The Swamp

Posted: **Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:19 pm**

Ummm, Shaktar and Spartak are in Pot 1?

Spurs fans are praying...

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:55 am**

Pruitt will be happy

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:24 pm**

Atletico. That could be interesting if the Costa sale actually happens. Or maybe this game will make that even more difficult to pull off.

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:25 pm**

Last season's final in the same group

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:30 pm**

Baloney wrote:Last season's final in the same group

Are you confusing Real Madrid with Barca?

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:40 pm**

Group F, as in Napoli and those other two clubs I've never heard of are F'ed.

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:45 pm**

Shirley wrote:
Baloney wrote:Last season's final in the same group

Are you confusing Real Madrid with Barca?

Opp's yes

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 1:24 pm**

I don't see Arsenal's draw, oh right, fuck.

Friggin Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukrainian club based in the eastern part of the country that is in (currently) low-level resistance against the central government, for the past three seasons has been forced to play in Lviv, at the western end of Ukraine. As a good Kremlin stooge and agent of Putin I root for this club a little bit. And their color scheme, below, somehow appeals to my taste. Also because, Arsenal, fuck.

(Their colors stand in contrast to the blue and gold Ukraine national colors. Which is quite a political statement in Ukraine currently and in context of Russian history (google <ribbon of st. george> rather than be bored further by my tangential prose style.))

This season Shakhtar are playing back in their home, in Kharkiv about 150 km north, because the Donetsk stadium and the downtown area are still heavily damaged and subjected to occasional shelling by the Ukraine forces. Kharkiv and Donetsk are the two major cities in the resistance region. Donetsk is more or less the front line, but the last two years it isn't really active war, sporadic clashes and shelling, at least only occasional deaths.

Shakhtar dominate the Ukraine league, along with Dynamo Kiev, but not a threat in Champions. They won the UEFA cup in 2009, done ok in the Europe second tier league, but never advanced out of group play of Champions.

edit: typo, Lviv not Kviv. and dup post.

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 1:59 pm**

mister d wrote:Group F, as in Napoli and those other two clubs I've never heard of are F'ed.

Don't look past Shakhatar Donetsk. They are basically a good chunk of the Brazilian and Argentinian National Teamers. Their captain was the Croatian National Team Captain. The rest of the squad make up a chunk of the Ukranian national team. They have a pretty good history and have made some $ on top notch transfers (Mkhitaryan). They are 18th in the current UEFA Ranking (Napoli is 14th)

http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/ ... index.html

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:17 pm**

howard wrote:I don't see Arsenal's draw, oh right, fuck.

Arsenal vs Spurs in the Europa League Final.

Posted: **Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:00 pm**

degenerasian wrote:Pruitt will be happy

The return of Rex Ryan might please me more than this draw.

Why in the name of Sepp Blatter did Spurs end up in pot 3? And look at the Manchester teams & Liverpool! Fuck.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 7:13 am**

The Pot seeding thing is interesting. It is why you have the champions of Ukraine and Russia in pot 1 over better teams from better leagues.
Pot 1 consists of the holders (Real Madrid) and the champions of the rest of the top-eight ranked nations at the end of 2015/16
The remaining three pots are decided by each team's UEFA club coefficient as of the end of last season.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:04 am**

wlu_lax6 wrote:The Pot seeding thing is interesting. It is why you have the champions of Ukraine and Russia in pot 1 over better teams from better leagues.
Pot 1 consists of the holders (Real Madrid) and the champions of the rest of the top-eight ranked nations at the end of 2015/16
The remaining three pots are decided by each team's UEFA club coefficient as of the end of last season.

Thanks for the explanation - I thought it was all subjective...

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 10:19 am**

Pruitt wrote:
wlu_lax6 wrote:The Pot seeding thing is interesting. It is why you have the champions of Ukraine and Russia in pot 1 over better teams from better leagues.
Pot 1 consists of the holders (Real Madrid) and the champions of the rest of the top-eight ranked nations at the end of 2015/16
The remaining three pots are decided by each team's UEFA club coefficient as of the end of last season.

