R Madrid v Barca 10pm

Originally Posted by Sparky***

You have to hand it to Zidane, he's taken a team that's been wildly inconsistent and living in Barca's shadow to absolutely bitch-slapping them all over the place.

That fat bastard Rafa had pretty much the same players didn't he?

Originally Posted by 20 times

That fat bastard Rafa had pretty much the same players didn't he?

Didn't clean up that mess "Mourinho left" did he?!


The utter chicken wrap

Pisses me off that Zidane as manager has won the same number of Champions League's as Fergie

Originally Posted by Clarkie

The team was already there however. He didn't build it.


Don't get me wrong, it's great what he has done so far but, I'm very interest to see how he rebuilds when some of these players come to the end of their time in Madrid

I doubt Madrid fans give a £#%&! at the moment. As sparky said they're dominating domestically and in europe. A lot of the squad still have a good few years of peak playing time - they managed pretty well without Ronnie and Bale last night. Isco 24 (?), Asensio 21ish, plenty of prospects coming through....

And they'll probably win it again this season. After all the failed attempts of so many fancied clubs retaining the CL it would be just like Madrid to win the £#%&!er three times on the trot.

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

Barca now seem more disliked than RM by many, I don't think that was so widespread even a few years ago.

People get sick of winners. We know that better than anyone. Barca's domination in Spain over the last decade had even managed to paint Real Madrid as plucky underdogs. Especially in this country, we love seeing people knocked of their perch.

Saw a survey recently that suggested United aren't currently the most hated club in England these days. It's Chelsea. Comes with the territory when you're winning.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

People get sick of winners. We know that better than anyone. Barca's domination in Spain over the last decade had even managed to paint Real Madrid as plucky underdogs. Especially in this country, we love seeing people knocked of their perch.

Saw a survey recently that suggested United aren't currently the most hated club in England these days. It's Chelsea. Comes with the territory when you're winning.

The former might not surprise me so much, but shurely ciddy over Chelski I would have thought?

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

The former might not surprise me so much, but shurely ciddy over Chelski I would have thought?

Nobody actually cares that much about City to be fair. Chelsea have made a habit of boiling piss, the Berts are only copying what Chelsea did before them so they're pretty much "meh" for most people. Mehchester City.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

People get sick of winners. We know that better than anyone. Barca's domination in Spain over the last decade had even managed to paint Real Madrid as plucky underdogs. Especially in this country, we love seeing people knocked of their perch.

Saw a survey recently that suggested United aren't currently the most hated club in England these days. It's Chelsea. Comes with the territory when you're winning.

Right. Every big team has it's cycle. Milan, then us, Barcelona, BM and now it's Madrid's turn. Shame we didn't dominate in Europe the way we should, but we reached enough semi's/finals that we should have done better.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

People get sick of winners. We know that better than anyone. Barca's domination in Spain over the last decade had even managed to paint Real Madrid as plucky underdogs. Especially in this country, we love seeing people knocked of their perch.

Saw a survey recently that suggested United aren't currently the most hated club in England these days. It's Chelsea. Comes with the territory when you're winning.

Originally Posted by utd99

Right. Every big team has it's cycle. Milan, then us, Barcelona, BM and now it's Madrid's turn. Shame we didn't dominate in Europe the way we should, but we reached enough semi's/finals that we should have done better.

the truth is that united, real, bayern and juventus are hated in their own land regardless of what they do or do not win, have or have not won over the past decade or so.

it's to do with historic status. it's to do with money as well, obviously. everything else is an excuse.

i do think it's fascinating that the current version of barcelona has been lauded (before neymar was sold anyway) as the greatest team ever when in reality they've won the CL once along with a couple of la ligas. they clearly were not even close.

and btw, would anyone who saw both seriously rather watch messi's 00s barcelona than cruyff's 70s barcelona? of course not.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

the truth is that united, real, bayern and juventus are hated in their own land regardless of what they do or do not win, have or have not won over the past decade or so.

it's to do with historic status. it's to do with money as well, obviously. everything else is an excuse.

i do think it's fascinating that the current version of barcelona has been lauded (before neymar was sold anyway) as the greatest team ever when in reality they've won the CL once along with a couple of la ligas. they clearly were not even close.

and btw, would anyone who saw both seriously rather watch messi's 00s barcelona than cruyff's 70s barcelona? of course not.

