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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:05:12:17:38:15 by Padre Pio.

I guess you meant to say he let a swine loose in the Russian's house.

It's the first in a long time that we are playing one of the big 4 and I'm not up for it, especially hearing that Arshavin won't be available.

Tomorrow's game sure looks set to be the kind were it could either turn to be 0-0 or 1-1 kind of game.

Like you, I felt that the Abidal red was wrong – but then he admitted that he had fouled Anelka:

“I was defending against Nico [Anelka], but as I was the last defender and the referee thought I fouled him, dismissing me is normal,” Abidal said.

“If I let Nico run towards goal then he scores the second one and it is over, so we can say it is a good foul. I sacrificed myself. It is always disappointing to reach the final without being able to feature.”

So I watched it again. What happens is that he catches Anelka who then running past him can’t keep his balance for a few paces and then actually trips himself.

The linesman flagged for the offence by the way – then the ref gave it.

Of course, the other pen decisions (take your pick from 4) were all in our imagination and it´s quite normal anyway to get that amount of decsions not given in a CL semi.

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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.

Exactly Dixon the ref sent him off, if he was fixing the match he would have left him on. Hence no conspiracy

We're at home, I don't expect us to lose two in a row at home.

If this were an away game i'd say chelsea would probably pick up the three points but I expect us to at least draw at home. The same as we would against utd had two freaks not hapened so early.

desperately sad not to see Arshavin though, he is by far the best thing to watch about the current Arsenal side. I look forward to seeing his every minute. before he arrived it was hard to get excited about any ne players form this season bar RVP in glimpses.

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Why isnt Arshavin not playing?

He has flu,hopefully not that of the swine type.

Younghansolo,I know it was a bitter pill we had to
swallow in the CL semi final but I don't think you
can claim we would have drawn against Manu because
of two freak goals. Granted the first one was down
to an outrageous slip but the second was a fantastic
free kick. Maybe Almunia's fault but most goals scored
from free kicks are the goalkeeper's fault, especially
from that distance.

The gulf in talent on that night was obvious, it was
obvious when they destroyed us in the FA Cup last year
and nothing was done about it until we finally bought
Arshavin, too late though to qualify to play in the CL.

Quote:

Padre Pio
Exactly Dixon the ref sent him off, if he was fixing the match he would have left him on. Hence no conspiracy

He had no choice in that instance.

You know and I know, if Barca would have had that many pen (4) appeals in the Nou Camp then that ref would have given them.

Dont forget FIFA,UEFA and the refs committee have been done before.

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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.

Conspiracy – or direct conspiracy/corruption with brown envelopes, prostitutes and Villas in Spain probably isn’t the right way of framing it.

I’d call it an “indirect conspiracy”; a referee who has favoured Barcelona (against Lyon earlier in the CL) in the past is selected, a referee, who has already blotted his copybook and was sent home early after serious errors in Euro 2008. This ref knows he’s on his last legs with UEFA and their referees committee and he knows that Platini and Blatter have made no secret of not wanting an all-English final. Trouble is, UEFA and Ovrebo probably didn’t expect us to have as many one-on-one breakaways and pen type fouls - so it becomes more and more difficult to make the favouritism less evident.

Having ONE serious injustice against you in a game can happen…but in an important game and for there to be 3-4 is pretty much unprecedented.

No one really cares though of course. UEFA have kept the sponsors, advertisers and the TV companies happy because that’s the final most wanted to see.

Ovrebo will probably never have a top class match to ref again – but no doubt he’ll get a nice little pension.

Most of us know that the game with its vast amounts of money is slightly tainted with favouritisms and corruption where UEFA are concerned - but I never realised it could go so far. We do know that there has been corruption with FIFA and in UEFA, Blatter and also in the referees committee (“How they stole the game” and German referees betting scandal).

How the above can not be considered plausible taking into account what happened on Wednesday night?

I think the only other way to demonstrate it is following;

Imagine identical incidents to those of Stamford Bridge at the Nou Camp – 4 poss. pens.

Now imagine they are in favour of Barcelona.

How many pens do you think they would be awarded?

There’s your answer.

