So you may have gathered that I am not generally a supporter of English teams in Europe, unless it is the Toon or Fulham (I lived opposite the Cottage for a year), but having just watched the United game, if a British team has to win, I would like it to be them.
But this shocks even me. My earliest football memory was of United being the bad guys, they where responsible for 'I would love it'. They ruined the glorious dream time and time again. Loosing the league to them was probably a bit early for me, but in the 1999 FA Cup final those bastards reduced me to tears. My controversial among ten year olds decsision to support Bayern Munich in the Champions League final seemed fully justified. I remember a glorius Shearer inspired 4-3 a few seasons later, still that win is up there in terms of my favourite Newcastle memories. Jose Mourinho's touchline run brought joy to my heart.
But something changed. I think it was Arsenal and Chelsea that did it. United didn't win the league for a few seasons, went out of Europe early a few times. My viewpoint definately softened. During the Moscow final i suprised myself. I genuinely wanted United to win, and the fact that they did so during a game in which Ronaldo missed a penalty and then cried lots was perfect.
Now Ronaldo and Kenyon are gone really am struggling to find an acceptable hate figure. So Fergie is an obvious one, but I can't do it. I don't know why, I just can't. And besides, a man who took Aberdeen to European glory would be a hero if he hadn't done those things to Kev.
No hate figures is one thing, but I like, actually like the fact that here is a team that can take on the best in the world, but that features on a regular basis Ferdinand, O'Shea, Carrick, Fletcher, Neville, Hargreaves (God rest his sole), Rooney, Giggs and now Owen. It feels like a British team, unlike Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea. And i can't help but love Nemanja Vidic, what with my natural soft spot for eastern european talent, Ji Sung Park was a favourite since the glory days of Mr Ahn and co. in 2002, and if Ji Sung loves Patrice Evra which he clearly does (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br25EVIx8RA), then I can too.
See what I mean, i just used 'love' when talking about United. Still hope they loose at the weekend mind.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Glorientina
FIORENTINA ARE WINNING. Freaking glorious this is, unless it goes all Standard Liege. Without sounding too facetious, I love it when English teams loose in the Champions League. Even more so when it is Italian teams with big haired Eastern European strikers bagging the goals. To quote some journo dude ''Is the Champions League the new League Cup?'' Er... No. Fool.
Seriously though, i think it would be super rad to see Fiorentina have a good run in this years competition. It is pretty hard not to love them. Most of those guys are on pretty small salaries, Gilardino took a 75% pay cut when he signed from AC. The new Mutu is hard not to admire. Frey is surely the most underated keeper in football history. Short sleeved pink jerseys for life. And all this from a club who where in Serie C not so long ago, and have been pretty clever in the transfer market. Prandelli is working miracles in Florence. This is exactly how a football team should be.
And last time they got past the groups, it was pretty sweet
Seriously though, i think it would be super rad to see Fiorentina have a good run in this years competition. It is pretty hard not to love them. Most of those guys are on pretty small salaries, Gilardino took a 75% pay cut when he signed from AC. The new Mutu is hard not to admire. Frey is surely the most underated keeper in football history. Short sleeved pink jerseys for life. And all this from a club who where in Serie C not so long ago, and have been pretty clever in the transfer market. Prandelli is working miracles in Florence. This is exactly how a football team should be.
And last time they got past the groups, it was pretty sweet
Size dosen't matter
One of the things that irked me most about the stressfull process of Newcastle's relegation last season was the frequent allegation that we (yes, i feel Newcastle are the only team I can use 'we' for) are not, and possibly have never been a big club. It seemed that we are not the big club we think we are, and the fact that we apparently deluded ourselves with bigness meant we deserved to go down.
Why would we aspire to bigness? Why would any club? Surely every fan wants to see there club win stuff? This is ridiculous. A football club is a football club, some are succesful, others are Newcastle. It seemed the fact that we went down, and were apparently big, meant we were doomed to multiple relegations and certain death. Fans of other clubs laughed how we couldn't compete with the bigness of their teams. WHY DO PEOPLE CARE????????
Seen as this blog thinks foreign football is allways better, lets have a gander abroad. Villareal - wouldn't call them 'big'. Super sucessful, but not big. Wolfsburg - Did you see the season they just had? Staying in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim - Tiny club, but i reckon the supporters are enjoying it. Barcelona - Huge, and gloriously sucessfull.
This whole ''you're not a big club, we are'' thing annoys the hell out of me. I really don't care about the size of Newcastle, all I know is i am developing a massive fondness for championship football.
Why would we aspire to bigness? Why would any club? Surely every fan wants to see there club win stuff? This is ridiculous. A football club is a football club, some are succesful, others are Newcastle. It seemed the fact that we went down, and were apparently big, meant we were doomed to multiple relegations and certain death. Fans of other clubs laughed how we couldn't compete with the bigness of their teams. WHY DO PEOPLE CARE????????
