Champions League 2006/07

[Jockey]

Danny Kelly is a BBC sports presenter and internet publisher. He has worked in print and radio journalism for over twenty years. Here is a great article he wrote I'd like to share with you:

Danny Kelly

Wasn't it great last week to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the country’s first elected female leader, making a state visit to France? France is, of course, Germany’s oldest ally and a huge party was held to mark a century of peaceful coexistence between the two.

At the bash, music was provided by the group whom rock fan Merkel described as “undoubtedly the greatest English band of all time”, the Kaiser Chiefs. During the event, held at the Irish Embassy, there was much quaffing of pints of Ireland’s traditional liquid gift to the world, Magners cider.

And so on and so on and so on. What a load of horse feathers! What a disgusting rewrite of history! Not the sort of blatant whitewash, eyewash and hogwash you’d allow in your house, eh? OK, so why do you let the football authorities and the TV companies do the same thing? It happens all the time, of course, but this week we really saw the whole airbrushing of the past thing in full effect. Celtic beat Manchester United.

They didn’t deserve to, but they did; that, thankfully, is football. What followed that scampered victory, though, was pure humbug, industrial strength Shinola. We were invited to applaud the plucky Scots as they “qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time”.

Now, I am not, despite the photos that adorn this page, an idiot. I know what they mean. I know that they have rebranded the old European Cup, so the phrase itself isn’t empirically, technically, legally incorrect. But, honestly, I am just not going to swallow all the brave new football world hokum that actually lies behind those weasel words.

The truth is — despite what the brainwashers want you to think — that Celtic have been in the last 16 of the “Champions League” (or the McVitie’s Hobnobs League Of Supreme Achievers, or whatever it will be called in two years’ time). And the last eight. And the semi-finals. And the final.

Indeed, in 1967, as everyone bally well knows, they won the blinking thing.

The marketing boffins want you to believe that there was no football before the Champions League (and before the Starbucks Double Froccalattucino Premiership, for that matter) because they are ashamed of something that used to be a community-based, working-class, unashamedly male, shambolically organised (for which read “inefficient at hoovering revenue”), rough, ready, rugged sport. Not a product, a sport.

And most of the time, for the sake of not appearing like some sort of luddite loony running around with my sandwich board and loud-hailer, I go along with this whole Champions League/Premiership sleight of history.

But this Celtic thing was a quiet-life bridge too far. In asking me to forget, for marketing purposes, the Lisbon Lions, they ask me then to also forget the Real Madrid team who won the first five European Cups. And this in the week that Ferenc Puskás (genius, but tubby, so very poor product-placement prospect) died; for shame.

They also want me to expunge the memory of the Ajax team who won three on the spin in the early Seventies, the greatest club team I’ll ever see. And they want me to pretend that the AC Milan team of Baresi, Maldini, Gullitt, Van Basten and Rijkaard was an illusion, something I dreamt.

They want me to consign Beckenbauer’s Bayern, Clough’s Forest and even Tony Barton’s Aston Villa to the dustbin of voluntary amnesia. Well I won’t, with the possible exception of Villa.

Indeed, instead of belittling Celtic, they should be garlanding them. When Celtic beat Inter Milan in that 1967 final, they actually helped to rescue a competition in danger of dying on its a***.

After the exhilaration of its early years, the tournament had been hijacked by the curse of Italian defensiveness.

AC and then Inter Milan had come to dominate, the latter bringing with them coach Helenio Herrera, henchman Giacinto Facchetti, the whole catenaccio schtick and a huge side order of cynicism. It was these destroyers of football Celtic mauled on that balmy Lisbon evening.

Light triumphed over dark, good over evil and the door was flung open again for the attacking likes of Manchester United, Ajax and the rest.

Who knows, if the Italians had been allowed to have their way, the whole European thing might have been anaesthetised to death. There would have been nothing to rebrand.

Nothing to market. Nothing to attract the TV billions and the besotted hordes. TV presenters, and Uefa themselves, should try remembering that.

[Jockey]

Very slow response on HHAD led to clicking more than one creating muti posts!

[Big Boy]

Jockey, are your hands still shaking with the excitement of it all, or is there some grand version of Night Crawlers that you're trying to qualify for?
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Green Army position 15
Cardiff 1 - 0 Plymouth Argyle
Who said, "I've dumped PAFC for Eutopia at Liecester?"
Ian Holloway (job seeker extrordanair)

[Wanderlust]

You are right Jockey, that is a great article. The same thing is happening in the Premiership, and it won't be long before they start airbrushing out the achievements of Derby, Nottingham Forest or Ipswich - as it is now they refer to Blackburn as being 'the only club outside the big 3 to win the title' which is a disgrace - Brian Clough must be spinning in his grave. Much as i dislike them and their manager, I actually want Bolton to carry on upsetting the big teams and win it this season, but that is unlikely unfortunately.

