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For the sake of football, someone beat Rangers, Chelsea and Liverpool in Europe!
This Sportingo author wants to see the Champions League and UEFA Cup won by teams with style - and insists the pride of Scotland, London and Merseyside deserve nothing.
by gerald mclaughlin on 25 April 2008
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After watching last night's UEFA Cup semi-final at Ibrox, I was woken up by the barking of my dog to let him out into the garden for his final act of the evening. Such was the excitement on offer I must have fallen asleep some time early in to the second half.
With the game finishing at 0-0, I was not in the least bit surprised. Great tactics again from Walter Smith, who had to work with a seriously depleted squad. The formation and tactics did not change. Why should they? The purists are hating every moment and, to be honest, it is becoming rather tedious.
Thankfully football does not need to prove itself to anyone, no matter what the Americans think, or perhaps a select few rugby fans, either. So for the purists it is a nightmare. Fans and managers of teams who attempt to play football the right way are tearing their hair out at such shenanigans. It is important to note that these same teams are the ones who are winning nothing at this moment in time.
I need name no-one. Fiorentina came to Glasgow looking for a draw and, as per usual for the Italians, a sneaky away goal if the opportunity arose. It did make for a first-half game of chess between two new-born babies. Mistakes, congestion in the middle of the park and zero movement. Both teams were waiting for the other to make a mistake.
Comments (29)
by David Kirby on April 25, 2008
I always suspect Allardyce wore a kilt.
on April 25, 2008 on April 25, 2008
Wow, another great article in here... Did you not watch the Barcelona-Man UTD game? In what way did United even make an effort to play beautiful football? I'm getting pretty tired of people talking about how boring liverpool are just because they go for the draw on away games and try to win it at home. Face it: everyone does it. It's just not Liverpool and Chelsea.
by DON MANCHATER on April 25, 2008
liverpool 8 besiktas 0, read it and weep manc boy!!1
by Colin on April 25, 2008
What utter rubbish. Rangers, Liverpool and Chelsea should be knocked out because they are bad for footbal and have no sytlel!! Rangers missing 4 first team regulars got a draw against a Fiorentina team that some consider to be stylish but they didn't exhibit any of this against Rangers. Liverpool (as you say) should have beaten Chelsea but for a string of fine saves from Cech. The Anfield club with no style have scored over 100 goals this season in all competitions and beaten some good teams along the way (Arsenal and Milan) spring to mind. On the other hand, the other Champions League semi-final between the great teams that are Man Utd and Barcelona (whom all purists love!!)served up a football feast....not. At least the Pool-Chelsea game had passion, workrate and goals unlike the turgid affair at the Nou Camp. The other UEFA cup semi had Bayern and Zenit St Petersburg (football stylists like no other) and thay also played out a 1:1 masterclass. We all like to watch beautiful football but enough of the rubbish about pure football.......nobody plays it. Who would you put in all these semi-finals if you removed the current teams? Arsenal...they had their chance and they blew it! Real Madrid...the same, Lyon...the same. I could go on. Maybe the Brazil team of the 70's!!
by daddy d on April 25, 2008
How can you say that Manu U deserve to win the champions league, as the only strong team they met all season in champs leaugue has been Barcelona in that game we seen how they played 11 men behind the ball and played the most boring game ever If Man U had met any of the Milans in earlier rounds I bet they would have the same crap that they played at the Nou Camp. Infact I bet you seen a very attacking Manure, or is it that because they are the darlings of British media and you are too bias to admit that all teams play to there limitations and according to who the opposition is.
by Joanna Michaels on April 25, 2008
What is this?? The editors at Sportingo need to fire a bunch of nutters not print their sorry stories. What do you smoke??? If not you're a sorry muppet of a Sports web. Haha I love it "the authority for news..." or fairy tales more like. Get a life.
by john cena on April 25, 2008
gerald mclaughlin is an idiot...are you a football fan or what??!! what a stupid article...
by A Moses MacNeil Sandal on April 25, 2008
Apparently there are many types of grapes that are enjoyed around the world, you seem to be enjoying 'sour' ones just now. I hadn't realised how much Rangers doing well was really hurting Celtic fans just now. This is a tired line you guys are trotting out just now, why don't you keep a bit of dignity and just say nothing?
by Ben Shone on April 25, 2008
What a load of utter rubbish. How can anybody...yes anybody, including you! Tell us that Rangers should not win the UEFA cup because they don't have style? Come on, defense in football is just as important as attack, just because for the neutrals the game isn't end to end doesn't mean a team should not win the cup! Your talking through your behind! Liverpool so far this season have produced the best game of the competition! A thrilling game against Arsenal as well as beating Besiktas 8-0! Your telling me there "boring" and shouldn't win the cup? Manchester United are THE most boring team away from home, Ferguson with no tactics, just sit every one behind the ball and hope and pray that one man Ronaldo who unquestionably has won them the leage can do the same in Europe? You really seem to be totally dillusioned and to me sound like a manchester fan? It really angers me, people like yourself who call Liverpool a boring team, you seem to be ignoring what has happened in the last 3 years, yes thats right, the most incredible and entertaining European Final in history, an awesome end to end FA Cup final against West Ham, then there's other's like Olympiacos and Inter Milan...Come on "Mr Author" let's have a non biased view....and for god sake....wake up will you!!
by dean lawson on April 25, 2008
the wosrt thing about the internet is people like this getting to write total and utter non-sense.