Seen as this blog thinks foreign football is allways better, lets have a gander abroad. Villareal - wouldn't call them 'big'. Super sucessful, but not big. Wolfsburg - Did you see the season they just had? Staying in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim - Tiny club, but i reckon the supporters are enjoying it. Barcelona - Huge, and gloriously sucessfull.
This whole ''you're not a big club, we are'' thing annoys the hell out of me. I really don't care about the size of Newcastle, all I know is i am developing a massive fondness for championship football.
The UEFA Cup is Dead, Long Live the UEFA Cup
Yeah yeah, I know I should refer to it as the Europa League nowadays, and that is my point. Seems to me like this whole UEFA rebranding thing has just made people, or atleast journalists and managers, think even less of it in this country, which is wrong, because the UEFA cup is one of the greatest competitions on earth.
Okay, first off in my defence; it was better as a straight knock out. No denying that. But apart from a largely superflous group stage, it is great.
Football is about more than the big four, way more. Supporting Newcastle, I have first hand experience of UEFA cup fandom. For teams like we used to be it is great. We got to a European semi final for christs sake! The excitement and nerves and banter surrounding the game with Marseille built up for days. 0-0 at home, could we get the away goal? Could we beat Valencia? Newcastle vs. Valencia in Gothenburg. The level of excitement and inevitable heartbreak that that UEFA cup run supplied was incredable. Just ask a Boro fan. You don't get that battling for sixth and seventh in the premiership Harry Redknapp. I know. The league is only exciting when you are a glorious underdog with Bobby Robson in charge and you nearly actually win the thing. What it must be like to be a Wolfsburg or Verona fan, when the boys actually pull it off, i can only dream off. And even if you don't win it you get to have Liverpool's champions league place, which you can then throw away against Partizan Belgrade.
And that is another good thing about the 'second tier' trophy. Big games take place outside of England and Spain. I was in Prague when the Sparta vs. Dinamo Zagreb game was on last season, and people were talking. People were excited. So people were also expecting violence, but that ain't the tournaments fault. HSV against Bremen in the semi final last year, HUGE. A freind is from Bremen and he described there win as up there with winning the Bundesliga. Damn I wish I came from Bremen. Dynamo Kiev vs. Shaktar in the other semi. That must have been massive in Ukraine. European games rule, and the UEFA cup gives fans huge, historical, romantic games that wouldn't exist in the Champions League. I would rather of watched either UEFA semi last year. Having said that, watching Chelsea-Barca just down the road from The Bridge was a good laugh.
Football is about excitement, and the UEFA provided that in spades (Cliche-tastic this). And any tournament that gives St Patricks a chance to play in the Olympiastadium is fine by me.
Long live the Europa League
Okay, first off in my defence; it was better as a straight knock out. No denying that. But apart from a largely superflous group stage, it is great.
Football is about more than the big four, way more. Supporting Newcastle, I have first hand experience of UEFA cup fandom. For teams like we used to be it is great. We got to a European semi final for christs sake! The excitement and nerves and banter surrounding the game with Marseille built up for days. 0-0 at home, could we get the away goal? Could we beat Valencia? Newcastle vs. Valencia in Gothenburg. The level of excitement and inevitable heartbreak that that UEFA cup run supplied was incredable. Just ask a Boro fan. You don't get that battling for sixth and seventh in the premiership Harry Redknapp. I know. The league is only exciting when you are a glorious underdog with Bobby Robson in charge and you nearly actually win the thing. What it must be like to be a Wolfsburg or Verona fan, when the boys actually pull it off, i can only dream off. And even if you don't win it you get to have Liverpool's champions league place, which you can then throw away against Partizan Belgrade.
And that is another good thing about the 'second tier' trophy. Big games take place outside of England and Spain. I was in Prague when the Sparta vs. Dinamo Zagreb game was on last season, and people were talking. People were excited. So people were also expecting violence, but that ain't the tournaments fault. HSV against Bremen in the semi final last year, HUGE. A freind is from Bremen and he described there win as up there with winning the Bundesliga. Damn I wish I came from Bremen. Dynamo Kiev vs. Shaktar in the other semi. That must have been massive in Ukraine. European games rule, and the UEFA cup gives fans huge, historical, romantic games that wouldn't exist in the Champions League. I would rather of watched either UEFA semi last year. Having said that, watching Chelsea-Barca just down the road from The Bridge was a good laugh.
Football is about excitement, and the UEFA provided that in spades (Cliche-tastic this). And any tournament that gives St Patricks a chance to play in the Olympiastadium is fine by me.
Long live the Europa League
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