Just now, Tsubasa said:

 

To be fair the bikes I owned so far could have been your grandfathers! But things are about to change. Ordered that bike I posted here yesterday! Three monthly installments to pay it off. Hopefully it won't be stolen until then. 

Looking forward to buying your bike for €20 off an Amsterdam junkie. 

1 minute ago, Tsubasa said:

get that potato out of your throat 

Give me back my grandfather's bike. 

1 minute ago, nudge said:

Sorry, got too excited  

Three times a charm. 

Just now, nudge said:

get that potato out of your throat 

I'll throw a potato in your face. 

Just now, Tsubasa said:

Dutch is such a parody of German. 

German is the #1 language to take the piss out of don't kid yourself mate. 

Just now, nudge said:

Well it's just a different kind of Verkehr 

Geslachtsverkeer. 

Just now, Tsubasa said:

I've seen that district. Some gorgeous young East European women with plastic breasts mixed with some obnoxious milfs. Had a beer in a pub there. Nice view  

I sometimes go there for the sick barcade.

1 minute ago, Tsubasa said:

A dutch refusing a bicycle? That's a first. When I was cycling in Amsterdam with my friends, it was hell. The dutch take their cycling serious. Once on a red light I didn't go fast enough when it turned green, and someone already bumped into me. Move it or lose it! 

Not all red lights are traffic lights in Amsterdam. 

1 minute ago, nudge said:

Just bored 

My untimely death will amuse you then. 

Just now, nudge said:

I've already got a bicycle waiting for you 

Are you feeling particularly homicidal? 

2 minutes ago, Tsubasa said:

 

Which brings us back to Inga!

I wouldn't cycle there unless I felt particularly suicidal. 

On 6/1/2017 at 7:59 PM, Tsubasa said:

I've never worn a helmet while riding a bicycle. As a kid maybe. I do understand that it's safer though. The head/brain is such a vulnerable and vital thing. Only takes one fall and you're dead or permanently disabled. 

Walking with a helmet is technically also safer but it's also fucking lame. As is riding a bicycle with a helmet. I'd only consider wearing one in a country where traffic rules are virtually non-existent.

Just now, nudge said:

To be fair they both do  

The bistro closed after the husband chased a customer with a knife  

The man is a stressed-out asshole who might go Breaking Bad, but the woman just has this edge of mania that makes it hard to believe I'm not looking at a slapstick movie. 

4 hours ago, Burning Gold said:

Can't believe we're talking about Gordon Ramsay without mentioning Amy's Baking Company. Clear your diary and watch this. It's incredible

 

I randomly saw this episode on tv once and I had to go to YouTube to watch it again. Couldn't believe it!

That woman obviously has issues. 

In the light of my exploration of more, political literature I've ordered the selected works of Kim Il Sung and the Green Book by Muammar al-Gaddafi. 

1 hour ago, Tsubasa said:

I think I'm going to get myself this bicycle. 

That's cool, but you'll probably ruin the optics by wearing a helmet while riding it. 

1 hour ago, nudge said:

I used to think Ramsay is a twat until I saw his cooking show with the kids (Junior Masterchef?). While he unleashes his ginger anger by telling the grown ups to fuck off, he's so extremely patient and super nice to the kids, this changed my mind about him completely.

While I'm not a fan of bullyish management style, it makes a lot of sense here; no wonder he's being a cunt to professional trained cooks who choose to showcase their alleged skills on TV and have ambitions for a job which is extremely mentally and physically demanding yet can't get their job properly done, while he encourages children who are only starting out with cooking as a hobby and need help learning.

Also, his insults and tantrums are 'highlights' from hours and hours of material, so he probably doesn't explode until there is a fuck-up.

That said, I can't get enough of him roasting entitled customers. 

I think he's right in saying that there is no clear favourite for the final. People in general seem to go with Real Madrid based on their track record in the CL over the past years, but honestly Juventus might be the most solid team in Europe at the moment.

An interview by Marca with that other living Juventus legend, Alessandro Del Piero, on the upcoming final between Juventus and Madrid, and their past confrontations.

Del Piero: "Buffon is crazy about winning the Champions League"

Alongside Zinedine Zidane in the 1998 Champions League final in Amsterdam, Alessandro del Piero was one of Juventus' best players against Real Madrid, a team they face again on Saturday with Gianluigi Buffon crazy about winning the only trophy that's missing in his career.

Del Piero hung up his boots in 2014 in India, after playing for 19 seasons at Juve, winning 14 titles.

He talked to MARCA about the 1998 final, his relationship with Zidane and what he expects from the Cardiff showpiece.

Why did Juve lose the 1998 final, because they were a big favourite ?

"Bad memories ... are you sure Juve played a final in 98? Joking aside, it is very difficult to say now what happened. Reality and history says that the match ended with that result, and in general, making judgments about the final would not be fair. Predictions often escape even the most rational motives. The state of form in which you arrive to these type of matches is crucial and, perhaps, Real Madrid was better than us from that point of view."

Did being favourites hurt Juve in Amsterdam then?

