Messi or Rooney to lift the Cup?

Saturday will see the culmination of the European football season with the Champions League final at Wembley stadium in London. Since I was a kid I have looked forward to this final with the hope of seeing the best that football can offer. My first recollection of a final was in 1967. Celtic were taking on the champions of Italy, Inter Milan, in the biggest game on the planet! I spent the hours before the game playing outside on the street with all the other kids planning out who would score for Celtic and what it would be like to lift the "big cup". Of course, we didnt fully realise how much of an underdog Celtic were in this final. Inter were the best team in Europe at the time and Celtic were just a small Scottish team packed with players who had all been born less than 30 miles from Celtic stadium! We didn't know what a big ask this was going to be, all we knew was that we were all going crazy with excitement because Glasgow Celtic, our Celtic, were playing against the great Inter Milan in the final that day! I remember watching the game on a TV with grainy black and white pictures being beamed from Lisbon. There was no mistaking which of the black and white striped teams on show was mine.... the glorious hoops! They strode out into the Lisbon sunshine and into history.

The bare statistics of the game show that the mighty Inter, who opened the scoring via a Sandro Mazzola penalty after eight minutes before erecting an 11-man defence, did not win a single corner and forced the Celtic goalkeeper Simpson to make but one save; Celtic had two shots off the crossbar, and 49 other attempts on goal, 13 of which were saved by Italian goalkeeper Sarti, 17 were blocked or deflected, and a mere 19 delivered off-target. Celtic won the game 2-1 to become the first British team, in fact the first Northern European team to win the European cup.

I remember the excitement, I remember the joy, but most of all I remember how fantastic and awe inspiring the football was that day.

Let's hope Barca and Man Utd can deliver even a fraction of the fearless, open football that Celtic showed on their big day.

Barca vs Man United, Saturday May 28th, Wembley Stadium 2.45pm Kick Off (EST)

Who Will Win the Champions League?

No game for us today and because of Easter we will have no game next Sunday either! Can I check to see who wants to turn up and practice next Sunday? We can find a field and practice some of our moves? Also, we should start to think about a midweek practice night...say a Thursday night? Who is up for that too? I also want to know who is willing to play our postponed match against East Haven on Mothers Day? That is a mandatory make up weekend and before I check in with East Haven I need to know if we will have a team available to play. We can make it an early kick off so you can play and get back to the familia sagrada as quickly as possible. So, because we have a break it gives us some time to think about the Champions league! We are down to the last four and I think we should poll our resident experts to see who they think will win it this year; Barcelona? Real Madrid? Schalke? Man Utd? Vote on the poll button top right. Don't forget to mention below in the comments section if you are available for next Sunday practice, Thursday night practice and a game on Mothers Day!

Champions League Predictions!

OK guys, great result at the weekend! And just to make sure we are learning from the best the Champions League starts TONIGHT! I want to know what team you think will make it all the way to become Champions of Europe in 2010? The final takes place in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain: May 21-24. Unfortunately, Celtic won't be there this time as they are in the Europa Cup ;o( So, will it be the usual suspects from Current Champions Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal ( arrgghh ), Chelsea or Real Madrid ( at their home ground )? Or will one of the "smaller" teams make a surprise breakthrough?

I can't get all the teams up there for a vote but I'll put up the favourites and if you think some other team will do it then vote for "Other" and tell us who you think it will be and why in no more than 500 words.....

When Celtic were the Best!

Champions League Draw!

Sixty thousand people held their breath for what seemed an age, then Shunsuke Nakamura's scorching free kick screamed past Edwin Van der Sar's flailing arms and cracked into the net. The bulge in the net signaled an eruption of noise from the Celtic fans and sent them into a frenzy of excitement.......i know......i was there! And just two years after that goal sent Manchester United to defeat and Celtic through to the last 16 of the Champions League the draw placed the two old adversaries back into the same section along with crack Spanish outfit Villareal and relative unknowns Aalborg from Denmark. It's a tough draw but could have been much worse as there are some great teams in this competition. Celtic's impressive home record should see them accumulate enough points to be a real competitor in this section. If they can improve their dismal away record in the Champions League then they will have a great chance of qualifying for the last 16 of the competition for the third year in a row. Celtic's first game will be at home to Aalborg on the 17th September. I'll keep you posted!