stretford420

Awesome song.

Thankyou very, very much Aston Villa!

I love you all.

Was surprised to find out that Barca don't have a shirt sponsor, and that they actualy give money to UNICEF. Is there no profit in that at all for them then?

Nope, as far as I am aware they don't make any money at all out of their relationship with UNICEF which is the way it should be. They deserve a lot of credit for that, although the club is financially stable enough to be able to afford to do it.

Incidentally, Manchester United are a partner of Unicef and have made large financial contributions to the charity, but I haven't really heard the club publicising it very much recently. I remember they touted it massively in 2000 when some of the players did a charity trip to Africa to help proactively over there.

Perhaps the Champions League Final was just one step too far in a season where the team had played 67 games, more than any other English team in history. Next season, Brown will be fully fit again, Hargreaves will be like a new signing for us when he comes back, Berbatov should have settled, Cristiano will still be here ... this is only the start really. Hopefully next year we'll go out of the domestic cups early so we can focus on Europe and the League.

To me, that team last night looked like a side who were still celebrating their premiership win. They gave off the impression that this game was somewhat of a hinderance getting in the way of their summer. I still believe this team, when they're focused, are the best we have ever had here at Manchester United.

stret your sounding like a bitter dipper mate ..

:shock:

Aww, really? I'm actually not that bitter anymore, as more times goes on since last night, I'm just starting to look forward to next season.

I think they will struggle to bounce back for a number of reasons not least because Ashley simply hasn't learnt the lessons of the recent bumpy past. The day he gave Keegan the job he made a rod for his own back by appointing a manager not up to the task who he couldn't sack, an appointment made out of sentiment and on past reputation rather than on common sense and here he is on the verge of making the same mistake with Shearer.

I saw nothing in Shearer's 8 games in charge to suggest he is the great manager everyone in black and white appear to think, he has no real experience as a manager, no experience in the Championship and none in the transfer market.Yet Ashley seems likely to follow the wishes of the fans an appoint this man to rebuild a club from top to bottom while reducing wage bills and some how gain promotion.

I just don't see it happening for Shearer or them as a club the summer and next season have the potential to be a total train wreck and Ashley once again will have a manager he can't sack without facing a massive fans back lash.

I agree, and now I think about it, I almost wonder if Ashley appointed Shearer knowing that he has no transfer market experience so that Ashley himself can take more of an active role in buying players without much conflict from the manager (thinking of the Roman/Mourinho conflicts at Chelsea here). I'm probably way off on that but I'm suspicious.

Newcastle's tendancy to make decisions based on emotional connection rather than thinking rationally (i.e. hiring Shearer/Keegan to be the messiah) has ended up costing them and hopefully they can learn from that and actually think decisions through in future.

Btw, extra credit to you sir for having a Stone Roses lyric in your sig.

They have to return next year or else they will be in massive trouble. The first thing they have to do, I think most of us agree, iis to get rid of Alan Shearer and get somebody experienced and competent in to manage the team, obviously. Is it any coincidence that we've seen Newcastle and Middlesbrough go down this year, two sides managed by inexperienced managers who walked straight into the job at their former team. Having the fan support and being loved there is one thing, knowing what your doing on the other hand, is another matter altogether.

If they don't bounce back right away, then all the signs are there for a Leeds-esque collapse imo.

Perhaps the Champions League Final was just one step too far in a season where the team had played 67 games, more than any other English team in history. Next season, Brown will be fully fit again, Hargreaves will be like a new signing for us when he comes back, Berbatov should have settled, Cristiano will still be here ... this is only the start really. Hopefully next year we'll go out of the domestic cups early so we can focus on Europe and the League.

To me, that team last night looked like a side who were still celebrating their premiership win. They gave off the impression that this game was somewhat of a hinderance getting in the way of their summer. I still believe this team, when they're focused, are the best we have ever had here at Manchester United.

I've finally made it back from the pub and managed to stop crying for long enough to post. So I will say simple this .... tonights performance was **** awful but this is still one of the best Manchester United teams of all time. And at the end of the day, no team has ever or will ever win retain the Champions League during this era. I genuinely believe we can win it next year in Madrid.

Tonight hurt so, so bad. At the end of the day though, we are the English champions and the Champions of the world, Carling Cup winners, and Champions League Finalists. Not too bad a season ... and the best is still to come next season.

Oh well I know the Ultra's always aim to stab non-fatally and many victims get it in the bum.

Well, maybe that's what they were aiming for haha. Whay exactly is the Ultras aim? Do they just stab people for fits n giggles or do they have some screwed up political aim?

Most of them have a screwed up political aim when they're stabbing each other at least. Most of the worst violence between ultra groups comes when communist ultra groups (e.g. Roma, Milan) come into contact with neofascist ultra groups (e.g. Lazio, Internazionale).

Anyway, I'm off to the pub shortly. Enjoy the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

Well, its the morning of the Champions League final and I just can't fall asleep. I'm already too nervous and hyped up about tonights game.

Why can't the next few hours go past quickly?

i'll be sat in a pub in kidderminster surrounded by a ton of lads who've never been further than stoke in their lives, whilst i'll be sat in my retro barca shirt hopefully giving them stick

iniesta is the key IMO, if he's actually fit and plays well then barca will win, if he's not then they wont

United fans who aren't from Manchester?! Well I never! :shock: :shock:

:winkold:

i know im used to it, man utd vs liverpool draws in around 5 times the crowd that villa blues does, just the way it is

what i do mind is when you have moments like last years final, where as a complete neutral i got treated to "who the **** hell are you" and loads of bollocks from plastic fans

Just tell them to **** off ... I think a lot of people think there are no "neutrals" when it comes to United. They probably assumed you were an ABU or something.

