Future meme material . . .

 I honestly don't give a shit about Man City or Real Madrid but this is a great picture.

Via the BBC.

Le Gubbed.

Celtic and Arsenal*

I knew it was coming - in that way that if you spout enough gibberished predictions in life some of them will occasionally come true - and it's definitely the match of the round, so all eyes will be on Celtic.

Well, most eyes: My eyes will be on the bloke pictured below. I fear he's going to run rampant.

*One of my more mundane post titles on the blog, I'll think you'll agree.

'Felix Dzerzhinsky, your boys took one hell of a beating today.'

I really wasn't expecting that. A very nice surprise and a very classy goal from Samaras.

According to the BBC Report, Celtic could get the likes of Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Lyon, Stuttgart or Fiorentina in the next round and, as I'm not expecting Celtic to progress too far in the Champions League, I wouldn't mind them drawing one of the bigger clubs asap.

Bring on the Gunners.

Didn't we do this already with Artmedia Bratislava a few years ago?

Seven minutes in and they're already 1-0 down . . . at home . . . against a team founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky.

It's going to be a long season following Celtic on BBC's live text.

Running gags

Chelski in the Champions League . . . an uproarious joke that just keeps on giving and giving.

Hat tip to a kind soul over at Urban 75.

The indignity

Via BBC Sports:

See if you can singalong:

'You're Cetic, united, last night's result left my sporting life blighted.'

Someone's slipping . . . and I don't mean John Terry

What's happened?

It's nearly 18 hours since the Red Devils defeated the Blue Devils, and I've yet to see Uri Geller turn up on the news with a Man Utd scarf around his neck and a claim that he had something to do about that penalty miss.

Someone's slipping . . . and I don't mean John Terry.

John Terry: Careful Now

Genius

Hat tip to an Urban 75er.

John Terry's mind is on other things before that fateful penalty

"Whatever happened to that bloke who wrote 'Smash Cash'?"

Weekly Bulletin of The Socialist Party of Great Britain (47)

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the 47th of our weekly bulletins to keep you informed of changes at Socialist Party of Great Britain @ MySpace.

We now have 1253 friends!

Recent blogs:

Coughing up cash

If This Be Treason . . .

Blast from the past!: 'Smash Cash'

This week's top quote:

"That's just a lie we tell poor people to keep them from rioting in the streets." Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives, [In response to the claim that money can't buy happiness.]

Continuing luck with your MySpace adventures!

Robert and Piers

Socialist Party of Great Britain

(Photo credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Champions League Final - First Thoughts

I once wrote a 3,910 word post on a Champions League Final. I'm never doing that again.

Cup Thai'd #4

ESPN's match commentator:

85 minutes in: "This is a match that Daniele De Rossi will want to put in the dustbin of history."

Looks like the old RCP 50 year plan of placing themselves in visible parts of the media is starting to bear some fruit.

What would Harry say?

Cup Thai'd #3

Free at last.

Christ, they've made hard work of it tonight. Tevez scores with a deft header after excellent build play with Hargreaves and then self-nominates himself for the crappiest DIY T Shirt message during a goal celebration?

What's that on his T Shirt? - apart from a pint of sweat, that is - Looked at the footage twice and I still can't make it out. Maybe he trying to advertsise this event? What is about Argentinian footballers and left wing politics? I bet Fergie has to drag Tevez out of the basement most Saturday mornings.

Cup Thai'd #2

Are Roma going to score or what?

Has Fergie's head exploded yet?

If that penalty had gone in, Roma would have gone on to win the game and the tie.

Fergie will be pissed that Rooney and Ronaldo will have to go on for the second half now.

Gary Neville will be pissed that he's not on for the second half.

Barnsley's beating Warford 1-0 at half time. Yep, of course he scored the goal. I'm guessing he wasn't giving it large during the goal celebration.

Cracking first half just finished. Can't wait for the second half. I guess I'll be getting my haircut tomorrow now.

What's with the plethora of English accents doing voiceovers on commercials on American TV? Not just talking about the geico gecko selling insurance. There's 'Lahndun' accents everywhere. Which focus group came to the conclusion that cockney accents denote trustworthiness? Terry Vanables is on the line. He would like to sell you a timeshare.

Second half's started. Squeaky bum time for the United faithful.

Cup Thai'd

Are Man Utd going to score or what? Christ, it's like Fergie's taken Harald Brattbakk on loan for the night. (That'll be Celtic vintage Brattbakk, not when he was scoring goals for fun at Rosenborg.)

On a related note, Manchester City Council has called for a public holiday to mark the momentous occasion of a footballer from the Greater Manchester area actually playing at Old Trafford.

The Ugly Face of Football

The picture's all that needs to be said about Chelski. Whatever happened about the joy of scoring a goal? Watch for the next time the usual suspects score a goal for Roman's mercenaries. Ugly gurning faces 'giving it large' to the crowd. Arseholes.

Btw, Arsenal were robbed. A shocking penalty decision on top of the dodgy decision in favour of Kuyt in the first leg. Last night's match should have been all about Walcott's amazing run to set up Adebayor for the equalizer. Walcott's coming good.

Arguably, the only thing about the result that might provide some succour is that Liverpool have the measure of Chelski in Champions League semi finals. Let's make it three out of free.

The Two Souls of Glasgow

A quote from Lionel Messi from earlier this season:

“It’s incredible,” Messi told the Spanish newspaper, Sport. “Rangers didn’t want to play football. They practised antifootball from the first minute and it’s a shame we couldn’t take victory because we created a good number of chances. We just didn’t put them away. I think that when they come to the Nou Camp everything is going to be very different.

“We need to find a solution for breaking down a team who close down so much, but I don’t believe we will come across many teams who play this way.”

[From the London Times.]

Celtic go down fighting against Barcelona. Yep, they were dominated and the better team won and all that jazz but at least they gave it a go and they'll do the same at the Nou Camp in the return leg. And I did love Red Robbo's stop-start looping header.

And hit tip to the Scottish Patient for correctly predicting the scoreline . . . sort of.

All work and no play makes Ronaldinho a dull boy

*Champions League Draw Just In*

Celtic will be going out to Barcelona this year.

Glad that's one sorted for another year.

12/12/07: Jean-Claude Darcheville versus himself. Only one winner . . .

What YouTube was put on this earth for.

Apologies for the clip being so grainy. I'm petitioning the British Film Institute for a grant so that the 36 seconds of comedy gold can be cleaned up and restored to its original pristine glory. And I'm also looking to get Jean-Claude Darcheville nominated for next year's Cesars - the French equivalent of the Oscars - in the category of Best Supporting Actor in a comedic role.

"And the winner of miss of the season?"

Step up Jean-Claude Darcheville, and collect your two awards: