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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Sports Center - The Football Thread: Strachan must go! |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45  Posts: 655/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Any thoughts? The way I see it, there are 4 obvious favorites: Milan, Juve, Chelsea, and FC Bayern, 3 old superpowers, and one team that cannot be neglected, thanks to Mr. Abrahmovic's shopping-spree. Porto could (should) be an outsider, considering they are the reigning champion, but that was a lot due to Mr. Murinho, who ain't exactly making his money in Porto no more. Liverpool was impressing against Leverkusen, but their switching form in the Prem proves that a Liverpool-championship is a lot less than likely. Lyon, impressive as they may have been both in the French league and against Werder, they're still a French team (i.e. not from a European superpower), and Werder wasn't the strongest of the oposition one could meet in the Round of 16. That leaves us with Inter and PSV. I don't think Inter will make it past Porto for the Quarter finals, and PSV is simply not strong enough, they'll most likely be eliminated by whatever team they meet in the quarter finals, the way I see it. Now, can anyone tell me when the last time was that we didn't have a single Spanish team in the Quarter Finals, coz I sure can't remember... |
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Toxic in a sublime state of mind Level: 75  Posts: 2505/2857 EXP: 3732709 For next: 94195 Since: 03-15-04 Since last post: 3 days Last activity: 8 hours |
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| OK, please excuse my lack of knowledge. What should I be looking at here. Is the Champions League the whole shabang? Because I'm looking at this and is says that Arsenal is scheduled for a match, even though on the front page, an article says they got knocked out by Bayern Munich. Any links would be highly handy (edited by Toxic on 03-09-05 06:42 PM) |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 656/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Ok, here's how it works: All nations in Europe has a system of national leagues and (one or more) national cups. Let's take England as an example, since you brought England up. The Major League of England is called The Premier League, it consists of 20 teams, which plays each other twice (for a total 38 matches), and a winner is decided based on who racks up the most points throughout the season (3 points for victory, 1 for a draw). In addition to The Premier League, you have different Minor leagues, but unlike America, where one team stays in one league forever, teams are here moved up and down based on their merit in the previous season (for instance, in the Premier League, the three worst teams in the past season are relegated to the division under the Premier League, which is called by the rather stupid name The Championship (stupid, because whoever wins it isn't actually the English Champions, they're simply only promoted to The Premier League)). In addition to these leagues, you have the Cups. England has many cups, the most important of which is the F.A. Cup. All teams in the division system (i.e. both in the major and minor leagues) enter this cup. It is played on a knock-out system, where you eventually have two teams, playing a final match, for the Cup Championship. In theory, a team from a lower division can win the F.A. Cup, but this almost never happens (simply because the teams in the Premier League after all are the best teams in the nation), Millwall (which plays in The Championship) did manage to make it all the way to the final last year, though. Now, what does this have to do with the Champions League, you ask? Well, in addition to the national leagues, you have two (well, three, counting the Inter-Toto, but that cup is unimportant and I will not bring it up, fearing it might just be too confusing) Continental Cups, administered by the UEFA (Europe's governing body for football), these are the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The teams that qualify for the Champions League are the best teams in the top divisions in the different European countries. How many teams that qualify, varies from country to country. A superpower (football-wise) like England has the top 4 teams from the Premier League qualifying for the Champions League, while in a weaker football-nation, like for instance Iceland, only the best team in the nation's top league qualifies for the Champions League. Now, in addition to the Champions League, you have the UEFA Cup. The teams that qualify for the UEFA Cup are the teams that ended in the spots behind the teams that qualified for the Champions League, in addition to the team that won the Cup (also, for England, there's a second cup in addition to the F.A. Cup that qualifies the winner for the UEFA Cup). So while it is big to win the UEFA Cup, it is not as big as winning the Champions League. The way the Champions League and the UEFA Cup are organized is so that teams first play in a group stage, and then the best teams (two best for the CL, three best for the UEFA) from the different groups meet each other for a knock-out stage, culminating in a final match. Now, this is the reason Arsenal is scheduled for a match, while they have been knocked out by Bayern Munich. The match Arsenal is scheduled for is in the F.A. Cup, which they are still playing in (they are also playing in the Premier League), while they are knocked out of the Champions League. And a good site for info on the Champions League is uefa.com. I hope I wasn't too confusing in my explanation. (edited by The SomerZ on 03-09-05 07:26 PM) |