You'd be amazed at the amount of these mongs that turn up at Old Trafford ... silly rich kids who pay £300 to touty websites believing theyre real prices so they can go to Liverpool/City/Arsenal/Chelsea for their first game. They turn up, buy half the megastore, and sit there quietly drinking coke for 90 minutes.

I despair sometimes.

i'll be sat in a pub in kidderminster surrounded by a ton of lads who've never been further than stoke in their lives, whilst i'll be sat in my retro barca shirt hopefully giving them stick

iniesta is the key IMO, if he's actually fit and plays well then barca will win, if he's not then they wont

United fans who aren't from Manchester?! Well I never! :shock: :shock:

:winkold:

Newton Heath will stuff the shit out of them and I'm glad. I'm sick to the back teeth of armchair fans at uni telling me how great Barca are and how they'd walk the PL. I **** watch them and the only reason they score so many is because no good defenders play in the SP! I predict 3-0, 2 from Rooney and one from Park.

I hope your right mate. I would love it, love it if Park scores, after missing out on the final last year. He's pretty much guaranteed to start this year and he has been scoring a bit recently so it could happen. I wonder what the odds are on 3-0 Utd?

Are you going Stretford, or will you be spending most of the 90 minutes posting on an Aston Villa forum?

T'is a bitty harsh no?

He's obviously just keen to hear my views on the game. :winkold:

I might come on in the early hours of Thursday if we win though.

Are you going Stretford, or will you be spending most of the 90 minutes posting on an Aston Villa forum?

No I'm not going. Unfortunately there were only 19,000 tickets and I havent done any European aways this season due to the credit crunch.

I won't be on here though, I'll be paying too much attention to the match.

I've a feeling that this will be the last final played in Rome for some time.

It'll be interesting to see what sanctions UEFA will take after the inevitable stabbings.

That's a cheery thought isn't it.

Oh God ... :shock:

Hopefully it'll be a peaceful game, although a lot of Roma fans are a bunch of clearings in the woods. I was at the Roma game in 07 and that was interesting to say the least. :cry:

UEFA can't really do anything unless something takes place inside the stadium, so they'll probably end up sitting idly by ignoring it as usual.

At least the next 3 venues are nice, the Bernabeú, Wembley (well ok not that nice but close), and the Aliens Arena in Munich.

The 54th Annual UEFA Champions League Final - Roma 2009

Olympic Stadium, Rome

Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 20:45 CET

FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Manchester United FC (ENG)

Ineligible Players: Eric ABIDAL, Daniel ALVÉS (FC Barcelona); Darren FLETCHER (Manchester United FC)

Referee: Massimo BUSSACA (SUI)

So ... who do you think will win this seasons Champions League, and who do you want to win? Feel free to discuss anything Champions League related here!

I don't think Hughes will still be managing there on the opening day of the 2009-10 season either.

Whoever replaces Hiddink at Chelsea.

Lying down, outside, naturally.

Which Redknapp though?

Jamie's a clearing in the woods, Harry's not too bad.

Just some Carling in celebration of United's title win.

right then bear with me on this one and make any changes as this is just off the top of my head for Mr Petrov

To the tune of My Way

And our, player of the year

For the claret and blue, he is Bulgarian

He’ll shoot, get that ball clear

Dominate midfield, that much were certain

And once from the halfway line

He put it in, it was unheard of

And more much more than this

Stiliyan peeeeeetrrooooov

That's a very good song, You'd have to speed the tune up slightly when you sing it though compared to the original imo.

Just a question for you Stretford, why don't you sing Berbatov's name? When you play you sing about every player virtually except him. Is it that you don't like him or what?

We have a couple of Berbasongs, but they seemed to dissapear half-way through the season. We started off just singing "Dimitar Berbatov" to the tune of some George Harrison song, and then later "Dim-i-tar Ber-ba-tov, one look at City and he said **** off" (Jesus Christ Superstar, sped up).

Not sure why people started singing them less and less all the time though. Probably because Berbatov doesn't bloody do anything! :shock:

It's hard to sing songs during a game about a player who spends the majority of the 90 minutes standing around moving about as often as a mannequin.

right then bear with me on this one and make any changes as this is just off the top of my head for Mr Petrov

To the tune of My Way

And our, player of the year

For the claret and blue, he is Bulgarian

He’ll shoot, get that ball clear

Dominate midfield, that much were certain

And once from the halfway line

He put it in, it was unheard of

And more much more than this

Stiliyan peeeeeetrrooooov

That's a very good song, You'd have to speed the tune up slightly when you sing it though compared to the original imo.

Let's hope that Burnley do make it up instead of Sheffield though. Sheff U were boring last time they were in the league

This years version of Sheff U have the distinct advantage of NOT being managed by that tosser Warnock. And they shouldn't have gone down in the first place (Tevez-gate) so I don't mind who comes up really.

Yeh but it means having to hear the bloody chip butty song or whatever its called. :winkold:

I'm thinking about it in terms of travel costs and what not though personally. Burnley being in the league, Wigan staying up, along with either Boro or Newcastle (or both) going down, would make it a cheaper year next year!

Are Burnley in the Premiership now? Coooooool.

Nope, just reached the playoff final. Still got Sheffield United to beat to get to the Premier League

Ahhhh cheers, I hadnt been following the play-offs that closely (as usual).

Let's hope that Burnley do make it up instead of Sheffield though. Sheff U were boring last time they were in the league.