Non-Derby County games thread

[StaffsRam]

No i agree, take nothing away from Chelsea. They created the best chances and took them.

But surely what we all want to see, what as players at any level we once dreamed of becoming a part of, a free flowing attacking team pinging it about the pitch.

The more teams like Barca and say even Swansea over here win, the more they will be imitated. Football will be more exciting and pure??

If everyone started playing like Barcelona then you'd have games finishing 10-10. Great offensively, sh1te at the back. It diminishes the value of goals. Personally I prefer goals having to be earned. If you can overcome and score goals against organised defensive units then you're playing some damned good football. Knocking goals in against teams who're pushing up trying to get goals against you, less so. IMO.

[Leicester Ram]

Words cannot descrive just how sick I feel.. I've never been so gutted about a result before and I include Derby matches in that..

Football lost.. I just can't believe it.. Fair play to those who like that type of football but for me it is absoloutely hideous and Chelsea simply don't deserve to be there..

How unlucky can one team be over two legs? They hit the woodwork 4 times and it was just 10 men behind the ball for Chelsea for both games.. I honestly wouldn't support Derby if they played like that, I'd want them to lose.. That isn't how football should be played, disgraceful.. As far as shots go Chelsea had only 3 or 4 in the whole 180 minutes, Barca had over 30 and it's unbelievable how they only managed to score 2..

I don't care who makes the final tomorrow, its going to be the same tactics from Chelsea and I hope they get smashed..

As for Barca now, they missed Abidal, Pique and Villa.. Those 3 players have been a huge loss this season and accomodating Fabregas and Alexis has lost it for them.. That team that started the CL final last year was so much more clinical than the team that played today..

Gutted for Xavi and Iniesta, they don't deserve to be beaten like that..

http://i.min.us/il1jaw

[CumbrianRam]

He got them promoted and was in his first season with, lets face it, essentially a championship squad.

Who have WBA signed this summer?

Gareth McAuley, League Two at Lincoln, Championship with Leicester/Ipswich

Ben Foster, ok Prem GK but so was Carson who left

Billy Jones, played majority of his career in Champioship with Crewe/Preston

Shane Long, Championship striker at Reading, was mostly a sub when they were in the Prem

Scott Allan, from SPL Dundee Utd, loaned out to Pompey

Liam Ridgwell, experienced bottom half PL player

Keith Andrews, couple of seasons in PL with Blackburn.

Tamas, Tchoyi, Fortune, Odemwinge, Scharner all joined under RDM.

I was critical of the RDM sacking but it proved to right as if they didn't they'd be in the Championship now. Not in the top half of the Prem, 1 point behind £100 spent Liverpool!

[networker1884]

Who have WBA signed this summer?

Gareth McAuley, League Two at Lincoln, Championship with Leicester/Ipswich

Ben Foster, ok Prem GK but so was Carson who left

Billy Jones, played majority of his career in Champioship with Crewe/Preston

Shane Long, Championship striker at Reading, was mostly a sub when they were in the Prem

Scott Allan, from SPL Dundee Utd, loaned out to Pompey

Liam Ridgwell, experienced bottom half PL player

Keith Andrews, couple of seasons in PL with Blackburn.

Tamas, Tchoyi, Fortune, Odemwinge, Scharner all joined under RDM.

I was critical of the RDM sacking but it proved to right as if they didn't they'd be in the Championship now. Not in the top half of the Prem, 1 point behind £100 spent Liverpool!

And Chelsea are 5th, 12 points in front of Fulham. RDM has spent no money. I win.

[Red_Dawn]

You think Chelsea sang some gay song about ten men? Me neither.

[StaffsRam]

^^ Well they could hardly sing about winning with 10 men. They drew.....

Plus it was backs to the wall for them, whereas your lot were played off the park 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

[Alph]

Real Madrid are well ahead of them in the league and have been for a while.

But that doesn't make them better in the grand scheme of things.

Barca v Real.... Barca would still be favourites. It's this League title that means the gap is smaller now than it has been for a few years. I wouldn't say it can be closed in one season. A season where Barca have to thank some shock results at inferior teams.

I just mean the sense that Mourinho has been getting closer to Barca slowly for a while now and perhaps Barca have been too arrogant to try to become stronger? I'd still expect Barcelona to be favourites next season for every trophy.

[Alph]

You think Chelsea sang some gay song about ten men? Me neither.

They were too busy spinning their hands around and around in front of them like a fellow European Cup giant?

[CumbrianRam]

Two managers repeating a feat Avram Grant has only done, RDM to put Chelsea in European Cup final and Alex McLeish for 2 relegations in a row for different clubs!

[Boycie]

Harsh, dont think he meant it.

I don't mean to kick you out the chat day chat either.

[Red_Dawn]

They were too busy spinning their hands around and around in front of them like a fellow European Cup giant?

Haha I had never seen that done before at a game, made me laugh!

SUB

[networker1884]

You think Chelsea sang some gay song about ten men? Me neither.

"10 men, we only had 10 men, we only had 10 men"...that one?

[Leeds Ram]

I didn't see the game as I don't have sky but I shall watch a rerun on a website later. From what I heard from the script given by the guardian is this is what football is all about, beating the odds, hanging on by the skin of your teeth and showing courage and determination. The best player in the world missing from 12 yards and a quick break to score a goal. This is why I love football. People say it's a defeat for football but this is one of the reasons why we love football, because on the day every team has a chance.

