UEFA Cup 2008/2009

[Turbo Yannis]

Because Tony Adams is, and always will be, a shit manager.

Edited December 4, 2008 by Turbo Yannis

[Farmer Reil]

Villa were awful...

I haven't watched much Villa recently, but is it normal for them to suck THAT MUCH at heading the ball? Why do they play with wingers at all when NOBODY has any aerial presence at all? Sure, Carew was missing, but still... they were awful. They couldn't string more than two passes together for a long time in the second half, the Sloveniakians were all over them for long spells. Barry came on and made ONE good pass in twenty minutes. Gardner, to be fair, worked his tits off, and I was mortified for him when he hit the post in injury time. But Villa were pretty poor.

[Summers]

lol Villa getting beat 2-0

lol you getting the score wrong.

Anyway..

It was a second string side, what do you expect? Osbourne was horrible, Salifou was playing alone in central midfield and he was ill anyway. Del Fonz was quality. Luke Young is a right footed right back, not a left back. Milner needs to sort himself out slightly. Knight is not good, he's just not. Cuellar had to do the work of two central defenders, and he was getting dragged all over the place. The first team would have won that game, I'm not too fussed, we're through. Now to finish 1st or 3rd.

& Stan Collymore waved and clenched his fist to me and my mate, so the night wasn't a complete bust.

[Captain Kirk]

Villa buggered my coupon. Guzan seems absolutely awful.

[Summers]

? How? Knight ducked out of a header which is why the first one went in, and horrible defending left us & Guzan totally exposed for the second.

[King Ellis]

How about them Aston Villa Reserves?

[ONO]

lol you getting the score wrong.

A late reply is better than never. I did say that when they were getting beat 2-0. >_>

And we're getting beat 2-0 again. We are still through though, but I would like to qualify top.

[ONO]

What a disgusting performance. Absolutely embarrassed. Knight is fucking balls, why does he even get played, even on rare occasions?

I've never rated Gardner. Cuellar has been shockingly bad. Harewood..well his name speaks volumes. They obviously don't give a shit.

[Summers]

Knight > Cuellar tonight.

Anyway. Wanted 3rd over 2nd.

[Zaz]

So for Spurs, "Vedran Corluka is cup-tied like Pavlyuchenko, while Alan Hutton (foot), Jermaine Jenas (calf), Jonathan Woodgate (back), Ledley King (knee) and Giovani dos Santos (ankle) are out". Bent also has tonsillitis, so Campbell up front on his own. And I don't think Rocha can play as I don't think Ramos had him in the 25 man squad for the Cup. So we really only have one centre back in Dawson, so I'm expecting something like:

Campbell

Modric

Lennon O'Hara Huddlestone Bentley

BAE Dawson Zokora Gunter

With Cesar, Bale, Dervite, Smith, Bostock, Parrett and Obika on the bench. Gilberto might get a spot as well, actually. Is Bale fit?

[alldaws1]

Bale is fit, Redknapp's just preferred Assou-Ekotto in recent weeks. I'd expect Bale to start or at the very least feature at some point, be it midfield or defense. Word is that Bostock and Parrett might even start. We only need a point so I think we'll get through.

[Marcos]

Anyone else think Sparky's time at Man City could be over very soon? Shocking result so far.

[alldaws1]

Man did we need that comeback. Had we lost 2-0 we'd be out, so it's nice to be through and to go through in second place as well. We certainly need some more depth, a few players out and we're down to our youngsters and playing people out of position.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Soooo Gilberto huh

After taking him off at half time Harry Redknapp said:

"Gilberto was quite happy to come off. There's not really a way back for him here."

"The boy doesn't want to play here. He's a nice guy but just doesn't feel confident playing here."

Byebye Gilberto. Not before time either. I'd rather play with ten men than have Gilberto on the team sheet. He may go into the hat for "worst player you club has bought". All he's done since joining us is make mistakes that lead to goals.

Anyway, second place in the group means a first leg away against one of these:

Bordeaux

Werder Bremen

Shakhtar Donetsk

Marseille

Aalborg

Fiorentina

Dinamo Kiev

Zenit St Petersburg

Anyone apart from Werder Bremen will do me. Not a very high standard there considering...

Kiev or Zenit would just be annoying cos of the length of away journey. Maybe Aalborg would be the best overall, or a French side...

Edited December 19, 2008 by ChrisSteeleAteMySanta

[The Future]

Spurs vs Aalborg would be a decent match to watch actually, two sides who don't sit back and go for it.

[Baddar]

LAST 32

Paris St Germain v Wolfsburg

FC Copenhagen v MANCHESTER CITY

NEC Nijmegen v Hamburg

Sampdoria v Metalist Kharkiv

Braga v Standard Liege

ASTON VILLA v CSKA Moscow

Lech Poznan v Udinese

Olympiakos v St Etienne

Fiorentina v Ajax

Aalborg v Deportivo La Coruna

Werder Bremen v AC Milan

Bordeaux v FC Galatasaray

Dynamo Kiev v Valencia

Zenit St Petersburg v VfB Stuttgart

Marseille v FC Twente

Shakhtar Donetsk v TOTTENHAM

LAST 16

Werder Bremen/AC Milan v Olympiakos/St Etienne

ASTON VILLA/CSKA Moscow v Shakhtar Donetsk/TOTTENHAM

Lech Poznan/Udinese v Zenit St Petersburg/VfB Stuttgart

Paris St Germain/Wolfsburg v Braga/Standard Liege

Dynamo Kiev/Valencia v Sampdoria/Metalist Kharkiv

FC Copenhagen/MANCHESTER CITY v Aalborg/Deportivo La Coruna

Marseille v FC Twente v Fiorentina/Ajax

NEC Nijmegen/Hamburg v Bordeaux v FC Galatasaray

---

Was this a straight draw in that City could've played Milan, Spurs-Valencia etc.? If so, it's turned out good for the English teams.

Edited December 19, 2008 by Baddar Santa

[FireDoughnut]

Top teams guaranteed to stay away from CL teams? Is that it?

[Baddar]

I'm editing in the draw above. Possible Spurs vs. Villa in the last 16.

[Summers]

Ugh, Moscow. Hard draw.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Spurs - Villa. BOOK EEEEIT!