You really don't get it do you? Football isn't just about the team that passes it about stylishly racking up the stats winning the game. God knows we know that at our Club. It was a a great result for Chelsea because they have an ageing squad and were missing four of their key players in Terry, Ramires, Ivanovic an Meireles. As a result, one lad who had never even played in a CL game had to step in. Bayern were by far the better side but if the better sides always win then football would be pretty dull. They couldn't hit a barn door last night apart from Muller's header, but Drogba's equaliser was a bullet. Has there ever been a better performance from a single player in a CL Final? I doubt it. Worked his ass off. Di Matteo had them playing to their strengths, and just like he did against Barca got it tactically spot on. Rode their luck at times but that's what most of us love about the game. So yes, well done Chelsea!
that game showed that you can dominate games all you want (like us) but if you cant finish (like us) then you are less likely to win....chelsea were not very good but they got the most important thing that counts...a goal....well done to chelsea but you should have lost that game by a wide margin due to poor finishing....
Yes fair play to Chelsea . Missing slot of players( so were bayern) and showed real heart to withstand such a battering . It's what makes football so special, knockers of the standard of the premiership take note! The 6th best team is the best in Europe ..
No, you don't get it. You said their victory was evidence that the Premiership was stronger than ever. They' ve spunked hundreds of millions assembling their personnel and the way the Premiership is constituted ensures that the resources of the English game are funnelled towards them and the rest of the cartel at the top. And yet they've managed to win the European Cup once by putting 11 men behind the ball. Nottingham Forest won it twice, in style, without holding a significant financial advantage over 99% of the opposition. They have under achieved. Bayern Munich battered them, and they play in a much fairer system where there are limits on what they can charge for a ticket for example. Chelsea were lucky and the Premiership is damaging English football.
You forgetting two things though, the swans are part of the premier league. And every team in the league wants to be part of it.
Don't quite get your point. Are you saying as part of the Premier we share the responsibility? Every team wants to go as high as they can. I was chuffed we got promoted because it meant investment in infrastructure and increased the chances of my son being able to get as much pleasure out of the Swans as I have....and I welcomed the chance to see our players compete with the supposed best players in the world (after seeing Joe and Leon and Dyer and Williams tear the opposition a new arsehole on several occasions does anyone still believe that the Premiership incumbents were so great? I think they're overpaid prima donnas on the whole). Doesn't change my thoughts on the unfairness of the Premiership's financial structure though. Knackered, on another thread I asked "can we hope to win the F.A. Cup?". You replied, I'm paraphrasing, "no, the best we can hope for is to win the struggle against relegation every year" And you're satisfied with that? Seems to me the likes of Chelsea and Man City are pissing on us from a great height
The point is that every team in this division takes the money quite happily, and others aspire to be here as that is the whole point of a competition. Is it unfair that the money goes to the top teams? I would say yes as it doesn't help the football at grass root level. But that has always been the same, it's more profound now as the money is huge. I would like a fairer system to be set up but it's just not going to happen no matter how unjust it is.
"Knackered, on another thread I asked "can we hope to win the F.A. Cup?". You replied, I'm paraphrasing, "no, the best we can hope for is to win the struggle against relegation every year" Er...if anyone said that it wasn't me. Check again. Anyone who knows me on here would realise I would never say that, nor anything like it. I may have said that if we want to break into the top echelons we'd have to spend big. And we would. I also never said the Prem is "stronger than ever" so please stop misquoting me if you want to gain credibility in your argument. I said that the result belies the view that the Premiership is weaker than ever. Even you can see that's entirely different, right? Sounds like you have serious issues about money in football. OK that's fine but that's the way it is. Unfortunately you also come across as having a real chip on your shoulder. Bayern have spent millions in assembling their squad too or do you think Robben plays for peanuts in his pay packet? Money can't buy success but it definitely helps a long way. It's the same right across the sporting world where teams are involved. You keep banging on about the "unfairness" of the Prem League structure but it's the same in every division. You also conveniently forget to take into account the new Financial Fair Play Rules which should have the effect of levelling the field a bit. But just like life I'm afraid, there will always be haves and have nots. If you can't get your head around that then take up knitting instead.
Amazing how when somebody holds a different viewpoint to KJ they are belittled or called names! The guy probably doesn't have a chip on his shoulder kj he just has valid points that are well made Ps Terrorwit isn't Norway jack in disguise either..promise
Norway, I know **** stirring is your favourite past time but I'm sure Terror can stand up for himself. The guy has posted stuff TWICE that I never said and I will respond in any way I see fit than you. I have only indicated that he comes across as having a chip on his shoulder, not that he's raped the Queen. Continually going on about how those nasty wealthy clubs piss all over us little Swans is evidence of that mindset and is also a valid point, well made. Now run along.
