Title talk

[The Mighty 890]

I'm hoping to move into a new house in the next 3-4 months and I'm wondering about Sky Digital.

The reason I ask is that the area my house is in is on the Chorus Network which quite frankly looks crap (no radio stations whatsoever is just one of the problems).

[John Fleming]

I'd miss 5Live myself, and not just for the football.:(

If you could get your hands on a UK card for Sky, not only would you still have Five Live, but Five Live Extra - which annoyingly for me was carrying a Manchester United match recently while the main Five Live focussed on the rivals from down the road whose name i cannot mention for fear of bringing down the tone of the board!

[The Mighty 890]

Who are the rivals down the road, Liverpool? Don't worry about them mate, the title is comin' back to Highbury!!! :D


Cheers, :)

[John Fleming]

I cannot comment on the last part of your post for fear i would have to ban myself. It does look likely to be heading for north London though. Ah well, hopefully there'll be something to celebrate in Glasgow very shortly!

Ironically, ITV1 will NOT be showing the second leg of the semi-final. They insist on showing it on the ITV Sport Channel! It WILL be on our TV Three of course, which will be available on Sky (in the Republic only) by then. Now, there's a marketing opportunity if ever i seen one!

[The Mighty 890]

Still a way to go before the title comes to North London John, I ain't countin' any chickens yet. I think Liverpool are more of a threat to be honest but I reckon Man U have a good chance of winning the CL alright. Bad blows losing Beckham and Keano but they still have the quality to at least get to the final I think. Will you go to Hampden if they get there?

Best of luck.

[John Fleming]

I think Arsene could do with some of your reserve!

I cannot see any other result but the title going to N London, just don't win it at Old Trafford is all i ask. As for the other lot, they'll slip up, they always do!

United v Real in the final would be a great match. If we're without Beckham and Keane, we will have to fight to win it.

Unfortunately, i haven't made it over this season (had a ticket for the cancelled Arsenal match last weekend!) for various reasons, so the chances of getting a ticket for the final, should we get there, is very slim. I'll be trying though, believe me!

[The Mighty 890]

I can understand Wenger's positivity (misconstrued by some as arrogance) as a manager. After 4 years finishing second and 2 cup final defeats players can begin to have a "silver medal" mentality. You really have to bolster their confidence and make them believe in their abilities.

As a fan on the other hand, you take nothing for granted until the final whistle blows for the simple reason that it is not in your hands and you can do nothing to effect the outcome, hence my reserve. I would say however that I am cautiously optimistic.

I can however say that the football we've played this year has been a joy to watch and given me great memories - I was at the Leicester and Newcastle (cup replay) games at Highbury and treated to 4-0 and 3-0 goal fests - but let's be honest, it's trophies that make it all count. Nobody remembers the runners up (except the runners up!!!)

John, can you not use your ticket for the Arsenal match for the 8th May?

Anyway, I know this is a radio board so this is the last I'll say about football (until after the next game :p ).

Have a good weekend everybody, I'm looking forward to having a listen to Spin 1038. Although the music may not exactly be my cup of tea (although I've been pleasantly surprised today), the anorak in me is always curious.

[The Mighty 890]

What was the Man U game like last night John?

I was watching the Gunners on PPV which was bloody tense I can tell you. WHU had a perfectly good goal not given. Things like this can make such a difference when the silverware is being handed out. Freddie and Denis are a magnificent combination however as Henry really looks like he is missing Pires' magic @ this stage.

Utd from what I heard were outplayed for large periods but they still have a real chance. I'm sure they'll score over there but the question is will BL (and you have to think they will).
Unlucky with injuries Utd. at the moment and I can certainly sympathise there considering the season that Arsenal have had in that regard. My main concern is whether they are rushing Keano back too soon. If he misses the WC or breaks down again it's a major blow for Ireland. What sort of a team do you think Ferguson will put out against Ipswich (who got a real result last night & are hangin' on grimly)?

The tension is gonna kill me @ this rate!!! :(

[John Fleming]

:( Last night's match was painful. Too many of our players just didn't perform, Larry White being one notable exception. What age is he again?!

