Champions League draw

[Wonderwall]

Two areas of concern for me :
1.Would a ref really allow us to beat Barca?
2.The first leg is at home as it was last season. That was possibly the most drab footballing encounter I can remember.

Its not only the ref. we will most certainly see a master-class in cheating, diving, faking injuries, acting the cunt, giving the ref grief etc etc from them. Big question is will we wise up to, handle and overcome it. If we do, coupled with a brave performance, then we have a very decent chance.

I hope you are not questioning the character of the upstanding citizens that are Suarez, Neymar and Messi :-)

It will be banana skin galore, or Barca on Ice

[PeterParker]

Ahh well, we're playing the best teams in Europe at this stage

Basel - Porto looks like a game that might happen at this stage in a normal situation?

We all knew that i would had been Barcelona and Real, while the only swiss team in the competition will get the weakest team from pot 1.

[Mase]

I'm not arsed. Let's smash the Spanish pricks!!!

[Ted Hughes]

Two areas of concern for me :
1.Would a ref really allow us to beat Barca?
2.The first leg is at home as it was last season. That was possibly the most drab footballing encounter I can remember.

Its not only the ref. we will most certainly see a master-class in cheating, diving, faking injuries, acting the cunt, giving the ref grief etc etc from them. Big question is will we wise up to, handle and overcome it. If we do, coupled with a brave performance, then we have a very decent chance.

I hope you are not questioning the character of the upstanding citizens that are Suarez, Neymar and Messi :-)

It will be banana skin galore, or Barca on Ice

It will be much worse now they have added Suarez.

But what pissed me off last season, was not City parking the bus when Barca had the ball, it was what we did with it when they gave it to us. We had no guts to play football & just kicked it blindly, like a team playing vs Ferguson's rags. It's one of the worst nights I've ever had as a City fan, as being shit & losing is par for the course & I'm used to years of it, but being a brilliant football team worth 100s of millions, containing some of the best players in the world, & then playing like a 4th div team away from home in the FA Cup in 1972, is just a disgrace.

I don't care if we lose, so long as we show some pride in what we are not just shit ourselves & ask for their shirts.

[Wonderwall]

Two areas of concern for me :
1.Would a ref really allow us to beat Barca?
2.The first leg is at home as it was last season. That was possibly the most drab footballing encounter I can remember.

Its not only the ref. we will most certainly see a master-class in cheating, diving, faking injuries, acting the cunt, giving the ref grief etc etc from them. Big question is will we wise up to, handle and overcome it. If we do, coupled with a brave performance, then we have a very decent chance.

I hope you are not questioning the character of the upstanding citizens that are Suarez, Neymar and Messi :-)

It will be banana skin galore, or Barca on Ice

It will be much worse now they have added Suarez.

But what pissed me off last season, was not City parking the bus when Barca had the ball, it was what we did with it when they gave it to us. We had no guts to play football & just kicked it blindly, like a team playing vs Ferguson's rags. It's one of the worst nights I've ever had as a City fan, as being shit & losing is par for the course & I'm used to years of it, but being a brilliant football team worth 100s of millions, containing some of the best players in the world, & then playing like a 4th div team away from home in the FA Cup in 1972, is just a disgrace.

I don't care if we lose, so long as we show some pride in what we are not just shit ourselves & ask for their shirts.

absolutely Ted, we approached the game wrong and game them so much respect it was sickening. We need to bully them and play our game, hopefully the big players will be fit to play and then we can match them.

[Goaters 103]

A horrid draw in terms of our chances of advancing but we can make a positive out of it if we acquit ourselves better than we did 12 months ago. In 2 games last time we barely laid a glove on Barca and they won with a cigar on and without being forced to move out of 2nd gear.

This time we need to get in their faces, pack midfield, have Aguero up top and show some fookin bollox instead of looking shit scared at the sight of them.

In addition, lets get ready for all the day tripper fans and half-half scarf brigade, as last years tie had many people sat around me who were not City fans and clearly had mates/contacts who had got them tickets for the tourist day out.

Game isn't played for over 2 months so no need for more concentration on it until mid-February rolls around. At present we have far more pressing matters.

[Hazy2]

Two areas of concern for me :
1.Would a ref really allow us to beat Barca?
2.The first leg is at home as it was last season. That was possibly the most drab footballing encounter I can remember.

Its not only the ref. we will most certainly see a master-class in cheating, diving, faking injuries, acting the cunt, giving the ref grief etc etc from them. Big question is will we wise up to, handle and overcome it. If we do, coupled with a brave performance, then we have a very decent chance.

I hope you are not questioning the character of the upstanding citizens that are Suarez, Neymar and Messi :-)

It will be banana skin galore, or Barca on Ice

It will be much worse now they have added Suarez.

But what pissed me off last season, was not City parking the bus when Barca had the ball, it was what we did with it when they gave it to us. We had no guts to play football & just kicked it blindly, like a team playing vs Ferguson's rags. It's one of the worst nights I've ever had as a City fan, as being shit & losing is par for the course & I'm used to years of it, but being a brilliant football team worth 100s of millions, containing some of the best players in the world, & then playing like a 4th div team away from home in the FA Cup in 1972, is just a disgrace.

