Oh damnnit, don't get me started on the fighting and agression discussion. And Jon, whose bloody side are you on!

Oh I'm just pouring petrol on the fire

Yeah, thanks.

To be fair to myself, I never get/look very angry when I'm in the ring. (I don't think so anyway)

Penalty Decisions.

1. Not a penalty. Malouda possibly could have got it if he hadnt collapsed.

2. Not a penalty. Drogba got his shirt pulled, well it was more a wee tug, as soon as he felt it he hit the deck. Have seen them given but it would have been soft.

3. Definitly a penalty. No doubt. Had it not hit Pique's hand Anelka would have had a clear shot at goal.

4. Hard to tell if it hit his armpit or his arm. Either way Ballack had the chance of a rebound, did he take it? No he thought it would be better to chase the referee.

Thats maybe two penaties, but in the first leg Barcelona had a stonewall penalty and that was never given. Plus take into account the ridiculous sending off. That about evens things up i'd say.



Did anyone see Jamie Redknapp in the Sky Sports studio? Thought he was going to cry.

"I am fully behind Didier for the way he reacted," declared Terry.

What kind of football club Chealsea is if captain comes out and says this after what Drobga has done? Lampard said the same thing, we've seen what Ballack did after (justified I have to say) penalty claim.

Cashley Cole with his mentality fits in there perfectly. Only one that is missing there is Jose. They were destined for each other, bunch of arrogant idiots that believe they are the best thing under the sun...

.... but they are.

JUST because people stand up for themselves, does no way in hell mean that they think they're chocolate. It's usually the people who are stating that THEY think that they think they are, are just only in reality, just the wrapper themselves.

So why can't you just leave Chelsea alone, I agree with Terry tbf, Lampard too. Ask yourselves WHY the reacted like that. If the ref wasn't dirty, they wouldn't have. If they were rewarded their penalties, then wouldn't have. So hows about you quit having a go at the people who were unlawfully taken of the chances to actually win the match, and start having a go at how stupid it is to put a dirty ref on a pitch in the semis. God.

Sorry Bish but generally results suggest they aren't . They're around the third or fourth best...


Gotta agree with this though. I've met a couple of footballers who don't live up to the stereotype at all. Frank Lampard is a classic example as well. He gets loads of stick but whenever I've actually seem him interviewed or whatever he comes across as a pretty reasonable human being. Having said that Ashley Cole... there's no way ALL of that could be fabricated, he's got to be a bit of a wrong 'un frankly.


The ref certainly was crap. I don't think I'm buying the 'unlawfully' thing though - one the things he got horrendously wrong has managed to strip Barcelona of their one remaining decent defender for the final, against a forward line likely to be worth the best part of £150m. He handed Man U a big advantage and I can't see Platini being happy about that.

And if I'm being honest, as a neutral, I don't want the same two teams in the CL final two years running. Especially if it means we'd get as tedious a final as last year.

Jon

Well, as an impartial bystander I thought there were at least a couple of good shouts for penalties.

However, saying that, it wasn't the ref who scored the equalizer. Even though that ref had been sent back from the World Cup for mistakenly giving an Italy goal as offside it doesn't change the fact that the Chelsea defence stood back and didn't close down Iniesta.

So, when all is said and done, even if the ref didn't help, it was Chelsea that lost the match for themselves, not the ref.

However, I won't be losing any sleep over Cashley A-hole being upset.

Just to play advocate.

Surely, regardless of what transpired on Wednesday, the result was for the best in terms of football for the final?

I don't support any one team but love to watch positive, attractive football. So surely 100-goals-in-a-season Barcelona who – maybe apart from Ars*nal – play the most aesthetically pleasing football in the world, vs Manchester United the current European Football Champions – who arguably play the most successful football (considering they currently hold the highest-level footballing trophy any team can win) in the world – will offer the most entertainment in the final?

Or would Chelsea vs Manchester United been a better game? I just can't see how from my independent viewpoint?

Because it would have been a hell of a grudge match.

They've played each other twice already since the last CL final and the games between the big four get far too much hype anyway - which they very rarely live up to. The press may have been frothing at the mouth about 'revenge' but I suspect the players would just have wanted to win the cup and wouldn't give a damn who they were playing. And it would have been unlikely to produce anything more entertaining than watching paint dry for everyone else.

I don't particularly have anything against Chelsea but I don't have any particular interest in watching them given the way they play football. As a neutral, this is the final I would have said I wanted back when the whole thing kicked off.

Jon

You see this is were you are wrong. Just because ref did something wrong it does not justify action of Chelsea players.
Imagine that you ran over my dog on the street, doesn't matter whether it was an accident or on purpose. According to your logic I can go to your house and start throwing rocks at your windows. Would that be right? Would it be justified? I think you would call the police on me and had me arrested.

If crime or injustice are committed there are ways to deal with that. And that is not by committing another crime or injustice...

Preston!
Great decision by the linesman.

Oh, what? I'll have to go check the score. For obvious reasons I want both Preston and Burnley to do well in the playoffs.

Jon

1-1. Sheffield United started the 2nd half like they'd been mainlining Red Bull.

Sheffield to be promoted, soft spot for them I have.

Not entirely sure why I slipped into Yoda mode there.