English Premier League - Fantasy Football VI

Inter Milan have won the UEFA Champions League Final,
by 2-0 over Bayern Munich.

Look at this line-up!

Julio Cesar

Javier Zanetti
Lucio
Walter Samuel
Maicon

Esteban Cambiasso
Welsey Sneijder
Christian Chivu

Samuel Eto'o
Diego Milito
Goran Pandev

Substitutes

Dejan Stankovic
Marco Materazzi
Sulley Muntari


Man of the Match, Diego Milito scored both goals.

Welsey Sneijder, cast off by Real Madrid,
is Champions League Player of the Tournament.

Acquiring Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona, for Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
put the club over the top.

Javier Zanetti made his 700th appearance for Inter tonight!

Jose Mourniho has all but announced that he will be managing Real Madrid
next season. Which is fine. Inter are too great for Mourinho!

FORZA INTER

^Given they'd not done too well for several years before Captain Ego came in, relying on having titles handed to them by default rather than skill, I don't know about that.

I can't see Mourhino doing well at Real, he's a very pragmatic coach and he'll probably hand them success but they'll hate his style. Especially as he'll explain to any prima donnas where they can fuck off to.

I reckon he'll last two season, get them a title, a domestic cup and maybe a CL final, but probably not the CL cup. Although if he does, it'll be a bloody impressive achievement.

I've a lot of time for Holloway, and given he was offered a bonus for keeping them up it shows how well he's done to get them promoted.

They'll be fucked next season, and will probably go down with less points the Derby, but I suspect they'll make it a hell of a fun season.

I'm hoping they'll entertain someone like Arsenal the weekend Maiden Scotland are playing in Blackpool, as I will get tickets for that and have a damn good weekend!

Aye, I've got to say I am tempted to catch a premiership game next season down there now too.

Saw the Nike advert lastnight after England stumbled to the 3-1 win over Mexico. Crazy - wonder how much money that cost them!

^ Ecky, Im hoping Motherwell can battle through to the play off round of the Uefa before we get bombed out. If so, we could draw Man City, might catch you then.

Villa or Liverpool are other also potential other draws.

Nike must be kicking themselves over Ronaldinho's appearance and the subsequent shite they included to replicate his gay stepovers. The goofy cunt won't even be at the world cup.

Dunga's an idiot though. Not for punting Ronaldinho, but for leaving Pato behind.

BTW, was working down south yesterday. Central London wasn't really that bad* in terms of football crap, but I had an afternoon meeting in Luton - proper working class England. The amount of red lions and St George Flags hanging from pubs, you would think there was a world cup coming up!!


*Central London was actually a pain in the tits being on the Victoria line at 8:30am!

Brazil lacking their usual dose of flair players these days. Dunga's gone for a team moulded in his own image as a footballer - not flashy, not especially bursting with creativity but functional and very effective.
But I reckon Spain will be the team to beat, assuming Torres, Fabregas and Iniesta are fully fit by the time the tourney starts.

As for Luton, ugh. A town best to be avoided IMO! Most underground lines are a nightmare in the early morning - the Central Line is the worst by far and that's the one I use!

He wasn't the best when it came to signing players but he wasn't that bad.
Reina, Johnson, Agger, Mascherano, Benayoun, Alonso, Torres etc. he made some great signings. Every top manager buys a turkey, including the likes of Wenger and Ferguson.
Rafa's problem was he was too defensive, too cautious and too obsessed with 'controlling' games as opposed to winning them.
On the rare occasion he let the team off the leash, Liverpool handed out some right thrashings to a lot of good teams, both home and abroad. But he never could stick with it, always reverting to his safety-first approach of trying not to concede, control the game for as long as it takes to get a goal.
I think that would be well suited in Italy perhaps, but it's not going to win league titles in the Premiership.

