stretford420

Are Burnley in the Premiership now? Coooooool.

Tune: Halls of Montezuma (USMC Marching Song) From the UEFA Cup Final, To the relegation zone - We will fight, fight, fight for the Boro, Cos they cant fight on their own! To hell with Gareth Souuuthgate, To hell with Downing too (He's Shit!) We will still be here, in 3 years - When your playing in League 2.

That's brilliant.

I feel sorry for Guus Hiddink and Arsene Wenger after this weeks Champions League games. Both are very good coaches, and both were let down by their players. I'm gutted for Fletcher and Abidal as well, I'd love to see both playing in Rome.

And this is the difference between Chelsea this year and Manchester United last year imo. Last year, Barca had about 4 or 5 shots in stoppage time and our defence dealt with all of them. Barca get forward once against Chelsea in stoppage time and score. The difference between the two sides is that one keep their concentration until the end of the game, and the other do not. I like Essien. To be honest, he's the only Chelsea player I do like. I'm gutted for him that after being the most important player in that team for so long, he made the mistake that cost them their place in the final. He's really matured since he announced himself on the English scene by trying to dismember Xabi Alonso a few years ago, which amazes me when I look at the childish, unprofessional behaviour of some of the idiots that the poor man shares a locker room with.

Penalties aside, do you, or do you not, all agree that if Chelsea's defense had been able to keep their concentration until the final whistle and kept a clean sheet, they would be in the Champions League Final? I hope this teaches Chelsea a lesson about the importance of defending.

At the end of the day, if Chelsea had been capable of keeping a clean sheet over 94 minutes, regardless of if the referee missed 4, 44 or 444 penalties, they would have been in the final. I said on here in the first half that if ever there was a defence that would lose concentration and make a slip and conceed a goal, and was flamed over it. Last season, United conceed 0 goals over 180 minutes against Barcelona and go through. This season, Chelsea conceed 1 over the same length of time and go out.

I think they might have had a chance of scoring 1 of the 4 penalties. A game over 1 is more likely to be cagey. Why would you risk attacking Barca when you've seen how it's quite easy to shut them down with men behind the ball and then catch them on the counter? Probably but your never going to see 4 penalties given in a game. A game over 1 should be more exciting. It might be more cagey at first, but eventually somethings got to give, and with the attacking players on show it wont be long before it does. And when that goal goes in, this things gonna **** explode.

Just like your semi finals with Barca last year.....? The 2nd leg of last years semi was a very entertaining, nerve-destroying, edge-of-your-seat game of football. Both sides played well and it was fun to watch. The first leg was a bit dull but the point is, a final is played over one leg, not two. Both sides HAVE to attack and get forward, which means both sides will be left open at the back, which means we will see some amazingly fast paced attack-counterattack football. So the first leg was dull and the 2nd leg was a very entertaining, nerve destroying, edge of your seat game of football? Sounds exactly like Chelsea - Barcelona this year. Why do both sides have to attack? Finals are normally cagey affairs. Well exactly, Chelsea approached the task of beating Barcelona exactly the same way as Mr Ferguson did a year before. Both sides have to attack if they want to ... erm ... win the game. I think we will see gorgeous attacking and counter-attacking.

You played the exact same way against them last season. You just didn't create half the chances that Chelsea did and you got a penalty when you deserved it. And we missed it. Who's to say that Chelsea would have scored theirs tonight if it was given? That was the smartest way to play over 2 legs. A game over 1, however, will be very different. Besides, we actually won playing that way last year. Apparantly it didnt work out quite as well for Chelsea.

Just like your semi finals with Barca last year.....? The 2nd leg of last years semi was a very entertaining, nerve-destroying, edge-of-your-seat game of football. Both sides played well and it was fun to watch. The first leg was a bit dull but the point is, a final is played over one leg, not two. Both sides HAVE to attack and get forward, which means both sides will be left open at the back, which means we will see some amazingly fast paced attack-counterattack football.

Puyol and Henry were there in the first leg and they never won? How do you win against a team playing with 9 defenders and a guy standing on the half way line?

