European cups 2006/07

[2mas]

It seems like you in the end are enjoying the UEFA Cup somewhat, Ape.

[Green Apes]

Because Maccabi didn't really beat Rosenborg..or did we?

And yes I am, you can say that I'm very enjoying this, but still the crazy that would go around champions league would not only bring Maccabi fans but other teams fans.

I really wish we were in CL..I miss it we never had a chance to host a CL game in Israel..looking forward to it.

But for now we're 99.9% in the next stage, whats next after groups??
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~GA

[Gerrit]

After the group stages there's knock-out stages, with a draw where every team will get a home game and return game.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Green Apes]

I see..Do you think Maccabi can get to the finals?

Today: Maccabi Haifa - Livorno away match and a tie puts us 100% in the next stage.

I added a video that shows the beginning when the players came in which shows it all.

EDIT: also I'd like to mention Hapoel Tel-aviv are close to the next stage too after 4-2 against PSG in Paris
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~GA

[Gerrit]

yeah, Israel is doing very well in football lately. I hope the national team can qualify for the Euro 2008 as well (and kick those English out! )
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Green Apes]

Livorno - Maccabi 1-1 ..with palastine flags :\

In the next stage! 4-1 Auxerre - Partizan

Now I'd like to ask does the second team in UEFA groups get third team from CL or is it the third from UEFA?
Its very important we want to continue the dream and not get Barcelona.
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~GA

[Gerrit]

Believe it or not, Green Apes, but because of you I started to weekly check the results of the Israeli league, and tonight I was following the game on the internet, supporting Maccabi!
I'm really happy for you that they qualified, superb for the Israeli football!

And ignore those Palestine flags. Without choosing a side in politics, but those people with those flags, are idiots. Those Maccabi fans don't travel to Italy for politics, so those Livorno 'fans' should learn to keep politics OUT of the stadium But hey, the best possible reply was that goal in the 90th minute!! What a way to qualify ! (bit like we qualified with a goal in the last minute... oops, let's not talk about it )

But really: congratulations, and I'm really glad for you!




To answer your questions: there will be a draw where every team can get every team I believe. So you could get a team from the Champions League (for example Barcelona, or Benfica, ...) but you could also get another team which is now in the UEFA Cup.

What do you hope for? An easy-to-beat opponent, or a more glamourous team like Barca?
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Green Apes]

Thanks Gerrit, I can see from your replys that you were with me and the team (during the war etc...) thanks

I wish to get an easy team, we want to qualify right? Give me Barcelona in the semi finals and you see 43,000 green white fans in Ramat Gan, not like it won't happen even the next stage.
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~GA

[2mas]

I'm to lazy to check, but I think there is some arrangement in front of the draw, Ape. UC group winners have meet UC group no. 3s and UC group no. 2s meet CL group no. 3s, I think.

[Green Apes]

But thats exactly what I said. "second team in UEFA groups gets third team from CL..." And for now we're second but if Auxeree beats Livorno we finish 3rd. Good night
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~GA

[2mas]

Yes, I know this is what you said. It was ment to both you and Gerrit.

[Green Apes]

Todays the draw for CL and UC and I can't wait its in 4 hours..

Maccabi Haifa will get a team from CL and can get into very hard matches against Werder Bremen, Benfica, CSKA Moskva, Steaua Bucuresti and AEK Athens which we got in 02/03 after the CL and we lost 4-0 4-1..
The other teams which we'd like to get instead are:
Spartak Moskva, Shakhtar Donetsk and Bordeaux.

Good luck to Hapoel Tel Aviv aswell :O
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~GA

[Satan666_RO]

Sorry for not posting here for a long time. It has been a busy year for Romania's best football team, Steaua Bucharest, in the European Cups.
Last season we barely missed the UEFA Cup Final.
This season we qualified for the UCL group stage. We were in the same group with teams like Ol. Lyon and Real Madrid and with our neighbours from Dynamo Kiew.
We managed to overcome Dynamo (4-1 in Kiew, 1-1 in Bucharest) but we were slaughtered at home by Real Madrid and Ol. Lyon (1-4, 0-3).
Only a stupid own goal gave Real Madrid the one goal advatage they used to win their homematch againt us. We finished the group stage with a 1-1 draw in Lyon (we could've easily won the match...).
So, for the 3rd year in a row, we qualify for the UEFA Cup eliminatory stage. Here, in Romania, Haifa is considered the most accessible team we can be set up against. We'll find out in an hour who we'll face in the next stage of the competition. Whomever it'll be, we are ready for you

Also, Dinamo Bucharest managed to qualify from the UEFA Cup group stage. They'll face a 3rd place UCL group stage team. Dinamo currently leads the Romanian table, Steaua being 2nd 13 point behind. However, Dinamo had A LOT of luck this season, obtaining undeserved victories (2-1 against Besiktas in the UEFA Cup).

Let's wait and see who we'll play against...
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Steaua rulz!

[2mas]

CSKA Moscow - Maccabi Haifa
Steaua Bucuresti - Sevilla

[Green Apes]

Yup..
Hapoel Tel Aviv - Rangers
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~GA

[Gerrit]

Good luck to Steaua and Haifa!