[Guess]

Interesting topic that will be discussed for many decades yet before a solution, If indeed one is needed, will be offered. They have had this problem in Formal since the mid sixties and over 40 years later are nowhere near a solution. The only thing that changes is where the money comes from.

I personally, am in favor of a western European League that would remove all the super clubs from there home countries leaving the national leagues much more competitive. This would assist in countries that are much greater affected than England. Scotland have always needed a way of getting the Supper Clubs into another tournament, even Rangers and Celtic joining the EPL has bee suggested.

I think it should be more widespread than that. The automatic qualifiers from, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal are the same every year so why not put them into a super league with another. Another League would be needed for the Eastern European clubs who are again usually the same teams every year. A promotion and relegation system would have to be cleverly devised but possible.

The European and EUFA cups could continue Europe wide. FA cup and League cup peacefully co-reside with the FA Prem.


Anyway Chelsea are top of their group so only one more thing for me to say:



. . . . . . B E N F I C A . . . . . .


And once the game is in the bag give the Pikey a swift kick in the balls.
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Remember. A turkey is for life not just for Christmas

[Big Boy]

The status-quo was restored tonight with Man Utd thrashing a Benfica side with everything to play for; and winning their group by a couple of points - even the Frenchman scored.

As for Celtic, they guaranteed their place against one of the big boys by losing in style against the might of Copenhagen - just goes to prove my earlier point ie when they are on the big stage, they try that much harder in the hope of being noticed. Fortunately for them, it worked in their last match.
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Green Army position 15
Cardiff 1 - 0 Plymouth Argyle
Who said, "I've dumped PAFC for Eutopia at Liecester?"
Ian Holloway (job seeker extrordanair)

[Guess]

Not necessarily such a big boy. If you look at the group leaders the only ones to worry about are Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Manure. Celtic cannot get Manure so that leaves five other possibles. AC Milan, Valencia, Liverpool and Arsenal are struggling at home and Lyons can be beaten by Celtic easily.

The round after next will be the killer.

Unfortunately we have to wait a a week for the draw.

I don't know why but maybe because if the third place teams going into the Uefa cup before the last round has completed on December 14th
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Remember. A turkey is for life not just for Christmas

[Guess]

OOPS sorry wrong topic.
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Remember. A turkey is for life not just for Christmas

[BaaBaa.]

[Bamboo Grove]

Don't worry BaaBaa, that's only Guess's logic, he's had a few toxic isotope polonium-210 shots in recent years by his idol Abrahamovitch
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知彼知己, 胜乃不殆; 知天知地, 胜乃可全
www.bamboogrove.fi

[Jockey]

It's a funny old game, 11 men against 11 men and our fans will be the 12th man at parkhead. I wouldn't be bothered if we lost both home and away as long as we get through. Let's face it. If you don't believe you can win, there's no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day! You've got to believe you can win, and I believe we can win the Champions league until the final whistle blows at the end of the next round and we're knocked out. I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel, all that remains is a few dots and commas to be crossed.

[Jockey]

Porto V Chelsea

Celtic V AC Milan

PSV V Arsenal

Roma V Lyon

Barcelona V Liverpool

Real V Bayern

Lille V Man U

Inter V Valencia

Prediction Celtic will draw 0-0 at home and 1-1 in Milan thereby getting in to last 8.

Last 8 will be Chelski, Celtic, Arsenal, Lyon, Barcelona, Real, Man U and Inter

[Thai Tam]

No Jockey Celtic will win both games. Already booked the day off was at the 0-1 game in '69 when Pratti scored.

We should be back to full strength and WGS will have the defence sorted out.

Huns game tomorrow then up for the Falkirk next week and fly out on Christmass day - will be in Crawfords on Boxing night - hopefully Ken will have the Dundee Utd game on.

You can buy me that pint you promised me.

Hail! Hail!

Tam
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Hail! Hail!

[Jockey]

[Bamboo Grove]

As we now know the finalists, I thought I´d bring this topic up a bit. Come on Milan, this time you might need a 4-0 lead to be sure you´ll win.
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知彼知己, 胜乃不殆; 知天知地, 胜乃可全
www.bamboogrove.fi