I never said your point wasn't well made, just don't understand the need to insult fellow posters when their views differ from yours. You are the only poster who adopts this aggressive attitude when having debate on here but if somebody calls you a name or adopts the same aggression your first to go crying to the mods. Double standards yet again I see Run along and find my ip address now won't you
Any road . A premiership club has now won The Carling cup,The FA cup, and The Champions league,not bad for "The weakest Premiership ever" "So the experts say" (JH) LOL
My point exactly. Please, Norway stop trying to rile. I know you get off on it. Saying someone appears to have a chip on his shoulder is no worse than being told you have double standards is it? How is the former more "aggressive" than the latter? Stop it now for the sake of the thread if nothing else.
we all know what you are like kangaroo.....lose an argument or someone differs to your point of view and you get all the insults and name calling....you have been found out..
I've always stated that the Premiership is overrated, just like the old Ist Division was too, and I agree with Terrorwit on that issue, with regard to the obscene money in the game, well that's not going to change overnight, but I think change is on the way. Regarding Swansea, yes we are out financed by the top 6, but we are not outplayed by them, and that's down to the way we approach the game on and off the field. Money doesn't always work Terrorwit, ask Liverpool, who found out this season, and Chelsea have thrown ridiculous sums of money at the game, and have had very little in return, but that's down to one crack pot of a benefactor. To progress from where we are now to where say Arsenal, or Spurs are, would take at least 10 years, and some very good management and due diligence from our board of Directors, but it's not an impossible task, we as a club are run very prudently, and that needs to continue, what we don't want to do is fall into the trap, of wasting money on players egos, just look at Portsmouth. Finally, I'm sure we can develop into a force in this league, but it will take a step by step approach, yes small steps, but the right ones, and we'll get there, but what will make it easier, is if we maintain our total football philosophy, as our possession game is our strength, against the likes of your Man City's of this league. One last note regarding the top clubs, yes they are well overrated, and we showed how to beat them, with honest graft, from players very much under rated in the Premiership, but not under rated by us!....................
Good post Dragon! Anyway we almost have enough cash to build our acadamy so we wont need to worry about spending big on transfers! we will have the whole of south wales to pick the best talent from and there is alot of talent in them there hills !!
Are you a politician Knackered? Seems a bit pedantic quibbling over the language used. Interested in your logic on spending. How do we spend big (more than our rivals), enough to "break into the top echelons", when the system guarantees that we'll be at a financial disadvantage. By my reckoning your forecast of us spending big would involve a sugar daddy taking over. I believe Premiership history backs my assertion up; Blackburn, Chelsea, Spurs (don't know if they have a "sugar daddy" as such but they certainly have big money involved) and Man City. You may not have typed "the Prem is stronger than ever" but you were claiming Chelsea's European victory as a representation of the Premier League's strength, and have defended the status quo at every available opportunity. Why would you do that if you didn't believe the status quo was good for the game and the best way forward? I stand by my view on the weakness of the Premiership. The top 4/5 English clubs are amongst the top 8 in Europe in terms of financial resources and yet they don't dominate European football as this status suggests they should. We all know the best football teams in Europe are Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich (possibly Borussia Dortmund also). Why is this? Is it because the way domestic competition is constituted results in an Uncompetitive league? I believe the European clubs have to work harder to stay at the top of their domestic competitions. There is no chip on my shoulder, just favour open competition over cartels. The Premier League is designed to maintain the status quo. I fully accept that some clubs will have an advantage, size of gates, successful marketing and merchandise sales etc. My problem is that in this country we haven't regulated to even things out a bit, so we have a healthy competition. This has allowed things to go way too far so we have this awful distortion, it's unhealthy for our sport. I am sure you will argue this point, all I can say is try the following; predict who will finish in the top 6 in all 4 divisions next year...at the end of next season if you get 50% right I will concede the argument. I guarantee you I'll pick at least 5 of the top 6 in the Premiership (confident I'd score 100% actually) It's shameful that when the new Financial Fair Play Rules come into effect our clubs will be the most affected across Europe. Re:Knitting Think I'll stick with football thanks mate
"Seems a bit pedantic quibbling over the language used." Language, like ambition, is critical. Your post stated I said something when I didn't. "the system guarantees that we'll be at a financial disadvantage". The 'system' is that some clubs will always be poorer than others. Just like people. What evidence do you have of a cartel in this country but not in La Liga, the Eredivisie or the Bundesliga? The answer is none. The top clubs tend to be the richest. We may not like it but that's the deal. An 'uncompetitive League'. What tosh. Ask Rodgers what he makes of this League and he'll tell you it's tough. Really tough. This season has thrown up some brilliant surprises. Sunderland beating Man City. Wigan beating Utd. Us beating Arsenal. Uncompetitive? Give me a break. Lastly, if our clubs are in fact going to be the most affected in Europe by the new rules that's a good thing isn't it? Should help you sleep at night.
They were very fortunate Messi missed that penalty in the semi final. If he had scored it would have been game over most likely.
