SirBalon

Sports Front Pages On the day history was made Wednesday 8th March 2017 FC Barcelona 6 (6) - 1 (5) Paris Saint-Germain

Brilliant news! He is sublime when on top form, something he hasn't been this season (let's not get coaxed by the goals scored and let's leave that to the fanboys). He can offer much more and is an imperative part of the cogs in the machine of the side. Whichever coach comes in next season will have a multifunctional (multi-tasking) midfielder that is a dream for anyone. Love the guy and love his attitude.

Great player where his honours won speak for themselves and it's because he's worked extremely hard to do it. The reason as Cannabis has mentioned because he has never been flashy or extremely technically gifted. Being Spanish and having that on your shoulders means you have to be so so good in other areas! Everything he's accomplished, he's deserved because of himself.

Once we were legends Well there's been all sorts of adjectives thrown at FC Barcelona or many of their players ever since one man with a vision decided to change the "hard luck" story that had always been felt by the Cules (Barça fans). The dark years in Spain for so many reasons (more so real life and not football) had left a bitter taste and one that has never been digested properly. It's possibly for that reason that Spanish people are today a bunch of unsatisfied personalities on the whole... It's possibly why once one protest has finished and no longer exists, they then search for the next reason to feel disgusted and appalled by. Well it's not like there isn't reason to be suspicious of the establishment when month after month there's a new story of corruption and pure manipulation of the social rules of coexistence. Life has always been more in line with a feeling of morbidness and negativity when a "Spaniard" is asked what his or her plans are for the future! Pessimism is probably a better and more likely descriptive word. Johan Cruyff was that man... Cruyff was hard lined, probably you could say that Zlatan Ibrahimović personality caricature is a joke version of what Cruyff was in reality and with a method. I say that because Ibrahimović is a more contemporary celebrity in the world of football and one more in tune with today's football fan and that Cruyff is only known to have been one of the footballing greats and maybe also someone that changed certain things in the way football is visualised (the latter for the more avid and studious fan). But few will know how important the man was to football and how everything changed from the moment he became a professional footballer and then a commander of the dugout. No more catenaccio and nor more negativity on an outlook of how to plan a possible victory the confronting someone of your own ilk or superior. Belief in one's vision, in one's self and overall on the fact people go to football to be entertained and see moments that will stay registered in the retina forever. He changed the club, he changed Spanish football... He changed football! But to be more up to date, we have now nearly 15 years or more of one generation of footballers that has accomplished feats that were once seen as stuff of movies or graphic novels for spotty teenagers. Great goals, winning in spectacular fashion, playing a brand of fantasy football and going further than just living on hope. It's kind of ironic that the eternal underachievers, Spain, also changed their destiny in that time and with the same generation of players. That instead of it having been where the god of football was born, it was his adopted country that benefitted from the madness put into a method. Some in Spain hate the fact their country managed the feats they did for almost a decade... These people that despise what occurred are people that tend to be national flag wavers and victims of pro-right-wing tattoo bearers. Why? Because those that don't feel in such a manner, those they accuse of not feeling any nationalistic pride at all or maybe those that suffered in the dark years for this were the ones that changed it and actually went and put it into effect. What was seen yesterday in the Camp Nou is in reality just one more feat, one more glorious moment, one more record broken and one more statistic for the future to be used by football commentators and pundits. Maybe only past footballers or people that have been involved in the game all their lives know how difficult it is to achieve the things these players (and some that have retired in recent years from this generation) have done which probably describes the reaction in the studio of those presenting a football program... Some criticise, some are just eternally miserable and hate enjoyment and some may even be envious of something that just doesn't seem to bloody end. It doesn't matter if FC Barcelona go onto win the Champions League this season. It doesn't make a difference! Infact most that have let themselves enjoy the feats and adventures of these people only wished that respect could be put back in place. A good victory and a passionate display from their players to take home and prove it was all an error coupled with some wonderful play by the home side that evening three weeks ago in Paris. But it went a step further... Luis Enrique interviewed the day before last night's historic moment said this. "We will score four goals. Of that I have no doubt... There will be a moment where my players will know they are on the verge of doing it, of turning around something that seems impossible for others to believe in" Then he was asked... The probabilities are that your opponent (PSG) will also score at least a goal. What then? "Then if they score one, we will have to score six, and we will" Maybe Luis Enrique in his rebellious and ill mannered way in front of the press was just being facetious or down right "up yours". Or maybe he believed! He didn't know what was going to happen, but he did know that his players were going to bring moments of hope and on the edge sentiments. Celebrate this because people have been witnessing real legends for a long time now. Celebrate and don't feel you have to wish so hard... Celebrate when these guys were legends.

THANKS A MILLION MATE!

The thing is that I know what he's talking about. He says the CLUB and not football affairs. The club is in fantastic shape to be honest and that's what they care about because it fills their pockets.

Not changing allegiance mate... I just want to show visible support for a club that needs it to go to that next step in Spain. My support for Arsenal FC will never die although I have fallen out of love with the club which has no relevance on my wanting to show support for Lugo though.

Míchel appointed Málaga CF head coach Ex Getafe, Olympiakos and Marseille coach Míchel has been appointed head coach with a three year deal. El Málaga cesa al 'Gato' Romero y Míchel le sustituirá

I also get what Batard has said about global mods as it neatens the place up and all that with more probable reasons. But what Josh has said is also true in that Rebel should be exclusive to the Spanish football part of the forum. He is paramount to this place in my view.

