Tonight's Champions League Games

[I H8 Utd]

Right, before I dive into this, who do you support?

If by support you mean attending games whenever possible, than the local club in the state competition and Brisbane Roar in national competition (Australia), I am also a fan of the City.


What's your point?

Why you ask?

I ask because it seems you don't understand the difference between clubs that dine at the top table, have obscene amounts of money, world class youth set ups and compete in one of the biggest leagues in the world, with another club who has very little money due to playing in one of the shittest leagues in the world and that can only attract some of the finest players in the English Championship.

The simple fact that it surprises you to see a team like Celtic not try and beat Barcelona (arguably the greatest club side in modern times) at their own game, on their own patch, is laughable.

I support Celtic as much as you support Celtic and I couldn't give a fuck how they played against Barcelona. However, what I would expect, is for them to not play Barcelona at their own game because that is simply playing into their hands. Celtic's best players have been plucked from the English Championship. Barcelona have 3 of the 4 best players in the world.

So, for you to criticise Celtic's tactics (and not just Celtic's but any comparitively small team to Barcelona) for not trying to take the game to Barcelona in the same way Barcelona take the game to anyone else, is either down to your arrogance and belief that it's not about Celtic, but about the neutral fans watching around the world (i.e you), or that you simply don't understand football.

Celtic will do what is best for Celtic, not what looks better on television. For 93 minutes, they almost got a draw, to which their fans would have been delerious for. Instead, they got nothing, but I can bet you bottom dollar their fans were proud of their team's efforts and could all understand the tactics they employed, as can (probably) 90% of the worlds population.

You, on the other hand....

i'm a celtic fan mate well said

 

[footballfan2345]

Why you ask?

I ask because it seems you don't understand the difference between clubs that dine at the top table, have obscene amounts of money, world class youth set ups and compete in one of the biggest leagues in the world, with another club who has very little money due to playing in one of the shittest leagues in the world and that can only attract some of the finest players in the English Championship.

The simple fact that it surprises you to see a team like Celtic not try and beat Barcelona (arguably the greatest club side in modern times) at their own game, on their own patch, is laughable.

I support Celtic as much as you support Celtic and I couldn't give a fuck how they played against Barcelona. However, what I would expect, is for them to not play Barcelona at their own game because that is simply playing into their hands. Celtic's best players have been plucked from the English Championship. Barcelona have 3 of the 4 best players in the world.

So, for you to criticise Celtic's tactics (and not just Celtic's but any comparitively small team to Barcelona) for not trying to take the game to Barcelona in the same way Barcelona take the game to anyone else, is either down to your arrogance and belief that it's not about Celtic, but about the neutral fans watching around the world (i.e you), or that you simply don't understand football.

Celtic will do what is best for Celtic, not what looks better on television. For 93 minutes, they almost got a draw, to which their fans would have been delerious for. Instead, they got nothing, but I can bet you bottom dollar their fans were proud of their team's efforts and could all understand the tactics they employed, as can (probably) 90% of the worlds population.

You, on the other hand....

You keep on making assumptions to bolster your opinions, at no point was I surprised by Celtic doing what they did, my point was that the popular opinion on this forum about Celtic being "unlucky" is clearly not the case. Celtic was rather lucky that Barca is not exactly in form and their defence is only a shadow of what it used to be, in form Barca would have scored another few with ease.

Second point, there are teams that actually behave like champions should, for example, Apoel proved that passion, hard work and belief can make a huge difference. Celtic on the other hand went down Chealsea's path, that club had some of the most experienced players on that level in the world. To put things into perspective, last years winners were beaten by an eastern European team from a shitty league, runners up won thanks to a questionable penalty against below average team from a weaker league etc etc. Following your logic, those clubs should have sat 90 minutes in front of their goal because they were facing far superior clubs. How dare Malaga be on top of their group......

My final point relates to your incredible arrogance, how do you know what 90% of worlds population thinks? It may come as a surprise to you but CL games are in the middle of the night in Asia and early morning in Australia (5 30 am), millions get up to watch worlds elite playing. If you honestly think there was anybody from this part of the planet satisfied after watching Celtic that's up to you, I have not heard a single positive comment from the "locals". Getting up in all hours is a pain, paying for expensive cable TV is annoying, ruining a work day is not exactly satisfying etc etc but it is all worth it to see top football, watching cowards and losers is incredibly frustrating.

Have a good day..............

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

Why you ask?

I ask because it seems you don't understand the difference between clubs that dine at the top table, have obscene amounts of money, world class youth set ups and compete in one of the biggest leagues in the world, with another club who has very little money due to playing in one of the shittest leagues in the world and that can only attract some of the finest players in the English Championship.

The simple fact that it surprises you to see a team like Celtic not try and beat Barcelona (arguably the greatest club side in modern times) at their own game, on their own patch, is laughable.

I support Celtic as much as you support Celtic and I couldn't give a fuck how they played against Barcelona. However, what I would expect, is for them to not play Barcelona at their own game because that is simply playing into their hands. Celtic's best players have been plucked from the English Championship. Barcelona have 3 of the 4 best players in the world.

So, for you to criticise Celtic's tactics (and not just Celtic's but any comparitively small team to Barcelona) for not trying to take the game to Barcelona in the same way Barcelona take the game to anyone else, is either down to your arrogance and belief that it's not about Celtic, but about the neutral fans watching around the world (i.e you), or that you simply don't understand football.

