h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ok, from an English point of view, your might say it's been a great season, what with three teams in the CL semis. But...

Barcelona basically haven't worked hard enough to produce winning champagne football, Real Madrid took 8 months under Capello to find their feet (too late for Europe), Inter were pish as usual, Juventus didn't even make it. Bayern are way below the level they were at five years ago, and even Milan won the CL with a relatively weak team.

Man U played silky football, but weren't good enough. Liverpool played shitty football, and weren't *quite* good enough. Chelsea played muscular powerball, but, like Liverpool, lacked the nous to win at European level.

On the bright side, Celtic made the knockout stages for the first time, but generally all the teams outside the big leagues have the first knockout stage to try to achieve, and no more. Something's not quite right here, and other than a World Cup hangover, I'm not sure what it is. Any thoughts?

A total lack of interest in meaningless European games ?

The sheer cynacism of the football, the players total seperation from the fans, the inadequacies of the ruling bodies, the organisation of the games to suit a television schedule, the plastic fans jumping from club to club, the lack of any pleasure in the sport - just getting it from winning, the diving and play-acting that dominates the game ?

Been watching the play-off games here in the UK, and there's been passion, camararderie, drama, despair, and acceptance - it's been great.

"The sheer cynacism of the football, the players total seperation from the fans, the inadequacies of the ruling bodies, the organisation of the games to suit a television schedule, the plastic fans jumping from club to club, the lack of any pleasure in the sport - just getting it from winning, the diving and play-acting that dominates the game ?"

And McKay hits the nail on the head. Couldn't agree more.

Personally I can't wait for the G14 group (all 18 of them) to form their much vaunted Euro Super League. It wouldn't take long for that league to realise that driving force behind the support is not the elite across Europe but their own domestic league and the pyramid of clubs beneath them.

Meaningless mid-table mediocrity clash between Porto and Ajax anyone? No, I thought not.

Porto and Ajax? Brilliant! I'd pay 70 Euros a ticket and travel halfway accross a continent for that!

Oh. Wait. No I wouldn't. Be nice to see a league where Man United and Chelsea don't win, and Liverpool and Arsenal are near the bottom of the pile though.

Would that be the same mythical league where Leeds get themselves out of debt and achieve two successive promotions?

B

That's not mythical, that's the future.