Come on Barca

[jackos]

Sounds like a dreadful atmosphere. European nights at Elland Road were deafening.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Roma, Spartak Moscow, Milan etc Amazing nights

Only really watched the last 5 minutes, they started singing on 93 didn't they

[OWETB]

Well done Chelsea, bet y can't do that for another 90 minutes, but it was nice to see the boring arrogant Catalan's struggle like that. Great stuff.

I can sense Musta typing an arrogant reply, then deleting it, starting again, deleting it again and then hoping this thread will fuck off.

[tommydski]

Reducing these sides to Team A and B in an attempt at impartial analysis, I think it's fair to say that the visitors stuck to their usual plan and I think the home side did a very good job of countering them. Since the former famously only have one game-plan, I think it's fair to counter them however you can to get a result. On this occasion the manager of the home side organised his side very well and they got a deserved win.

Ironically, the English defenders were collectively very solid, they made block after block throughout the night. Of course that would all vanish the moment they don an England shirt but it was still fairly impressive.

[eric olthwaite]

Reducing these sides to Team A and B in an attempt at impartial analysis, I think it's fair to say that the visitors stuck to their usual plan and I think the home side did a very good job of countering them. Since the former famously only have one game-plan, I think it's fair to counter them however you can to get a result. On this occasion the manager of the home side organised his side very well and they got a deserved win.

Ironically, the English defenders were collectively very solid, they made block after block throughout the night. Of course that would all vanish the moment they don an England shirt but it was still fairly impressive.

Aye, the one thing I took from it is that Gary Cahill is really quite good.

Chelsea were probably as good as they can be, Barcelona were poor on the night and I'm pretty sure the second leg will only go one way.

[Quiffy]

the times when barcelona looked dangerous was the odd occasion they passed it more than 10 yards out wide. trouble was there was nobody in the box ever, so it was pointless having width.

rooney used to piss me off for england when he'd wander all over to get the ball, messi was doing the same tonight, which was arrogant. stick in your position, stretch the game a bit and then when you get the ball you don't have to beat the whole team. the way barcelona just stuck everyone in midfield allowed chelsea to defend in front of themselves all the time and made it as easy for them as it could have been.

a tactical win for dimatteo, but it'd make a very boring final having chelsea play anything like that in it.

thing is barcelona were probably knackered and couldn't be arsed to try very hard against a bunch of cockney cunts who they know they should be able to beat at their place easily.

c'mon barca. stick it to them chelski cunts

[Man Called Sun]

rooney used to piss me off for england when he'd wander all over to get the ball, messi was doing the same tonight, which was arrogant.

He always does that.

the way barcelona just stuck everyone in midfield allowed chelsea to defend in front of themselves all the time

They always do that.

c'mon barca. stick it to them chelski cunts

Amen brother.

I actually enjoyed watching that, the Chelsea rentboys were as good as I've seen them in a long time. Cahill, Ivanovic, him up front (when he was on his feet) looked really good and comfortable. Barcelona looked a bit off it, Alves might well have been hungover.
I honestly think Chelsea might squeeze through you know.

[dirty leeds]

I found it fascinating, actually. Best team in the world for once thwarted. If that was Leeds winning 1-0 we'd be fucking delighted. But as Eric says, could easily be 3-0 [or worse] in the second leg.
Or maybe not. Which is fun.

[Quiffy]

He always does that.

They always do that.

i don't watch barcelona that often but i've never noticed him go quite so deep, so often. they weren't doing a christmas tree, more a U formation.

thing that worries me is that the 'barca way' seems to be so ingrained that they won't change it at all. i'm not expecting messi to be a target man, just someone who tries to keep the central defenders busier.

[Disco Dan]

Sounds like a dreadful atmosphere. European nights at Elland Road were deafening.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Roma, Spartak Moscow, Milan etc Amazing nights

When Dida spilled Bowyer's shot into the net It was absolutely unreal. There were times during that European run when the magnitude of it, the expectancy and the intensity of the singing of Marching on Together before kick off brought me close to tears. That's just how powerful Leeds United can be when the fans believe in it. That's the club I grew up loving - the club I felt in my gut. It's a crying shame what we have become, the sterile, empty vessel Bates and Harvey have turned us into.

Going back to 1992, the Rangers night was also incredible, but the Stuttgart 4-1 was possibly the best I've ever experienced, even though the crowd was small.

[the flying pig]

yeah, i mean it was a bit artificial in the sense of being real backs-to-the-wall stuff... if barca had gone a goal up [as they so nearly did, twice] chelsea woudl have been, to put it politely, stuffed.

enjoyable, though. dramatic. chelsea, given the age & profile of some of their players, are maybe not unlike another english team who squeaked past barca in an EC semi 37 years ago...

agree that cahill played well, as did cashley [although helped a lot by ramires - talk about a player with an 'engine']. we'll see what happens in t'second leg. there'll be a lot of pressure on t'ref to give decisions to the home side & the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

[eric olthwaite]

the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

Random thought occurred to me whilst watching the game. IIRC there was a European game when Souness was Liverpool* manager (vs Kiev maybe?) when he pulled the touchlines right in to nullify a pair of fast wingers. Thereafter, UEFA said that you had to fix the pitch size at the start of this season.

