I just watched Arsenal beat Juventus 2-0 in the Champions League. I don’t support Arsenal. I don’t really care whether they win or lose. I only watched the game to kill two hours on a slow Tuesday evening in Newcastle.
In March last year, however, I was also working away from home in Gothenburg (near Sweden), watching a different game I passionately cared about.
Here is the barstool correspondent’s verdict on Inter Milan 1 MUFC 0.
Well this time last year (but a month later) I witnessed United’s departure from the European Cup in a bar in Amsterdam and this year it was Gothenborg’s turn. The night started badly when we couldn’t get into the Sports bar as we hadn’t booked a table. Good start.
Then my Swedish colleagues took me to an Irish bar which was showing the Ice Hockey playoffs as Gothenborg were playing. Nice one.
So we sat down to eat and I was promised that the hockey would be over soon and I could see the 2nd half. Great. Thanks for that. Food took absolutely ages - it was only a burger for Pete’s sake and when it came 40 mins later the chips were bloody cold. Thanks for that.
Eventually got to see 2nd half. We never got close to a shot on goal. 2 games and hardly a shot on target let alone any goals.
Their spawny goal looped over Tim Howard but still, at least we have got rid of Roy Carroll. Yeah Ruud wasn’t fit, Giggs got a nose-bleed, Rooney is too young, Scholes had two bad games, Keane is fine in Premiership but too old for this level, Ronaldo’s a greedy, showboating teenager but let’s see some PASSION and FIGHT. We needed to go out and win tonight’s game !
And now we have to put up with Chelski and their oh so clever manager in the media for 2 months !
PS. Did you happen to see Lyon’s result 10-2 versus Werder Bremen - yes that is not a typo 10 goals against 2 goals. So Fergie’s squad rotation against Fernabache doesn’t look quite so clever now, does it ?