Champions League Final

[Guinness]

Really surprised there's no thread about the Champions league final.

Brilliant football by players who played for the shirt. Fantastic fans, especially from Dortmund. Is it really only 13 years since the humiliation of Euro 2000 when the Germans finished bottom of their group and we all pointed and laughed, expecting them to languish like us as 'has beens and never will agains'.

Yesterday almost all of the German National team were on display...how different that would have been if it had been two English clubs in the final. Many of those internationals had been nurtured in their own academys.

The clubs are fan owned, and boy does it show in the passionate support, they are majorly into youth development, they have very little debt because they dont waste money on mercenary prima donnas, they are fan orientated with ticket pricing, away travel, pies, beer, banners and flags.....and hey..it works!!

Yesterday there was no Messi, no Ronaldo, no Rooney, no Balotelli....there was nobody throwing a strop because they were substituted, nobody sulking in the stands becuase they were on rotation or dropped, and hey...no mention of boring, airhead, plastic surgery altered, unattractive braindead slapper Wags advertising Prada handbags and max factor lipstick!

There was only pure, unadulterated excellent football..it was class!

We, on the other hand, have been humiliated since 1966, we ain't learned...57 years and counting, two generations..what has Sky done for us..yeah we get to watch the best footballers on the planet playing in our league...but we don't get to watch players who play for our shirt, who know the club, who know the history, who know why, week in and week out, come rain, hail and snow we go and watch and cheer...it's just a wage and a stepping stone to them..get into the EPL and showcase your talents and you are made for life.

Agents and asociated hangars on screw our clubs, hell you can even buy shares in the future transfer fees thanks to the inept and in my opinion corrupt governing bodies.

The Germans are having none of this..yesterday proved that their idealism works..Heja BVB!

[gpick24]

I have just two things I disagree with -
1. Messi, OK he may demand a huge weekly wage, more than any 1 person should ask for when all he does is kick a ball about. But he is the best at what he does, over the past two seasons, look at how many goals he`s scored, he`s been with Barcelona since he was a kid, and they obviously saw his talent and nurtured it when others would have just turned him away cos of his size.
2. If I was a manager and a player wasn`t disappointed at being a sub, or being subbed, I wouldn`t want him in my squad at all.
Great football in the final though, really enjoyed it. Don`t usually watch German footy, but might in the future.

[gpick24]

Just re read and you didn`t actually say anything bad about Messi, just commented he wasn`t there, so please disregard No.1 in my last post. Too late to edit it.

[cashman]

Love footy, refused to watch it, we had 2 world wars wi the krauts n they never invaded. Truth is was out at a B.B.Q.

[jaysay]

First final I haven't watch since it changed to Champions League, because a flaming Frenchman Platini thought it would be a good idea to change it to a Saturday night, this was always a Wednesday and that's when it should have been played