Get Real and Stop Droning on about European Cups

I'm sitting here typing this after having heard many, in fact hundreds of so called football supporters going on about one particular team.  These supporters bore me to the point of self harming with their ramblings about how great THEIR club is, how great THEIR team is.  It has got to the point of me only hearing blah blah blah coming from their mouths.

The team in question used to be great and I mean USED to be great.  But then again, back in the 1970's and 80's, if I was old enough then I would have been great too.  The standard of the game in those days is well below what we come to expect from the modern day professional.

This team have won the League Championship 18 times, the last was in the 1989/90 season.  The European Cup 4 times and Champions League once.  Yes there is a massive difference between the European cup and Champions league folks! The F.A cup has adorned there trophy cabinate 7 times, League cup (Mickey Mouse) 7 times, UEFA Cup (what ever that is) 3 times.  I'm not going to count the other meaningless trophies, such as Super Cup and Charity Shield.

The large majority of these titles were won during their golden spell in the 70's and 80's.  So let us have a look back over the last 20 years to see how great this team and club are now.  Well NO league titles, 1 Champions League, 3 F.A Cups, 3 Micky Mouse's and a UEFA Cup.  A grand total of 8 mainstream trophies but in all fairness you can't count the League Cup so really it is 5 in 20 years.

The club in question is Liverpool F.C. and it is about time that these blind fools stopped living in the past and get with reality.  As you all know, L.F.C and M.U.F.C fans have not shared very much love in the their entire histories, but when any conversation comes up with a fan from both sides, all these Liverpool supporters can come up with is... "How many times have you won the European Cup?"  It always used to be, "How many times have you lot won the League?"  They can't say that anymore as it's 18 each.  Before very long it will be 5 all in Europe too.  

Who really cares though?

Over the last 20 years the side to beat has been Man Utd, nobody can argue with that.  If they do then I can guarantee they will be from Liverpool.  Liverpool have done nothing for 20 years, apart from that fluke in Europe in '05.  So why do they go on about how great a club they are.  You have really got to start living for today folks and not 30 years ago.

"How many euro cups you won la?" SHUT UP as that is all you have to say these days.

Your club is in turmoil, so much so that you feel the need to bring back your manager from over 20 years ago!!  In the little hope that King Kenny will restore the glory days to your ONCE great club.  That Kenny bubble will soon burst and then it will be same old Liverpool again.  I can just hear the Kop shouting come August, "This is gonna be our season"  Yeah right, how many more times are we going to hear that.  You sound a bit like Andy Murray.  Kenny couldn't take the pressure 20 years ago and quit, it's a tougher game in this day and age.

Steven Gerrard, a player who deserves so much more that what he has won.  Then again, maybe he likes being the big fish in a small pond.  He has had the chance to move over the years but ultimately decided that his home town is where he wants to play.  Good on the lad, a credit to himself and something that other players should look at.  Then you look at the other team in Red and see that Nicky Butt has won more than Stevie G, and he hasn't played for Utd for about 7 years.  Torres saw what is happening and jumped ship, down the M6 to Chelsea.  Who can blame him, he won nothing at Liverpool, a club that has promised so much over the years but fail to make any impact.

The fans are fickle and feel the need to say that they own the club.  Well guys, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you DON'T.  If you lot don't get your own way then you kick off and hound out perfectly good managers and players to such an extent that it leaves the club in ruins.  Man Utd fans think the same, with their stupid anti-Glazier campaign.  The difference is though, despite Utd's debts, they are still winning, they are still bringing in the big money from competing in Europe, still picking up trophies, where as Liverpool are not.

Torres went because he want Champions League Football, at L.F.C he isn't getting it this season and probably wont next season either.  Although going to Chelsea, isn't as stone cold as it used to be either.  At least they have an owner who will bring the cheque book out to get the best and not waste £35 million on a kid from Newcastle who was terrible last season (compared to other Championship strikers) has a suspect temperament and is just plain rubbish.  You Liverbirds were lucky to get £50 mill for Torres and I don't blame him for a second for jogging off in search of glory.

You may be thinking that I hate Liverpool and am a mad UtdUtd catch you up with those, what is it going to be then? "How many Super Cups you won?" or "Remember when we beat you 4-1 at your place?" Yes I do remember that, but then what did you win that season?  You have got to stop treating the occasional win against Utd as winning anything more than 3 points, or else you turn into a newly promoted team playing at Old Trafford as their seasons Cup Final.

I love football, I don't support any team as such, I like many clubs and many teams.  Except Leeds :)

I hope Liverpool do get back to winning ways one day.  I can't see it for a good few years yet, but the Liverpool Vs Man Utd games would have more meaning if Liverpool were chasing for something more than a Europa League spot.

I will leave you with the wise words from two people.  "When you open your mouths all I get is hot air, so in the interest of global warming please shut up"

And on that bombshell, It's good night.

Bowring's Football Blast: Champions League Review

Bowring's Football Blast: Champions League Review: "What a week for Premiership Clubs in the Champions League. None more so than Tottenham who went to the San Siro and stuck one up the ..."

Champions League Review

What a week for Premiership Clubs in the Champions League.  None more so than Tottenham who went to the San Siro and stuck one up the moaning, sore losing Italians.  Arsenal last night also got a little piece of revenge on Barcelona.

Lets go back to Tuesday night, AC Milan thought this was going to be an easy game and ended up having pasta on their faces.  Peter Crouch scored the games only goal, Milan looked to be out of ideas.

