2017/18 UEFA Champions League

All football talk from anywhere except The UK. Includes Champions League, Europa Cup, transfer news and general World Football chat.

Who will win the UCL?

Poll ended at Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:03 pm

Atletico Madrid
0
No votes
Barcelona
1
4%
Bayern Munich
2
8%
Borussia Dortmund
1
4%
Chelsea
0
No votes
Juventus
2
8%
Manchester City
2
8%
Manchester United
0
No votes
Paris Saint-Germain
5
20%
Real Madrid
12
48%
Other
0
No votes
 
Total votes : 25

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Losmeister » Thu May 03, 2018 12:10 pm

Sims wrote:
SuperJackyWilshere wrote:It's going to be a good final with a lot of goals regardless.

Very much looking forward to the banter and CR7 v Messi debates coming up :1970_two_smileys_drinking_beer_together.gif:


i dont because its mundane, boring, irrational and f***ing stupid

.... such a pointless argument and ruins this and la liga thread constantly


this. it's boring and sophomoric argument. for children.
Kai Havertz nutmegged ur GK
User avatar
Losmeister
George Graham
George Graham
 
Posts: 13287
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:16 am
Location: Cotati, California, USA

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Losmeister » Thu May 03, 2018 12:11 pm

anyway... hope the final is fun to watch... very very curious to see what unfolds.

rooting for madman klopp to get it done this time...
Kai Havertz nutmegged ur GK
User avatar
Losmeister
George Graham
George Graham
 
Posts: 13287
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:16 am
Location: Cotati, California, USA

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Losmeister » Thu May 03, 2018 12:11 pm

and yes, barca real, real barca, is quite a bore.
Kai Havertz nutmegged ur GK
User avatar
Losmeister
George Graham
George Graham
 
Posts: 13287
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:16 am
Location: Cotati, California, USA

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby UFGN » Thu May 03, 2018 12:24 pm

Good luck to Liverpool

The only reason to hate on them is because of our own failures

They've done what we should have done years ago, got a manager who cares about results.

If it were Chelsea or City id be sick, but Liverpool I can live with
Corinthians 15:57; But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus

Image
User avatar
UFGN
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
 
Posts: 23384
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:46 pm
Location: London, init

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Phil71 » Thu May 03, 2018 12:31 pm

No way.

I can't want them to win anything. Their fans are unbearable even when they've won nothing. The accent is bad enough on its own.

Nope. Come on Madrid.
User avatar
Phil71
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
 
Posts: 10569
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:04 pm

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby UFGN » Thu May 03, 2018 12:34 pm

Phil71 wrote:No way.

I can't want them to win anything. Their fans are unbearable even when they've won nothing. The accent is bad enough on its own.

Nope. Come on Madrid.


English Real Madrid fans are worse

Immature W****rs usually
Corinthians 15:57; But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus

Image
User avatar
UFGN
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
 
Posts: 23384
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:46 pm
Location: London, init

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Phil71 » Thu May 03, 2018 12:46 pm

UFGN wrote:
Phil71 wrote:No way.

I can't want them to win anything. Their fans are unbearable even when they've won nothing. The accent is bad enough on its own.

Nope. Come on Madrid.


English Real Madrid fans are worse

Immature W****rs usually


Disdainful arseholes are worse even than that!
User avatar
Phil71
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
 
Posts: 10569
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:04 pm

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby UFGN » Thu May 03, 2018 12:51 pm

Phil71 wrote:
UFGN wrote:
Phil71 wrote:No way.

I can't want them to win anything. Their fans are unbearable even when they've won nothing. The accent is bad enough on its own.

Nope. Come on Madrid.


English Real Madrid fans are worse

Immature W****rs usually


Disdainful arseholes are worse even than that!


I just think RM are part of an anti football, moneyball elite, along with City, PSG and Chelsea. There are others but those four are the worst of the worst.
Corinthians 15:57; But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus

Image
User avatar
UFGN
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
Member of the Year 2014, 2019
 
Posts: 23384
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:46 pm
Location: London, init

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Phil71 » Thu May 03, 2018 12:54 pm

UFGN wrote:
Phil71 wrote:
UFGN wrote:
Phil71 wrote:No way.