by loseit sanchez on April 25, 2008
So the Rangers game was shite - you speak an awful lot about that and then lump in liverpool and chelsea to your title to try and get it into more newsnow pages (then just the rangers one) and get some more comments - I shouldnt even bother... I then see you wrote 'It's not pretty, but Rangers' re-emergence is FOURmidable!' bigging up rangers new way of playing (kind of) - all I can say is I hope I never have to taste your cooking - microwaving from findus one of your specialities perhaps?
by DiegoCruyff on April 25, 2008
another article with lies, or another article written by somebody with an extremley SHORT memory. I agree Rangers were poor and defensive. Fiorentina were not typically Italian, they dominated possesion and tried to score. Serie A at the mo averages more goals than La Liga and EPL. Chelsea are poor considering the money spent. But there were periods at Anfield they attacked. As for Liverpool well, they are the CL top scorers, they were the first team to score a 100 goals this season in all comps and they have had more shots than any team in EPL. And Man u well, well, well, you blind article writer. They were ultra defensive, and yet they spent 70mil on attacking talent. Liverpool went a goal behind in Camp Nou and then dominated possesion and scored twice. the compulsory requirement it would seem to be football writer, pundit, commentator nowadays is AMNESIA. wot next that football started in 1993!
by lestat legolas on April 25, 2008
god!!! why r ppl so biased...why do they never notice teams like man u and barca playin utter rubbish and have to come after clubs like liverpool and chelsea fot not havin style...PUHLEEZZ atleast they make an effort to try and win every match... and they play reallly welll hows tht for style
by Ura Tool on April 25, 2008
none of rangers players could hack it in the premier league? what happened to all these premier league teams with such sensational players in the uefa cup? none of them could play for the top four maybe, but I'm sure they're are plenty who could fit in with many of the other teams. how's hutton doing by the way?
by Andy Scott on April 25, 2008
For those of us (Like me) that used to go and watch football in the 80s, 90s and beyond - Football is about going and watching your team (hopefully) doing well and supporting them if you don't. In this new Sky generation of 'Entertainment' and other such guff- Football seems to be trying to turn into some weird and wacky soap opera. Well it isn't. No club has a 'duty' to 'entertain' (Whatever that is) fans of other teams - they have a duty to play well - if that is tactically - then that's fine - that's as part of the game as showboating. Those that don't understand any aspect of football really, really, really shouldn't be writing about it. I can understand Amerians (Who need a gazillion points in a game to be able to watch it) - but now even some of the younger 'Sky generation fans' are starting to come out with the same rubbish. Concentrate on your own team. Watch your own games. Actually go to the match. Perhaps you'll learn something.
by TRUEBLUE on April 25, 2008
what a load of crap then again with a name like that i couldnt expect anything else ..theres a saying you can take a man out the gutter but you cant take the gutter out the man ..you fit this well mclaughlan...no 1 tosser
by Essexian76 on April 25, 2008
How the Liverpool match v Arsenal or Chelsea, either leg you take your pick, was boring?, Because as a Spurs supporter I have no biase , as I dislike all three sides wth equal distain, but the matches were brilliant to watch and I cant wait for Tues/Weds to come around, suppose I like football without the blinkers on, credit where its due I think..or watch something else if those games dont float your boat
by Malcolm Osborne on April 25, 2008
Absolutely correct! Only those who support Rangers, Liverpool & Chelsea will disagree! Rangers and Liverpool have carried an incredible amount of luck to get so far and Chelsea have just ground out results. The best teams to watch are Arsenal and Manchester United!
by Gooner7 on April 25, 2008
I think Liverpool can play some fancy footy once in a while, but Chelsea will not even if Pele were to coach them. Anyone but Chelsea for the CL and the PL. Even if it mean, United were to win the double this year.
by dief on April 26, 2008
This article is almost as dull as watching Man U v Barca. Almost...
by Jamie Ralston on April 26, 2008
What a load of crap. Fair Enough it may not be the best to watch but at the end of the day Rangers and Chelsea and to a certain degree Liverpool are churning out results. You say Man Utd or Barcelona deserve to win the Champions League because of the great football they play yet i watched there game the other night and it was one of the most boring i have ever saw. And to finish off you say that NO Rangers player would make it in the Premiership. Utter Nonsence. Ferguson, McGregor, Cuellar, Hemdani and possibly Thomson would do a great job down there. Plus the likes of Weir and McCulloch have already been down and held there own.
by Ewan McKay on April 26, 2008
Don't be fooled, this article might have been titled as a plea to save the beautiful game but its basically a rant from someone who just can't stand it when Rangers are successful. Whilst the article suggests that 3 teams are up for discussion the author does a bad job in disguising the fact that its Rangers he really wants to have a dig at. Lets look at the facts, when Paul le guen left Rangers just over a year ago they were a shambles. The quality of player was poor and morale was rock bottom. Walter Smith came back in and very quickly realised that his first job was to make Rangers hard to beat and ultimately to get the club winning again. He's now done that. The style of football in europe recently has been defensive at times but with a major injury crisis needs must and you play to your strengths. Its that simple. It should also be pointed out that at times Rangers have played some excellent football this season most notably when beating Werder Bremen at home and Lyon and Sporting Lisbon away. Smith had to spend the money he had carefully in the summer although incidentally a number of these "average players" have already played in the premiership and there are another 3 or 4 who could easily go on to do the same. With the money Rangers have made in Europe this season i fully expect Smith to bring some more flair in to the team during the summer. Finally, its not my job to stick up for Liverpool or Chelsea but i thoroughly enjoyed their game on Tuesday, probably more so than the man u, barca game. Time for a re-think author
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