I wish we could see more of those games here. I have three stations that broadcast soccer from Europe. Each station focuses on one league, so I get to follow the Premiere League, Der Bundesliga and a split on the last channel of Seria A and La Liga. We do get Sky Sports which is nice. I can't believe that they sometimes just read the sports page headlines straight off the papers themselves. How about the Champions League semis, 3 English teams again. Poor Riise, Liverpool should have won.
Did you see Glasgow Rangers make the final of the UEFA Cup? They beat Fiorentina on penalties in Florence. They were really quite lucky as the Italians battered them for the whole game. They meet other surprise finalists Zenit St Petersburg who amazingly thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0. The final will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester next week.
While the Russians from St Petersburg travel to England, two English teams travel to Moscow for the Champions League final. Manchester United play Chelsea. I think Manchester United v Liverpool would have been a better final. The final we have is likely to be a cagey tactical encounter. Fans travelling to Moscow are likely to face all kinds of problems. Visas are required at short notice, there are few regular flights, hotel space is very limited and the stadium is a long way from the city centre. The obvious choice of venue would be Wembley Stadium, but the venue is chosen before the competition begins. The final could have been anywhere from Moscow to Brussels. Just a little bit unlucky that it happens to be in the most far flung capital in Europe.
I was shocked at the Munich result. They were my favorite team when I first started to play the game. We had "Soccer Made in Germany" hosted by Toby Charles every Sunday. It seemed Munich or the West German Natl team was on every week and they never seemed to lose We would go to the fields to knock it about and I was always Manfred Kaltz and my best friends were Pierre Litbarski and Karl-Heinze Ruminege. We have an English pub down the road called The Richmond Arms and my friends and I will take in the final there. Its too bad Man U is so far ahead in goals, other wise the next couple of games would be better. What was the press like for the English squad after WC 2006? You have arguably the best midfield in the world,Lampard, Cole, Beckham, and Gerrard and they can't seem to play well together. I expected big things last WC. They seemed rather uninspired.
After the last World Cup, Erickson the manager was slated in the press. Of the four forwards he took to Germany, Rooney was injured with a broken foot and it was known he would miss the first two games. Owen was just back from injury and was not match fit. Crouch is just not international class. Walcott was only 17 and was taken just for the experience with no intention of ever playing him! Ericksons substitutions were always negative tactically even when England needed a goal. The midfield has been re-vamped since the World Cup. Lampard has performed poorly for England and is no longer a certain starter. Beckham was past his best before Germany, and although he recently recieved his 100th cap he is in semi retirement with Los Angeles Galaxy. The current first choice midfield would probably be Steve Gerrard (Liverpool), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United) and David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers).
Since the World Cup, things have gone badly for England. Under Steve McClaren the team have failed to qualify for this years European Championship. They even had two clear chances gifted to them but threw it away. A draw against Russia in Moscow would have been enough. They lost 2-1 after leading 1-0. Even after this game a lifeline was thrown as Russia lost 1-0 in Israel. England only needed a draw at home to Croatia in their final group match to qualify. The goalkeeper Robinson was dropped after some howlers. Young Scott Carson was drafted in. Croatia went 2-0 up early in the game, poor Carson was to blame for one goal. England pulled the score back to 2-2, but once again failed as Croatia scored a third. Another manager got the sack, with McClaren now unemployed.
The Championship looks to be all over. Chelsea play away to my team, Newcastle United tomorrow. Chelsea must win to stand any chance of being champions. In a similar scenario last season, the score was 0-0. Chelsea may well win tomorrow, but even that probably wont be enough.
Ah if only. Anyway I think he gets transfered to Real Madrid in Goal 2. Just as a point of interest, the pub where the fans are watching the last match is only about half a mile from where I lived until about a year ago.
I have to give a big shout out for Fulham winning and staying up for another year. McBride, Dempsey, Bocanegra and Johnson put on a good showing for us yanks across the pond.
Mike .T
Will Terry play in Moscow or is his injury going to keep him out?
Yes, they had an unbelievable end to the season. A few weeks ago they looked certain to be relegated. That win could be worth £20 million to the club when next seasons sponsorship, television deals and gate money are taken into account.
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