The football (soccer) thread

[huntsman]

Crying shame, but then no shame really...

Wigan were punching well above their weight for three seasons at least and can be damn proud of themselves.

Congrats to the Gunners, who were ably led by the enigma that is Arsene Wenger for yet another European place. Well done!

[springrite]

For the, well, like every year since 1995, Spurs failed in catching Arsenal. Not as painful as the toilet bowl game, nor as bad as last year when even falling behind Arsenal, they should have had the UCL spot except for the unlikely event of Chelsea under a caretaker actually won the darn thing.

Another year, another celebration at the expense of the pethetic spuds! Yes!

[Lisztianwagner]

Borussia Dortmund desevers to be applauded for the pluck and the great playing expressed in the final match (as well as in the whole competition), but I'm really happy Bayern Munich has won the Champions League; what a wonderful result!

[Marc]

Borussia Dortmund desevers to be applauded for the pluck and the great playing expressed in the final match (as well as in thw hole competition), but I'm really happy Bayern Munich has won the Champions League; what a wonderful result!

Yes, a deserved win for Bayern München, considering the entire competition and their 2nd half tonight. I'm happy for Arjen Robben, who was born 10 kilometers from here, that he finally made his GFG (Golden Finale Goal), after his misses in 2010 (Word Championship) and 2012 (Champion's League).

[huntsman]

Bayern were the better team on the night and deserving winners.

Dortmund can be very proud of their entire campaign, particularly since they were considered rank outsiders from the beginning and touted to depart in the group stage.

Now if we can hold onto Lewandowski for next season, we build again.

[Papy Oli]

The Girondins de Bordeaux, the club I have supported since I was a kid, has won the French FA Cup tonight (our first FA cup since 1987, our first trophy since our league title in 2009. A nice recovery from 4 years of frustrations and some poor management since that title, and a relegation position a year and a half ago when the new coach took over at the Mercato. He did a good recovery job on the "tight" budget we had with some good young'uns.




7th in the league, Last 16 in Europa League (only losing 1-0/2-3 to Benfica who went on to the final), an FA cup win for an other European spot next season...

...and to top it all, the Under 19 also won their FA Cup-equivalent "Gambardella" earlier today in the opening event. We're only the 3rd team do the double in the French football history.... It was a good night. 

   

[mahler10th]

Meanwhile, as battles rage in the Independent Scotland thread,  the USA are in Scotland tonight in a soccer friendly.  It's part of the USA's warmup for the World Cup Finals next year, and Scotland not having qualified for that event, are using it as part of their warmup for the 2016 Euro Championships.
It is halftime.  The score is 0-0.  Both sides seem to be well matched.  The US have the German ace Klinsman as their Manager these days, and Scotland have pint sized but brilliant ex-Scotland player Gordon Strachan as their Manager.  Both these guys last met playing football together in 1995 when Klinsman played for Tottenham in the English Premiership and Strachan played for Coventry in the same league.  Coventry won 3-1 that day.
Not the most exciting match in the World, it is a friendly after all, but there's nothing between the two sides.  Scotland may have had a wee bit more possession in the first half...

[Sergeant Rock]

Meanwhile, as battles rage in the Independent Scotland thread,  the USA are in Scotland tonight in a soccer friendly.

My nephew made the trip from Ohio to Scotland, just to see this match. Well, he is also enjoying the local brew 

Sarge

[mahler10th]

My nephew made the trip from Ohio to Scotland, just to see this match. Well, he is also enjoying the local brew 
Sarge

Great Sarge.  I sincerely hope he enjoys his visit.

[Sergeant Rock]

Great Sarge.  I sincerely hope he enjoys his visit.

He's enjoying it so far. He was in the Highlands yesterday, and posting great pics of the trip on Facebook. Just hope he doesn't run into hooligans 

Sarge

[Papy Oli]

Ukraine 2 - France 0 in the 1st leg of the world cup play-offs...

maybe not a bad thing if we miss a world cup actually...that would teach them a lesson, to this arrogant lot... *sigh*

[mahler10th]

Just hope he doesn't run into hooligans 
Sarge

What a disappointing remark.   

