Yep, that's about the size of it

Barcelona are very good and well done to them but I must have slipped in to some parallel universe in the last couple of years where we are now expected to want the best team to win.

Can't say I remember a similar sentiment about the Liverpool team of, say, 1988 (who, according to Tom Finney, played the best football he had ever seen in their 5-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest) or for the invincible Arsenal team of 2005 who combined great skill with a lethal ability to hoover up points.

With Barcelona though, as you say, their is some appalling snobbery - as if not wanting them to win is some kind of crime against the game. Last night I wanted Chelsea to win because I knew that something amazing and enjoyable would have to happen if they were to prevail. That's exactly what happened - an utterly absorbing game from first to last which wasn't anaesthetised by Barcelona killing the tie.

What about Chelsea themselves? Well I still find much about them utterly objectionable - however I really like Di Matteo and I have been hugely impressed by their cussedness since they did off AVB. It's like they're drawing on reserves of strength and experience to dredge up results; they're up off the canvas - and there is genuinely somethng to admire in that; a real football story.

Finally, it should be pretty obvious that this whole discussion most certainly isn't about other posters, no matter how much they would like it to be. This thread shows pretty clearly that there are very many people on here who share this world view and who enjoy sharing their thoughts with like-minded people on a football forum. Well who'd have thunk it?? ;-)

Posted By: norway, Apr 19, 09:51:29