Of course everybody already had us in the Final. Including, i'm disappointed to say, most of the support, who seem to have forgotten the bad times very quickly. Even at 2-1 last night, they were still singing the "Follow, Follow...United are going to Glasgow" song

In full for those who don't know it:
Follow, follow, follow,
Because United are going to Glasgow,
There'll be thousands of Reds,
We'll be pissed out our 'eads,
Because United are going to Glasgow.

I've always had a problem with this song (sung since the start of the Euro campaign), but especially so at 1-0 and 2-1 last night when the team were struggling and look no closer to Glasgow now than the dark days back in November.

That's one rant out of the way. Now for another. The Evening Herald. How dare they tell Alex Ferguson that he MUST NOT risk Roy Keane. Might i remind them, and the rest of the nation, who pays his - very extravagant but worth every penny - wages? The Manchester United support - no-one else.
I agree he may have been rushed back too soon, but (i'll nail my colours very firmly right now) this is only of concern to United and the player. I hope Ireland do well in the World Cup, and it would be a grave injustice if Massive doesn't grace it, but the biggest injustice is that he didn't play in the '99 Final and the biggest one of all would be if he doesn't play in Glasgow on the 15th.
Sorry you asked? ;)

Full-time in Europe and incredibly it was still 0-0 at Highbury! We waited to hear what Sir Ferg had to say post-match and when we switched over again it was 2-0. I only found out about the Hammers goal this morning. That, for me, confirms that the title is going your way. Can't you hear that oversized lady bellowing out the hits?

I have no doubt it'll be a reserve side against Ipswich, esp with Gary Neville's injury...speaking of, isn't it amazing how he's overnight become crucial to England and United's success according to people who've always delighted in knocking him and played down his role in United's success? Should things go wrong at Portman Rd, the big guns will be brought on. Massive will probably play too, to a backdrop of ABU Irish ranting!

As for next Tuesday, well with ten minutes to go last night and the game at 2-2, Leverkusen in their first ever European Cup semi-final away from home in the first leg, WERE STILL ATTACKING! It is still anybody's game in my eyes as both teams can score and both teams are capable of defensive errors.

The tension is gonna kill me @ this rate!!!

Know what you mean about the tension. I want to go back to winning titles in February and March - better for the health!

So our last hope is Bolton bloody Wanderers, who hate us more than that lot. Well, if you've never witnessed eleven men lie down for 90 minutes on a football pitch, tune into Sky Sports next Monday. (Do you think the Fergie style mind-games will work? Can't see Wenger losing it like Kev for some reason!)

All in all, Arsenal deserve the title and congratulations. At least you didn't play defensive football - obvious reference for football afficionados there!

Bitter? Moi?

Roll on Saturday, then Monday, then Tuesday, then Saturday - for you, then Wednesday, then Saturday (and then hopefully) Wednesday (15th)

[The Mighty 890]

Well I can understand your frustrations there John. Arsenal had a slightly similar night against Deportivo in the group stage. Deportivo did play exceptionally well and did at that stage look genuine contenders for the CL but our boys contributed to that in my view. We had 2 great chances before they scored and didn't take either. They scored and began to pass it about with real flair and too many of our lads looked lost & overawed. You can be sure it wouldn't have been tolerated if Tony Adams had been on the pitch. That's what makes soccer such a great game though. You can rarely take anything for granted and there's always the if, but for & maybe factor!

Blanc has shown recently just what a good player he has always been in my opinion. He did look lost when he arrived but any player takes time to bed into a new side/system. Speaking of injustices I think him missing the France 98 final was up at the top of that list. One of the Croatians (was it Stanic?) took a huge dive in the semi and got him booked, I felt very sorry for him then.

On the Keane issue, a lot of the English Arsenal fans I speak to couldn't give a continental (if you'll excuse the pun) about England as long as Arsenal win and none of the players are injured while on international duty. I would have mixed opinions on that one myself as I support Ireland a lot more passionately than these lads do their country. I guess this is because I go to all the Ireland games but can only occasionally get to Highbury.

