English football...

[lovedeanblue]

3 Champions League 1st round legs our teams have played so far and all have been 2.0 defeats. I've posted before that I'll be amazed if any of ours makes the Semis and I'll not change my view. Chelsea tonight anyone ?

[Corkhead]

Not for me. This round has shown how far the Prem is behind the rest of Europe. So called best league in the world. Pah !

We're better off in Div 4. :D

[gosport]

BT sport must be a bit worried .pay a fortune for the champions league rights just as English clubs fall even further behind the rest of europe .

[Southerndown]

The Champions League has become another long drawn out yawn fest. Two games last night, two games tonight. 8 games over an 8 day period, and they're just the first legs. It's like friggin' X Factor it goes on forever!
I honestly couldn't give a monkeys who wins it.

[chiswickmart]

I wouldn't look too deeply into it. Man City will become regulars at the end of the tournament, but they're new to it so get unlucky group draws (Bayern) and then last 16 with Barca. They were missing Aguero in that and played most of the game with 10 men. Arsenal had a tough group they were unfortunate not to win whilst the Mancs are clearly in transition.

As for Chelsea, what is their main aim this season? Prem or Champions League? But they'll go through this round anyway.

[___Whatever___]

I agree with the comment above, the Champs league is just to long and draw out now that I get bored of it. Its just another show of how football and money is ruining football for the fans. Its just becoming overloaded with it being on all the time.

For English football we will always be there or there abouts due to the money the clubs get, last season was bad and to some extent this... but i will get back to the same.

As for English league being the best, Sky done well to sell this idea!

[midhurstblue]

The Champions League has become another long drawn out yawn fest. Two games last night, two games tonight. 8 games over an 8 day period, and they're just the first legs. It's like friggin' X Factor it goes on forever!
I honestly couldn't give a monkeys who wins it.
My thoughts exactly. Its all about foreign players, very few English involved. I dont even watch the televised games now.

[AlgernonPFC]

I totally agree. Over the past 4 years the PL has fallen further and further behind the Spanish and German Leagues and now the French League is overtaking it. I just wonder for how much longer the PL can expect as much money from the overseas TV markets, particularly Asia and how this will begin to affect the funding of PL clubs. I think the next couple of years could be crucial for the PL because if the income falls away will foreign owners remain as 'dedicated' to the clubs they own?

[BlueAdder]

Wonder how many British players could get into the Barcelona or Real Madrid sides? Hard to think of any.
Agree that SKY money will drop and foreign leagues will probably attract the big money. The best players will follow the money abroad.
I think the Champions League should only be for League Champions and should be played out on a knock out basis, with home and away legs and no away goals rule.
Bit like it used to be. :D

[bluekite]

I watched the Arsenal /Bayern game last week and found the football a bit boring really. Bayern play similarly to Barcelona (same coaching style I guess) . They press high up to the opposition box and then the ball just gets passed across and around the box until the can find an opening. The opposition clears the ball and then the whole process starts up again. Clever, skilful but not very exciting for me. Epitomized by the Chelsea /Barcelona game last season.

[chiswickmart]

Wonder how many British players could get into the Barcelona or Real Madrid sides? Hard to think of any.
Agree that SKY money will drop and foreign leagues will probably attract the big money. The best players will follow the money abroad.
I think the Champions League should only be for League Champions and should be played out on a knock out basis, with home and away legs and no away goals rule.
Bit like it used to be. :D

Erm, there's that Gareth Bale bloke - he might get into the Real Madrid team I suppose.

[EnfieldBlue]

The problem with British football is that it tends to be 100mph attacking-with-gusto football, which while generating exciting football that can be sold around the world, will not produce the type of football required to win on the European and World stages. Everyone tends to panic on the ball, and this pressure to get on with it weirdly even seems to spread to foreign players in the British leagues.
The English failure in Europe is further compounded by the fact that most of the big stars in England are getting on a bit. Witness Rio Ferdinand's 'performance' in the Chumpion's League on Tues. 'Abject' is being kind. He should be in retirement, not in Man Ure's starting line-up. Where are the young players to replace the ageing stars?
Plus, all the top sides in England are currently a bit crap. Don't know where that puts Pompey then. (On yeah I do, bottom of League 2... :s )

[pfcsteve72]

Well done Tottenham, our last hope, then again they have got Benfica in the last 16

[BlueAdder]

Wonder how many British players could get into the Barcelona or Real Madrid sides? Hard to think of any. :D

Erm, there's that Gareth Bale bloke - he might get into the Real Madrid team I suppose.[/quote]

Well that's one I suppose, any others?

[OhWell]

Well done Tottenham, our last hope, then again they have got Benfica in the last 16

Terrific fightback from Spurs. It would be great if they could go all the way and win it. They'll be hoping Juventus get knocked out though, as the final is in their stadium.

[Mangosmate]

Just goes to show how bad the premier league really is. Most of them took a good stuffing and Chelsea's performance last nite was nothing short of abysmal and embarassingly negative against a dreadful galatasray side even when winning. Mind you, with Mr Anti Football in charge of them i would expect nothing different.

Sky are finished. Apparently BT sport ala virgin have already taken huge parts of the market as Sky only get the **** games in the prem and crap championship fayre and people are moving in droves. I currently pay 70 odd quid a month for Sky but am changing to Virgin for a massively better package for nearly half the price next week.

I'm looking forward to watching the Bundasliga ,french ligue 1 aswell as the FA cup and the selected prem games. I cant remember 1 decent game on Sky this season as theyve been left the floor scrapings in terms of coverage.

[AlgernonPFC]

I agree with Enfield that the overseas markets are attracted to the 100mph exciting football of the Premier League but I also think that more than that they are attracted to winning and successful clubs and the English clubs are far from that at the moment. They are hardly died-in-the-wool supporters. Mind you, I think it is a bit rich of Scottish supporters to mock the lack of success of English clubs!

[lovedeanblue]

After the usual prolonged waffle the draw eventually was made as follows...

Bsrcelona v Atletico Madrid
Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Paris St Germain v Chelsea
Man U v Bayern Munich

Both games to be played in the first 2 weeks of April, first drawn teams play at home in game 1.

[BlueAdder]

I'd expect Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern in the semis.