It must be a similar feeling that those Liverpool fans experienced at the San Siro in 1965 for the match against Inter.

I’ll watch Chelsea in CL games in the future because they are my team but that competition will never have the same meaning it had for me before Wednesday night.



[quote dixon9]Sky - Redknapp, Gullit and Souness analysis of incidents :

PART 1



PART 2

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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.

I wonder who bunged the ref in Barca to allow Henry to be brought down in penalty area and let Chelsea off?

Squeal piggie.....squeal!

I think Arshavin being left out is Wenger indulging in a bit of "look I'm right" with the press. Clearly he must realize not playing Arshavin in the Chelsea game made his "tactics" look like a joke, and rubbished the idea that mature players couldn't improve his youth team.... 1 more season then the knives will start coming out and there will be nothing he can do.

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[quote dixon9]Conspiracy – or direct conspiracy/corruption with brown envelopes, prostitutes and Villas in Spain probably isn’t the right way of framing it.

I’d call it an “indirect conspiracy”; a referee who has favoured Barcelona (against Lyon earlier in the CL) in the past is selected, a referee, who has already blotted his copybook and was sent home early after serious errors in Euro 2008. This ref knows he’s on his last legs with UEFA and their referees committee and he knows that Platini and Blatter have made no secret of not wanting an all-English final. Trouble is, UEFA and Ovrebo probably didn’t expect us to have as many one-on-one breakaways and pen type fouls - so it becomes more and more difficult to make the favouritism less evident.

Having ONE serious injustice against you in a game can happen…but in an important game and for there to be 3-4 is pretty much unprecedented.

No one really cares though of course. UEFA have kept the sponsors, advertisers and the TV companies happy because that’s the final most wanted to see.

Ovrebo will probably never have a top class match to ref again – but no doubt he’ll get a nice little pension.

Most of us know that the game with its vast amounts of money is slightly tainted with favouritisms and corruption where UEFA are concerned - but I never realised it could go so far. We do know that there has been corruption with FIFA and in UEFA, Blatter and also in the referees committee (“How they stole the game” and German referees betting scandal).

How the above can not be considered plausible taking into account what happened on Wednesday night?

I think the only other way to demonstrate it is following;

Imagine identical incidents to those of Stamford Bridge at the Nou Camp – 4 poss. pens.

Now imagine they are in favour of Barcelona.

How many pens do you think they would be awarded?

There’s your answer.

It must be a similar feeling that those Liverpool fans experienced at the San Siro in 1965 for the match against Inter.

I’ll watch Chelsea in CL games in the future because they are my team but that competition will never have the same meaning it had for me before Wednesday night.



[quote dixon9]Sky - Redknapp, Gullit and Souness analysis of incidents :

PART 1



PART 2[/quote]

Still, conspiracy theory can't be ruled out. I remember last year, hours before the quarter final draw, the results were posted on a website. They were removed minutes following the draw after receiving a lot of media attention. That tells me that you can't trust Uefa.

Conspiracy or not that ref should never be allowed to officiate in a game outside Norway again,he was very poor.
I find it convenient Arshavin has flu for this game,as for AWs comments that signing so called "experience" will kill his younger players that is hogwash and I dont beleive he beleives it any more than I do,and if he doesnt next season could turn out to be his swansong.

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DB10,the best.

Quote:

Padre Pio
I wonder who bunged the ref in Barca to allow Henry to be brought down in penalty area and let Chelsea off?

Different ref Padre.

(bung? You obviously haven´t read what I posted above).

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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.

So Dixon, last season when we were getting done by the refs in nearly every game after the Birmingham game, we were told to stop moaning. So stop moaning Dixon. That was one match, that was our title challenge.

How about what happened to us against Liverpool in both legs. Again we were told to stop moaning.

So stop your moaning.

No doubt it was a conspiracy, it had to be a Utd Barca final. I'd feel bad for you (maybe), but its happened to us countless times.

That ref is a LEGEND!!! He was great when he ref'd our game against Villarreal.

Finally, any team that costs 300mil plus and goes into a CL semi 1st leg simply to PARK THE BUS shouldn't even be allowed to play in the final.