Celtic will do what is best for Celtic, not what looks better on television. For 93 minutes, they almost got a draw, to which their fans would have been delerious for. Instead, they got nothing, but I can bet you bottom dollar their fans were proud of their team's efforts and could all understand the tactics they employed, as can (probably) 90% of the worlds population.

You, on the other hand....

You keep on making assumptions to bolster your opinions, at no point was I surprised by Celtic doing what they did, my point was that the popular opinion on this forum about Celtic being "unlucky" is clearly not the case. Celtic was rather lucky that Barca is not exactly in form and their defence is only a shadow of what it used to be, in form Barca would have scored another few with ease.

Second point, there are teams that actually behave like champions should, for example, Apoel proved that passion, hard work and belief can make a huge difference. Celtic on the other hand went down Chealsea's path, that club had some of the most experienced players on that level in the world. To put things into perspective, last years winners were beaten by an eastern European team from a shitty league, runners up won thanks to a questionable penalty against below average team from a weaker league etc etc. Following your logic, those clubs should have sat 90 minutes in front of their goal because they were facing far superior clubs. How dare Malaga be on top of their group......

My final point relates to your incredible arrogance, how do you know what 90% of worlds population thinks? It may come as a surprise to you but CL games are in the middle of the night in Asia and early morning in Australia (5 30 am), millions get up to watch worlds elite playing. If you honestly think there was anybody from this part of the planet satisfied after watching Celtic that's up to you, I have not heard a single positive comment from the "locals". Getting up in all hours is a pain, paying for expensive cable TV is annoying, ruining a work day is not exactly satisfying etc etc but it is all worth it to see top football, watching cowards and losers is incredibly frustrating.

Have a good day..............

Re Paragraph 1 - I think Celtic were unlucky, in that for 93 minutes, their plan worked. Another minute more and they would have grabbed a vital draw that there defensive display nearly deserved. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and see that in a match between Barcelona and Celtic, there will be two different gameplans and whoever exercises their gameplan the best will come out with the result they deserve, regardless of whether one team had more shots than the other. Had Celtic attacked Barcelona from minute 1 to minute 90, they'd have probably been spanked 6-0 and deserved fuck all.

Re Paragraph 2 - The opening bit about behaving how champions should. How is that? Should the champions of a two bob league be expected to match the champions of the one of the two biggest leagues in the world, technically, tactically and mentally? Anyone with a couple of brain cells can see that the answer to that is, no. You go about Apoel showing Celtic how it should be done, yet Apoel didn't play anyone of the Barcelona mould in the groups. Once they came across a team like them, Real Madrid, they were battered 8-2 on aggregate. Do they deserve more credit because they scored 2 goals against Real Madrid and Celtic, so far, have only scored 1 past Barcelona? They did well in a group with Zenit, Porto & Shakhtar and fair play, Celtic could yet qualify from a group with Barcelona, Spartak & Benfica.

And as for a comment about saying all teams should park the bus when facing far superior opposition - well, that's your choice. 9/10, you'd find they will do. You use Malaga as an example here...Malaga being a team that spent a shit load on the likes of Toulalan, Saviola, Joaquin, Kameni, Demechelis not so long ago, so I wouldn't exactly call them minnow of the game these days, even with the problems they have at the moment, and they are in a group with Milan who are in freefall and Zenit & Anderlech who are average. In other words, a shit example for you to use.

As for paragraph 3 - Yes, I'm fully aware of continents having different time zones, thanks very much. And, I never said that 90% of the population would be satisfied with Celtic, I said they'd understand why they adopted the tactics they did. Those people you mention who got up at those early hours, were getting up to watch Barcelona and not Celtic. Why? Because they are the greatest team in the world as of today, that's why. Celtic as a football club will do what's best for them and not to please random football fans like Ali from Delhi, Brad from Perth or Chun-Lee from Indonesia because they got up at 5am.

The final comment you make, referring Celtic to being a team full of cowards and losers for playing the way they did, is fucking ridiculous and something I would associate with a glory hunter.

 

[LoveCity]

Bump. Shakhtar are a very interesting team, which game are people watching tonight? Was tempted by Celtic/Barca just for the atmosphere but Chelsea/Shakhtar is on my screen.<br /><br />-- Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:52 pm --<br /><br />Chelsea 1-up after a horror mistake by Shakhtar. Torres.

 

[LoveCity]

1-1, Willian! Cracking game! Fernandinho took the piss out of Chelsea to set it up.

 

[Johnsonontheleft]

Hope Celtic get ripped a new one tonight

 

[m7mcfc]

Chelsea's lead lasts 2 minutes.

 

[Damanino]

Look at the pace of the teams. Wish we had that pace in attacks.

And because they attack with pace many times that gives less time to opponent to stand back, to organize their defence.

Against us opponent teams have loads of times to stand back, to be organized as we passing it to slow between Barry, Yaya, Kompany etc.

PACE is one of the most impotant thing. But Mancini likes the slow way.

 

[LoveCity]

Well the way they play, Shakhtar would probably beat us. Just one of those style teams we struggle all the time against. A lot of them have been playing together for years so they seem telepathic at times.

 

[lafitz2008]

Anybody having a flutter this evening ?

City bets all went tits up yesterday obviously so done a couple of quid each on Alan first goal,Braga 3-2 and Chelsea 4-2 to try and claw something back.