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Toxic in a sublime state of mind Level: 75 Posts: 2507/2857 EXP: 3732709 For next: 94195 Since: 03-15-04 Since last post: 3 days Last activity: 8 hours |
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| Oh. Don't I look dumb now. I have only a little bit of knowledge on the world of football, thanks to FIFA 2005, but besides that, I've got nothing. DAMN YOU WHOEVER DOESN'T PUT GAMES ON REGULAR CABLE. |
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7266/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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Great, SomerZ. Make me do the stats on the Spanish teams.  2004/05: NONE! 2003/04: 2 (Real Madrid, Deportivo) 2002/03: 3 (Real Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona) 2001/02: 3 (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Deportivo) 2000/01: 3 (Real Madrid, Deportivo, Valencia) 1999/00: 3 (Real Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona) 1998/99: 1 (Real Madrid) 1997/98: 1 (Real Madrid) 1996/97: 1 (Atletico Madrid) 1995/96: 1 (Real Madrid) 1994/95: 1 (Barcelona) (There were no QF's from this point; the 8 remaining teams were thrown into two groups with the winners facing each other in the final. Since 8 teams = a typical QF... I'll go on.) 1993/94: 1 (Barcelona) 1992/93: NONE! So there you go. That's a hell of a record tossed out the window. SomerZ: I wouldn't underestimate Lyon. I saw part of the game last night and they totally demolished Werder. They had a ton of confidence and were oozing skill... I'm not saying they're dark horses to take the title but they're going to give someone problems in the next round. My predictions for the random draw on Friday... Chelsea vs. AC Milan - Would definitely be the tie of the round. Milan saw off Man U relatively easily but Chelsea showed a lot of character in their (AWESOME) game against Barca yesterday. Would be a treat to watch. Juventus vs. winner of FC Porto/Inter Milan - It's no Juve/Milan or Milan/Inter but it would still be a huge match in Italy - that is, if Inter don't mess up against Porto. Plus the prospect of a semi-final against AC Milan for either team would still be possible. Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool - So, Liverpool think that they're destined to win the CL now, hm?  Putting them up against Munich would be a hell of a way to prove whether or not they can consistently pick up their game in Europe.Lyon vs. PSV Eindhoven - This would be the typical "game that doesn't receive coverage but turns out to be quite entertaining" choice in the field. If those turned out to be true, whoever wins between Chelsea/Milan takes it all. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 657/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Well, the draw won't be on Friday, though. It's postponed to the Friday next week, because of Porto/Inter being postponed. Any idea why that is, by the way? And Toxic, you don't have to feel bad, there was no reason you should have known. |
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7274/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| Ah, you're right. Before I posted I checked UEFA's website and they said this Friday, but now they changed it. Both AC Milan and Inter Milan were drawn away in the first leg, so they were both at home for the second leg - and UEFA doesn't allow the same field to be used twice in two days. Inter drew the Wednesday game so they got moved. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 658/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Bah, that's just silly. They should have made it so that one team played at home while the other was away. Too much bueroucracy. | |||
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7279/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| Yeah but then some of the randomness is taken out of the draw by saying, for example, "AC Milan's first, so we'll draw their opponent to start... now we'll draw Inter's opponent..." It's gonna happen again if they both end up on opposite sides of the QF draw. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 663/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| There goes Porto, so we're going to have a new champion this year. The quarter final draw is Friday, this should be interesting. | |||
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7429/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| Quarter Final and Semi Final draws done today... UEFA Champions League QF's: Liverpool vs. Juventus (Ah great, Heysel all over again...) Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich (Tough draw for Chelsea but I think they'll take it considering who they could have gone up against.) Lyon vs. PSV Eindhoven (Dream draw for Lyon.) AC Milan vs. Inter Milan (Were two balls in the draw a little warmer than the others?) Semis see Liverpool/Juve vs. Chelsea/Bayern and Lyon/PSV vs. Milan/Inter. My Chelsea/AC Milan final is still holding up. UEFA Cup QF's: Austria Vienna vs. Parma (Parma are not overwhelming favorites...) CSKA Moscow vs. Auxerre (Not a walk in the park for the French.) Newcastle United vs. Sporting Lisbon (Toughest draw both teams could have gotten.) Villarreal or Steaua Bucharest vs. AZ Alkmaar (Steaua will beat Villarreal on the weekend, but AZ will be too strong for them.) Semis see Vienna/Parma vs. CSKA/Auxerre and Newcastle/Sporting vs. Villarreal/Steaua/AZ. I say we see a Newcastle/Vienna final. |
