Football Season 2012/2013

[Deleted]

Here's the Portuguese entry for anyone who might care about our small time league.

Tonight we have a match that can decide the League: Benfica (1st place) vs FC Porto (2nd place).

Benfica is currently ahead by 2 points and with only one more match to go (after tonight's) a win by the Lisbon Vermelhos could land them the cup tonight and playing in their arch-rival's home!

Porto needs to win this match and the next one to be champions again and they're playing at home so they have that on their side!

Match beings at 20:30 Portugal Continental time (in 11 minutes from the moment I'm writing).

The starting teams are:

F.C. Porto
1 Helton
2 Danilo
3 Lucho González
8 J. Moutinho
9 Jackson
17 Silvestre Varela
19 James Rodríguez
22 Mangala
25 Fernando R.
26 Alex Sandro
30 Otamendi

Bench:
6 André Castro
19 Liedson
23 Abdoulaye
24 Fabiano
28 Kelvin
35 Defour
57 Sebá


S.L. Benfica
1 Artur Moraes
4 Luisão
11 Lima
14 Maxi Pereira
15 Ola John
18 Salvio
20 Nico Gaitán
21 Matic
24 Ezequiel Garay
34 André Almeida
35 Enzo Pérez

Bench:
3 Roderick
7 Óscar Cardozo
10 Pablo Aimar
13 Paulo Lopes
19 Rodrigo
23 Urreta Viscaya
25 Melgarejo

[Norganon]

It's a cup final. Who cares about the cup? Even in Spain or the Netherlands we consider it to be the least important prize.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

It's a cup final. Who cares about the cup? Even in Spain or the Netherlands we consider it to be the least important prize.

Because it is more important than winning the Premier League? It is the final game of the season and the final game of a competition that every team from the top of the EPL to the bottom of the Conference takes part in. The FA Cup eliminators start before the season does.

[Norganon]

Wait, what? The FA Cup, which grants a ticket to the EL, is more important than the Premier League, which grants 4 tickets to the UCL. Which one do you think is the most important?

[Northern Goblin]

Wait, what? The FA Cup, which grants a ticket to the EL, is more important than the Premier League, which grants 4 tickets to the UCL. Which one do you think is the most important?

It's the oldest Football cup competition in the world. It's a competition where teams from all leagues compete and people still talk about the "magic" and "romance" of teams that go on a cupset and knock out teams from bigger leagues.

It's got a lot of prestige to it.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Wait, what? The FA Cup, which grants a ticket to the EL, is more important than the Premier League, which grants 4 tickets to the UCL. Which one do you think is the most important?

The Champions' League is not the most important trophy in Britain. It is something that is nice to have, not the thing you aim for. The FA Cup is the most prestigious trophy in English football.

[Norganon]

You are joking. That's just arrogance. The domestic cup over the most prestigious trophy in world football? Not the thing to aim for you say, that's sad. Glad all English teams got kicked out in the first knockout round then.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

You are joking. That's just arrogance. The domestic cup over the most prestigious trophy in world football? Not the thing to aim for you say, that's sad. Glad all English teams got kicked out in the first knockout round then.

Well, we actually have a competitive league with more than two teams that can win it. And Barca and Madrid got effing annihilated, so get off your high horse.

[Norganon]

What are you, a child? We weren't talking about how competitive the leagues are, we're talking about the FA Cup and the UCL.

Besides, Real put up a fight, I don't know if you follow anything else because I know, it's not important compared to your FA Cup, but at least come with facts.

[Northern Goblin]

You are joking. That's just arrogance. The domestic cup over the most prestigious trophy in world football? Not the thing to aim for you say, that's sad. Glad all English teams got kicked out in the first knockout round then.

It's the oldest cup trophy in world football. No one said it's the most prestigious.

[Norganon]

EDIT: My reading comprehension fails. Sorry. Still, I like the FA Cup, and I'm all for a good time, but calling it more prestigious for English teams than the UCL is the dumbest thing I've heard in years.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

I don't really know what there is to debate about. The FA Cup is, due to tradition, the most prestigious trophy in the English domestic football calendar. It was first hosted in the 1871 season. The Champions' League has only been around since 1955. It has always been the last game of the season for most of those years, indeed it has only moved from the last Saturday in May three times recently.

[Northern Goblin]

Thing is for English football, most of them never even see the Champions League.

Everyone is in the FA Cup. So for a lot of teams, the Champions League means little in the sense of "It's there but we'll never be in it."


Of course for the teams that do play Champions League football, it's the biggest trophy in your season (unless you won it the year before and you're going for the World Club Championship)

[Norganon]

You said the UCL isn't as important as the FA Cup. It's not the thing you aim for. That's incredibly dumb, sorry. It's everything you aim for. Maybe not for Norwich City, which is understandable as they're not battling for a spot in Europe, but for a lot of other teams it is.

