Betfair

"From a betting odds perspective, what is the most unlikely thing to have happened in football?" wondered Paul Griffiths back in 2005.
 
"The longest odds for a single result would either have been:

500-1 USA beat England 1-0 in 1950,

500-1 Hungary beat England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953

500-1 Manchester City's remarkable FA Cup fourth-round replay win at Tottenham back in 2004. Spurs led 3-0, but City – with 10 men – stormed back to win 4-3.

999-1  Back in January, Internazionale trailed Sampdoria 2-0  in the 88th minute  of their Serie A clash. "With maximum odds of 1,000 against (the equivalent of 999-1) available, the price was snapped up by a Berkshire man," says company spokesman, Tony Calvin. "Then Obafemi Martins scored in the 88th minute, before Christian Vieri and Alvaro Recoba won the game for Inter in injury time. The punter had scooped almost a grand for his £1 staked.

 Our previous high was 'only' a winning bet at 550 (549-1) on the draw, when a Cameroon side came back from 5-0 down to finish 5-5 against Portugal at the Under-17 World Championships in 2003."

Argintena

"Inter's 2-0 win over Catania last week kicked off with 13 Argentinians on the pitch
Esteban Cambiasso,
Diego Milito,
Rodrigo Palacio,
Walter Samuel and
Javier Zanetti for Inter,
Sergio Almirón,
Pablo Alvarez,
Mariano Andújar,
Pablo Barrientos,
Gonzalo Bergessio,
Alejandro Gómez,
Mariano Izco,
Nicolás Spolli for Catania),"

writes Todd Ashton. "A further three came on as substitutes (
Ricardo Alvarez for Inter,
 Lucas Castro and
Adrian Ricchiuti for Catania

So of the 27 players used in the match, 16 were born in Argentina and for the last 20 minutes 14 of them were playing together."

Poli II Timisoara

"I was recently digging up the history of many cup tournaments and I found out that in 1980 Real Madrid played their reserve squad in the final of the Copa del Rey," wrote Svilen Tomov last week. "Is this the only occurrence anywhere, or has it happened more than once?"

Not that we know of, Svilen, but there have been a few close misses. First, though, let's take a look at that remarkable cup run of Castilla CF, Real's reserve team. They began with two-leg wins over Extremadura, Alcorcon (who a couple of years ago embarrassed the full Madrid side), and Racing Santander before taking on the big boys of La Liga.

Hércules (who finished 15th in the top flight) were beaten first, then Athletic Bilbao (seventh), Real Sociedad (runners-up) and finally Sporting Gijón (who came third behind Sociedad and Real) in the semi-finals. 

The adventure wasn't over, though. With Real winning the title, Castilla became Spain's entrants in the 1980-81 Cup Winners' Cup, the only reserve side ever to compete in European competition (at least until English sides started fielding theirs in the Uefa Cup). It was a brief but eventful campaign. In the first round they beat a West Ham side including Trevor Brooking et al 3-1 at the Bernabéu, but violence at the game meant the return leg was played behind closed doors. The Hammers won 3-1 in 90 minutes and the 262 spectators who had somehow crept into Upton Park saw David Cross score twice in extra-time to complete his hat-trick and send the English side through 6-4 on aggregate.  

Ajax's second team were just a penalty shootout away from meeting their first XI in the 2001-02 Dutch Cup final, reports Tom Adams on Twitter. Having beaten De Graafschap in the third round, Twente in round four and Telstar in the quarter-finals, Ajax II's cup run came to an end against Utrecht in the last four, 7-6 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. (It was quite a young side that Ajax II had back then: Maarten Stekelenburg, Petri Pasanen, Abubakari Yakubu, Jelle van Damme, Steven Pienaar, Nigel de Jong, Wesley Sneijder, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Cedric van der Gun, Jason Culina, Johnny Heitinga and Tim de Cler all featured at various points in the season).

Austria Vienna had a very similar tale to Ajax in the 2008-09 Austrian Cup, with the reserve team beaten by FC Admira in the semi-finals while the first XI went on to win the tournament.

Also close were Hertha Berlin in the 1992-93 German Cup, but it was the first team that, ahem, let the side down. Hertha were dumped out by Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, but their reserve team battled all the way to the final, where they were also beaten by Bayer. 

And also deserving of a mention are Sparta Prague B, who reached the Czech Cup semi-finals in 1970-71 having beaten the Sparta first team in the quarter-finals.

THE ECONOMIST’S FEAR OF THE PENALTY KICK: Are Penalties Cosmically Unfair, or Only If You Are Nicolas Anelka?

 PIECES OF PAPER IN STUTTGART, MUNICH, BERLIN, AND MOSCOW

The problem for experienced penalty takers and goalkeepers is that over time, they build up track records. People come to spot any habits they might have—always shooting left, or always diving right, for instance. Levitt and his colleagues observed “one goalie in the sample who jumps left on all eight kicks that he faces (only two of eight kicks against him go to the left, suggesting that his proclivity for jumping left is not lost on the kickers).”

There have probably always been people in the game tracking the past behavior of kickers and keepers. Back in the 1970s, a Dutch manager named Jan Reker began to build up an archive of index cards on thousands of players. One thing he noted was where the player hit his penalties. The Dutch keeper Hans van Breukelen would often call Reker before an international match for a briefing.

Nobody paid much attention to this relationship until 1988. That May, Van Breukelen’s PSV reached the European Cup final against Benfica. Before the match in Stuttgart, the keeper phoned Reker. Inevitably, the game went to a penalty shoot-out. At first Reker’s index cards didn’t seem to be helping much—Benfica’s first five penalties all went in—but Van Breukelen saved the sixth kick from Veloso, and PSV was the European champion. A month later, so was Holland. They were leading the USSR 2–0 in the final in Munich when a silly charge by Van Breukelen conceded a penalty. But using Reker’s database, he saved Igor Belanov’s weak kick.

In Berlin in 2006, the World Cup quarter-final of Germany-Argentina also went to penalties. Jens Lehmann, the German keeper, stood in goal with a crib sheet tucked into his sock. On a page of hotel notepaper (“Schlosshotel, Grunewald,” it said), the German keeper’s trainer, Andreas Köpke, had jotted down the proclivities of some potential Argentine penalty takers:

1. Riquelme left

2. Crespo long run-up/right

                short run-up/left

3. Heinze left low

4. Ayala 2 [His shirt number, presumably given for fear that Lehmann would not recognize him]

                 waits long time, long run-up right

5. Messi left

6. Aimar 16, waits long time, left

7. Rodriquez 18, left

[ce dracu' de portar il stie pe Messi in 2006 dar nu il stie pe Ayala??]

