Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 9:57 pm  

Congrats to Chelsea...pleased for Di Matteo he has showed real dignity and character in the caretaker role

Ashley Cole m.o.m for me.

Who'd have thought it a German side losing on penalties

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 9:58 pm  

Both European trophies won by teams who sacked their coach? So much for 'building' trophy winning sides...

[Wanderer]

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:02 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

Ouch! No English team ever beats a German team on penalties....

At Club level they do (and have done historically).

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:03 pm  

Just goes to show doesn't it, all that money on managers and the teaboy wins it for them

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:03 pm  

Echoes of Liverpool in Istanbul as far as the undeserved WTF win factor is concerned, but the trophy won't have an asterisk next to it in the record books I suppose. Penalty shootouts definitely need to be scrapped - you couldn't have a worse, more unfair means of deciding a football match and it's a complete joke that FIFA just ploughs along with them.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:06 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

Echoes of Liverpool in Istanbul as far as the undeserved WTF win factor is concerned, but the trophy won't have an asterisk next to it in the record books I suppose. Penalty shootouts definitely need to be scrapped - you couldn't have a worse, more unfair means of deciding a football match and it's a complete joke that FIFA just ploughs along with them.

How else do you decide it though? Football, after extra time, is a two-hour long match. Can you really expect player to play for three or four hours if need be? It's the only way to decide a cup final. Unless a better alternative becomes available, we'll have just accept that that's how it is. Bayern had stupendous chances to do it, it's their fault.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:12 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

Echoes of Liverpool in Istanbul as far as the undeserved WTF win factor is concerned, but the trophy won't have an asterisk next to it in the record books I suppose. Penalty shootouts definitely need to be scrapped - you couldn't have a worse, more unfair means of deciding a football match and it's a complete joke that FIFA just ploughs along with them.

Why? Chelsea thoroughly deserved that tonight. I can't see why anyone would say they didn't. Defending is as much of football as attacking is. Their performances against Barcelona were absolutely outstanding and tonight as well. Barca couldn't beat Chelsea and neither could Bayern.

Strange shootout, you could see the tide shift as soon as Neuer took the third penalty. That raised more than a few eyebrows, even though he scored it meant the next two weren't as good as the goalkeeper.

I'm an Everton fan and had no real opinion on Chelsea bar a hatred of John Terry. But tonight I found myself fist pumping every clearance and my head hit the roof when the Drog rolled in the winner. It's an utterly brilliant achievement that displayed so much bravery and focus and determination to win. As deserving a winner as there ever has been.

I know there are a couple of Chelsea fans on here, enjoy it guys.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:20 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

How else do you decide it though? Football, after extra time, is a two-hour long match. Can you really expect player to play for three or four hours if need be? It's the only way to decide a cup final. Unless a better alternative becomes available, we'll have just accept that that's how it is. Bayern had stupendous chances to do it, it's their fault.

ANYTHING would be better - literally anything. A flip of the coin would be better as at least that gives a 50/50 chance to both sides rather than penalties which inately favour the worse performing team on the night. A chess match in the centre circle between the 2 managers or captains would even be better. It is just lunacy that we keep letting the biggest games in the sport be decided by means that has nothing to do at all with an actual football match and which decisively favours the lesser performing team.... You might as well just give the trophy to the team that has the fewest shots on goal or least amount of possession and be done with it for the rank unfairness of it all.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:32 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

Echoes of Liverpool in Istanbul as far as the undeserved WTF win factor is concerned, but the trophy won't have an asterisk next to it in the record books I suppose. Penalty shootouts definitely need to be scrapped - you couldn't have a worse, more unfair means of deciding a football match and it's a complete joke that FIFA just ploughs along with them.

I've said this before, but I think us winning the penalty shoot out should have meant the replay was played at Stamford Bridge. I just don't think penalties is an appropriate way to decide Champions League finals and World Cup finals.

As pens is the way they decide it, I think it's the best way to "lose" the final and the worst way to win it.

The 90 minutes were really pushing it though. I thought that we defended nowhere near well enough and our counter attacks were made without any conviction or plan. We were pretty much reliant on Didier or pens, and it turned out to be Didier and pens.

Just made up for Didier Drogba. The biggest legend in Chelsea history. I think that this should be a goodbye, and what a goodbye it was. It was a Hollywood ending that would have been laughed at for being too far fetched.

I hope Roberto stays at the club as an assistant to "whoever", with the plan of learning and hopefully taking over in 5 years time with a lot more knowledge and experience with him. Another Chelsea legend - FA Cup winning goalscorer, FL cup winning goalscorer, FA Cup winning manager and CL winning manager.

Man we were lucky though. I think we've bottled up all the luck from the last five years and forfeited the next five years too. There's no way this team should have won, playing as we did.

Re: The Football Chat (cont) : Sat May 19, 2012 10:37 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

ANYTHING would be better - literally anything. A flip of the coin would be better as at least that gives a 50/50 chance to both sides rather than penalties which inately favour the worse performing team on the night. A chess match in the centre circle between the 2 managers or captains would even be better. It is just lunacy that we keep letting the biggest games in the sport be decided by means that has nothing to do at all with an actual football match and which decisively favours the lesser performing team.... You might as well just give the trophy to the team that has the fewest shots on goal or least amount of possession and be done with it for the rank unfairness of it all.

How does it favour the worst performing team?

It was at Bayern's ground. It was at the Bayern end. They scored the first three, we missed our first one. We absolutely and utter suck at pens and the Germans are renowned for them.

You can't possibly believe that flipping a coin is better than pens to decide it. At least it is down to the players.