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7848/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| OK... This is messed up. Chelsea lost to Bayern Munich 3-2 but went through 6-5 on aggregate. Score looks closer than it was - Bayern's last two goals were in stoppage time, and they had no time to hit a fourth. So it was pretty comfortable despite the late blitz. Inter vs. Milan though... Oh boy. Technically, Milan SHOULD be through - they were up 1-0 and Inter would have needed four goals to win the tie since Milan has an away goal. HOWEVER, after Inter had a legit goal disallowed, the asshole Inter fans start throwing flares, bottles and whatever they could get their hands on onto the field. Dida got nailed with a firework and he's carrying a shoulder injury now... anyways, match was called for 25 minutes, Milan comes back onto the field, the fans CONTINUE what they were doing, match abandoned. I feel safe in saying the following two statements: 1) Milan's going through to the semi-finals, regardless of whether or not the last 17 minutes are replayed or they get a 3-0 forfeit win. 2) Inter's in DEEP, DEEP trouble for failing to control their fans. Anyways... they'd better have extra police there for Juventus/Liverpool tomorrow. That's all I'm saying. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 681/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| They're talking about expelling Inter from European competitions for a year. Should be a reasonable enough punishment. | |||
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Toxic in a sublime state of mind Level: 75 Posts: 2624/2857 EXP: 3732709 For next: 94195 Since: 03-15-04 Since last post: 3 days Last activity: 8 hours |
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| Why would they do that? It's not like the organization is responsible for the fans actions? actually, idk. Are the matches held away from the usual stadiums? And why would there need to be extra security at the Juve/Liverpool? Are they like heated rivals? I was watching that game on espn2. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 682/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Look up the Heysel Stadium Disaster for an explanation on the Juve/Liverpool extra security. As you can see, that time the clubs were penalized for the fans' actions, as well. I think the general idea is that by punishing the clubs, fans will think twice before starting trouble (although, many times, trouble is started by hooligans who are only present to make trouble, not caring about the clubs) | |||
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Toxic in a sublime state of mind Level: 75 Posts: 2626/2857 EXP: 3732709 For next: 94195 Since: 03-15-04 Since last post: 3 days Last activity: 8 hours |
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| Oh. That about sums that up. |
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The SomerZ Summer, yay! Level: 45 Posts: 684/862 EXP: 618182 For next: 41982 Since: 03-15-04 From: Norway Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| I saw an interview with Per Ravn Omdal, the Vice President of the UEFA, on TV today. He was talking about all the things that had been done to prevent stadium troubles, and what they were planning on doing to secure stadiums even more. He described incidents such as that during the Inter vs. AC match and the one where Anders Frisk started bleeding after having been hit with an object thrown from a stand during an AS Roma match as "isolated happenings", and that he was sure we would see less of this in the future. "Football will win," he promised. | |||
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7870/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| And now, we're down to four... AC Milan vs. PSV Eindhoven Chelsea vs. Liverpool I still like my Chelsea/Milan prediction... very much so now. PSV/Liverpool would *so* not be a glamour final in 2005. |
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drjayphd Beamos What's that spell? pimp! Level: 56  Posts: 947/1477 EXP: 1387410 For next: 10766 Since: 03-15-04 From: CT Since last post: 2 hours Last activity: 2 hours |
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| Oooh... my old roommate should be happy, being a Liverpool supporter and all. Now if only they were consistently anything in the EPL... | |||
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Colleen Administrator Level: 136 Posts: 7892/11302 EXP: 29369328 For next: 727587 Since: 03-15-04 From: LaSalle, Quebec, Canada Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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| Liverpool's done well to get this far... but they're 0-3 against Chelsea this year and I can't see that changing. :\ Talk about a free pass to the finals. Then again, this year's been a bit unpredictable...  |
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