To make themselves look even more stupid, after the game that horrible excuse for a man Guttuso decided to attack the Spurs coaching staff, why oh who Harry didn't plant one on his lame Italian lip is beyond me!

It will be a fascinating 2nd leg at The Lane and let's all hope that Spurs can not only hold on but make an exhibition out of it.

On to last night's action now.  Arsenal came from one down to beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.  Now what gets to me about Barcelona is the way the Pundits talk about them as being invincible.  Do they realize that Inter Milan are holders of the Champions League? All they seem to go on about is how amazing this Barca side are, how they have reached heights beyond what any team have ever achieved.  What are they on about?  There are plenty of teams in the past who have matched what this side has done.  Granted, they have some great players, but they are beatable.  Maurinho proved that last season and Arsenal showed it again last night.

Barcelona took the lead through Villa on the half hour mark, a lead they deserved.  Well saying that, for all the pretty one touch stuff that you expect to see, there was very little end product.  Arsenal stuck to their game plan and late in the 2nd half grabbed an equalizer.  Shocking goalkeeping is all I can say.  Then 5 minutes later it was 2 for the Gunners and again I must state that Valdes in the Barca goal is a terrible keeper.  They have a week spot, they have an Achilles heel and it is the keeper.  You shoot either side of this guy and you stand a massive chance of scoring.

I fancy Arsenal to go through as too Spurs, after the disappointment in Europe last season, these two sides this week have shown us hope.

I must also ask the pundits, the commentators and all other parties involved in the broadcasting of The Champions League, stop singing the praises of these foreign clubs, stop saying that they are better than ours as this week, not only did they lose to the better teams but showed that you lot looked like you know nothing about the game.

Manchester Derby & Rooney Review

Manchester Derby & Rooney Review
Sunday 13th February 2011.
By Matt Bowring

The day after the Manchester derby.  A game that many City fans declared the day that will show the rest of the Premiership that they really are title contenders and yet I’m sat here writing this with the blue side of Manchester still title pretenders.  A little harsh I hear some people cry as City after all played well and that is my point.

 
Manchester City played well and lost 2-1, Manchester Utd did not play well and beat them.  By no means was it a bad Utd performance but it was way below their best and the standard that many have come to expect.

The first half was far from a classic encounter and after 4 minutes Silva should half put the blues a head.  One on one with Van Der Saar, he shot wide of the far post.  City continued to have the best of the ball, although never really looked like scoring.
Against the run of play, the Utd keeper went long ball, a small flick by Rooney, an inch perfect pass by Giggs, a glorious first touch by Nani, before slotting it past the on coming Hart.  1-0 after 41 mins.

The second half started much the same as the first, City advancing and not looking capable of scoring, although playing well.  They eventually get a lucky break, a shot from Dzeko, deflecting off Silva’s back and squirming into the far side of the Utd net.  Silva and Dzeko are claiming it, and in my opinion, it has to go down as Dzeko’s.

So with it all to play for at 1-1, Utd bring on Berbatov in a hope to get the all important winner and yet another victory over the so called “Noisy Neighbours”.  Wayne Rooney is again having a shocker, with every second touch of the ball being a tackle.  I don’t think he has played a decent pass for the entire game.

Nani has the ball out wide and whips in a decent looking cross.  Rooney finally gets out of Kompany’s pocket, launches himself into the air, spins, summersaults, does a little twirl, then from out of nowhere, his right boot connects and the ball fly’s into the top corner.

Where did he learn to do that?  This is a guy that for the last 9 months has been unable to score (on the pitch), unable to even pass the ball let alone kick it.  Yet he has just produced a strike like that.  The papers this morning are saying…
“That is why he is worth 200k a week”
“Goals like that define history”
“Only a player like Rooney can score that kind of goal”

What a complete load of rubbish!

Firstly, nobody is worth £200k a week, NOBODY.  The Prime Minister gets about £140k, a year and he runs the country.  When Wayne went public just before Christmas saying he wanted to leave as Utd lack ambition, what Sir AF should have done was stick the ungrateful, spoilt brat in the reserves until he realised that to be part of Man Utd, who are one of the top 3 clubs in the world, is a honour.  Instead of that he gets an absurd pay rise that will see him earn in the region of a £1 million a month.  Then all of a sudden, he says this is the greatest club in the world and that he never wanted to leave.  No Wayne, it’s not about the money is it?

  
For the papers and pundits to come out and say that the goal yesterday proves he is worth the money is plain and simple, stupidity.

  
If that is the case then I know several builders that should be earning the same.  I spent many years playing lower league football in my late teens, early twenty’s.  I have seen goals like that so many times, in fact I’ve seen better and I’m sure that many of you reading this have too.  Granted, Rooney’s’ was a great goal, but let’s not get over excited by it.  I think it is just because he is at a big club that everything he and the team does is so brilliant.  Plenty of other goals scored by the, lets say, unfashionable teams go unnoticed.

  
As for the person saying “Goals like that define history”, Oh come on, what history teacher did you actually have?  The goal will be rewound time and time again, yes only if you have absolutely nothing else to do.

Wayne Rooney scored a goal that was a bit different, it was something that we don’t see week in week out like the do in La Liga.  To say that because of that goal, Rooney is well worth the ridiculous money he gets in every pay packet is blind thinking, the sort of talk you hear in a pub after 10 pints.  Considering he has contributed nothing at all this season, well not in football terms, he is lucky to even be at the club, lucky to have his life style, lucky to have anything at all.