I have been pissed off in the past when players have been injured playing for France or Holland so I agree with your point about who pays the wages etc... The demands that some international managers place on their players is ludicrous, ie trips to Australia on a Nike junket, insisting that players play 90 minutes in internationals when they are already playing twice a week for their clubs at the red-hot end of the season (McCarthy has been guilty of that recently with Damien Duff) and the like. French coach Roger Lemerre took the biscuit for me recently when he blamed Wenger for Pires' injury saying he was played too often and then he proceeds to play Zidane, Vieira, Henry & Thuram for 90 minutes against Russia when there were real tackles going in...come on! :eek: Sorry, that's my rant over!!!

Anyway, I'm with you on the last point of your post, roll on the next few games, they'll tell a lot (obviously!). Good luck on Tuesday but not tomorrow!!! ;)

[Guest]

Half-time
Spurs 1 Liverpool 0

Lets hope it stays like that!

[The Mighty 890]

springs to mind at this stage........."Celebrate"

Wouldn't have put anything on Sp*&s to win today, let's hope Ipswich can emulate their achievement!!!

[Guest]

"" let's hope Ipswich can emulate their achievement!!!""

I think you'd want to be careful with that kind of talk or our webmaster might ban you!

The cruel b*****d in me switched on PlayerCam to watch Houllier for the last 10 minutes. Great idea by sky, what this technology should be used for.

Wonder how much resistance Ipswich will put up later...

[The Mighty 890]

Between Pool being effectively knocked out of the race and an incredible performance by Munster in the semi-final of the European Cup it wasn't a bad day overall.

It would have been asking a bit much for Ipswich to win as well. Seriously dodgy penalty but these things happen in football. RVN really buries them though doesn't he?
I was a bit disappointed with Ipswich considering the magnitude of the game for them but in fairness to Utd, they played well in the second half.

Not to worry, a win tomorrow at the Reebok and we can win the title with a point at Old Trafford, now that would be A Red Letter Day!!! :p

[John Fleming]

You say tomatoe, i say tomato.

You say dodgy penalty, i say goal scored by West Ham!

I hate what football does to you. I'd long ago given up the ghost on this title, but what with them losing yesterday and our reserve win at Ipswich, maybe, just maybe....

The bolton faithful won't want a win tomorrow night but the manager and players will - that should make it a good game and the last hope we have.

What a game at Old Trafford it will be if bolton get anything!

[John Fleming]

Well Mighty,

Congratulations:

Arsenal, 2002 Premiership Champions (barring a 26th May 1999 style miracle, that is) - and deservedly so.

[The Mighty 890]

Ta John but I'm still not taking anything for granted. Experience has taught me to be very cautious about these things.
Good win last night though. The 1st 35 minutes were tense as expected but my Gooner mates do now believe that they can hear the fat lady clearing her throat!!! ;)

Big one tonight for your boys. I hear Ballack may be missing, that would be quite a blow to BL.

Anyway, best of luck.

[John Fleming]

Thanks for wishing us luck but we obviously needed a lot more than luck last night. Far too many non-performers wearing white (and indeed red in the first leg).

So what was this date with destiny? This may sound strange, but as i ranted in a previous post, i lay some of the blame at the door of the crowd, or at least those who sang the "follow" chant. That sort of cockiness was unheard of on the Old Trafford terraces, and in the all-new multi-purpose entertainment arena that Old T has become, it has been very limited up until this season. No doubt this cockiness rubs off on the players who, even after last week, still probably felt they just had to lace up their boots and run around aimlessly for 90 minutes, and our dear friend 'fate' would look after matters.

We didn't deserve it last night, and didn't deserve it last week. Probably a blessing too because on this fom Real would rip us to shreds. The only salvation now is to finish above the Evil Ones - the greatest fear for much of the season was that they might actually fluke themselves a decent trophy this time around.

Next Wednesday is meaningless bar pride. I notice Sky are still using the Fergie soundbite about it being the 'biggest game of the last decade'. They seem to have forgotten the 'if bolton get a result against Arsenal' bit at the start, but hey, since when have Sky let reality get in the way of a decent bit of OTT hype!

[The Mighty 890]

Well, I watched the match and must admit that I would have been disappointed if I was a Man U fan.

If they had more players like Keane then they'd be practically unplayable, the guy is a colossus but seems to be a one man show at the moment.