I don't care if we lose, so long as we show some pride in what we are not just shit ourselves & ask for their shirts.

absolutely Ted, we approached the game wrong and game them so much respect it was sickening. We need to bully them and play our game, hopefully the big players will be fit to play and then we can match them.

Worst nights ! Ted was you at the home defeat to Stockport County. That was night mares for months ! We need a ref allows us to play 1st the cunt last season killed the game from the 1st whistle to the last utter twat and the perfect ref for Barca when it could have been a tough night for them , he even invented the rules as he went a long. We need to voicing concerns now about getting a fair minded ref blah blah.

[Goaters 103]

quote]

Worst nights ! Ted was you at the home defeat to Stockport County. That was night mares for months ! We need a ref allows us to play 1st the cunt last season killed the game from the 1st whistle to the last utter twat and the perfect ref for Barca when it could have been a tough night for them , he even invented the rules as he went a long. We need to voicing concerns now about getting a fair minded ref blah blah.[/quote]

For worst nights Ill nominate losing at Crewe 1-0 on Boxing Day, and being sat in the Crewe End with their fans laughing at me. A 2-0 home reverse to Barca is a piece of piss to absorb compared to that.

[BlueinBosnia]

Any news on the Youths' draw? Should have started an hour ago...

[Wonderwall]

Any news on the Youths' draw? Should have started an hour ago...

From the OS

City u19s' reward for topping Group E of the UEFA Youth League group stages is a home tie against FC Schalke 04.

Patrick Vieira's side will face the German outfit on either 17/18 or 24/25 February and will head into the tie full of confidence, as the only side in the competition with a 100% record from their group games.

Having notched six wins out of six, including thumping wins over Bayern Munich and Roma, racking up an astonishing 22 goals in the process, the young Blues finished in top spot in Group E to earn themselves a home tie against last year's semi-finalists.

Vieira's side will have the chance to analyse their opposition in January as the two teams meet in the Under-21 Premier League International Cup.

Should the Blues go on to progress to the quarter finals of the UEFA Youth League, they will ace either Ajax or Roma away from home and if they are to then reach the semis, will lock horns with one of Chelsea, Zenit St Petersburg, Atletico Madrid or Arsenal.

[phips]

of course

[Lev Bronstein]

No jokes about Toffees going to Young Boys then?

[john68]

Barca was unexpected, really thought they'd chuck Real at us. Maybe Real didn't fancy it.

Bit rich of UeFA to criticise FIFA about corruption, when they are so obvious about their own corruption.

...and with last years games fresh in the memory, which City player(s) will be sent off this time? Anyone running a book?

[mr_nool]

I don't mind this draw at all- I think Barca are a lot more disappointed with it than we are.

And for all of you saying that Basel-Porto, etc. is a proof of the draw being rigged, how do you come to that conclusion?
If the draw was rigged, don't you think Barca would have wanted to end up with one of those two teams rather than us?

[Ted Hughes]

People replying to my post on 'worst nights' ; watching utter shite get beat after watching utter shite get beat most seasons since Swales bought the club, is not the same.

Shite is shite.

Going through all that, year in year out for fucking decades, then seeing the best Cjty team in history, play like a bunch of starstuck fan boys for Barca, is soul destroying imo.

Losing to Stockport was fuck all. We were shit & we knew it. That's what shit does.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

I deliberately didn't look at the draw till now to savour the surprise about our opponents. At least you can't say the CL is unpredictable. Looks like I'll have to move out of my seat again like last year. And oh look, Arsenal get Monaco.

[zuricity]

I deliberately didn't look at the draw till now to savour the surprise about our opponents. At least you can't say the CL is unpredictable. Looks like I'll have to move out of my seat again like last year. And oh look, Arsenal get Monaco.

Yep the *rse get a much tougher draw than us.

[City64]

Just knew we were going to get Either Barca or Madrid !

Anyways ........ A pure shite ref 1st leg at the Etihad , plus we froze first half , 2 sending offs for us , a " non penalty" given to Barca , relentless diving and cheating ......... Oh fuck I can't wait for this shit again !!!!!

Plus side ...... We can't be anyworse this time around , we have to be better and we do now look a lot better organised in this competition . Barca are very beatable if we play to our level and lastly what a fantastic city Barcelona is for a piss up , I'm there !

Ps who,s the ref ????? lol

[Beefymcfc]

Bloody hell, I'd never have predicted Barca!

I just await the appointment of the ref, those once called 'Better than the Prem' ref's.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I don't mind this draw at all- I think Barca are a lot more disappointed with it than we are.

And for all of you saying that Basel-Porto, etc. is a proof of the draw being rigged, how do you come to that conclusion?
If the draw was rigged, don't you think Barca would have wanted to end up with one of those two teams rather than us?

Yeah, but they get to bring their own ref.