You can't seperate the two. Ten years ago I expect every neutral in France was anyone but Lyon. Now it's PSG. In football winners rub people up the wrong way. The check list of them being arrogant, favoured by officials and unfairly powerful can be counted on.

If United pull a Liverpool and go a quarter of a century without winning the title while City clean up like us under Fergie, you can bet they will be despised just as much as we were. Maybe more given the plastic element.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

the truth is that united, real, bayern and juventus are hated in their own land regardless of what they do or do not win, have or have not won over the past decade or so.

it's to do with historic status. it's to do with money as well, obviously. everything else is an excuse.

i do think it's fascinating that the current version of barcelona has been lauded (before neymar was sold anyway) as the greatest team ever when in reality they've won the CL once along with a couple of la ligas. they clearly were not even close.

and btw, would anyone who saw both seriously rather watch messi's 00s barcelona than cruyff's 70s barcelona? of course not.

what has "messi's 00s" team got to do with the "current version of barcelona"?

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

You can't seperate the two. Ten years ago I expect every neutral in France was anyone but Lyon. Now it's PSG. In football winners rub people up the wrong way. The check list of them being arrogant, favoured by officials and unfairly powerful can be counted on.

If United pull a Liverpool and go a quarter of a century without winning the title while City clean up like us under Fergie, you can bet they will be despised just as much as we were. Maybe more given the plastic element.

city are already despised purely based on money. it's a completely different situation, probably based on social values - hard work versus winning the lottery.

united have always been hated, sneered at, mocked, derided even though we never even came close to dominating for my first nearly 20yrs of being a red.

i know you have a point though, because it's quite an eye opener talking to younger football fans about stuff an old bastard like me grew up knowing. i've mentioned on here before that a villa fan (aged late 20s) i worked with a few years back didn't even know about heysel. he knew that he hated 80s united though.

Originally Posted by Buck

what has "messi's 00s" team got to do with the "current version of barcelona"?

firstly it was a btw

although secondly he still plays for them, so there's maybe a connection there that goes directly to your (very odd) question.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

Villa fan i worked with a few years back didn't even know about heysel. he knew that he hated 80s united though.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

If United pull a Liverpool and go a quarter of a century without winning the title while City clean up like us under Fergie, you can bet they will be despised just as much as we were. Maybe more given the plastic element.

We did. And when it looked like we were going to win it in 92 the hate and desperation really came out. In a way it didn't for someone like city or even Liverpool a few years ago. Because we were the biggest club and the prospect of us winning the league took away various people's comfort blanket and threatened people's feeling of importance.

People aren't threatened enough by any other club as there's always a stick to beat them with.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

firstly it was a btw

although secondly he still plays for them, so there's maybe a connection there that goes directly to your (very odd) question.

Well I don't remember people saying the Barca team with Neymar is the greatest ever. That front three as a trio yes.....but the shouts for greatest team ever were for the side that beat us at Wembley iirc. I don't agree fwiw...

Originally Posted by Buck

Well I don't remember people saying the Barca team with Neymar is the greatest ever. That front three as a trio yes.....but the shouts for greatest team ever were for the side that beat us at Wembley iirc. I don't agree fwiw...

it makes me laugh that a front 3 with suarez in it could ever even be considered as a the greatest strikefoprce ever - it's just ridiculous. he's capable of some flashes of brilliance, nqat. but he's nowhere near a complete player and is hugely inconsistent as well ...

anyway whatevs, the point i was making was that barcelona in the 70s were far better and far cooler, because cruyff

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

We did. And when it looked like we were going to win it in 92 the hate and desperation really came out. In a way it didn't for someone like city or even Liverpool a few years ago. Because we were the biggest club and the prospect of us winning the league took away various people's comfort blanket and threatened people's feeling of importance.

People aren't threatened enough by any other club as there's always a stick to beat them with.

Yeah, a lot of people who wouldn't have rooted for Leeds in other circumstances did so then. The gloating when we fell short was epic

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

We did. And when it looked like we were going to win it in 92 the hate and desperation really came out. In a way it didn't for someone like city or even Liverpool a few years ago. Because we were the biggest club and the prospect of us winning the league took away various people's comfort blanket and threatened people's feeling of importance.

People aren't threatened enough by any other club as there's always a stick to beat them with.

You reckon United were generally disliked more than Liverpool when they were winning European Cups and leagues for fun?

I can remember watching early-mid '90s United European games with oppo fans and they backed us. Big change in later years.