in the Kirin Cup was cancelled by the clerics due to the alcohol sponsors whilst friendlies with Ecuador and other top nations are cancelled due to refusals to give visas and other such shite. Why we haven't arranged something with Russia I don't understand.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Scotland v Ukraine playoff will be a very weird occasion. I think the best outcome for me would be Scotland to win in highly controversial fashion.

[Ian]

I don't recognise football threads posted by anyone other than Ian.

I don't understand what's happening here. Do I now not do a June thread?

[Waffdon]

Why is there such a mental schedule in June for the nations league of all things?

I’m not confident but hopefully the Ukrainians are a fragile mess and roll over

[Adramelch]

Because of the World Cup in the autumn.

[-james-]

I don't understand what's happening here. Do I now not do a June thread?

Oh come on.

Poll: May the Fourthball be with you
Started by Ian, 04-05-2022 07:41 PM

You've built up some credit so we'll leave it at a month's suspension this time.

[Ian]

Look if you want to take over it's one less thing for me to forget to do.

Also I made it clear that that was obviously and intentionally a VERY CLEVER Star Wars Days tie in and I'll thank you for not questioning my integrity.

[Disco]

I don't recognise football threads posted by anyone other than Ian.

I don't even read these and I'm offended.

[Kikó]

Looking forward to the classic end of season European Final. Roma v Feyonoord is a fine way to end the season and turn off the tv and delete social media.

[-james-]

Look if you want to take over it's one less thing for me to forget to do.

Also I made it clear that that was obviously and intentionally a VERY CLEVER Star Wars Days tie in and I'll thank you for not questioning my integrity.

I absolutely do not. I'm not sure what I was thinking really.

[Giggles]

I don't understand what's happening here. Do I now not do a June thread?

You do a proper June thread.

[-james-]

You do a proper June thread.

[Giggles]

It’s Ian’s thing. We’re all old, we need routine.

[Shindig]

And it's not June yet. You can't have May's football in the June thread.

[niko_cee]

'will Klopp be shown up again?

Have Liverpool actually played well in a final under him?

Good first half against Sevilla rather went to bits.

Decent against Madrid until Ramos happened and then the goalie started chucking them in.

Outplayed by Spurs for much of that game although neither side had many chances, early dodgy pen ftw.

2 penalty shoot-outs against Chelsea.

By all rights they should have been spannering all those finals, with the possible exception of the Madrid one, but even then that 'ageing' Madrid side was seen as ripe for the taking.

Perhaps it's unfair, does anyone ever play all that well in finals or is it just about getting over the line?

[Shindig]

Nah, I thought Spurs were kinda nervy. Although I reckon Madrid's more up for the occasion. And you can extend your question to, "Have Liverpool spannered teams in March - May?"

[niko_cee]

They wrecked Roma on the way to that final, even though the end result didn't make it really look like it.

Beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield.

[Shindig]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61585290

That's a ... choice. I thought he was older than 36. I feel like he's been retired for ages.

[Gray Fox]

The Spurs v Liverpool final suffered from for some reason being 3 weeks after the season finale. Both teams were not match sharp and both were playing an unfit striker. Liverpool went 1-0 up and then sat back to play on the counter. Spurs then offered very little until about the last 10 mins.

The second of the Chelsea finals was much better from Liverpool. How they didn't score 3/4 is beyond me.

[niko_cee]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61585290

That's a ... choice. I thought he was older than 36. I feel like he's been retired for ages.

Loans ahoy. Hopefully he then gets the City gig on the back of it once Pep has finally had enough of everyone not appreciating him and this 'legendary' team he has put together.

[Giggles]

That’s a road to nowhere. Would his stock be that low after not winning the league with Anderlecht?

[niko_cee]

I was envisioning a Lampard-Derby situation.

Burnley may be a bit fucked, but the financial advantage they hold over the rest of the Championship will still be pretty significant. Get a few bright young things from City [don;t they have a handy midfielder called Doyle or something?] in there and they'll do fine enough.

[Shindig]

Yeah, they'll have the parachute payments and a manager with connections. Although he won't have Sean Dyche's ability to find brass in muck.

[Giggles]

Have they not some mad loan to pay back?

[Waffdon]

Yeah, I’m not sure they’re sitting too pretty. Reckon they’ll go down again if not struggling for sure. Are they not losing a decent amount of players as well? Cornet will be gone as he’s got a cheap relegation clause

[Ian]

Guardian says "they have the small matter of needing to pay back “a significant proportion” of a £65m loan owner ALK Capital took out when buying the club." And isn't that on top of it having been a "we'll take on a load of debt to buy you then give you the debt you're welcome" deals?

Which is all well and good if you're able to rely on the Premier League money and wangle those sweet, sweet Official Noodle Partner deals but not so much if not.

Other than "because it might make some rich people do a frowny" is there any good reason not to just fucking ban those sorts of takeovers?

[niko_cee]

"It's the nature of the free market" but yeah, asset stripping, vulture capitalism etc does seem to be a particularly poorly conceived concept from a wider societal perspective. But then who gives a fuck about wider society eh?

[Giggles]

It’s Burnley. Nobody gives a fuck.

Certainly not anyone concerned with running the sport anyway. Anyone outside about 6 clubs is just a hindrance.

[Ian]

It seems to be objectively bad for clubs so leagues / associations could surely ban it if they actually cared. Which I know they don't, obviously.

[Lewis]

That England game in an empty Molineux is going to be a classic.

[phonics]

You'd have to ban the entire practice across the financial world and there's too many rich fucks making money off it to stop. Same reason Toys R Us went bust.

[Kikó]

Did Smalling win the Europa at United? If he wins tonight and then joins real Madrid or Liverpool, he can complete the set.

[Giggles]

I’ve just seen our squad and there’s a Hamilton in the forwards that I’ll need to look up because I haven’t a notion.

[Luke Emia]

I’ve just seen our squad and there’s a Hamilton in the forwards that I’ll need to look up because I haven’t a notion.

Lewis?

[Ian]

No, that's Giggles. It says it right there.

[Lewis]

Jose Mourinho holding up his fingers to make it all about him.

[Waffdon]

Jose

[Manc]

Get Chris Smalling on the plane.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Did he do 5 fingers for his 5 European trophies as a manager, or was it 7 fingers to include those he won as an assistant coach and translator?

[Bernanke]

Roma is way more small time than I thought. Only 3 Serie A titles?

[Don]

Why did they play the EL final before the ConL final?

Internationals should be a good end to the season. We currently have a friendly with Canada which is under immense political pressure to be cancelled. Oi you fucking melt, yes our government shot down the plane that had your wife and kids on it but this is bigger than that, this is about WC prep. Our participation in the Kirin Cup was cancelled by the clerics due to the alcohol sponsors whilst friendlies with Ecuador and other top nations are cancelled due to refusals to give visas and other such shite. Why we haven't arranged something with Russia I don't understand.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/arti...-in-vancouver/

The western gammon used to fucking love to spout the 'politics has no place in sport' line but hy Christ has the last couple years changed that. Fond memories of our boys across the sports getting fined and samctioned for refusal to face those zionist child killers over the last few decades

[SincereTheRebel]

Roma is way more small time than I thought. Only 3 Serie A titles?

Them and Napoli just finish second more often than not

[John Arne]

Roma = Tottenham

[niko_cee]

Harsh on Roma.

[thommo]

View Tweet

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

[Lewis]

There seems to be a lot of scamming and ticket thieving going on. It could just be the normal amount amplified by social media, or...