Complex stuff I know Duncan but I was challenging your ridiculous point about Barca v Man Utd being a dull prospect, not your statement of the obvious regarding Liverpool v Chelsea.

Did I say Barca-Man U. would be boring?   Just as an Italian football fan I don;t have a strong interest in it

Y'lo, I said a while back about going to the Fiorentina v Palermo game but am having a bit of trouble.. Tickets are not available on Listicket these days are they? I've also been told that you can't buy them in the city/at the stadium on the day of the game.. Has anyone been this season? I get into Pisa at 2:35pm Friday, so guess I'm gonna have to get the train straight to Florence and find a ticket outlet. Thanks for any info

Have a look at Mezz and my posts on the first page of this thread for info re. tickets.

Duncan! wrote:

Did I say Barca-Man U. would be boring?   Just as an Italian football fan I don;t have a strong interest in it

I don't get how any fan of any football can fail to get excited at the prospect of having the best (Messi) and third best (Ronaldo) players in the world being on the same pitch.  

Oh, I don't think this is a good idea...http://english.gazzetta.it/Football/Primo_Piano/2008/04_Aprile/18/adriano.shtml

Sorry, it's just how i feel.   Prob will watch it if not at work that day, but I would rather watch NBA playoffs personally

Really tough ground out result... I think Frey is to thank for ensuring it though... Vieri missed a sitter even though it was a hard rebound to deal with but coming down to the end the argument between him and Mutu really was not necessary... who was that going to help?

Looks like its pressure on the chasing pack... something has to give between udinese and samp, and well milan have it all to lose...
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Baggio Per Sempre!

Ronaldo is third best?  Who comes second?  Giovanni Dos Santos?

I think Messi is a former "best player in the world".  Even when he's not been injured, he's not had such a great time of it this season, although maybe he's been injured when he's playing.  Either way, I think it's unlikely he'll find his best form on Wednesday and save Barca's bacon.  But if he does and Eto'o and Henry also find form, the defence tightens up and pigs fly in formation over the Nou Camp, Barca should triumph.  I hope so.  What could be grimmer than a Liverpool v Man Utd final?  A Chelsea v Man Utd final....

Curva Fiesole wrote:

Have a look at Mezz and my posts on the first page of this thread for info re. tickets.

Thanks for the info you two, bought tickets on Friday for the Parterre di Maratona. Had a very good view of the curva and had the players warming up in front of me, got a picture of Gamberini where he's standing about 5 feet away. Good atmosphere as expected too, Palermo had about 300 fans but that is a long, long way to go.

A couple of quick Qs I should have asked before going, where abouts is the Batistuta statue? And also, whose face is it on the Colletivo banners? That's been bugging me a while. Couple of tough games next for you with Samp and Cagliari but the CL is very, very much on!

If memory serves, the Batistuta statue is outside the main entrance of the Tribuna Autorità (the stand opposite the Maratona) where the players, officials, press and directors enter.

As for the CAV emblem... I'm not too sure. I don't *think* it's meant to be anyone in particular, but I heard once that the CAV initially felt that they had been removed from what they classified as their home (the top-centre section of the Curva Fiesole) by the existing Purple Ultras (The CAV was a breakaway group, formed in 1978) similar to how the Native Americans were treated when the 'white devil' rocked up a few hundred years ago, so they chose an image of an Indian warrior as their emblem.

The above could, of course, be a complete load of bollocks, but a barman in Firenze told me this about six years ago...
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ACF FIORENTINA : FORZA LA VIOLA

Thanks, seems a worthy explanation. I guessed the statue was there or behind the Fiesole, but there was no way of checking without having tickets for those areas.

Good opportunity to get a result tonight. Rangers are missing loads of players, wide men Burke and McCulloch, midfielders Ferguson and Thomson and McGregor in goal. Rangers would be happy with a 0-0 and I think they'll just sit back and hope to hit us on the break. Well thats what they've done in every game in Europe this season.
There's been loads of stuff in the papers here looking back to the CWC final between the two teams which has been great.

Fiorentina dominated without scoring.  

Let's see, 3 Euro semi's I have seen and 2 goals scored.  Well, George, seems I was right about the CL semi's not being too exciting.  Hopefully the return legs will be better, but in the case of 'Pool and Chelsea, they should never be allowed to play each other in the CL again

Duncan! wrote:

´Pool and Chelsea, they should never be allowed to play each other in the CL again

Liverpool shouldn´t be allowed to play, period.
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FORZA ROMA

To be honest, the Liverpol-Chelsea game was probably the most exciting of the three.

The game last night was awful. Truly awful, and I think Rangers should be slightly embarrassed by how conservative they were. Yes, they had players out and yes, not conceding an away goal is important, but I've genuinely never seen such a dull, uninspired and unambitious display by a team in front of their own fans.

I hope we progress, but if not I hope Rangers lose, because that wasn't football.

Good to see that the English bias towards teams playing in Europe on TV also extends to Scottish sides - the commentary last night was abysmal - dirty Viola whenever we gave away a free kick, unlucky Rangers when they clatter into one of ours.

I'm also struggling to fathom out how a 0-0 for United in Barcelona was a great result with the home leg to come, whereas a 0-0 draw for Rangers was also a great result before the away leg?!  Yes, they had players missing but surely, in a semi-final, you want something in hand to take away?

Got my tickets for the final in the post last weekend so am desperate for us to make it to Manchester.

Michael La Viola wrote:

To be honest, the Liverpol-Chelsea game was probably the most exciting of the three. The game last night was awful. Truly awful, and I think Rangers should be slightly embarrassed by how conservative they were. Yes, they had players out and yes, not conceding an away goal is important, but I've genuinely never seen such a dull, uninspired and unambitious display by a team in front of their own fans. I hope we progress, but if not I hope Rangers lose, because that wasn't football.

They were awful at home to Sporting as well, I didn't see their away leg but it sounded like Sporting dominated but Rangers twice caught them out on the break (clinical or lucky, you decide).

Messi accused them of playing "anti-football" after Barca drew 0-0 there as well. I wish I'd applied for final tickets, I have friends in Manchester and it'll be a spectacle regardless of who's playing. Hopefully the viola though obviously

It'll be more of the same next week, had they had they're missing players Rangers would have played the same.They just would have held on to the ball better.It's horrible to watch but they're still going for 4 trophies, somehow!

The media here is confident Rangers can go through.One pundit last night saying they had nothing to fear as Fiorentina had no one who could get in behind them. Completely ignoring the fact that there is no space anywhere in behind them as Rangers sit so deep.

We should have played with a quicker tempo at times, but hey, we can win this in Florence.

Rangers were awful.  Probably the worst side I've ever seen in a European semi-final.  They put in the most negative home performance I've ever seen as well as most of their team looking completely out of their depth.  Even with that ultra defensive line-up there's no excuse for not beating crap.
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Forza Juve!!!

OMG how the funk have the Viola not just put this tie to bed!