The Round Ball Game - II

[jayne lee wilson]

You lose your star player and talisman...
Goalkeeper has a nightmare...
They score a wonder goal just after you get back level...

Doesn't get a lot worse really.

You're right, Beef - we didn't fall apart after Salah went off, keeping our shape and defending well - but after a truly menacing first 25 minutes, we played far deeper for the rest of the half and subsequently, handing confidence and momentum to Real, as if the team stopped believing we could win...

I better not say what I think of Ramos. Like too many Real players he falls over very referee-convincingly at all the right moments. Ball into the Madrid box, players go up for it, Real defender falls clutching his head/shoulder/ arm etc.... attacking momentum stopped. I saw this tactic employed repeatedly against Juventus and Bayern. And Ramos' grin after Salah left the field was, well...
(One to add to the collection including Ronaldo's wink at the 2006 World Cup after Rooney was sent off.)

Real played very well, but with the loss of Salah, neither Liverpudlians nor neutrals got the match they wanted. The what-ifs are more agonising than usual!

[DracoM]

How the hell Ramos did not even get CARDED for that beats me. Ref mere yards away directly in line!
RM tactics to the well known thug: make sure you crock Salah whatever the cost.

Ramos has TWENTY-SIX RED CARDS IN HIS CAREER, and I believe he went out there with the express intention of not just neutralising but somehow disabling Salah. But as said, how Mane then was then carded for what the replay showed as a completely no-contact and oscar-acted fall demonstrated the naivety of the ref.

Gutted.

[EdgeleyRob]

Gutted indeed but I can't get THAT Bale goal out of my head,outrageous.

[Stanfordian]

Come on you REDS!!!!

What do you mean? Man Utd weren't playing!

Seriously, Ramos certainly did a deliberate job attack on Salah. He's a destroyer, the most ruthless defender around today.

Everyone knew that the goalkeeper wasn't up to the job and Klopp picked the team.

[BBMmk2]

MrsBBM was not happy. Not a very good game at all.

[antongould]

I'll stick my neck out and give my prediction which is:

Both teams to score and Real Madrid to win in normal time.

My head tells me that but of course anything can happen in a one-off game.

If Liverpool do win that will be quite a story; finishing 25 points behind the Premier League winners.

Well done Stan - is Ladbrokes still trading ..... ????

[Stanfordian]

Well done Stan - is Ladbrokes still trading ..... ????

I believe that professional gamblers had chosen this game and had lumped on Real Madrid.

My account is with Paddy Power but I rarely gamble unless it's the Grand National or a day at the races, which is very rare occurrence for me these days.

I wish I was at Carmel races this weekend. I live fairly close but have never been.

[Lat-Literal]

Bad luck to Liverpool - and Aston Villa. I like Klopp on his mostly good days. He is an individual. His team plays exciting football and long gone are the days (1970s) when Liverpool were consistently winning more than Arsenal. The smart bet is on second place in next year's Premier League. I couldn't quite make up my mind on who I wanted to win in the Championship play off. There is a big soft spot for Fulham. The history. The ground. The current team is inventive. The minus side is the current owner who wants to turn our Wembley into America.

As for Villa, I'd probably have them as one of three favourite teams from the Midlands, not that this is a region with which I have huge identification. The others are Wolves and, for a late friend's association, Coventry. I don't mind Leicester, Forest or Derby either. Most of the others seem a bit non-descript to me although no doubt mean a lot to their supporters. Steve Bruce is hardly renowned for big entertainment but he lost both of his parents in the last year and to have achieved what he did in those circumstances is to be admired, I feel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAEAUiN_X-I

I like the football managers who wear glasses.

(Slightly manic and deceptively brilliant social democrat)

But let's not forget the protégé.

Southgate's ok but if it all go pear shaped in Russia this is now unequivocally my outlandish and entirely serious first choice for next England manager:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Suknx_9Aw

Thanks.

[antongould]

I believe that professional gamblers had chosen this game and had lumped on Real Madrid.

My account is with Paddy Power but I rarely gamble unless it's the Grand National or a day at the races, which is very rare occurrence for me these days.

