Left back - a football blog

As an Arsenal fan I was rather aggrieved at our exit from the tournament at the hands of Liverpool. The penalty that was not given, a penalty that probably wasn’t given, and on those two crappy refereeing decisions the tie turned.

So I was rather hopeful that Barcelona would give me something to cheer about for the rest of the tournament, and to put it in perspective I fucking hate Barcelona. I lived there for years and had to travel back after the 2006 Champions League final from Paris on a train full of Barcelona fans. Sickening.

So now we’re going to have an all English final and as much as the Liverpool defeat hurt me I have to go with them for the trophy.

My reasoning:

1 - Manchester United and Ronaldo winning it would make me get a bit sick in my mouth. I know this is Ferguson’s dream so I’d hate to see that come true.

2 - Chelsea would be the first London club to win it and it would mean Ashley Cole has a Champions League winners medal.

3 - Liverpool have already won the thing 5 times, what difference does one more make?

My levels of bitterness and hatred for the clubs in question are taken into account here. Perhaps it’s based on the fact that Liverpool haven’t challenged for the league in such a long time. United have been long time rivals and Chelsea is the most vulgar, tasteless football club in existence.

So for those reasons I want Liverpool to win it. If they get beaten tonight then I’m going to completely ignore the final and I will pretend for the rest of my days that it did not happen.

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The Championship may bamboozle at both ends of the table and League One has plenty of exciting final day fixtures to enjoy, but life in and out of League Two was settled on Tuesday night as Chester gained the point needed to avoid relegation and end Mansfield’s 77-year stay in the football league. The Stags will be joined by a pitiful Wrexham side who have never looked like staying up since hitting rock bottom at the beginning of February, while a special mention must go to Dagenham & Redbridge who have survived a first season in League Two on nothing more than a shoe string budget, a fantastic team-spirit and a handy forward in the shape of Ben Strevens.

Up at the top, money has talked as arguably the division’s richest two sides, MK Dons and Peterborough, cantered to automatic promotion. Paul Ince is undoubtedly doing football management the right way after keeping Macclesfield up last year and guiding the Dons to promotion this year but, personally, the jury is still out on the qualities of Darren Ferguson. Hereford will be joining them in League One, while the quartet of Rochdale, Stockport, Darlington and Wycombe will do battle in the playoffs.

Tomorrow: League One.

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Jesus, two of the most attacking sides in Europe produced a snorefest last night. United played like they were Bolton, everyone behind the ball, squeezing Barcelona infield knowing they had no height so crosses were ineffective anyway.

Highlight of the game was Ronaldo’s penalty miss. And was it just me or did he look really weird last night? He seems to have become significantly uglier or something. And he was up to his old diving tricks again, every time he was touched he went down, thankfully the ref didn’t buy his con job in the first half but I thought United might have had another penalty in the second when Abidal seemed to take him down.

Henry looked Barcelona’s most dangerous player and he was only on for 15 minutes. Eto’o looked like he really didn’t care, Deco similar.

Advantage United, perhaps. They’ll have to play a more open game in the home leg which might just suit Barcelona as well.

Let’s just hope it’s a better game.

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Sorry for the lack of action around here. We’re having end of season, not in any trophies ennui.

Sparked back into life by this quote from Rafa Benitez though. After last night’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League he said:

Of course I am disappointed with the officials’ performance. It is not the first time this has happened to us and we are really disappointed.

Pardon me? Is he actually for real? I mean, like, seriously!!

Two generous sendings off against Inter Milan, two very favourable penalty decisions about Arsenal, and he’s complaining about a ref who appeared decent enough to me last night (one Cole foul on Kuyt in the second half aside)??

Madness, I tell you. The man is obviously deranged. Liverpool have had great chunks of good luck and generous refereeing decisions in the CL this season. The good luck ran out in the last minute of injury time though.

What in the name of all that is holy was Riise thinking? He has feet, doesn’t he? It’s not like he’s a Vietnam vet with no lower legs and only one of those skateboard things to push himself around on. Why didn’t he kick it? And that’s not the first time he’s done that this season - didn’t he score almost the same own goal against Luton in the FA Cup?

You’ve got to question the keeper a bit there as well. He should have come for that ball. Anyway, it’s nicely poised for the 2nd leg - I still hope Liverpool do it. A United v Chelsea final would be sickening.

My order of preference for CL glory:

Barcelona - Liverpool - United or Chelsea (if either of them wins it I’m going to make a football out of my own poo and throw it up for Ronaldo or John Terry to head back to me).

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Isn’t Premier League football the best? Two Chelsea games in three days (the horror!), three goals, little in the way of excitement and all we have to really show for it is Avram Grant’s incredible post-match interview after the game against Everton. The Israeli is clearly going bonkers under the increasing pressure and criticism which is being heaped upon his broad shoulders, but there was no need to act like a petulant child in front of a baying media pack.

Credit must go to the Blues as the only side who are pushing Manchester United as the finishing post looms, but it is a season that has come at a cost. An increasing number of disillusioned “untouchables”, a stop-gap manager who clearly wont be there come August and a set of fans who are less than happy with the way the club is run. Chelsea’s slim dream of Premier League glory in 2008 may still be alive, but there hopes of doing it with dignity and style banished long ago.

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Aldershot became the latest side elevated into the Football League on Tuesday night after gaining the point they needed for promotion.

Past winners of the recently re-branded Blue Square Premier have fared extremely over the years indicating that the once large gulf between non-league and league football is becoming ever more blurred. In the past six seasons, since an extra place for playoff winners was introduced, none of the sides going up have gone down and three of them have even managed to make that step to the next level. Last years promotion hopefuls have had indifferent seasons with Dagenham currently fighting the drop, but Morecambe have proved somewhat of a revelation under the stewardship of former Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy and currently sit tenth.

Whatever lies in wait for Gary Waddock (much maligned after a stint at QPR) and his Aldershot squad, the team and town can take great satisfaction from an outstanding season.

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