The score ended 0-0, which was a fair result given the balance of play.

[springrite]

Just hope he doesn't run into hooligans 

Or become one. I hear recruitment season is in full swing.

[mahler10th]

Or become one. I hear recruitment season is in full swing.

This is Scotland.  It was a friendly match in a family stadium.
Such remarks as this and Sarges remark are unacceptable.  While other European countries and Easter European countries and Russia and some South American countries like football violence...we in Scotland got our act together a very long time ago with that sort of thing.

I wish we'd won now.   

[springrite]

This is Scotland.  It was a friendly match in a family stadium.
Such remarks as this and Sarges remark are unacceptable.  While other European countries and Easter European countries and Russia and some South American countries like football violence...we in Scotland got our act together a very long time ago with that sort of thing.

I wish we'd won now.   

You are absolutely right. In fact, I am amazed at how well that is done in England and Scotland (Milwall aside) , considering how things were, while the problem is getting worse in other parts of the world where it was not that bad years ago. It goes to show how admitting the problem and facing up to it is step one. Now we get the "no, we do not have a problem" attitude from some of the Eastern European countries. Look for problems over there to get worse before it gets better.

BTW,  talk about civil, I am an Arsenal supporter and we play in a library.

[kishnevi]

This is Scotland.  It was a friendly match in a family stadium.
Such remarks as this and Sarges remark are unacceptable.  While other European countries and Easter European countries and Russia and some South American countries like football violence...we in Scotland got our act together a very long time ago with that sort of thing.

I wish we'd won now.   

I was always under the impression that hooliganism was an English thing,  never really flourishing in Scotland.

A couple of months ago, when Chelsea was playing Madrid Real (I think) here in Miami,  I got two baseball style caps (I suppose one can't actually call them baseball caps if they are associated with soccer), one for Chelsea FC and one for Manchester United. I therefore qualify as a fan of those teams, although at the moment I couldn't tell you how they're doing....

[springrite]

It is a shame that Iceland did not make it for the first time in its history. I was looking forward to LEIFS at full blast instead of looking at all the checkered flags and shirts that makes me dizzy.

[Sef]

I was always under the impression that hooliganism was an English thing,  never really flourishing in Scotland.

A couple of months ago, when Chelsea was playing Madrid Real (I think) here in Miami,  I got two baseball style caps (I suppose one can't actually call them baseball caps if they are associated with soccer), one for Chelsea FC and one for Manchester United. I therefore qualify as a fan of those teams, although at the moment I couldn't tell you how they're doing....

I remember back in the 70s and 80s that hooliganism was pretty much an equal opportunity evil in Britain. Scenes of Scottish fans demolishing the Wembley goal posts after the pitch invasion in the 70s spring to mind (that may have been just exuberance though!). A quick scan of youtube would suggest there's probably not much difference. Alcohol and football crowds were never a good combination, and throw in a handful of right wing or sectarian idiots and you had the proverbial powder keg.

I was too young to experience the worst - by the time I regularly attended matches in Manchester in the early 80s the clean-up was well underway, though I remember it was a painful exercise to meet up with a friend after a United vs Chelsea game as the away supporters were herded to and from the trains by dozens of police, and breaking ranks could get you in a lot of trouble.

Although I'm sure that a lot of football clubs and police spent a lot of time and effort on anti-hooligan measures, it has been argued that the demise of hooliganism had a lot to do with economics as it became more and more expensive, and more difficult, to get a ticket for a game. Whereas I used to turn up for a game at Old Traffic (or Maine Road) on a whim and queue to get in, I would have no chance of that today. And although I could afford to go to a game every week as a student back then, I don't suppose that is even remotely possible financially today.

[DaveF]

No Wigan Athletic fans on this forum, are there?   (Or "Wigan Town", as Alan Shearer referred to them on Match of the Day last night.)

[Papy Oli]

Anthony Athletic is from that neck of the woods and might have something to report... And recover from.... 😁😁