*Official* English Football Season 2014-15

[Furball]

I still have Chelsea as my favourites for the Champions League tbh. They probably underestimated Schalke, who are weird in that although they go through **** spells they have enough decent players to catch you out if you're not careful.

No English club is in the top 4 in Europe IMO.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah the best four teams in Europe are the three Spanish teams and then Bayern IMO. Chelsea probably fifth.

 

[Furball]

Dortmund are up there as well. They should have eliminated Real Madrid last season.

 

[Cabinet96]

The bookies have them as 4th favourites. I'd maybe have them above Barca but not Madrid or Bayern. Atletico at 25/1 is the best value I reckon.

I think they're in the best shape at the moment. But I guess that's a bit irrelevant because Madrid and Bayern have got ages to get it right before the business end. 25/1 for Atletico seems a bit mad given how good their record is against the big boys. I suppose their odds took a hit after yesterday's result though?

I reckon top 8 in Europe is pretty easy to name, but no idea what the order is.

Madrid
Atletico
Barca
Bayern
Dortmund
Chelsea
City
PSG

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Yaya was the definition of anonymous today. Worried about him this season, letting him go may not have been the worst idea if he's going to mail it in and tank his value this year.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Dortmund are up there as well. They should have eliminated Real Madrid last season.

Too inconsistent in the Bundesliga these days, though (which is full of unambitious teams, only time I'll ever agree with Hoeness about something).

There are a couple of well-respected European club rankings (actually based on a logical structure, unlike FIFAs and ICCs) and they both agree that Bayern, Barca and Real are in a class of their own. One ranks Atlético in there as well, the other has them down with the other 4 teams Cabinet had (+ Juventus, presumably cos of domestic steamrolling and a decent EL run)

 

[superkingdave]

Went to Bibao - Shakthar last night, pretty dull game neither team wanted to lose. Sat next to a guy from France and a guy from Germany - the guy from Germany said he was from Berlin but the French guy thought he said Burnley and neither realised this till about the 4th beer afterwards - can't imagine a bigger insult than someone thinking you are from Burnley tbh

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Easy mistake to make. Burnley is full of people named Helmut with Boris Becker accents.

 

[superkingdave]

Channeling my inner Shane warne there. Also, quite understandably the Shakhtar turnout was pretty low. I think the lowest away support I have seen at BP was against Torquay on a midweek night and they brought 17. I counted 31 last night but 6 of them were wearing Bilbao shirts and one an Arsenal shirt.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah I've heard Donetsk Airport doesn't have the best customer service these days.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Shakhtar didn't carry much away support to Leverkusen last year either, in fairness. Couple hundred, maybe.

Thanks everyone for the help on wheelchair accessibility! Particularly cpr, looks like a potentially excellent resource. Passed it on and it was well received.

 

[duffer]

BBC Sport - Jonas Gutierrez: Newcastle winger being treated for testicular cancer

Well, this is no good.

Hopefully he'll be alright.

Apparently Pardew told him to go away once he found out. It's as if he couldn't get more despicable.

 

[sledger]

wtf, really? Where'd you get that?

 

[Cabinet96]

The Guardian football weekly mentioned it and I'd heard it somewhere else before that. Think he might've tweeted it or said it in an interview.

 

[Cabinet96]

Wembley getting the Euro 2020 semis and final is kind of cool.

 

[sledger]

Wembley has done really well for getting finals for things, come to think of it.

And yeah, I guess it is kind of cool. But since they're not hosting the entire tournament my reaction to this is pretty "meh".

 

[Uppercut]

wtf, sledger. Just imagining Belfast hosting the European Championships semi-finals and final and thinking "meh, we didn't get the entire tournament".

 

[sledger]

Dunno really, hard to get excited about it for me. Being asked to just host the odd game makes it all feel a bit clinical. Since it's just the odd match I couldn't really care less where it's played. It'll be over in a flash, no lasting atmosphere etc... I'm just not a fan of the whole play the tournament in lots of different countries at the same time thing tbh.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah agreed really. Not a direct analogy at all seeing as one is played every four years and one every year, but the Champions League is the more prestigious and higher standard tournament really and I don't recall too many being that bothered when Wembley hosted the 2011 and 2013 finals. Not that you'd rather not have it and not that it isn't somewhat cool, as has been said, but it's not the same as hosting the whole tournament.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah agreed really. Not a direct analogy at all seeing as one is played every four years and one every year, but the Champions League is the more prestigious and higher standard tournament really and I don't recall too many being that bothered when Wembley hosted the 2011 and 2013 finals. Not that you'd rather not have it and not that it isn't somewhat cool, as has been said, but it's not the same as hosting the whole tournament.

Yeah if we got the whole tournament I could try get tickets for a game at Anfield or Old Trafford. Getting them for the semis or final will be ridiculously hard anyway, and then there's the fact the total cost including travel would probably be more than my whole season ticket

Still, would rather it was there than not and if we can somehow bluff our way to the semis then fantastic