I thought Nicky Butt, Blanc and Silvestre played well and Dinny did ok when he came on but RVN, Veron, Giggs and to a lesser extent Scholes looked shattered and just not at the races.

Amazing how a whole tournament can come down to just a few minutes in the end. Had Solskjaer buried that chance at the end (as we've seen him do so many times!) or Forlan got a bit of luck (great effort, brilliant defending by Placente) it could all have been different. It happened in 99, this year not as lucky but that's football, you can't always get the rub of the green.

Overall I agree John although I didn't see the 1st leg, I thought BL looked the better team. Had Utd played throughout the game with the same passion and hunger they showed in the last 5 minutes I've no doubt that they'd be in Glasgow on 15 May.

That said, I was well impressed with Placente, Lucio, Sneider and Ballack though and Ze Roberto is mega unlucky to miss the final in my view. What was that about? I felt the ref had a stinker throughout as a matter of fact. The only thing you could say about him is that he was consistent..................bad all the time!!!

As for Arsenal, well I'm still a bit nervous, big game on Saturday. Chelsea are underachievers but on their day can be a match for the best. I think if Arsenal play to their potential they will win but anything can happen in the FA Cup (as last year's painful memories prove :mad: ). The game at OT next Wednesday is still a big one as far as I'm concerned. I'll take the league anywhere but it would be a bit special to win it at OT (having won it at Anfield in 89) and to keep that unbeaten away record would be a colossal achievement for the lads.

Big games ahead................and then the World Cup. Where would we be without football? :confused:

Right I must go and post some radio thoughts!!! (or do some work :p )

[John Fleming]

anything can happen in the FA Cup (as last year's painful memories prove)

Well i have to congratulate you again.

I don't think you could compare to last year though, it's impossible to play against 12 men, as ********* had in each of the cups they won last year.

I thought Arse got the rub of the green from the ref a bit in the first half today mind you, but in the end, class won out.

The good wishes end now though, roll on Wednesday!

[The Mighty 890]

Cheers John, it was tense again for quite some time but two absolutely cracking goals from Parlour (who I wouldn't even have had in the team to be honest but proved me wrong with a man of the match performance) and super Freddie finished off brave Chelsea.

I was impressed with Lampard and Petit in midfield. They really worked hard and probably got the better of our lads. Desailly was an absolute monster, what a player but up front JFH was obviously not fit and they really didn't make any real opportunites. I can only remember Spunky having to make one real save.

Thrilled for Adams, what an achievement for him and for Campbell in his 1st year with the Arse.

Gonna be a big night on Wednesday now. I've no doubt that Man U will do everything in their power to stop us winning it on their patch but I'm cautiously confident that we can get at least a draw which will do me just fine :D

May the best team win!

[John Fleming]

We were outclassed on Wednesday, and the Arsenal lads showed pride in their shirt, and their cause. A bitter opposite from us, but all i can say is this....please don't laugh, this will keep me going through the summer....

Only twice in the Prem have we failed to win a trophy: 1995 & 1998.

The following seasons? 1996 we won a double. 1999 we won a treble. So, 2003?

It's a very football thing to pull up those kind of statistics....based on them, England could win the world cup, Torquay Utd should one day win a match, and city might even win a corner in a game someday - actually, the last one proves how OTT these things can be!

Most depressing of all on Weds was, altho' the lads knew the evil ones were beating Blackburn, they still showed no fight. Having them finish above us - as they undoubtedly will - is too much to bear. Roll on next season!

[The Mighty 890]

Well I'm only really coming back down to earth now. :D

It's been a heartstopping season but obviously from my point of view the best for 4 years.

The last week has been absolutely fantastic. I was in Galway at the weekend and watched the match and presentation from Highbury with a little tear in my eye, specially when Pires came up to get his medal.
Monday was a fun night with old faces like Stevie Bould, Nutter and Ian Wright Wright Wright on show but to see Vieira play 90 minutes and shirk nothing makes it pretty clear to me that he's going nowhere.

I don't think Utd. are far off. A couple of defenders and they'll be right up with the best again. As for the omens thing well we all have to cling to something but lets hope not! ;)

Enjoyed the banter with a reasonable Man U fan John over the last few weeks. I look forward to it continuing over the next 6 weeks!

Come on the Greens!!! :)