Zulte-Waregem from my native Belgium, have drawn Newcastle United. Tough but not impossible...

Also interesting is Ajax-Werder Bremen.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Green Apes]

But lets not forget Dinamo passed Beitar Jerusalem thanks to an own goal and what do you mean by accessible? like easiest team?
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~GA

[Gerrit]

Most accessible = easiest opposition

I think however a lot of people in Europe underestimate Israeli football. Israeli football is stronger than most people think. I mean, two Israeli teams have qualified for the next stage of the UEFA Cup, that's a very good performance. Israeli football is clearly rising, the national team as well is more and more becoming a serious candidate for the Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010.

It's a pity all Norwegian teams are out already. Guess Rosenborg will have to save the coefficient once again the coming year
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Green Apes]

Then no one truely knows whos Maccabi Haifa! I hope I don't open bad mouth now but everyone will see in the game against CSKA.
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~GA

[attach]

Sapara turned down CSKA to go to us, so they are no match.

[Gerrit]

I think, as I said, that lot of people underestimate Israeli football. But the teams are getting better and better, and the national Israeli team is also on its way up. I give Haifa a good chance vs CSKA. Hapoel Tel-Aviv will have a tough game, but like Rangers is doing badly (ouf of the Cup and League Cup, more than 15 points behind Celtic) Hapoel isn't without a chance.

I wonder what to expect from Zulte-Waregem, the last team from my native Belgium that is still in the tournament. In theory they're without a chance vs Newcastle, but then Newcastle isn't doing well neither, so...
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Gerrit]

And again a very good result for the Israeli teams, both having a very good chance to qualify now

Zulte-Waregem from my native country, got beaten by Newcastle. Little surprise I guess when part-time footballers play one of England's better teams... Still, I was hoping for a stunt
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Gerrit]

PS: the match between Z.Waregem and Newcastle (played in Gent because their own ground doesn't match UEFA criteria) was played in a mostly empty stadium. Reason for this:
- the high ticket prices (50euro per person!)
- the forbidding to wear red-white colours

Zulte-Waregem is a merger of SV Waregem and Zultse VV, most fans are former Waregem fans. Waregem used to play in red-white before the merger, and some Zulte-Waregem fans today still wear those colours. They now forbid this, and as a result part of the fans decided to boycot their club's European game. With the high ticket prices added, some more fans decided to follow the boycot.

What supposed to be a glorious game for the tiny club, meeting an English giant, became a serious failure as the stadium was not even close to being sold out, and several fans are extremely angry with the directors of their own club...
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[joakleis]

As a Newcastle supporter, I am a bit impressed over Zulte Waregem. As part-time footballers they were a bit tougher opponent than Ventspils and Levadia Tallinn, which we played in the qualifying round and the first round of this seasons UEFA cup.

Of course, the goal and their chances came as a result of very poor defending by an uninspired Newcastle team, but still I will regard Zulte as far better than the latvian and estonian sides we met earlier.

But of course neither are any real threat for Newcastle. We aren't THAT bad.

I look forward to see what Zulte Waregem can do at St. James' Park.
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Rosenborg - Ingen over, ingen ved siden

[Gerrit]

I know the Belgian league is not as good as it used to be, but it's not THAT bad that it should be compared with Latvian or Estonian football Even thoush Z-Waregem are mostly part-time indeed, only a minority of their players are professionals.

For them it must be a disappointment when looking back on the game with Newcastle. The club knew they would not have a realistic chance but they wanted to get a financial bonus out of the clash with NUFC. But due to the high ticket prices, the restrictions on fan gear, and the game played in Ghent (due to Waregem stadium being too small) meant that part of their support decided to boycot the game. Especially with the high ticket prices I can really understand why. So they lost but that was expected, however they also expected a big financial bonus from this game and this did not happen due to the lack of public attendance. Of course it's their own fault (if they hadn't restricted fan gear and if they used normal ticket prices, a lot more people would have come) but they will be very disappointed over not getting a lot of money out of this game. I think that will be more of a slap in their face than the loss ; when playing a Premiership team you know the chances are 90% that you lose. Moral of the story: sky high ticket prices DON'T work, if they had used the normal ticket prices (like they do for other games) the stadium would have been sold out and they'd won more money than now with higher prices but half empty stadium.

Ticket prices are a pain anywhere these days it seems. In England, some clubs charge over 50£ for a seat In my native Belgium, some second division games still cost 20 euro per person.

If you then see that Barcelona-Osasuna cost 14 euro per person to see some of the world's best teams...

As much as I adore football, but I understand the boycot when prices go above the 20euro per person.




Anyway,

Champions League started today. I managed to stick to my boycot, but did see the results. Very nice win for PSV, and especially hope-giving that 1 single Bayern goal in the return will be enough to kick out the poison from Madrid. (not that I am a Bayern fan or so, but I can't stand Real Madrid)

Although Carew has left, I still would like to see Lyon win the CL. Although I prefer UEFA Cup anytime: more surprises, more new teams to discover, more goals, ... Next season I won't have a choice but to quit my CL boycot of course, as the mighty RBK will be in
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!