Apparently, the Germans had a database of thirteen thousand kicks. The crib sheet might just have tipped the balance. Of the seven Argentines on the list, only Ayala and Rodriquez actually took penalties. However, Ayala stuck exactly to Lehmann’s plan: he took a long run up, the keeper waited a long time, and when Ayala dutifully shot to Lehmann’s right, the keeper saved. Rodriquez also did his best to oblige. He put the ball in Lehmann’s left-hand corner as predicted, but hit it so well that the keeper couldn’t reach.

By the time of Argentina’s fourth penalty, Germany was leading 4–2. If Lehmann could save Esteban Cambiasso’s kick, the Germans would maintain their record of never losing a penalty shoot-out in a World Cup. Lehmann consulted his crib sheet. Sönke Wortmann, the German film director, who was following the German team for a fly-on-the-wall documentary, reports what happened next: “Lehmann could find no indication on his note of how Cambiasso would shoot. And yet the piece of paper did its job, because Lehmann stood looking at it for a long time. Köpke had written it in pencil, the note was crumpled and the writing almost illegible.”

Wortmann says that as Cambiasso prepared to take his kick, he must have been thinking, “What do they know?” The Germans knew nothing. But Cambiasso was psyched out nonetheless. Lehmann saved his shot, and afterward there was a massive brawl on the field.

Both Van Breukelen’s and Lehmann’s stories have been told before. What is not publicly known is that Chelsea received an excellent crib sheet before the Champions League final in Moscow in 2008.

In 1995, the Basque economist Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, who was then a graduate student at the University of Chicago, began recording the way penalties were taken. His paper, “Professionals Play Minimax,” was published in 2003.

One friend of Ignacio who knew about his research was a professor of economics and mathematics at an Israeli university. It so happened that this man was also a friend of Avram Grant. When Grant’s Chelsea reached the final in Moscow in 2008, the professor realized that Ignacio’s research might help Grant. He put the two men in touch. Ignacio then sent Grant a report that made four points about Manchester United and penalties:

1. Van der Sar tended to dive to the kicker’s “natural side” more often than most keepers did. This meant that when facing a rightfooted kicker, Van der Sar would usually dive to his own right, and when facing a left-footed kicker, to his own left. So Chelsea rightfooted penalty takers would have a better chance if they shot to their “unnatural side,” Van der Sar’s left.

2. Huerta emphasized in his report that “the vast majority of the penalties that Van der Sar stops are those kicked to a mid-height (say, between 1 and 1.5 meters), and hence that penalties against him should be kicked just on the ground or high up.”

3. Cristiano Ronaldo was another special case. Ignacio wrote in the report: “Ronaldo often stops in the run-up to the ball. If he stops, he is likely (85%) to kick to the right hand side of the goalkeeper.” Ignacio added that Ronaldo seemed able to change his mind about where to put the ball at the very last instant. That meant it was crucial for the opposing keeper not to move early. When a keeper moved early, Ronaldo always scored.

4. The team that wins the toss before the shoot-out gets to choose whether to go first. But this is a  no-brainer: it should always go first. Teams going first win 60 percent of the time, presumably because there is too much pressure on the team going second, which is always having to score to save the game.

Ignacio doesn’t know how his research was used, but watching the shoot-out on TV, he was certain it was. Indeed, once you know the content of Ignacio’s note, it’s fascinating to study the shoot-out on YouTube. The Chelsea players seem to have followed his advice almost to the letter—except for poor Anelka.

United’s captain, Rio Ferdinand, won the toss, and turned to the bench to ask what to do. Terry tried to influence him by offering to go first. Unsurprisingly, Ferdinand ignored him. United went first, meaning that they were now likely to win. Carlos Tevez scored from the first kick.

Michael Ballack hit Chelsea’s first penalty high into the net to Van der Sar’s left. Juliano Belletti scored low to Van der Sar’s left. Ignacio had recommended that Chelsea’s right-footed kickers choose that side. But at this early stage, he still couldn’t be sure that Chelsea was being guided by his report. He told us later, “Interestingly, my wife had been quite skeptical about the whole thing as I was preparing the report for Coach Grant, not even interested in looking at it. But then the game went into extra time, and then into a penalty shoot-out. Well, still skeptical.”

At this point Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take his kick for United. Watching on TV, Ignacio told his wife the precise advice he had given Chelsea in his report: Chelsea’s keeper shouldn’t move early, and if Cristiano paused in his run-up, he would most probably hit the ball to the keeper’s right. To Ignacio’s delight, Chelsea’s keeper, Petr Cech, stayed motionless— “not even blinking,” in the Spanish football phrase. Then, exactly as Ignacio had recommended, Cech dived to his right and duly saved Ronaldo’s shot. Ignacio recalled later, “After that, I started to believe that they were following the advice quite closely.” As for his wife, “I think she was a bit shocked.”

What’s astonishing—though it seems to have passed unnoticed at the time—is what happened after that. Chelsea’s next four penalty takers, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, John Terry, and Salomon Kalou, all hit the ball to Van der Sar’s left, just as Ballack and Belletti had done. In other words, the first six Chelsea kicks went to the same corner.

Ashley Cole was the only one of the six who partly disregarded Ignacio’s advice. Cole was left-footed, so when he hit the ball to Van der Sar’s left, he was shooting to his own “natural side”—the side that Ignacio had said Van der Sar tended to choose. Indeed, the Dutchman chose correctly on Cole’s kick, and very nearly saved the shot, but it was well struck, low (as Ignacio had recommended), and just wriggled out of the keeper’s grip. But all Chelsea’s right-footed penalty takers had obeyed Ignacio to the letter and kicked the ball to their “unnatural side,” Van der Sar’s left.

So far, Ignacio’s advice had worked very well. Much as the economist had predicted, Van der Sar had dived to his natural side four times out of six. He hadn’t saved a single penalty. Five of Chelsea’s six kicks had gone in, while Terry’s, as the whole world knows, flew out off the post with Van der Sar in the wrong corner. But after six kicks, Van der Sar, or someone else at Manchester United, figured out that Chelsea was  pursuing a strategy. Admittedly, the keeper didn’t quite get its strategy right. Wrongly but understandably, he seems to have decided that Chelsea’s strategy was to put all the kicks to his left. After all, that’s where every kick he had faced up to that point had gone.