Also, going on about La Liga and Real and Barca's recent exit in the UCL is pretty childish.

Anyway, how about that Portugese derby eh? Pretty good so far, Benfica 1-0 up.
Edit: Well, it's 1-1, talk about bad timing.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

You said the UCL isn't as important as the FA Cup. It's not the thing you aim for. That's incredibly dumb, sorry. It's everything you aim for. Maybe not for Norwich City, which is understandable as they're not battling for a spot in Europe, but for a lot of other teams it is.

Also, going on about La Liga and Real and Barca's recent exit in the UCL is pretty childish.

It is the biggest cup in the calendar for the 156 teams (out of a total of 160) that take part that don't get a ticket to the UCL. And the 4 that get a Champion's League ticket still consider the FA Cup to be extremely important.

[draykorinee]

You are joking. That's just arrogance. The domestic cup over the most prestigious trophy in world football? Not the thing to aim for you say, that's sad. Glad all English teams got kicked out in the first knockout round then.

That domestic cup is the oldest and grandest cup in football it has unfortunately declined recently mainly due to the monopolisation of the 'champions' league but in Britain it is hugely prestigious, its certainly not arrogance to put the fa cup on such a high pedastal. That being said, the big clubs would give a champions league spot over the fa cup any day of the week. Everyone below them would take the cup.

Great result today, Turgid game for the most part though.

[Sughs]

Anyway, how about that Portugese derby eh? Pretty good so far, Benfica 1-0 up.
Edit: Well, it's 1-1, talk about bad timing.

Yeah, awesome game so far. Go Benfica! My club is Sporting tho.

[koodledrum]

I do not consider the Champions League to be the most prestigious prize in world football, the Champions League is 100% about money and the best squad you can buy, the most prestigious competition in the world is actually the World Cup - you know, the one where you can't buy a squad of world class players, you must have the best squad in the world from your nation. The Champions League final has been held midweek for 60 years before they decided on the whim of SPONSORS to move it to a Saturday, I'm pig sick of this bullshit in football whereby sponsors & media dictate every little bloody thing absolutely destroying over a century of tradition in the game all for the sake of some private company making a few million dollars.

The FA Cup Final is arguably one of the biggest showpieces in UK football, not going to lie here, if you asked me would I rather watch a Real Madrid v Barcelona match or an FA Cup Final between Everton & West Brom, I'd watch the FA Cup Final every day of the week, no question. It's the only game in the English calendar which I genuinely take an interest in because yes it's commercialised to hell and back, yes these days increasingly it's about who's got a bigger chequebook, but then you get occasions like today. It's the traditional end of the English season, but because of UEFA's hardon for money the FA MUST move arguably one of the most famous matches in world football to a point where there's still 2 premiership matches left to play for most clubs, if that's not cheapening something I'll be damned if I know what is.

Then there's the fact it essentially says that the Champions League Final on the other hand has been bought by the sponsors, by virtue it's no longer about what it should be - the football - it's about a money making exercise. Like it or not, that's what the Champions League Final represents these days and to be perfectly blunt, I can see a time where the Champions League final will be played somewhere like the far east in order to get more money out of it. I know some will think that's crazy talk, but I guarantee you if UEFA get a nice bung they will be playing the final in Beijing and I doubt it will take long before that happens - hell we've already seen that SHITE with the World Cup (fucking Qatar, what the hell is that all about!), it's only a matter of time.

[Frozenpt]

Anyway, how about that Portugese derby eh? Pretty good so far, Benfica 1-0 up.
Edit: Well, it's 1-1, talk about bad timing.

Yeah, awesome game so far. Go Benfica! My club is Sporting tho.

Well, Benfica is playing really well, so well that even scores for their opponents. Benfica shall stand for Porto shall fall!

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Then there's the fact it essentially says that the Champions League Final on the other hand has been bought by the sponsors, by virtue it's no longer about what it should be - the football - it's about a money making exercise. Like it or not, that's what the Champions League Final represents these days and to be perfectly blunt, I can see a time where the Champions League final will be played somewhere like the far east in order to get more money out of it. I know some will think that's crazy talk, but I guarantee you if UEFA get a nice bung they will be playing the final in Beijing and I doubt it will take long before that happens - hell we've already seen that SHITE with the World Cup (fucking Qatar, what the hell is that all about!), it's only a matter of time.

Sometimes I wonder if the sponsors will, at some point, insist on the 45 minute half becoming two 20 minute quarters for more advertisements, and Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will bend over and implement it because of money.