I can't want them to win anything. Their fans are unbearable even when they've won nothing. The accent is bad enough on its own.

Nope. Come on Madrid.


English Real Madrid fans are worse

Immature W****rs usually


Disdainful arseholes are worse even than that!


I just think RM are part of an anti football, moneyball elite, along with City, PSG and Chelsea. There are others but those four are the worst of the worst.


It's the way the game has gone unfortunately.

But I'd still rather not see Liverpool win it.
User avatar
Phil71
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
 
Posts: 10569
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:04 pm

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Nuggets » Thu May 03, 2018 12:56 pm

Not the dippers please, like somebody said they crow enough now, fook they will be unbearable if they win this.
Image
User avatar
Nuggets
Predictions League 2016-17 Winner
Predictions League 2016-17 Winner
 
Posts: 26916
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:16 pm
Location: Sunny Turkey, now.

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Ach » Thu May 03, 2018 1:43 pm

Don't particularly like either club. Liverpool are the lesser of evils out of all the possible English clubs that could've been in the final.

But their fans are unbearable already. And I'll probably watch this round my Liverpool supporting cousin's house and he for some reason thinks I'm a big fan of Real so I'll never hear the end of it should they win.
Ach
SE13
SE13
 
Posts: 35624
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:25 pm

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Angelito » Thu May 03, 2018 4:22 pm

Real Madrid’s unrivalled success comes at a price that may be unsustainable

The 13th European Cup for Real Madrid in Kiev on May 26 would put them six titles ahead of their nearest rival Milan, not even in the competition next season, and so far in front of the rest of the pack that you would have to wonder if we would ever see them caught in this lifetime.

The 13th would also be the seventh won in the Champions League era, proving that while Madrid were the dominant power in the 1950s, the first European super-club to mobilise in pursuit of football’s new prize, they have won even more in the modern age. Only three clubs have won three consecutive European Cups, and Madrid are one – but none have ever done it twice – and we are reaching the kind of levels where one club stands alone.

Win in Kiev and the doubts about Zinedine Zidane’s suitability as a coach will fade into the night air, Barcelona’s domestic league and cup double will look like so many pots and pans and all will be right with the world at the planet’s most successful football club.

It does beg the question why, amid this era of unprecedented success, Madrid needs a loan facility to pay its wages. Perhaps it is as simple as saying that the unprecedented success has required the loan, because the growth in their wage and bonus bill has been extraordinary. The 2015-2016 season, the first of this run of three Champions League finals, cost them €306 million in salaries with €40 million of that bonuses. Last season, for the team that did the domestic and European double, it was €406 million including €68 million in bonuses.

By way of comparison, Manchester United and Manchester City’s wage bill for last season was around €303 million, and the only true comparable with Madrid are Barcelona who paid around €404 million for the same season. The financial picture looks even more unmanageable for Barcelona, who have predicted a €114 million increase on their salary and bonus expenditure last season, taking them over €500 million.

This season Madrid had budgeted for a five per cent reduction in wages to €395 million, although all the signs in Spain are that wages have increased yet again. The club made much of their €178 million positive cash balance last June although it was evident where that was to be spent. Madrid pays its players twice a year, in July and January, and June’s cash balance went on salaries. The best-informed coverage in Spain suggested that by December that balance had only recovered to €133 million, which would not have been enough to meet January’s obligations.

Hence the loan which is referred to in page 13 of the club’s financial statements, as a “undrawn facilities” which, “coupled with” the cash balance gives Madrid what it describes as “the financial strength to comfortably meet its scheduled payment obligations.” You might wonder why a club with an annual revenue that is second only to that of Manchester United requires a loan to cover its wage bill, but that is a problem Madrid have not yet solved.

The club has been only been able to post profits for the last two seasons by virtue of selling players, most recently Alvaro Morata to Chelsea, Danilo to Manchester City and to a much lesser extent the academy striker Mariano, who went to Lyon for around €8 million. Either way it does not seem a model that is sustainable for a club that made its name buying the world’s best players no matter the price.

