Giving ‘the bumps’ to a 69 year old isn’t a good idea, apparently
Luis Aragonés may be officially parting ways with the Spanish national side tomorrow, but that’s no excuse for the kind of abuse he received after the match last night.
The over-zealous Spanish players decided it would be a great idea to show their appreciation for their 69-year-old coach by hoisting him up in the air and giving him ‘the bumps’. The last time an old man had such a look of horror on his face was when Teddy Sheringham saw Danielle Lloyd’s ‘charming’ personality unfold in the Big Brother house. According to The Spoiler’s official club doctor, the shock of being repeatedly thrown in the air by a large group of brutish men could have induced fatal cardiac problems. The risk of dislocation or breaking a bone was also high, as men of his age tend to have weak and brittle joints.
Fenerbahçe would have been mightily unimpressed if the old racist had turned up to work in a wheelchair, or worse still, a coffin…
Well the rain is back, for a moment there we almost forgot where we were. Seconds away from flowery necklaced women and silky hula music playing in the streets, probably. Just thank hecky we’ve still got football gossip and transfers to keep us all sweaty and uncomfortable.
Ronaldinho and Deco in exchange for Kaka
A couple of years ago, had anyone even thought about exchanging Ronaldinho for another player, teams of armed police would have been lining buildings within seconds, shouting through loud hailers to put the drugs down and step away from the vehicle. Sir, we said step AWAY! How times have changed. Now Barcelona can offer Ronaldinho and Deco for Kaka and no one even sniffs their breath for whiskey.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: The rumour is that Barca are offering the two players and around £16 million. AC are unlikely to bite.
Andriy Shevchenko to Fenerbahce
After wowing English fans with his brilliance, Shevchenko may yet astonish the people of Turkey by taking his travelling football circus to Fenerbahce. Prepare to be dazzled, Turklings!
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Should AC Milan pass, Shevchenko needs to go somewhere. Not out of the question.
Last night, I decided to have a punt on super sub Theo Walcott getting a late goal. It didn’t pay off, but his box-to-box run to set up Adebayor’s goal was worth losing the money alone.
I also enjoyed John Arne Riise high fiving Liverpool fans when he went to take a throw on at the end of the game. He’d been on the pitch about three seconds!
Chelsea are huge favourites to pummel Fenerbahce at the Bridge tonight, while Liverpool are expected to quietly kill off Arsenal’s season at Anfield. This of course, paves the way for another all-English semi-final, and should Manchester Utd defeat Barcelona, an all-English final to boot. It’s hardly worth the other countries turning up.
For the best advice on where to lay your notes tonight, head to chickendinner and pick a winner. Champions League quarter-final second legs
Based on last night, who will get a step closer to Moscow?
It looks as if the Manchester Utd/ Barcelona is a done deal, but what will happen in the other semi? Arsenal looked the better side against Liverpool last night, but the Mersey Reds will be comfortable knowing they don’t have to score in the second leg, and only a fool would bet against them in this competition.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce have made it difficult for Chelsea at the Bridge - can they do enough to progress in the second leg? (Avram, hanging onto his job by a thread, will certainly hope so)
So who do you think will be playing in the other semi? Votes and comments below, please.
According to the brainboxes at chickendinner, Nicolas Anelka has never gone more than four games against a former employer without scoring - and has now gone four games. This means that Anelka must score against old club Fenerbahce to maintain his career record (get on at at 9/4).
The Champions League draw was so boring it made me want to do that thing that Michael Hutchence and that MP did, but I persevered and here it is:
Arsenal/ Liverpool
Roma/ Manchester Utd
Schalke/ Barcelona
Fenerbahçe/ Chelsea
Semi-final draw
Arsenal or Liverpool will play Fenerbahçe or Chelsea
Schalke or Barcelona will play Roma or Manchester Utd
Before the draw, Manchester Utd were favourites, but now they’re joint second with Chelsea at at 7/2. Meanwhile, Barcelona have jumped to 11/4 favourites. See all the best odds as they move on the oddschicken.