Anyway, I wondered, for a team like Barcelona, whether you could (for a couple of weeks in advance) randomly cut the turf to different lengths in strips? Your team would have time to get used to it, but I wonder if it would fuck up their passing at all? Massively unethical, obviously, but I wonder if there's actually anything which says you can't do it? You could also chew up the surface a bit.

* or Rangers maybe? Dunno.

[Disco Dan]

the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

I've had this debate on Twitter tonight. Turns out the rules stipulate that all Champions League games after the qualifying rounds must be played in category 4 stadiums. They have a compulsory pitch dimension of 105 x 68 m and that is the size of Barcelona's pitch according to their website. Exceptions are allowed in special circumstances but otherwise all pitches must be the same size.

[the flying pig]

the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

I've had this debate on Twitter tonight. Turns out the rules stipulate that all Champions League games after the qualifying rounds must be played in category 4 stadiums. They have a compulsory pitch dimension of 105 x 68 m and that is the size of Barcelona's pitch according to their website. Exceptions are allowed in special circumstances but otherwise all pitches must be the same size.

pedantic cunts like you would have us left with no bullshit cliches at all to trot out

[Disco Dan]

the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

I've had this debate on Twitter tonight. Turns out the rules stipulate that all Champions League games after the qualifying rounds must be played in category 4 stadiums. They have a compulsory pitch dimension of 105 x 68 m and that is the size of Barcelona's pitch according to their website. Exceptions are allowed in special circumstances but otherwise all pitches must be the same size.

pedantic cunts like you would have us left with no bullshit cliches at all to trot out

Of course you can, daft cunt. Europe, standardisation, straight bananas, bureaucracy, etc.

[eric olthwaite]

the pitch will be that bit bigger & truer...

I've had this debate on Twitter tonight. Turns out the rules stipulate that all Champions League games after the qualifying rounds must be played in category 4 stadiums. They have a compulsory pitch dimension of 105 x 68 m and that is the size of Barcelona's pitch according to their website. Exceptions are allowed in special circumstances but otherwise all pitches must be the same size.

Bit dubious about what that actually means. What UEFA also dictates is hoarding size, and then the depth of the run off area around the pitch. There must be loads of older stadia where the edge of the stands preclude being absolute about the pitch size. I have a sneaking suspicion, but haven't found a trustworthy source, that the Chelsea pitch is a wee bit short.

[the flying pig]

I insist on believing that NC has the biggest pitch in Christendom.

Something I have experienced at first hand though are the Stamford bridge changing rooms. The away one is noticably small, awkward (e.g. the lockers are at ankle height), and badly equipped. Proper cuntishness.

[Disco Dan]

Bit dubious about what that actually means. What UEFA also dictates is hoarding size, and then the depth of the run off area around the pitch. There must be loads of older stadia where the edge of the stands preclude being absolute about the pitch size. I have a sneaking suspicion, but haven't found a trustworthy source, that the Chelsea pitch is a wee bit short.

Wikipedia (yeah, I know) says Stamford Bridge is 103 x 67 m (112.6 x 73.3 yds), so the difference from the standard 105 x 68m (115 x 74 yds) is 1.2 yds at each end and 0.35 yds down the sides. Hardly earth-shattering.

[gazurtoids]

Yeah, that "big Wembley pitch" guff always used to irritate me. Unless it "feels" big to the players, psychologically, irrespective of the actual size?

Didn't Dennis Wise want to reduce the size of the ER pitch when he took over? I seem to recall that he was told that he couldn't change the pitch size during the season, implying that the dimensions aren't fixed at Championship level? Otherwise, I think ours is roughly the same as Wembley, isn't it?

[dublin white 69]

Sounds like a dreadful atmosphere. European nights at Elland Road were deafening.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Roma, Spartak Moscow, Milan etc Amazing nights

When Dida spilled Bowyer's shot into the net It was absolutely unreal. There were times during that European run when the magnitude of it, the expectancy and the intensity of the singing of Marching on Together before kick off brought me close to tears. That's just how powerful Leeds United can be when the fans believe in it. That's the club I grew up loving - the club I felt in my gut. It's a crying shame what we have become, the sterile, empty vessel Bates and Harvey have turned us into.

Going back to 1992, the Rangers night was also incredible, but the Stuttgart 4-1 was possibly the best I've ever experienced, even though the crowd was small.

Couldn't have put it any better..

[Disco Dan]

Yeah, that "big Wembley pitch" guff always used to irritate me. Unless it "feels" big to the players, psychologically, irrespective of the actual size?

Didn't Dennis Wise want to reduce the size of the ER pitch when he took over? I seem to recall that he was told that he couldn't change the pitch size during the season, implying that the dimensions aren't fixed at Championship level? Otherwise, I think ours is roughly the same as Wembley, isn't it?

Ours is the standard Champions League size. As is Wembley, according to the available info. All the info I've found online suggests the new Wembley is "slightly narrower" than the old one. Perhaps it was partly a perception thing?

Football League rules allow for the following:

Maximum length 120yds (110 metres)
Minimum length 110yds (100 metres)
Maximum width 80yds (75 metres)
Minimum width 70yds (64 metres)

and:

"Clubs must register their pitch dimensions with the Executive prior to the start of each Season. It will be misconduct on the part of a Club to alter its pitch dimensions during a
Season unless with the prior written consent of the Executive, which consent will only be given in exceptional circumstances. The Executive may at any time require a Club to submit
a report from a qualified independent source certifying the pitch dimensions."