As Anelka prepared to take Chelsea’s seventh penalty, the gangling keeper, standing on the goal line,  extended his arms to either side of him. Then, in what must have been a chilling moment for Anelka, the Dutchman pointed with his left hand to the left corner. “That’s where you’re all putting it, isn’t it?” [FOTO] he seemed to be saying. (This is where books fall short as a medium. We urge you to watch the shoot-out on YouTube.)

Now Anelka had a terrible dilemma. This was game theory in its rawest form. United had come pretty close to divining Chelsea’s strategy: Ignacio had indeed advised right-footed kickers like Anelka to put the ball to Van der Sar’s left side.

So Anelka knew that Van der Sar knew that Anelka knew that Van der Sar tended to dive right against right-footers. What was Anelka to do? He decided to avoid the left corner, where he had presumably planned to put the ball. Instead, he kicked to Van der Sar’s right. That might have been fine, except that he hit the ball at midheight—exactly the level that Ignacio had warned against. Watching the kick on TV, Ignacio was “very upset.” Perhaps Anelka was at sea because Van der Sar had pressured him to change his plans at the last moment. Van der Sar saved the shot. Alex Ferguson said afterward, “That wasn’t an accident, his penalty save. We knew exactly where certain players were putting the ball.” Anelka’s decision to ignore Ignacio’s advice probably cost Chelsea the Champions League.

DIN - BCN

Dinamo chiar are șanse: jucătorii Barcelonei vor avea de înfruntat și atmosfera din tribune, ei nefiind obișnuiți cu liniștea.

Întrebat ce știe despre România, Messi a răspuns voios: ”Hagi, Nadia, Knattspyrnufelag!”

Oficialii Barcelonei au declarat: “După înfrîngerea cu 2-0 în fața Stelei în 1986 nu avem deocamdată curaj să jucăm cu gruparea militară. Încercăm cu echipe mai abordabile ca Dinamo sau Chelsea.”

Un avertisment pentru aroganții ăia de la Barcelona: 20-0 e cel mai periculos scor!

Ca să pară o echipă mai redutabilă, cu ocazia amicalului cu Barcelona, Dinamo își va schimba numele în Borcealona.

 

La finalul meciului, jucătorii Barcelonei vor face schimb de tricouri cu suporterii dinamoviști. Iar rezervele spaniolilor cu acționarii lui Dinamo.

Ca să pară că au și ei stil modern de joc, oficialii lui Dinamo au anunțat că au doi homosexuali în echipă.

Mai complicat ar fi fost dacă Barcelona juca amical cu Rapidul, că rapidiștii au toți tricouri de plastic ale Barcelonei luate din Crângași, cu Messi, Rivaldo și Maradona scris pe spate, și sigur le purtau ca să-i încurce.

Ca să nu se facă de râs cu Barcelona, Borcea a anunțat că va transfera niște spectatori.

Ce vor alege dinamoviștii la începutul meciului, când arbitrul va arunca cu banul? Vor alege banul, ca să câștige și ei ceva.

 

Ca să pară că vin mai mulți spectatori la meci, Borcea a anunțat că meciul se va juca în Ștefan cel Foarte Mare.

Dacă meciul tot se numește ”amical”, au voie și dinamoviștii să se laude pe urmă că sunt prieteni cu fotbaliștii?

După ce ne-a dat țeapă anul trecut, pe 10 august, cînd nu a mai venit cu naționala Argentinei la București, acum, pe 11 august, Messi vrea să ne dea țeapă și la nivel de club.

 

8 iunie:

Cristiano Ronaldo are în sfârșit șansa să fie mai bun decât Messi la o competiție.

După ce Chelsea a câștigat Champions League cu o tactică foarte defensivă, fotbalul interțări are un nou proverb: pe englezi să nu-i consideri învinși până nu s-au urcat în autobuz ca să-l pornească și să-l scoată din poartă.

Oficialii germani și cei francezi i-au rugat pe șefii federației Greciei să nu exagereze cu cheltuielile și să ia autobuzul până în Polonia.

Nemții joacă în Polonia în grupe, deci câștigă din prima zi, ca de obicei.

Întrebați cum cred că se vor descurca în meciurile din grupă, jucătorii Italiei au scos imediat niște carnețele pe care aveau notate toate cele trei scoruri care se vor înregistra.

Ăla care a avut atâta tupeu să pună Grecia în Grupa A și Germania abia în Grupa B la EURO 2012 sigur nu-i de la Moody’s.

Indiferent de rezultatele echipei, grecii au anunțat că vor ieși în stradă.

U.E. și U.E.F.A. au hotărît ca jumătate din punctele obținute de Germania să fie oferite Greciei.

-------------

Dacă Italia bate Spania, Silvio Berlusconi a promis fanilor că va ieși îmbrăcat pe stradă.

Meciul Spania-Italia va fi dominat de duelul galeriilor, care îşi vor ironiza adversarii cu mesaje legate de datoria externă a ţării.

Întrebat după meci ce ar fi făcut dacă ar fi fost antrenorul Portugaliei, Mourinho a declarat: „Îl scoteam pe Pepe la pauză. Păi e posibil să joci o repriză şi să nu loveşti nici un adversar sau coechipier?”

Antrenorul Olandei a declarat că Euro 2012 este o ocazie excelentă de pregătire a meciurilor cu România.

Ilie Dobre a anunțat că va scrie o carte după meciul Olanda – Danemarca. Ea se va numi “Olanda – Danemarca”.

Se pare că este turneul surprizelor. Suntem deja în a doua zi de Euro și Reghecampf este încă la Steaua.

Victor Ponta și-a cerut scuze populației pentru că n-a avut nici o părere despre prima zi de la Euro, dar promite să iasă cu ceva tare după meciurile din seara asta.

Este posibil ca în sferturi să joace Rusia cu Germania. Nemții promit că de data asta n-o să mai atace ca proștii, cu toată echipa în terenul advers, chit că nu e iarnă.

Fotbalul e un joc frumos, în care se întâlnesc 22 de jucători, și la sfârșit câștigă turcii și polonezii. Ăia din echipa Germaniei.

-------------------

Polonia-Rusia chiar a fost un meci istoric. Probabil la asta s-au gândit și cei de la UEFA când au pus arbitri nemți. Mai trebuia să pună și observator de joc american.

Filosofia impusă echipei Germaniei de liderul ei, Mesut Özil: “Pas și șut, ca mașina de Mesut”.

Se spune că atunci când joacă prost Germania ajunge în finală, iar când joacă bine o și câștigă. La fel se poate spune că, atunci când Ronaldo joacă prost la echipa națională, Portugalia nu trece de grupe. Iar când joacă bine nu știm exact ce se întâmplă, că n-a fost cazul până acum.

După mulțimea de incidente petrecute de la începerea Euro 2012, Comisia de Disciplină a UEFA a decis ca următoarele două Campionate Europene să se joace cu porțile închise.

Portugalia a dat trei goluri, dar Cristinel Ronaldo n-a marcat încă. Ca de obicei, el așteaptă niște adversari adevărați, Rayo Vallecano sau Santander.

Bun cunoscător al fotbalului internațional, Mircea Lucescu a declarat că, indiferent cine va ieși campioană, arbitrii vor fi de vină.

Telespectatorii români au șansa să asiste la o premieră mondială în televiziune: să se termine TVR-ul înaintea Cammpionatului European.

După meciul cu Cehia am observat că grecii au adoptat un stil de joc foarte asemănător cu cel al Barcelonei. Îi zice tza-tzichi.

-----------------

 Ronaldo “a reușit dubla” în meciul cu Olanda. Dacă era Piți pe banca olandezilor, dădea el o dublă mai mare și întorcea rezultatul.

Cristiano Ronaldo a dat în sfârșit gol! Cu piciorul, că dacă dădea cu capul se chema că a dat gel.

 

Să mai zică cineva că grecii nu se pricep la fotbal și economie. Au eliminat Rusia, echipa cu cei mai cheltuitori suporteri, singurii turiști capabili să consume toată marfa organizatorilor, și vor juca cu nemții. Dacă-i scot și pe ăștia, cred că Euro 2012 poate pleca acasă.

-------------------- deu - gre

UEFA a precizat că la finalul meciului nu se va face tradiționalul schimb de tricouri. Mai exact, doar grecii le vor preda nemților pe ale lor, odată cu șortul, jambierele și ghetele.

Domnul Adrian Vasilescu ne asigură că BNR este pregătită să facă față oricărui rezultat la meciul de deseară. Totuși, dacă se poate, ne roagă să ținem cu Germania.

În sfârșit, Grecia a fost de acord cu o primă măsură de austeritate: a cerut la UEFA să-i fie micșorată poarta proprie cu 25%.

Știți vorba aia? Cică pe nemți să nu-i crezi bătuți pînă nu-i vezi urcați în cele două autocare cu care pleacă acasă: al lor și cel al grecilor, confiscat.

Angela Merkel nu exclude posibilitatea ca, până la finalul meciului, banca de rezerve a Greciei să nu mai existe.

Ziarele nemțești avertizează: un rezultat final de 2-0 pentru Grecia ar fi cel mai periculos scor pentru eleni.

La meciul Germania-Grecia noi, românii, o să ținem cu nemții pînă la pauză și p-ormă o să întoarcem armele și vom ține cu rușii.

Întrebat cum va evolua cursul de schimb în funcție de rezultatul meciului, Hagi a lansat următoarea speculație: ”Dacă ți-e frică de lei, nu intri în pădure.”

Grecii au o echipă atît de proastă încît speră ca pentru ei publicul să fie primul jucător. Sau măcar primul finanțator.

Grecia nu va pleca de la Euro 2012, indiferent de rezultat. Atunci când a fost constituit Campionatul European de Fotbal, organizatorii nu au specificat procedura prin care grecii să poată fi scoși.

 

---------------------- semi

În meciul de astăzi, singura șansă a Portugaliei să se joace și ea cu mingea este să vină cu una de-acasă.

Cu cine vă uitați deseară la meciul Spaniei? Noi, cel mai probabil, cu Cristiano Ronaldo și ceilalți portughezi.

Fotbalul este un sport frumos în care se întâlnesc 22 de jucători și la sfârșit câștigă Germania, ține mingea Spania și ratează Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nemții nu câștigă tot timpul campionatul european, așa cum se spune. În anii în care se țin campionate mondiale câștigă campionate mondiale.

Gigi Becali a anunțat că Steaua nu lucrează cu jumătăți de măsură, așa că nu va juca niciodată în semifinalele vreunei competiții. Doar în finale.

În acest an Olanda și-a propus să câștige campionatul european din 1988. Deocamdată sunt în grafic, joacă bine, sperăm să nu intervină nimic și șansa să fie de partea lor.

Vrăjitoarea Melissa a dat asigurări că România va câștiga un turneu final atunci când acesta se va ține într-un an impar.

---------------- finala

Avînd în vedere tenacitatea recunoscută a nemților, ne putem aștepta ca Germania să revină pe finalul meciului Italia-Spania și să cîștige finala CE.

Balotelli nu va reuși hattrick-ul pentru că la fiecare gol își dă tricoul jos și ia galben.

Ile Dobre: “Finala va fi cîștigată de formația peninsulară.”

Italia va cîștiga finala cu 2-1, în urma a două execuții superbe semnate de Victor Ponta.

TVR anticipează audiențe generoase astă-seară, mizând și pe comunitățile de români de afară. Asta dacă nu cumva telespectatorii vor prefera, în locul meciului Italia-Spania, tot tradiționalul meci dintre bine și rău de la PRO TV.

Adrian Năstase a anunțat că dacă Portugalia, favorita lui, nu cîștigă turneul se va sinucide în gît.

Organizatorii EURO 2012 au declarat că, dintre toate tricourile, cel mai bine se vînd cele cu PONTA pe spate.

Ronaldo haunted by Messi at euros

Cristiano Ronaldo had a bad day at the office today, missing a number of “sitters” during Portugal’s match with Denmark at the Euro 2012 finals. And with every miss, the crowd chanted the name of his rival from Barcelona: “Messi Messi Messi.” The taunting from the grandstand was so obvious that Ronaldo was asked about it during an interview after the match. His reply: “Do you know what he (Messi) was doing this time last year? He was going out of the Copa America in the quarter-finals.”

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Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2012/news/ronaldo-haunted-by-messi-at-euros/#ixzz1xkkpIxSA

Top 10 ‘Worth A Punt’ Free Agents Floating Around This Summer

2. Alessandro Del Piero: Oh how we desperately want to see Del Piero given one last whirl in the Premier League. The obvious drawbacks include him being older than most Sequoias and only good for about 2o or so bit-part appearances, but the pros include him being Ale-bloody-ssandro Del Pi-sodding-ero.

Likely suitors: Arsenal have been mentioned in passing, but the exorbitant £0 fee may prove a stumbling block. Maybe ‘Arry’s chairman can do a deal?

3. Michael Owen: Unwilling to besmirch his CV by mixing with the smelly, typhoid-riddled proles in mid-table, it’s difficult to envisage where Owen is going to wash up next – what him suffering from rather prohibitive delusions of grandeur and all. It all comes down to that age-old paradox again: He definitely is still worth a gamble BUT that gamble is almost certain to backfire miserably. What’s a gal to do?

Likely suitors: Damned if we know. He’ll be holding out for someone like Tottenham but, let’s face it, he hasn’t got a prayer. The world’s moved on, it isn’t 2002 any more. How about a move back to Newcastle? They bloody love him up at St James’.

 

5. Didier Drogba: Having left Chelsea in just about the most heroic of circumstances, 34-year old Drogba seems almost certain to now make that lucrative last move to China or the UAE to play out his days in less demanding climes – though there is a sneaking possibility that he may be tempted by one more year in mainstream football, though he probably won’t be staying in the Premier League out of courtesy. He’s certainly still got the chops for it (on a pared-down basis), even if the knees are beginning to creak like a rusty Penny Farthing.

Likely suitors: Barcelona and Real Madrid are now both rumoured to be giving it the once over, but £450,000-a-week in Qatari fun money may prove too tempting to turn down.

 

 

6. Gennaro Gattuso: One of the many veterans (five players with a combined age of 179!) cast adrift by Milan at the end of the Serie A season, there are tentative whispers on the wind that a couple of Premier League clubs are drafting up one-year deals for Rino. Intriguing. In his heyday, Gattuso routinely gave opponent’s migraines with his subtle blend of niggling gobshitery. Worth a punt on a free? Yeah, perhaps – though we choose to refrain from being any more committal than that.

Likely suitors: Lazio are apparently favourites, though QPR are said to be sniffing around. However, surely a reunion with old chum Joe Jordan at Tottenham would be the more entertaining option?

10. Michael Essien: Arguably the most surprising name on Chelsea’s list of summer flotsam (though it’s not quite 100% confirmed as of yet), these days Essien is liable to break at any moment and is a shadow of the domineering midfielder he once was. His legs have pretty much gone, which is a bit of a bind for a former tyrannical all-action whirligig – but surely there’ll be plenty of clubs lined up to offer him future employment.

Likely suitors: Dare we venture to suggest Manchester United? Yes, we dare.

Notable mentions: Nicky Shorey, Jose Bosingwa, Florent Malouda, Paulo Ferreira, Abdoulaye Faye, Peter Lovenkrands, Gai Assulin, Owen Hargreaves, Maynor Figueroa, James McFadden, Emile Heskey (the joke being that Heskey was so upset at being released by Villa that he went on a shooting spree in Birmingham. No one was hurt.)

‘I Give Myself 10 Out Of 10′ – Cristiano Ronaldo Doles Out Humble End Of Season Ratings

Chris Wright

It’s hard to argue that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a mind-scramblingly good season this year, scoring a gigajillion goals in Real Madrid’s La Liga title-winning campaign and pulling his side out of the mire on several occasions – and, boy does he know it.

In an interview with MARCA, Ronaldo, asked about his summary of Real’s 2011/12, doled out his end of season ‘marks out of ten’ and, ever the humble little lamb, duly gave himself the most glowing of reviews:

“On an individual level I give my season a 10, but collectively we are a 9 because we want to win more – the Champions League for example.”

Now, we’re not necessarily disagreeing with the creosoted superduperstar on that count – it’s not like any aspect of his incredible season and the various feats therein are deserving of any of teacher’s red ‘SEE ME’ biro – but rating yourself above your team? Come on kid, have a heart – Sami Khedira’s not that bad. Maybe we’re just overly used to hearing a standard bland ‘well, the lads done brilliant…’ response to that line of questioning, who knows?

Ronaldo also vowed that he planned to ‘much improve’ his game next term, though how one goes about improving on a perfect 10/10 is beyond us – that said, if anyone can, it’s probably going to be the Great Cristiano.

Col says:

May 22, 2012 at 1:29 pm

The part is greater than the sum of the whole.

This Way For The Worst Touchline Trickery You’re Ever Likely To Witness! (Video)

This is Mohamed Ghaddar, a Lebanese player who is currently employed by Kelantan FA in the Malaysian Super League – though, with footwork like this, a move to one of Europe’s big hitters surely beckons for ‘The Malaysian Neymar’…

1. C says:

   May 23, 2012 at 9:04 am

   That kind of behaviour will get you nothing but a swift kick up your arse.
   
2. gamblino says:

   May 23, 2012 at 9:10 am

   What on earth is wrong with him?
   
3. alex says:

   May 23, 2012 at 9:38 am

   the malaysian neymars… I think I’ve got my band name
   
4. Wilma says:

   May 23, 2012 at 9:40 am

   SOCCER!!
   
5. Eckpfosten says:

   May 23, 2012 at 11:38 am

   Well…that`s what happens if you drink too much coffee.
   
6. MaxMad says:

   May 23, 2012 at 11:50 am

   failure to properly do some trickery, as well as missing the opponent as he probably wanted to go for a throw-in = pure shit. This is magnificent in a degree I never thought possible.
   
7. abhi_gooner says:

   May 23, 2012 at 11:55 am

   Loved the laziness of it all.
   
8. Professor Erno Breastpinchd says:

   May 23, 2012 at 12:07 pm

   What the fuck is wrong with those defenders? I’d fire them on the spot for that shit.
   
9. Puma says:

   May 23, 2012 at 12:38 pm

   I wish it would have been Joey Barton defending that douche…
   
10. Toz says:

    May 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    That was…ridiculous.
    Althuogh the Neymar video was worse. He (Neymar) deserved a Joey Barton reaction to his asshatery.
    
11. trw says:

    May 23, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    its a few seconds away from final whistle , so he waste the time and no one support. so he desperately kicked the ball out of play
    
12. Steven says:

    May 23, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    @trw
    Don’t you ruin our fun with context.

Barcelona Unveil New 2012/13 Kits – Home Is Nasty, Away Is Assault On Retinas (Photos)

By Chris Wright

Here we go folks, the new Barcelona strips for 2012/13 – and it’s no wonder Pep got out when he did, these things are not retina-friendly, with the home kit featuring that ‘blaugrana colour fuse’ detail that we saw in the early mock-ups and the away kit being a blazing orangey-yellow thing – an homage to ‘Barca’s effervescent style of play’ the ‘city’s mix of culture, architecture, style and art’…

Yeesh.

What say you Pies fans? Sí or no sí? We’re going to give them a miss if it’s all the same.
 --------------

More Photos Of New Barcelona Kits In Full – Iniesta REALLY Likes His New Away Strip (Photos)

 Time to put the welding goggles back on, as we’ve managed to get our hands on a few more photos of the new Barcelona kits, this time in their full monstrous majesty – as modelled by Thiago Alcantara and Andres Iniesta, who is sporting the clearest ‘I really don’t want to be here, doing this’ smile we’ve seen in quite some time…

1. Graham says:

   May 23, 2012 at 3:58 pm

   Iniesta looks like some bloke whose daft wife dressed him for a beach holiday.
   
2. chris says:

   May 23, 2012 at 4:37 pm

   Holy hell, no wonder Pep fucked off!!
   
   

   

Câteva date statistice. Unele interesante, altele nu chiar:

1- All Champions League finals played in Munich produced a winner of the competition for the 1st time in their history (Nottingham Forest,Marseille and Dortmund).They all took place in Bayern Munich’s previous home,the Olympiastadion.

2- The last time Atletico Madrid won the Europa League and Chelsea won both the FA Cup and the FA Youth Cup and Man Utd finished 2nd,Arsenal 3rd,Spurs 4th Chelsea secured a Double in the same season Bayern Munich lost their Champions League final against the team that knocked Barcelona out in the semi-final.

3- The last English team (Man Untd) to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League,went on to lift the trophy and win the competition.

4- An English team (Man Utd) has previously won the FA Cup and gone on to win the Champions League,beating Bayern Munich in the final who lost the DFB Pokal during that season.

5- The last time a Champions League final was officiated by a Portuguese referee was when an English side (Nottingham Forest) beat a German side (Hamburg).

6- The last time Man City won the league title,an English team (Man Utd) won the European Cup.

7- The last team (Inter Milan) to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League in the semi-final,went on to lift the trophy and win the competition against Bayern Munich in the final.

End of season jokes

 X jeleşte de parcă Pippo a murit, nu a marcat. :D
Anyway, sunt nişte voci care susţin că nu e exclus să rămână la Milan. Ăsta ar fi un adevărat capolavoro al carierei lui, să simuleze plecarea.
------------------

"Emile Heskey told he will never play football again."
Leicester Daily News - June 1996.
---------------------

What's Big, red and goes "beep, beep, beep"?
The Manchester United open top bus reversing back into the garage.
---------------------

I Can imagine this is a difficult time for all the United fans, so I hope you find yourself in good Kompany. Don't take it to Hart. Yaya gotta keep your head up, it wont be De Jong before you're smiling again - keep looking for the Silva lining. It may sound a bit of a Clichy but Manchester's number 1 club is now City!
-----------------

If Dalgish does get sacked...
Does that finally count as an assist by Downing?
----------------------

I've named my new baby Didier after Drogba..I'm not a Chelsea fan..
It's because he has trouble staying on his feet.
------------------

Stoke midfielder Jermaine Pennant banned for drink driving. Obviously misunderstood Tony Pulis' request for the team to pick up more points on the road.
-----------------

My mate is starting a 5-a-side football tournament and he asked me how much did I reckon it would cost to buy a replica Premier League trophy to give to the winning team.
"I dont know", I said. "But I hear Manchester City have bought one recently for £490m but it took 4 years to get delivered."
-----------------

It was a good choice to hold the premier league celebration tour in Manchester.
They avoid all the Manchester United fans.
----------------------

Liverpool football club used to have the motto, "There's no substitute for talent".
Now it's, "There's no substitute with talent".
-----------------------

In South America, your name on a gravestone with the words RIP is a sign of friendship.
----------------------

BREAKING NEWS: Alex McLeish is "considering his future" after failing his mission to relegate every Midlands football club within 5 years.
-------------------

Wigan fans are delighted after todays win. With their 11th of the season, the team can now dedicate one to each of their fans.
-----------------

What do Blackburn and the Titanic have in common? Nobody is expecting them to come back up any time soon.
-----------------

Geoff Shreeves will stop off at the Reebok Stadium on his way to the Stadium of Light.
----------

The story of Joleon Lescott's season:
2 goals 1 cup.
------------

Bag of Chips. £1.50.
One of the biggest football teams in Scotland. £1.00.
---------------

Isn't it funny that Rangers' last 2 owners were Green & Whyte, they're last signing was Celik and their getting put out of business by the Queen.
-----------------

I just had my new Rangers 2012 diary delivered.
Must be a printing error, its only got January to June.
----------------

After Blackburn Rovers got relegated, a former manager, who wishes to remain anonymous said "I was weally worried about welegation after dweadfull wun of wesults"
--------------

Looks like Drogba's leaving Chelsea at the end of this season.
That'll be sad for the many fans who worship the ground he falls on.
---------------

My girlfriend said she's leaving me for another guy because I'm too obsessed with football manager.
I said, "On loan or transfer?"
--------------

What's the difference between Canada and Chelsea F.C ?
Canada has Niagara falls while chelsea have a nigger that falls.
---------------

I opened the fridge door earlier and a bottle of Pepsi fell to the floor with a thud, and proceeded to roll right across the kitchen floor.
I thought it was strange, until I saw it had a photo of Didier Drogba on it.
-------------

After what happened in todays Cup Final, video technology is being called for
To find the invisible man who hacks Drogba
-----------------

BREAKING: Pep Guardiola has told sources that he may be taking charge of Rangers next season, so he can spend some time away from football.
-------------

With the Sun's 'Bwing on the Euwos' front page. I'm hoping to see the day Tim Howard becomes England manager.
Bring on the cum guzzler, nigger, cunt, slut, world cup.
----------

Some worry Harry Redknapp might be too old the next time the England job comes up, as by July he'll be sixty five and a half.
---------

Did you hear Andy Carrol is getting married? It's gonna be 'Mrs Carrol' instead of 'Carrol misses'
------------

Darren Bent will be fit in time for Euro
2012,
so he'll be watching it on the T.V. like
the rest of us.
------------


Legend:
Inzaghi se retrage de la Milan.
Manchester United rateaza titlul.
Manchester City ia titlul.
Stewart Downing, adus pe bani multi la Liverpool, a reusit fix 0 goluri si 0 pase de gol tot sezonul.
Drogba simuleaza des.
Manchester United este unul dintre cluburile al caror principal suport intern nu este local.
Manchester City este clubul cu mult suport local, dar si echipa spre care se indreapta acum fanii de plastic. (alte exemple - Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid)
Tevez ridica un semn "RIP, FERGIE" la sarbatorirea titlului dupa ce Ferguson spusese despre City si titlu acum cativa ani ca "Not in my lifetime".
Suarez s-a scuzat ca l-a numit pe Evra "negrito" spunand ca in America de Sud expresia este una de prietenie.
Alex McLeish a anrenat in ultimii 5 ani Birmingham si Aston Villa, ratand retrogradarea la mustata cu ultimii dupa ce pe primii ii retrogradase in 2008.
Blackburn retrogradeaza, cu regretul multora dar fara perspective roz.
Geoff Shreeves i-a dat lui Ivanovic vestea ca nu  va juca finala Ligii.
Bolton Wonderers retrogradeaza.
Manchester United pierde titlul in deplasare, la Sunderland pe Stadium of Light.
Rangers e pe pas de desfiintare, avansandu-se ideea ca va fi vandut pe o lira.
Guardiola vrea sa plece din lumea fotbalului o vreme

"Alex Ferguson is on the pitch"
 "He thinks it's all over"
 "It is now"


 Fergie: “Those Sunderland fans who cheered for City … we won’t forget that”

După meci umbla pe Twitter un banc:
“Manchester City fans have not been this excited since they were Chelsea fans.”

After winning the premier league, Man City fans have agreed a 1 year extension to their support of the team 

Start a game as Stoke in Football Manager but use the data editor to set yourself a £700 million transfer budget and a £390 million wage budget... See how long it takes you to win the league, or would most people call that cheating?

Man City have announced that they are going to bring out a book called "Things that have happened since 2011"
It's got a title, but no history 

Definition of irony: City win the league in Fergie time.

How obvious was it that sky sports were convinced man city had blown it! Geoff shreeves in the ethihad stadium waiting for full time whistle! He is now being transported from Manchester to Sunderland to inform Alex ferguson that he did not win the premier league. 

Mancini's men win the Premier League.
Well paid, City. Well paid.

In a secret location in Northern England, 2 helicopters wait on standby. In one, the Premier League trophy. In the other, Geoff Shreeves. 

Manchester united have no new injury worries on the last crucial day of the season and have a difficult choice of which referee to play against sunderland.

Manchester United want to be on top of the table so badly at the end of next season, that they designed their kit like a tablecloth 

I bought a Manchester City Football Manager game. It has really cool features like skip season and buy league now.

Mayhem in Vallecas as the Yellow Submarine is sunk without trace

 Full article by Sid Lowe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/may/14/vallecas-yellow-submarine

It is only six years since Villarreal were a penalty away from a European Cup final and at the start of this season they were a Champions League team. Bayern Munich and Manchester City visited the Madrigal this season; next season Huesca and Sabadell will. In the 89th minute, Villarreal were safe. Really safe. It would take two goals in two different stadiums for them to go down. A draw would be enough; a defeat would be enough, so long as Rayo didn't score. There was no way both things would happen. After all, Villarreal's opponents, Atlético Madrid, knew that Málaga were winning – that small hope of a Champions League place had gone and taken the motivation with it. But then it happened. Ramadel Falcao scored in the 89th minute. The president, Fernando Roig, silently stood up and left the directors' box, heading down the stairs. He could take no more but his team were still safe; by the time he reached the bottom they were not.

His team had conceded twice in barely two minutes: the one they conceded to Atlético on the east coast and the one Granada conceded to Rayo to the east of Madrid. Villarreal were down; so, immediately, were Villarreal B. Two teams relegated for the price of one. As Roig stood on the pitch, the architect of Villarreal's most successful spell ever, the fans stood sadly to applaud. Outside, a handful of supporters gathered to insult the players, "mercenaries not fit to wear the shirt". Down in the tunnel, José Manuel Llaneza, the sporting director, was confronting Diego Godín, the Atlético player who was kicked out of Villarreal for hitting the town the night before a game.

"It's hard to explain," said the coach Miguel-Angel Lotina, but he was about to have a go. Dark thoughts troubled him. "Football has been cruel to Villarreal. What has happened in the last three or four years in the First Division is worrying. One day, I imagine it will all come out, but football is in grave danger." At the final whistle, the midfielder Angel had talked about "strange things … that everyone knows but no one can denounce". The maletín again. There was, though, a different discourse from Marcos Senna; in glasses, a soft voice and a quiet, firm dignity, politely but persistently refusing to be dragged into a controversy, he insisted it was nobody's fault but theirs. "We failed," he said, "and that's it. We only had to rely on ourselves. A draw was enough and we didn't get it. There is no excuse."

Villarreal have been through three coaches this season; as many as they had in the previous seven seasons. Financial reality has bitten and that perfect ecosystem has collapsed. Their first coach was sacked largely because his relationship with the players was so edgy, the second arrived because he was cheap and left because he wasn't very good, and the third has now been relegated in two successive seasons, having gone down with Depor last year . The planning has been poor; when Villarreal sold Santi Cazorla, Senna said that he felt like they had cut a finger off. Nine months later, Cazorla has reached the Champions League with Málaga; Villarreal are down. Villarreal made €19m on Cazorla; they spent €17m of that on Cristián Zapata, Jonathan de Guzmán and Javier Camuñas. None have performed. Giuseppe Rossi has had two knee ligament injuries and missed virtually the whole season, Nilmar has missed some games and disappeared from others.

In the final weeks, Villarreal passed up chance after chance to clinch survival, paying for over-caution, inviting trouble. Waiting for the whistle was waiting to be hit. Bad luck only goes so far in explaining failure. Falcao scored in the 89th minute, costing them a draw that would have kept them safe. Last week, Jonas scored in the 92nd minute costing them a draw that would have kept them safe and provoking a confrontation because Valencia, those dirty cheats, had tried to win when they had nothing to play for – a confrontation that speaks volumes about what's wrong with Spanish football. Two weeks before that, a Raúl García equaliser in the 72nd minute cost them a victory, the week before that Carlos Vela scored an 87th‑minute equaliser for Real Sociedad and the week before that Lautaro Acosta's 93rd‑minute equaliser cost them against Racing Santander. In March they lost to Getafe, Levante and Zaragoza: in all three games they conceded late on – in the 72nd, 92nd and 85th and 93rd minutes respectively.

Those should not have happened; this definitely should not. This was more of the same, only worse. On Sunday night, a late goal in Vila-Real and an even later goal in Vallecas kept Rayo up and sent Villarreal down. As the Rayo players celebrated, the chant went up: "El Rayo es de primera." Rayo are a first‑division team. Twelve years later, Villarreal are not.