I wish I was at Carmel races this weekend. I live fairly close but have never been.

Always wanted to go to Cartmel Stan .....

[cloughie]

Good to see Rotherham return to the Championship - and for Wood’s goals - a former Owl still grafting away and leading by example! An interesting point - 3 sides promoted 12 months ago to the Prem stayed up, 3 sides relegated from the Prem stayed down and one even relegated. Three sides relegated from the Championship last season now return. Is the gap between the 2nd and 3rd tier greater than between the 1st and the 2nd?

[EdgeleyRob]

And finally

Champions League final

Real Madrid 3 Liverpool 1

League 2 play off final

Coventry City 3 Exeter City 1 Forum derby,3 goals in 19 2nd half mins did the damage

Forum roll of honour

Manchester city
Premier league champions and league cup winners

Chelsea
FA Cup winners,qualified for Europa League

Arsenal
Community shield winners,qualified for Europa League

Manchester United,Tottenham,Liverpool
Qualified for Champions League

Wolves
Championship winners

Coventry City
Promoted to League 1

Macclesfield Town
National league winners

Aberdeen
Qualified for Europa League

St Mirren
Scottish championship winners

Hereford
Southern league winners

With that I am retiring as Forum football correspondent.
It's been fun but very time consuming so the time has come to call it a day.
I'll probably look out for the results of our 'little' group of teams for the rest of my days but I'm not up for doing the weekly round ups any longer.

Thanks footy fans for all your comments and kind words over the years and many thanks to super sub teamsaint

[teamsaint]

And finally

Champions League final

Real Madrid 3 Liverpool 1

League 2 play off final

Coventry City 3 Exeter City 1 Forum derby,3 goals in 19 2nd half mins did the damage

Forum roll of honour

Manchester city
Premier league champions and league cup winners

Chelsea
FA Cup winners,qualified for Europa League

Arsenal
Community shield winners,qualified for Europa League

Manchester United,Tottenham,Liverpool
Qualified for Champions League

Wolves
Championship winners

Coventry City
Promoted to League 1

Macclesfield Town
National league winners

Aberdeen
Qualified for Europa League

St Mirren
Scottish championship winners

Hereford
Southern league winners

With that I am retiring as Forum football correspondent.
It's been fun but very time consuming so the time has come to call it a day.
I'll probably look out for the results of our 'little' group of teams for the rest of my days but I'm not up for doing the weekly round ups any longer.

Thanks footy fans for all your comments and kind words over the years and many thanks to super sub teamsaint

Hmmmm....Motty retires, and within days ER follows suit......couldn’t be, could it............?

Anyway, thanks for the many entertaining roundups Rob. It is quite a task with so many teams.the reports have always been top stuff.
Like you I follow all the teams of the regulars on this threads. Well certainly the teams outside the big 6.

I missed the CL final, sounds incident packed. Bad luck Jayne.

Pleased for Cov, L2 is no place for them to be, but very disappointed for Paul Tisdale at Exeter, hope he gets a break soon, one way or another.

It seems after all that Sparky is the man to lead us to a glorious new era of mid table finishes. Hopefully......

[antongould]

“Anyway, thanks for the many entertaining roundups Rob. It is quite a task with so many teams.the reports have always been top stuff.
Like you I follow all the teams of the regulars on this threads. Well certainly the teams outside the big 6.”

Well said ts and thanks very much for all your hard work ER ... and to the supersub .....

[cloughie]

Well what can I say, edge, you’ve served us well, with your more than weekly bulletins. They will be much missed, no club too small or too big, well almost none, but even the unmentionables got a mention - you lived with us the bit of success and the weeks of disappointment and unfruitful endeavour. Who can take on the mantle now or is it the end of the line for Forum Footy? Just a big thank you then, and may Edgeley Park someday be once again the home of League Football.

[teamsaint]

One way to replace the irreplaceable would just be for forum members to post their own teams results with wise comments.

Or we could each adopt one of the forum teams and post their results for a bit more of an even handed and possibly more interesting approach.

Or something.........

Anybody for Fort William ?: