Thursday, May 07, 2009

Let's Hear it for Norway

Of course, like all right thinking people, Tom Henning Ovrebo just wanted Chelsea to lose. It was a no-brainer. Ballack and Drogba play for Chelsea and the Barcelona manager is very skinny, looks like a villain in Miami Vice and wears - I think - a Dior suit and leather tie while standing on the touchline, such a refreshing change from our own sickly band of ashen-faced Ron Knees. His tactics also kept me absorbed in spite of the fact that I had acute jet lag. For 91 minutes Barcelona did not appear to be trying to score, rather they seemed intent on irritating Chelsea's sociopaths just for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, but I couldn't help feeling a goal would have been the smart move. Saving it until the 92nd minute was a stroke of genius beyond the imaginings of even the sainted Sir Alex. There were also some great shots of Chelsea fans crying. All in all a night to remember.
Posted by Bryan Appleyard at 8:14 am

8 comments:

  1. RecusantMay 07, 2009 8:39 am

    Oh you're hard, Appleyard. Hard and cruel.

    But I suppose Sepp Blatter - a figure of such probity and honour - and Michel Platini - a noted Anglophile - will be pleased that their boy Ovrebo did the job. It must have been hard too, what with three blatant penalties.

    However, after a week of Barca moaning about Chelsea refusing to play the game Barca wanted them to play, I could do without Chelsea players crying into their milk afterwards. Yes, that includes you, Drogba. Move on. I clearly have. Grrrrrrr.......

    ReplyDelete
  2. SpongebobMay 07, 2009 9:16 am

    Too cruel, Bryan. Catalonian self-regard will be further boosted by this injustice (the lauded Lionel Messi was a poor man's Peter Beagrie on last night's showing). Compared to how the Catalans would have reacted in those circumstances, Drogba was measured and temperate. It wasn't a conspiracy, but UEFA should hang their heads in shame over that refereeing performance.

    ReplyDelete
  3. willMay 07, 2009 9:31 am

    what is this 'football' you speak of???

    ReplyDelete
  4. James HighamMay 07, 2009 11:41 am

    Is this Thought Experiments, Bryan? I ask merely for information.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan B.May 07, 2009 11:51 am

    One of my transplanted London friends noted that "Chelsea showed why they are wankers" in this game. He is no fan (I do believe he likes Arsenal, though none of these teams mean anything to me).

    What does it all mean? Well, no more than the baseball fever we are getting into here now means to you. Ah, sports!

    ReplyDelete
  6. maltyMay 07, 2009 3:31 pm

    Back in the year of our lord 1965, when I was in mid misspent youth, the bar of the Kensington palace hotel was one of the favoured watering holes, it was the haunt of numerous characters, misc alcoholic luvvies, over nighting El Al aircrew ( the stewardesses were....) and one T Venables & various attached acolytes. This at a time when the Chelsea support were animals of the lowest order, Venables was, how can this be put diplomatically, an absolute cocky gobshite, out gobbing everyone else in the bar. Ever since then I have rooted for Chelsea's downfall, long may they suffer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. simbnMay 07, 2009 7:50 pm

    There is one beautiful thing about Chelsea - the way Drogba seems desperate to impress Hiddink. If that was the fuel for his tantrum then that too was a beautiful thing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SeanMay 07, 2009 9:00 pm

    Well as a total neutral at the game (and two days at the test match yipee!) I think the ref was either stupid or bent.

    yep we all have bad days at the office but our mistakes are random and dont work themselves into a pattern.

    yes I know you cant fix a football match but you can bring undue influence on it. And ive got the same feeling I have for the 2007 final Liverpool V AC Bent Milan, I was not watching what I thought I should be watching. and no I certainly dont support Liverpool either or man Utd for that matter.

    Both these games I have a post it note attached SUSPECT.

    And dont get excited Bryan, the continentals will play dirty if they can, and not just on the pitch, my money is on Barca.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)