LLL: Real Madrid prepare to celebrate, Bilbao fans prepare to turn up late

Not for the first time, it’s the pasillo, rather than the potential end of the Primera title race, that dominates the headlines in the Spanish capital. It was being discussed in squeakily excited terms by the Madrid press as far back as the winter, when Real Madrid were 10 points clear at the top and calculations were being done whether or not Barcelona would have applaud their rivals on to the Camp Nou pitch ahead of their recent clash, as they did in 2008.

Instead, the talk now is of whether it will be another club not exactly enamored with all things Madridista going through the ritual - Athletic Bilbao. 

If Málaga beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou in Wednesday's 8pm kick-off, Real Madrid will be officially crowned league champions for the 32nd time without kicking a ball, as their match at San Mamés doesn't get under way until 10pm.

Málaga doing their duty and rolling over will spare some Athletic fans missing the first five minutes of the match, with rumours suggesting a group of supporters would boycott the opening stages of the fixture in order to avoid the accursed ‘pasillo’. This isn’t simply because they don’t like Real Madrid, it is also a protest against the capital club's president Florentino Pérez, who barred the Santiago Bernabeu from being a potential Copa del Rey final venue due to all important toilet repair work at the stadium, and certainly not due to the fact he didn't fancy seeing a certain Catalan club having a party on his patch.  

The chance of winning la Liga even saw José Mourinho breaking his radio silence and giving Aitor Karanka a bit of a rest in the pre-match press conference. However, there may be more quiet to come in the next few weeks if things go alright on the night. “I’ll do what I always do,” said the Madrid manager, who is on the brink of winning four league titles in four countries, “I’ll be as quiet and hidden as possible.” 

Jose - hidden and quiet, just as promised

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/apr/27/barcelona-pep-guardiola

Even the things he did well could be held against him; there were many who threw the compliments back in his face. "Maybe it's true," he said, "maybe I do piss perfume." He may be wrong, he may be sensitive, he is no angel and he is not entirely blameless, but the Barcelona boss has found much of what relentlessly swirls around these clubs incomprehensible and unjust. The accusations and suspicions, the constant tension, the interests, have taken their toll. He was all too aware of the use that could be made of his every word and at times felt powerless to defend himself. The involvement was always huge; now it is just too much. He has found himself pulled into territory in which he is uncomfortable. This is not what he wanted, nor what he proposed. But it is what there is and it is inescapable. When Mourinho insisted that he and Guardiola were the same, the Barcelona coach said: "I will have to revise my behaviour then."

Put in simple terms: Pep Guardiola has not often enjoyed the past two years. In the build up to the final one of four clásicos played towards the end of last season, he said: "These have been 18 difficult days." His face revealed just how difficult. A few days before, he had snapped against Mourinho with his now famous rant about how the Portuguese coach was the "puto amo" [the fucking master] in the Bernabéu press conference room. That was planned, controlled. But he has not been able to control his environment as he would like; and being in control is something that has always concerned him. He has turned increasingly to sarcasm. At times it has carried a bitter sting.

There was something a little sad about the scene last week. Asked about the meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Guardiola seemed to have forgotten about some of the moments that defined his spell on the Barcelona bench, about the 6-2 and the 5-0, about reaching the Champions League final and claiming the Spanish Super Cup, about some of Leo Messi's most marvellous moments and his own tactical innovations, such as winning at the Bernabéu with three at the back. Instead, he said: "I don't have good memories of them." And when that happens it is time to walk away.

Football GIF: Sergio Ramos Penalty Gets Obligatory ‘Ice Cream Guy’ Treatment

So, was Mourinho happy about Ramos sending one into orbit?

Pies: Gerard Pique Released From Hospital, Can’t Remember Playing Against Chelsea

Barcelona centre-half Gerard Pique was discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon following an evening under observation after getting knocked out sparko in a collision with Victor Valdes at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

However, according to Catalunya Radio, Pique cannot remember playing against Chelsea at all despite making it through 18 minutes of the match before being carted off to hospital with a pretty serious case of concussion – which is either extremely worrying or extremely convenient.

We jest of course as it would appear to be the former. Pique was quite clearly seeing stars when he was sat up on the ground following the accident, heaven knows why he was allowed to play on by the medical staff afterwards.

Pique is now set to return to Barca’s medical facilities to ‘have his situation assessed’.

Get well soon and all that.

1. BallToHand says:

   April 26, 2012 at 9:31 am

   ‘Apparently his parents had to break the bad news to him, informing him of the score and that Barcelona had been knocked out as a result’
   Surprised Geoff Shreeves did’nt beat them to it.
   [Geoff Shreeves ii tipul care l-o informat pe Ivanovic ca nu va juca finala]
   
2. plops says:

   April 26, 2012 at 9:38 am

   I too cannot feel sympathy for a man who has Shakira grinding and squirming on his cock.
   
3. C says:

   April 26, 2012 at 10:01 am

   Big surprise to see Drogba on the ground there!
   
4. Graham says:

   April 26, 2012 at 10:22 am

   @BallToHand – your Shreeves comment nearly made me piss myself.
   
5. Tom says:

   April 26, 2012 at 10:54 am

   @BallToHand
   That made my day!
   
6. Terry Shedingham says:

   April 26, 2012 at 11:27 am

   You can see everyone’s favourite female medic rushing to the rescue in the background
   
7. Nuno says:

   April 26, 2012 at 12:47 pm

   @Terry Shedingham
   I believe that explains why Drogba is always on the ground! Can anybody blaim him now?
   
8. ish says:

   April 26, 2012 at 1:55 pm

   the barcelona medical staff should be sacked, it was clearly a concussion as soon as he landed, so many classic symptoms. fencing pose, looked like he didnt have his tongue straight and just body posture. should of been replaced straight away. ridiculous he wasnt.
   
9. Steve K says:

   April 26, 2012 at 3:15 pm

   Paddy Power’s tweet on Tuesday night was something like:
   “Shakira is in the stands.
   John Terry has been sent off.
   You do the maths”
   Also, imagine how that conversation with his parent’s went, “So you were 2-0 up against 10 men… but ummm…..in short, you’re out.”
   
10. WildScotsman6 says:

    April 26, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    I don’t think i’ve laughed so hard at the comments section.. great stuff everybody!
    
11. tonys says:

    April 26, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    Maybe Guardiola was trying to kill Pique….
    
12. skyblueciteh_monger says:

    April 26, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    he cant remember? ummm i dont think any barca player wants to remember
    
13. Tosser says:

    April 26, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    @BallToHand mad props!