"I don't think that was the problem. Juventus had a great team, really, a complete and competitive squad. From the 94/95 UEFA Cup final, to the 1998 UEFA Champions League final, we won three consecutive international finals (Champions League, Intercontinental and Supercopa), and lost three more, some in a crazy manner. Perhaps, in that cycle in all those years, the team of 98, that of the final of Amsterdam, was the strongest. We won Serie A, but we could not win the Champions League."

Can the same happen to Real Madrid this time?

"I don't think there's a clear favourite in Cardiff. They are two teams that have the same possibilities, more or less, to win the tournament. They are champions in their leagues and I think they are the best teams at this moment."

Were Juve in 1998 better than the current team?

"In my opinion, comparisons between different periods cannot be made. It is something that is not fair. Certainly, as I said, Juventus 1998 was a great team, with individuals of extraordinary quality and many players at the most important and momentous moment of his career. This Juventus is doing something historic, something never seen in Italy. This group only need to win the most desired title, the Champions League."

How was Zidane as a teammate?

"A special person. There was a harmony, a different understanding between us in the human aspect. Therefore, on the pitch, on a day to day basis, it was much easier. Zidane had an extraordinary talent, and his only interest was to help the team. He was not a selfish player. He had a unique ability to be a great and also to be a team player. I was very lucky to be able to play with him."

Did you imagine Zizou as a coach, and a successful one?

"At first, when we shared the dressing room, I couldn't imagine that he was going to go that way, but when I saw him on the bench, I honestly thought he would be alright. He is intelligent, ambitious, and above all he sees football with great lucidity. It's the reason why he has the capacity to make the correct decisions, both on and off the pitch. The results speak for him. He has won everything so far."

Which player can decide the final? Dybala? Ronaldo? Benzema? Higuain? Marcelo? Alves?

"It's the small details that decides a game like this. All the names you speak of can be decisive, but there also others. I would add Buffon, who is crazy to take home the only trophy he is missing."

Did Juve regret having lost the final against Real Madrid?

"It's true that the percentage of finals won by Madrid is impressive, but there is no way to make comparisons between different matches. Real won the last, but the story is constantly renewed, and basically this is the great charm in the matches between two clubs like these."

Which team do you like the most, Juve or Real Madrid?

"I have an infinite respect for Real Madrid, the club, team and coach and their fantastic fans. But, of course, in Cardiff I will encourage Juventus. I hope you understand. [laughs]."

Source: https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2017/05/29/592bcdcd268e3ed5338b45cf.html

5 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Obviously not...  For a club like FCB it's a disappointing season and nothing can mask that.  But a trophy is a trophy all the same.  They'll just have to search for the reasons behind it all (the reasons are plainly obvious which are that on rotation Real's "second string" were supremely more effective than Barça's) and sort it out.  That in itself isn't easy because it means departures and making as much money out of them as possible and any club interested in those players will know you want rid which gives them the upper hand on negotiations.

That is a potential pitfall for Barcelona as clinging on to old stars is tempting on the short term, but it can leave you with ineffective players who play based on the name on their shirt as their transfer value disappears into thin air. Then again, they didn't hold on to Ronaldinho for another 7 years back in the day, so it would seem they are aware of this.

They really look ecstatic don't they. 

Just now, HoneyNUFC said:

Do you have a sore neck?

Yes.

I came here for the salt, I stayed for the salt.

Watched my first full F1 race today. 

On 5/25/2017 at 4:44 PM, Spike said:

Controversial post incoming:

Let's have a look at a hypothetical situation. Barcelona receive a record bid for Lionel Messi, a bid so high it'd be madness to turn down but also hard to accept because Messi is head and shoulders the best player in the world. All sentimentality aside, I believe it'd be beneficial for the club in the long run to accept the bid. Now, I know what I'm saying is sacrilege but hear me out. Lionel Messi is irreplaceable, that is an undisputed fact. This however, is a double-edged sword. Messi is so talented he brings Barcelona to a new level whenever he plays, but the negative is that when he is injured or suspended he does the opposite because of how irreplaceable he is! The problem with relying on such a unique piece to the puzzle, when the aforementioned piece is missing the whole puzzle falls apart. My proposal is that if in the situation Messi is sold then Barcelona would change from 'Messi and Friends' to simply 'Barcelona' again. It would create an atmosphere that would allow other players to seamlessly slot into other roles; which is currently impossible due to the uniqueness of Messi. Luis Suarez and Neymar while special players are far easier to 'replace' than Messi; nobody can fufill the duties and the role that Messi does. While Barcelona wouldn't be as fantastic as a team without Messi, they could be a more 'well rounded team' without the reliance of the mercurial magician.

Would I sell Messi if was on the board of Barcelona? No, I would not. However, there are benefits to a team that 'interchangeable' as opposed to a team with a 'marquee player'.

On this note, are there any rumours of a club being interested? Even if at one point Barcelona does want to sell him, I can't think of any clubs willing/able to shell out the no-doubt absurd transfer fee, outside of the Man City's and the Chelseas of this world.

On 5/25/2017 at 8:00 PM, SirBalon said:

Messi isn't a footballer...  He's a god!  I know that reads or sounds stupid and OTT (whatever you like), but it's a fact.  He isn't just the best footballer in the world and possibly in history.  He's an entity!  He is a creature that just keeps on "metamorphasising" into something else that's other worldly.

No footballer is a god.