I'd like my Spanish local side that play's in Spain's second division (La LIga 1|2|3) added as I want to show them support... CD Lugo (Club Deportivo Lugo)

Arsene Wenger's days are really numbered at Arsenal... I don't think he will survive even the end of the season let alone sign a new contract. The fans are now big majority against him and they're turning on the board too. There were mass demonstrations outside The Emirates and local areas around Highbury with all sorts being said. This bad blood that now exists between the fans and Wenger is his own fault and that of the club's board for having elongated something that should've ended years back.

He's been quite a protagonist for a while now. His issue has always been the lesser games where performance is in question. But he is talented.

He plays for Real Madrid now... But seeing the shape of his head and remembering my the initiations of my degree on neanderthal social culture, I wouldn't have expected much more from Bale. The character in Planet of the Apes must be ashamed of their compadre.

Good to see you've moved here with us mate. Yep... Florentino Pérez is one of the biggest reasons behind many of the awful footballing decisions at Real Madrid. If things were to go wrong this season, there are strong rumours that he may stand down due to all the pressure he is receiving from many Real Madrid socios and a lot of the Madrid based sports press. Only last week MARCA released a report that stated he had already told people close to him that he would favour leaving the post although the benefits of being the head of such an institution are too good to let go.

In reality Verratti hasn't said anything out of the ordinary or anything that all players say when questioned on possible suitors. He belongs to PSG and is in the middle of a campaign where he's been a major protagonist this season... Emery has gotten the best out of him and what many thought he was capable of. What's he meant to say? He didn't actually close the doors on a possible move to the Camp Nou and even if it isn't Barça, I wouldn't be surprised if he did actually move somewhere next season. Answering in any other manner than the way he did when he's playing Barcelona and the references are to the club he will be battling it out against would've been absurd.

But an anti-Barça clause they made him sign. He is contemplating seeing out his contract and going to Barcelona for free. Florentino Pérez is apparently livid because he could lose a player that should cost double for that amount if he's forced to sell and not have him go to Barcelona.

That all sounds great and I hope it's genuine. I mean... Present football clubs these days in most places everywhere do tend to visit kids in hospitals and all that which you can associate with this type of thing. The present is also always invited which is sort of a downer to be honest if you know what I mean. That's not what I'm on about from a football perspective but it's good to see that some American sports institutions help out the community.

That would actually be hilarious to be honest. On another note... Both The Sun and The Mirror have back pages today with the Alexis row. It's looking more and more likely he'll be leaving.

Yeah that is a part of it and it wasn't all that long ago that Arsenal for example still participated in local events, supported local businesses and even the poorer people locally. All of that is DEAD! But it goes much further than that in why football is unique mate. Have you ever read Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch"?

I get you and I can agree with a lot of that but the part I've quoted you on has nothing to do with the football I am talking about where moments are concerned. That's the total opposite because that's not competitiveness. Infact that's something modern, something relatively new because at Arsenal we have been conditioned to think that finishing in the top four is a trophy and bragging about the fact he's done it for 16 years or some crap like that (I'm not even sure if I got that right which shows how little I care about that) seems to be seen as something tremendous. The press has a lot to do with this but it's just another small detail in the way they market this league which has a lot of holes in it. It doesn't need all the bullshit because it could easily sell itself (there I'm going into something totally off topic here). In my last post where I defended the uniqueness of football, it had nothing whatsoever to do with seeing a top four finish as something special (just for the record and so you know that that means nothing to me). I was getting at something else where football is concerned and where winning isn't everything about this sport although the target should always be working to win which to do you must be competitive with the best.

He has been given too much responsibility in that midfield to be honest and that has held him back so to speak. He is almost a commodity due to his very good passing range and accuracy.

This is why it's shit mate! Maybe you can do that with other sports but not with football! Football is unique whether the Americans like it or not. Back in the 80's they tried hard to change football rules to quarters instead of halves, making the goals bigger, time-outs blah blah blah because there were tons of these things. I like the fact football is antiquated in some respects because it relies on moments as a legendary symbol. Take for example past great players that didn't win too much, they're also legends of the game like for example George Best at international level or Buffon who at international level has done it but at club level he hasn't won the most prized of trophies (as seen on the continent) which is the European Cup (Champions League). We could go n naming names! Clubs come into this standing... Winning is the goal but not everyone wins and along the way special things happen. Here I'm not talking necessarily winning, but competing! Demanding to win is total arrogance because you're not on your own, but if you design a good project to really compete, then you are in with a chance of tasting glory.

You don't necessarily have to spend extreme amounts to win or compete, which is what I really want. It would be blatant arrogance to demand to win when we aren't even on a status level by comparison historically to others. It's about competing mate! Look at Atlético Madrid? They win and when they don't win, they're definitely competing! We have triple the resources that Atlético Madrid have and then I can go further down the line with a club like Sevilla. Being astute with the correct structure at a club can bring rewards as Sevilla have proved over the years and they are a pea by comparison institutionally with Arsenal. I could name many other clubs but obviously I know a lot more about Spanish football to the minuscule detail which is why I've used those two and which would be easy anyhow. But it's the financial aspect you've brought up on the spending avenues which I've touched upon here. European football's problem is that they are trying to become like those American sports franchises and that has NOTHING to do with football. They can keep that because it's boring from a real football fan's perspective.

This is true what you're saying and I can't dispute that neither have I ever pretended to do it... What I do try and do even though some Arsenal fans on TFF don't understand is put forward my opinions on solutions. The whole thing is stale on the football side of things for years and the club heirachy mainly look at the figures and all that goes along with Arsenal Holdings PLC.