The Judgement Day

Arguably the grandest Club Footballing occasion on Earth, The UEFA Champions League Final!!Since 1955, the best European teams have been battling hard every season to bag this coveted prize. Only, a handful have been able to touch this precious silverware, the European Champions Club’s Cup!Spanish giants Real Madrid has been the competition’s most successful team. Italian giants AC Milan, the defending champions aren’t far behind in the success story.But, here we move aside the Italians and Spanish, because it’s an All-English Club Final (In fact, the Semifinals lined up three English teams)The red brigade from Greater Manchester is locking horns with the blue shirts from West London.Already crowned Champions in league, Manchester United are riding high with confidence. But, Chelsea, close runners-up in league, aren’t pushovers in any stretch of our imagination.

Before the game, here’s the thoughts and stories and quotes all around the Globe:

John Terry (Chelsea Skipper) – "I want the armband and my England place back. Maybe a performance in this final would go a long way to getting those things back.”

Vidic (Manchester United Center Back) - "It doesn't matter if it is Drogba, Bent or Heskey as every game is hard. Sometimes you find a match here does not go as you would expect. Drogba is a good player, very strong and fast. He has shown that by scoring many goals. You do not know what he is going to do next time. I have been struggling a little bit with injuries but will be ready for the Chelsea game, physically and mentally."

[[Courtesy – espnstar.com]]

Frank Lampard (Chelsea playmaker) - "We've achieved a lot at Chelsea in the last four or five years and we've been very close to this final many times, and obviously the years we have missed out has made us more hungry so we're savouring this build up, We know that the losing finalist is forgotten in history so we are looking to go the full step and we want to finish as the Champions League winners”

Ryan Giggs (Legendary Manchester United Winger) - "Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best player in the world for the last two years. Before that it was Thierry Henry. The best two keepers are both playing tomorrow in Edwin van der Sar and Petr Cech. The list goes on”

[[Courtesy – skysports.com]]

United won in 1968 and 1999, while this is the first final Chelsea have made.BBC Radio 5 Live's Alastair Yeomans in Moscow said the pitch looked "patched up" in places. "The pitch doesn't look too good," he said. "If you look closely you can see where it has been patched up, particularly around the centre circle. It's possible the ball won't run true in places." Uefa is confident the pitch, home to Torpedo and Spartak Moscow, will not be a problem, although it admitted it may not look good.

[[Courtesy – bbc.co.uk]]

With two full strength teams, the final is a tough affair to predict. Recent results and history all seem to point to Chelsea lifting their first ever Champions League Trophy in Moscow. United’s manager will try to keep his unbeaten record in European finals going, and will also try to pay a fitting tribute to the players who died tragically in the Munich air disaster in 1958.

[[Courtesy – dailytimes.com]]

Marcelo Lippi’s thoughts!

“It’s not that these two teams are very English, they contain players from all over the world,” said Lippi, who was manager at Juventus when they faced fellow Serie A side AC Milan in the Champions League final at Old Trafford in 2003. Yes, the clubs are English but the coaches are not English, the owners are not English, there are not many English players.”

Ronaldo's main problem tomorrow is a familiar foe, Ashley Cole, Chelsea's nimble, quick, alert left-back who traditionally excels against the Portuguese. Even if Ronaldo switches flanks, he simply swaps frying-pan for fire in the form of the outstanding Michael Essien. Chelsea's coach, Avram Grant, is unlikely to man-mark Ronaldo because he already possesses high-quality sentries patrolling those areas where United's danger-man is likely to roam, towards Cole and Essien.Assuming he continues with his 4-1-2-3 formation, Grant really has only one decision to make, and that is on the left wing, Salomon Kalou or Florent Malouda. The latter, an inconsistent France international but more of a potential match-winner than Kalou, finished the season strongly and deserves his chance.

[[Courtesy – telegraph.co.uk]]

“The countdown is on to the biggest club match in British football history. Over 40,000 Manchester United and Chelsea fans are expected to descend on Moscow for tomorrow's all-English Champions League final while thousands more will be watching at homeThe Russian authorities have relaxed visa restrictions to facilitate the supporters, allowing people into the country for 72 hours if they provide a match ticket, passport and completed immigration card. Anyone over-staying the 72-hour entry period will have to pay the fee for a regular visa when leaving.”

[[Courtesy – belfasttelegraph.co.uk]]

Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

Don't miss it! May the best team win! :D

This ain't something new! I have had innumerable discussions about a topic which has become cliche and still dusted out of the cob-webs to play with again! What do you prefer? Football that brings you trophies, awards, medals or football that is simply beautiful. If we take a real-life example, we have Chelsea football club producing the former brand and Arsenal Football Club showing off with the later. (But, this year it is a different story with Arsenal, they are producing breath-taking football as well as leading their group in UEFA Champions League and topping the table till now in domestic league, i.e. the Barclays English Premier League)

When I talk or chat or argue with fellow football enthusiast, in recent times, (I have developed a strange kind of arrogance in me(And sorry, I can't help it...I know a little too much about the game, so u see the arrogance has come naturally)) I tend to take them or kind of 'brainwash' 'em to enter my domain, to accept my footballing views, to press a 'OK' on my book of footballing thoughts! And yet, there are people(friends) who stand up to their views and i do respect their opinions(I didn't say 'agree!' ;-) ). Lets leave the rambling apart and come to the point.

