European Football Thread

[Liam]

1 hour ago, Gazz said:

It must be boring being a Celtic fan, tonight was their 54th domestic league game without defeat. I can't imagine supporting a team where two, probably eight (CL qualifiers and group) at most games actually mean anything or have any kind of stakes.

No Newcastle matches are meaningful, especially when Sunderland and Middlesborough are in the division below.

[The Lusophone]

9 hours ago, Liam said:

No Newcastle matches are meaningful, especially when Sunderland and Middlesborough are in the division below.

I disagree. Almost every Newcastle league game has higher stakes than almost every Celtic game. Celtic will win their league this season, just as they did last season. They'll probably win next season, and the season after, and the season after. With Newcastle, you have the uncertainty of their status in the Premier League, the uncertainty of their manager situation (Rafa is settling) and the uncertainty of their ownership situation all active issues this season and in the future.

You'll be happier as a Celtic fan, I suppose, winning leagues and cups, but I'd rather be a Newcastle fan because at least that way achievements mean something.

[Twist]

1 hour ago, MadJack said:

I disagree. Almost every Newcastle league game has higher stakes than almost every Celtic game. Celtic will win their league this season, just as they did last season. They'll probably win next season, and the season after, and the season after. With Newcastle, you have the uncertainty of their status in the Premier League, the uncertainty of their manager situation (Rafa is settling) and the uncertainty of their ownership situation all active issues this season and in the future.

You'll be happier as a Celtic fan, I suppose, winning leagues and cups, but I'd rather be a Newcastle fan because at least that way achievements mean something.

What achievements?

[The Lusophone]

1 hour ago, Twist said:

What achievements?

Winning the Championship is a bigger achievement than Celtic winning the Scottish Premier League. I mean that as no disrespect to Celtic or their fans, but Celtic winning their league is the expectation and it will be many many years in all probability - if at all - before that isn't a foregone conclusion. The SPL is a league devoid of competition in who is going to win it, and it isn't always particularly close in the race for 2nd either.

Celtic is a team that would probably do quite well in the Premier League - arguably better than Newcastle, but at the moment the only games that matter for the club are those that happen at European level, and without success in Europe (i.e. getting to the latter stages of the Champions League or the Europa League), then doing the bare minimum expected at Celtic won't ever be an achievement on the level of escaping the Championship.

[Adam]

On this point, I can't wrap my head around how fans of very top clubs actually enjoy their teams games. Say you support Man Utd, you go to watch them at home to Watford, or Palace or Huddersfield. When you score, do you get excited? Surely it's just a feeling of "good, we should be winning". This is the case for all Celtic games bar the Old Firm Derby so I'm not arguing against that, but for me it must get pretty dull following an elite club.

[The Lusophone]

5 minutes ago, Adam said:

On this point, I can't wrap my head around how fans of very top clubs actually enjoy their teams games. Say you support Man Utd, you go to watch them at home to Watford, or Palace or Huddersfield. When you score, do you get excited? Surely it's just a feeling of "good, we should be winning". This is the case for all Celtic games bar the Old Firm Derby so I'm not arguing against that, but for me it must get pretty dull following an elite club.

I think that leads into the 'are we successful' vs the 'how are we being successful' debate that's sprung up in recent seasons at multiple clubs, but especially United. It might be expected that we'll beat Watford, or Palace or Huddersfield but if we're winning 1-0 or 2-0 and there's very little attacking intent, if there's a defensive mentality, if the club isn't playing 'the right way' so to speak, then it can become a problem. It's a point I've gone back and forth on over the years but I'd much rather be attacking and drop more points than we would otherwise, than be as ponderous and defensive as we've been under Moyes, LVG and even Jose. It was a big fear of mine when he was appointed that that was going to happen, but this season we've definitely been more attacking than Jose has previously seemed willing to be.

[Baddar]

17 minutes ago, Adam said:

On this point, I can't wrap my head around how fans of very top clubs actually enjoy their teams games. Say you support Man Utd, you go to watch them at home to Watford, or Palace or Huddersfield. When you score, do you get excited? Surely it's just a feeling of "good, we should be winning". This is the case for all Celtic games bar the Old Firm Derby so I'm not arguing against that, but for me it must get pretty dull following an elite club.

I was at the Boro game last season where we were 1-0 down with 7 or 8 mins to go and won 2-1. Celebrated it like we'd won the Champions League final. 

[Gazz]

With Newcastle, it's basically if something good is happening, you just know it's all a facade before the existential dread sets in and when it's bad, you just reminisce about those games against Man Utd and Barcelona.

[Kaney]

Champions league games aren't the only ones that have any meaning at all in Scotland. For a Celtic fan, there's between 4 and sometimes as many as 8 games against Rangers depending on draws, and they are ALWAYS a matter of urgency for both teams. There's an expectation for Celtic to win everything for a while, yeah, but another invincible season won't happen again. There are 2 domestic cup competitions and they're taken seriously. It's not the highest quality, but its also definitely not as boring as the almighty football gods down south make it out to be.

[Gazz]

I suppose you yourself though have to balance out the endless good times of Celtic with the horror show of Arsenal.

[Kaney]

Exaaaaactly

[MDK]

Don't forget the Scottish national team

[Colly]

Betis just beat Madrid at home. I know this because for once I covered the last remaining game of my acca and put a quid on them at 33-1 at half time. Woo. 

[MDK]

I bet that is the one result on my other acca that lets me down.

[Baddar]

4 hours ago, Colly said:

Betis just beat Madrid at home. I know this because for once I covered the last remaining game of my acca and put a quid on them at 33-1 at half time. Woo. 

90th min too. Crazy thing is, they had half a side out against Sociedad the other day and pissed it. Back to full strength last night and they get beat. Pretty sure that was Ronaldo's first one back as well.

[Just Joe]

Dortmund have conceded for the first time in the league this season, they have thumped Borussia Monchengladbach 6-1 though.  Aubamayang and Phillip ran rings round them. 

[MDK]

1 hour ago, Just Relegated said:

Borussia Monchengladbach

[DavidMarrio]

The game between Fenerbahce and Beskitas was a bit of a fiesty one... 5 red cards, two of which were straight reds.

[Just Joe]

On 23/09/2017 at 21:03, MDK said:

He's no Gunnersaurus. 

[MDK]

Ancelotti on the verge of being sacked