Thanks for the explanation - I thought it was all subjective...

This actually seems way less subjective than the traditional FIFA gerrymandering that happens for World Cup draws. They make it seem objective but change the criteria every time to rig it.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 10:26 am**

wlu_lax6 wrote:
Pruitt wrote:
wlu_lax6 wrote:The Pot seeding thing is interesting. It is why you have the champions of Ukraine and Russia in pot 1 over better teams from better leagues.
Pot 1 consists of the holders (Real Madrid) and the champions of the rest of the top-eight ranked nations at the end of 2015/16
The remaining three pots are decided by each team's UEFA club coefficient as of the end of last season.

Thanks for the explanation - I thought it was all subjective...

This actually seems way less subjective than the traditional FIFA gerrymandering that happens for World Cup draws. They make it seem objective but change the criteria every time to rig it.

FIFA has the the geographical and fair play component and the France can't be in a tough group rule.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:00 pm**

Dembele to Barcelona is done. €105m initially + €40m in add-ons.

The fact that most Dortmund fans are unhappy with that is just going to show you how crazy the market really is.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:21 pm**

Should open up a bit more playing time for American Messi.

Posted: **Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:37 pm**

No shit

Posted: **Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:02 pm**

3 words: Harry Fucking Kane.

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:08 pm**

Some fun ones today.
Obviously Pennsylvania Messi v. C. Ronaldo is the class of the day
But City v. Shaktar
Moscow v. Liverpool
Bestikas v. not Red Bull Leipzig

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:34 pm**

Spurs - Apoel!

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:44 pm**

Pulisic not starting.

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:04 pm**

5 officials working the game and they still miss the hand ball

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:10 pm**

Pruitt wrote:Spurs - Apoel!

I don't know what kind of goat pasture this is in Cyprus, but it has disaster for Spurs written all over it.

Posted: **Tue Sep 26, 2017 3:59 pm**

degenerasian wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Spurs - Apoel!

I don't know what kind of goat pasture this is in Cyprus, but it has disaster for Spurs written all over it.

Pruitt wrote:3 words: Harry Fucking Kane.

Posted: **Wed Sep 27, 2017 2:41 pm**

1.) CSKA is not very good. They are not parking the bus and letting Man U have way too much space
2.) 5 officials did not miss the Chelsea foul
3.) FoxSports Go picture and picture mode is a great way to watch a game. Split screen TV fee and the tactical ("all 22 view") is a treat.

Posted: **Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:01 pm**

Posted: **Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:26 am**

Bayern not fucking around. Ancelotti fired.

Posted: **Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:55 am**

tennbengal wrote:Bayern not fucking around. Ancelotti fired.

One of the guys on the Football Show on SiriusXM 7-9 am was saying yesterday that Ancelotti was on a very hot seat, even before the loss to PSG.

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2017 4:09 pm**

Nerves shredded. Deserved point!

Posted: **Tue Oct 17, 2017 4:36 pm**

Maribor had a, um, rough one today.

I sure am glad they changed up the qualifying to give the champions of lesser leagues an easier way in.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:51 pm**

A) F-ing Spurs!

B) Man, do I ever look old.

Posted: **Tue Nov 21, 2017 4:33 pm**

Pep wearing a Catalonia pin in the City game

Posted: **Tue Nov 21, 2017 6:57 pm**

Spurs!

Liverpool! (Ha!)

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:57 am**

Baloney wrote:Pep wearing a Catalonia pin in the City game

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42081827

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 8:28 pm**

Grrrr.

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:51 pm**

govmentchedda wrote:Grrrr.

Nothing's ever easy.

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:12 pm**

A_B wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:Grrrr.

Nothing's ever easy.

Really was more concerned about Barca today. If they win the group, there's a 50/50 chance I get to see a CL game at the Camp Nou in March.

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:22 pm**

Ah. Got you.

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:46 pm**

A_B wrote:Ah. Got you.

Don't get me wrong, the grrr was all about United. Basel owned the 2H.

The Swamp

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