The football that i love to watch must be eye-catching, some showboating (Yeah, Hleb, Ronaldo does provide me those!) must be instilled into the game. I love short-pass games with plenty of possession and waiting for that 'oh-dat-was-cool-how-did-he-find-a-space' killer through ball that finally adds a numerical to the scoreboard. At the end of the day, when you go to sleep, you feel proud to support such a team and feel 'good' about it. Arsenal gives me that kind of pleasure. In the past two seasons, they didn't get home a single silverware, but still i thoroughly enjoyed their game! You can never bat an eye-lid when Wenger unleashes his men(or boys rather) into The Emirates green and they play such rhythmic football. Every pass is played with perfection, every shot is taken with a label of class stamped on it. (At least, The Invincibles of the 2002-03 team knows exactly about this! There was nothing wrong about 'em! Oh boy, I miss Thierry, Patrick and Pires, but wth, Wenger has again started moulding 3 his boys into those 3 stalwarts i mentioned!)
Another brand of football would be the one shown day in and day out by Chelsea or Bolton Wanderers. They would be very strong in the defence aspect but attacking-wise, these teams prefer long balls bombarded into forwards and expecting some 'magic' to be done! I absolutely loathe such football, they may win you trophies, but not 'hearts'! :)

At the end of the day, when those 60,000 'tired' fans reach home and their wives and children ask 'em, "Who won, dear?"...the retort should be "The game of football won!" *with a smile*

PS: This blog was written to just 'dust off' a period of 'no-writing', so basically its 'please-forget-it-blabbering'! Arsenal won their recent CL game, 7-0 (well, thats another reason! :D )

PPS: The opinion expressed in this blog is completely mine and I mean no offense to great football clubs like Bolton or Chelsea!

A Beautiful Dream


The excessive 'cheer/jeer' sometimes plainly 'deafens' u! 1998, a 15 year old Sounak gets ready to be 'tested' by an elated and confident Arsene Wenger.
Its the 'derby' match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur! A 63rd minute injury to Emanual Petit 'forced' Wenger to 'try' me on the pitch. I looked 'up' for a silent prayer and some blessing.
**I could see fairies in denim blue jeans and 'surf white' tops dancing to the tune of Shakalaka boom boom, rubbing mine eyes vigorously i looked down**

The referee took my hand to check if there is anything 'illegal' that i am carrying!
**I felt like kicking him there, then jumping on him flat and grabbing his collar and shouting 'i wanna marry ur daughter', but no i didn't do that**

Touched the ground, prayed and entered Highbury (this was Arsenal's old home ground) amidst rapturous welcome from the 'Gunning' crowd. I was quite unaware of this 'euphoric' mood as i was quite 'new' to the crowd (and even to my team-mates)
**maybe they saw a sticker on my back saying 'Kick me hard, i am a fool',those old cheap pranks played on school kids**

Though Wenger had asked me to play as a Left Attacking midfielder, i went right ahead and played as forward, he kept on shouting at me, 'Kid what the cufk are u doin?'
** I yelled back, u old drunk French hermaphrodite!! Now, go to hell, i won't listen to you, say whatever u want to!! Mocks at him!!**

I gathered a lovely 'thru-ball' from Patrick Vieira and instead of shooting it past the goalkeeper and to the utter amazement and disbelief of the crowd, i started running towards my goal. Every Tottenham soul looked in disbelief and my team-mates looked in horror! i dribbled past David Seaman (Arsenal Goalkeeper) and 'smashed' one into my goal.

**as i ripped my shirt, and started waving aka 'Ganguly-ishtyle-in-Lords', i got smashed/hit by tomatoes and potatoes and even big cabbages, damn, what happened???Why booos??Why aren't anybody coming and congratulating me? I love you people!! I just looouuuveeee u!!! Come, look i have 'scored'!**

**Patrick, my captain comes and slaps me! What have u done, kid?? i slap him back and start running towards the dressing room and i can visualize the whole team escorted by a 'bloody-eyed' Wenger running after me and yes half the crowd is following them**

Child P.S: I can see 13 fingers of mine, while typing and my watch is showing 13 o'clock!

Father P.S: I didn't mean to 'hurt' the shhhentiments of any french lunatic, any Nosal Heshammiya doter or any bengali fan of Dada!!

Grandfather P.S: All (c) Denim Copyrights preserved in a refrigerator! :)