[StaffsRam]

Agreed - I don't buy into this argument that everyone should come out and just play Barcelona at their own game. In any form of competition where's the value in taking on your opponent in exactly the way that they want you to.

It's about tactics, it's about execution, it's about organisation, guts, determination and working your luck.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see attractive football too, but you have to appreciate that the ugly side of the game is just as necessary.

[CumbrianRam]

Don't care much about Aston Villa, but I do feel sorry for Shay Given. The most consistent keeper in England in the last decade yet didn't get the recognition through having to play with such dire defences at Newcastle.

[Alph]

Agreed - I don't buy into this argument that everyone should come out and just play Barcelona at their own game. In any form of competition where's the value in taking on your opponent in exactly the way that they want you to.

It's about tactics, it's about execution, it's about organisation, guts, determination and working your luck.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see attractive football too, but you have to appreciate that the ugly side of the game is just as necessary.

You've convinced me.

Barca are really enjoyable to watch and i just don't want them to go away.

Chelsea have "JT" and "Lamps" and a massive wallet. I no like.

[uttoxram75]

Agreed - I don't buy into this argument that everyone should come out and just play Barcelona at their own game. In any form of competition where's the value in taking on your opponent in exactly the way that they want you to.

It's about tactics, it's about execution, it's about organisation, guts, determination and working your luck.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see attractive football too, but you have to appreciate that the ugly side of the game is just as necessary.

Good point Staffie,

The rules of football don't demand that you play a certain type of football. Chelsea, over two legs have frustrated Barca, rode their luck, but when it mattered they took their chances.

Fair play to them.

Their only chance of winning the cup though is if Real beat Bayern. I can't see them getting a fair deal in Munich if its Bayern.

[CumbrianRam]

Agreed - I don't buy into this argument that everyone should come out and just play Barcelona at their own game. In any form of competition where's the value in taking on your opponent in exactly the way that they want you to.

It's about tactics, it's about execution, it's about organisation, guts, determination and working your luck.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see attractive football too, but you have to appreciate that the ugly side of the game is just as necessary.

Good point but I much prefer watching "smaller" clubs in Swansea and Wigan playing decent football than "bigger" clubs in West Ham, Leeds playing defensive dirty long-ball football. Glad Swansea and Wigan are in the Prem and West Ham and Leeds are not, couldn't give a damn about fanbase, attendances or history of clubs.

[Bris Vegas]

Some rubbish bein spouted about Barca here.. First of all Chelsea didn't win tonight, they drew 2-2.. And that's thanks to Barca playing with no defenders chasing the game..

Barca created enough chances over the two games to have scored a double figure agg. score over the two legs.. They were far the better side over both legs and created far the better chances.. They however didn't score with the easy opportunities given to them and they didn't defend..

Those that say Real Madrid are much better than them are talking out their arse.. This season they've faced eachother 6 times and Barca have beaten them on agg. over the 3 tournaments..

Supercup:

Real Madrid 2-2 Barca... Barca 3-2 Real Madrid

Copa del Rey:

Real Madrid 1-2... Barca 2-2 Real Madrid

League:

Real Madrid 1-3 Barca... Barca 1-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid have just demolished the small teams and Barca have slipped up on many occasions when they deserved to win.. Found out? They were just missing a striker, against Madrid and Chelsea they had so many chances and dominated both games.. David Villa is a massive loss

Last season Messi scored over 50 goals, Villa and Pedro combined scored over 35

This season Messi has 60 and the two additions Fabregas and Alexis only have scored about 16 between them.. That's where the fault is, a complete lack of goals.. Alexis isn't a regular scorer he's a provider, but he's taken the position of a scorer so he practically offers Barca nothing.. When Villa was playing and scoring before his broken leg Barca were only a couple of points adrift of Real Madrid..

Next season Villa will be back, Abidal will be back, Pique will be back, they'll sign a proven goalscorer and they'll deservedly beat the likes of Chelsea by a few goals.. The only thing they lack is a goalscorer and a stronger defence.. They'll alsp go back to the 4-3-3 formation that served them so well.. Missing Abidal and Pique they've had to put 3 at the back

[EastKentRam]

I like watching sportsmen perform the greatest skills that i appreciate are very difficult to do.

Playing the football Barca play is a hundred times more difficult to do and requires far more skill than the way Chelsea defended tonight. You could find 11 athletes with basic football skills and a bit of intelligence to 'defend'. No other people in the world can play the football Barca do to the level that they do it at.

Chelsea should be getting plaudits for being incredibly f*cking lucky and nothing else. If they'd genuinely shut Barca out over two legs and really stopped them creating then i'd be happy to congratulate them. But they didnt, Barca must have missed at least 8 clear cut chances over the two legs. Barca bottled it and Chelsea took their chances which is what football is all about.

I dont really like teams that dominate and win a lot of things, but that's usually down to the arrogance and sausageness of there players and managers. With Barca, they're not cocky or disrespectful to their opposition. People like Messi, Guardiola, Xavi etc seems genuinely nice people.

The day i support players like John Terry and Ashley Cole when they're not playing for Derby is the day i stop watching football.

The same people that support the brand of football Chelsea played tonight and see it as a good thing are the same people that will moan when England fail in another major tournament.