I wouldn't have to. Rooney merely applauded a referee sarcastically against Villareal 3 years ago and was sent off, missing his next Champions League matches, and we went out of the competition in the group stages. If that had been Rooney screaming abuse tonight like that, he would be banned without anybody needing to call for it to happen. Chelsea were unlucky, but, sometimes teams being unlucky can be a good thing for everyone else, because it means the final will be a much more entertaining, action-packed, memorable football match. It amazes me the amount of sympathy Chelsea are getting from neutrals who apparantly haven't realised yet that they've been spared from having to sit through another heinously boring final like last years. I might feel a bit sorry for Chelsea fans but at the end of the day, the football world has what it wanted tonight. The All-Star game ... the most glamourous tie in world football today. And for the record, I don't want the Barca full-backs to be out for the final. I always want to see the best players in the final, whichever team they may be on.

Can you appeal those after the fact? Even if the game was played again at a later date between now and May 27 with a different referee, I think Barcelona would win, because Puyol and Henry might be back so they wouldnt have to play Buckets in midfield and Yaya at Centre-back.

Man Utd are the best team in europe. I think the 2nd best team in europe lost tonight. Second best team in Europe are third in the English League? Thats quite something. Chelsea under Hiddink = 2nd best team in europe. Chelsea under Scolari = also rans. Remind me who they had for the bulk of the season? Statistically, Chelsea under Avram Grant actually were the 2nd best team in Europe because they played the UEFA Champions League Final. Under Hiddink, they've not reached the final, therefore they're 3rd in Europe, surely?

Irrelevant to this result yes, but they deserve to be suspended for at least their next Champions League match in the 2009/10 Group Stages, if not 3 matches. It's a shame that Abidal will miss the final, I think everyone in football regardless of who you support wants to see the best players in the final, and for players to be suspended for that game is always saddening. I think if UEFA learn anything from the last 2 nights, its to appoint experienced, competent referees for their big matches, and to allow appeals on red-card decisions.

Munich? :shock:

Yea, lets see Stretford's reaction when he denies Man Utd 4 penalties But the thing you have to remember is that he got decisions wrong in Chelsea's favour tonight as well. Abidal should not have been sent off, that was a mistake. Michael Ballack should undoubtedly have been sent off for threatening a match official, and Drogba should have been shown a red after the whistle for foul and abusive language. Chelsea should man up, admit they didn't take their chances when they should have and be thankful that two of their major players haven't been banned.

No he wouldnt. He didn't lose the plot last night when Darren Fletcher was the victim of a heinous miscarraige of justice. Because you won!!! Now imagine you'd been knocked out and had 4 very good shouts for a penalty turned down. He would have gone purple and screamed at everybody in sight. Maybe. But really, all this talk after the fact isnt going to change anything. The two best teams in Europe are in the European Cup Final. thats all that matters.

No he wouldnt. He didn't lose the plot last night when Darren Fletcher was the victim of a heinous miscarraige of justice.

The fouls denied them goalscoring opportunities, hence why they were penalties. You'd be complaining if you were in the same situation. But look at all the opportunities that they just flat-out missed as well. And all the crosses that went awry. If their players had been mentally stronger tonight, they'd have scored again and killed the game instead of moping about penalties that werent given. You mean like you lot against Everton eh? Of course, you never complained after that one, did you? We ceretainly didn't complain to the extent that Chelsea did.

Didn't they win the League Cup in 63? :shock: Yes but it's so hard to find a tune to fit "100 years and won **** all, apart from the 63 League cup which we'd prefer to totally forget about" Oh ok. How about taking a leaf out of our book .... In 63, Oh this is true - A trophy was won by a team in blue. It's been a long time, since that day, So we're singing a song that they **** hate. 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! 46 years, **** all! We all hate blues scum, we all hate blues scum We all hate blues scum, we all hate blues scum We all hate blues scum, we all hate blues scum We all hate blues scum, we all hate blues scum etc.

You missed chances against Everton. You had chances to beat them on penalties. If your players had been mentally stronger, you'd have won. So why did all your fans moan about the penalty that wasn't given??? I didnt moan. We should have beaten them and we didnt. Chelsea should have beaten Barca and they didnt. Our players handled themselves in a reasonable manner, Chelsea's collapsed into apoplectic fury. The reason we lost that semi-final is because Berbatov is a word removed.

The fouls denied them goalscoring opportunities, hence why they were penalties. You'd be complaining if you were in the same situation. But look at all the opportunities that they just flat-out missed as well. And all the crosses that went awry. If their players had been mentally stronger tonight, they'd have scored again and killed the game instead of moping about penalties that werent given.

Chelsea did not lose the game because of the referee, they lost because they failed to score more goals than their opposition over 180 minutes. At the end of the day, yes, the referee could have given a penalty. But, if you need to shoot from the penalty spot to score, you do not deserve to be in a European Cup final.