It's sad it's come to this but after that frankly shocking season he's just had, there really wasn't a choice.
Thanks for the many great memories Rafa, and for restoring Liverpool to the elite of Europe once again after so many barren years, but your time has now ended.

Now, who the fuck replaces him?

I hear Zola is available.....


You know what? I have spent years receiving hassle on this board at the hands of you Pool fans and I sincerely hope you can't get someone decent to replace him, and that furthermore that your best players go elsewhere. I am tired of listening to Liverpool fans' over inflated opinion of the quality of the club. You don't have, and never had, the long term quality of Man U or Chelski and I hope you now sink to being the "best of the rest", irrespective of whether or not Spurs are one hit wonders in the CL or not. If not us, then Man City. Someone new needs to be in the top four to make you lot realise that you cannot keep coasting on past glories. As a supporter of a club who did that for decades, I can tell you, ultimately there comes a point when past glories don't mean shit anymore.

Who'd want to?

Ownership issues, probably minimal transfer fund, no CL and with a good chance of the three main players (Gerrard, Torres, Reina) fucking off after the WC with no guarantee of seeing all the cash for new players.

Liverpool will take a few years to sort out, and by then I think they'll find themselves locked out of the top 4.

Meh, shit injury record and an extortionate pay packet for four years. He'll get injured and sit in the sun enjoying his £90k a week, while the side drifts into mid-table obsurity after Torres and Gerrard fuck off. Thats if the bin dippers can even survive that long financially.

Bitter that Spurs and crooked Harry missed out, eh?

No. We have plenty of good players that play in Cole's position, unless you think that players like Luka Modric are shit. The only signing I want I a top quality striker.

Besides, Cole joined you only for money and you know it once Torres and Gerrard leave your lot are nothing but a mediocre midtable side with a mediocre manager (let's not forget his stunning record at Blackburn) and huuuuge debt problems.

Let's face it your club's days at the top are seriously numbered.

I think given the fact that 2 of the supposed big four (Arsenal and Liverpool), along with Spurs were after Cole shows just how good he can be and how highly rated he is.

On his day Joe Cole has the ability to turn any game on his head, and he's widely recognised as being one of the most skilful players in the league...... despite being an Englishman. Saying that, I do think he is more of a luxury player, one that Chelsea can't seem to fit into their system.

In my opinion if he had a bit more pace and possibly desire, he would be up their comparable to Giggs and Ronaldo.

They've not been at the top for a couple of decades now. Liverpool need to change their name to History United.

Hodgsons actually a very good manager, at Blackburn he was hobbled by a playing squad at each others throats and a lot of internal politics.

As to whether he'll be given the time at Liverpool that he needs, well that's another matter - some of the silly fucking cretins they call fans are already speaking of winning the title.

Or Self Pity City

Of course, none of that detracts from the fact that they have an otherwise predominently mediocre squad.

Even if Torres stays as well, three good players do not make a top side.

Alright, at the advice of a few Football fans I know I've decided to pick an English Premier League team and follow them for a season. I know Ash did this last year. I'm not sure who he picked but I'm leaning towards Arsenal since a local sports radio station follows them and that will make it easier for me to keep up. Any advice on how to get into this more?

Watch ID, Green Street and the Football Factory, you'll get the idea!


Seriously though dont give up after a couple of games, they could be boring ones. You'v probably made a good choice with the Arsenal in that they try to play football the right way, you'll see some slick passing moves and good goals. Ideal for a beginer, and shouldnt turn you off as much as a team that just plays a containment or long ball game.

Tex, get yourself over and go to a game.

That will be one more this season than the majority of champaigne football fans that post on this board.

Yeah. Fuck off and drown yourself if you're gonna support Arsenal

I use these sites to follow football:


Football 365 - This has all the news on football in England. They have live commentaries of Premier League matches.


Goal - This site has all the news on world football. They are currently doing a countdown of the top 50 players in the world.


Premier League Fantasy Football - The world's largest fantasy football competition.

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