There has been no new contract for Cristiano Ronaldo, and whether you think that a man who could already afford to have gold-plated Ballon d’Or replica tap-heads in every bathroom, deserves one, it was what he was promised in Cardiff last May. Then there was the strange saga of the non-transfer of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao in January that mysteriously fell down at the last moment. He then had a €30 million release clause and Athletic, with their Basque-only policy, are famously resistant to attempts to cut deals.

James Rodriguez was shipped out on a three-year loan deal to Bayern Munich that only really favours the German club – to the extent that he was even permitted to play against Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. Ideally, Madrid would like the move to be made permanent and to bank the money for James, but Bayern seem quite happy with the deal they negotiated.

There is no great clarity on what terms Madrid took their most recent loan despite the club famously being owned by its members - any of whom can be president just like Florentino Perez, as long as they can provide a personal wealth guarantee of €75 million. At 70, Perez, has complete control and you wonder how he views the future as it becomes increasingly clear that the wage bill grows and the clamour for new players is never-ending.

At Madrid, Perez controls the process by which elections take place, and thus how the club is run – and although he owns no more than the single socio share of his comrades no-one is under any illusions about his influence.

One suggestion to ease Real’s situation has been a change of the rules to allow a partial sell-off of the club so that it is owned by a plc over which the membership retain control but in which other, trusted corporate partners are given the option of buying equity. The same has been done at Bayern Munich where Adidas, Allianz and Audi co-own the shares now under control of the membership.

That would be as unpopular at Madrid as it is at Barcelona, especially amid this great era of success for both teams who have won six of the last nine Champions League titles between them. The supporters must believe anything is possible although the accounts will tell you otherwise: success comes at a price.

Will the Wembley money really be well-spent?

Amid all the calculations about how the sale of Wembley will save grassroots football, there has been little thought given to where exactly the money will go and what the nature of those grassroots themselves will be.

We have to presume that the Football Association will spend much of Shahid Khan’s money on continuing its frenzy of 3G pitch building despite the concerns over links between cancer and the rubber crumb infill.

But how much do they cost? 3G pitches do not last forever – some might reach ten years and heavy use can take them out of service in six. They need brushing and cleaning regularly and when time is up a new surface costs £150,000 with £25,000 to dispose of the old one. Four years ago the Pitch Care website estimated that £1 million would buy and maintain five 3G pitches for ten years. What happens when the money runs out?
Image
User avatar
Angelito
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 30546
Joined: Fri May 25, 2012 9:32 am
Location: Lyra

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Va-Va-Voom » Thu May 03, 2018 6:20 pm

It's not like Madrid don't have priors.

They and Barca are both gross clubs.
User avatar
Va-Va-Voom
Member of the Year 2015
Member of the Year 2015
 
Posts: 22641
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:01 am

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby Schlandi » Thu May 03, 2018 7:28 pm

Klopp is the 6th manager in the history of the UCL to reach the final with two different clubs

Klopp (Dortmund + Pool)
Van Gaal (Ajax + Bayern)
Hitzfeld (BVB + Bayern)
Heynckes (Real + Bayern)
Ancelotti (Milan + Real)
Mourinho (Porto + Inter)


Checkbook Pep humilated
Image

#GoonersWorldExcuses
- Their goalkeerper had the game of his life
- We should have had 10+ penalties .. shit ref
- If long term injured player xyz would have been available we would have won easily
User avatar
Schlandi
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
 
Posts: 11111
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:52 am

Re: Champions League 2017-18

Postby SuperJackyWilshere » Fri May 04, 2018 10:04 am

To think people thought me and Ach were paranoid!!!!

Final hasn’t even started yet ffs

[tweet]https://twitter.com/footyaccums/status/992342501003616256?s=21[/tweet]
SuperJackyWilshere
David Rocastle
David Rocastle
 
Posts: 2669
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:45 am

PreviousNext

Return to World Football

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests