Big mountain in front of Manu**

[Paul Marin]

...losing 1-0 at Atletico and behind 4-2 in the tie. 35' gone and Atletico schoolin' dem. D-evil need 3 with no goals against to win; two won't help them.

[Lazie]

...losing 1-0 at Atletico and behind 4-2 in the tie. 35' gone and Atletico schoolin' dem. D-evil need 3 with no goals against to win; two won't help them.

No mountain is too big for MU.

Quote from Soccernet:
Stat Park Ji-Sung has started 17 games this season and United lost 7. Without Park starting, United have played 25 and lost just 1.

[Paul Marin]

No mountain is too big for MU.

Quote from Soccernet:
Stat Park Ji-Sung has started 17 games this season and United lost 7. Without Park starting, United have played 25 and lost just 1.

This will be a tough climb. Atletico better not pull a Napoli. As for that stat, you can still win the game and lose the tie. 2-1 not helpin' you.

[Paul Marin]

No mountain is too big for MU.

Quote from Soccernet:
Stat Park Ji-Sung has started 17 games this season and United lost 7. Without Park starting, United have played 25 and lost just 1.

By the way - if unu lose this...brace yourself for the EPL/La Liga debate all over again...me can see ME a sharpen him pencil a'ready!!!!

[Lazie]

By the way - if unu lose this...brace yourself for the EPL/La Liga debate all over again...me can see ME a sharpen him pencil a'ready!!!!

Me or Maudib? Me is a Seria A fan. Maudib can bring it. Him back down and I don't back down. Even if my team lose the tie I stand by the statement that La Liga is a 2 team league. Read Madrid and Barca.

If my team should lose ... the EPL is certainly staying in the red half of manchester.

[Paul Marin]

Me or Maudib? Me is a Seria A fan. Maudib can bring it. Him back down and I don't back down. Even if my team lose the tie I stand by the statement that La Liga is a 2 team league. Read Madrid and Barca.

If my team should lose ... the EPL is certainly staying in the red half of manchester.

Both of dem. Maudib is the one that call EPL fans "kick and run" fans or is Me dat? Anyway, I agree it's a two team league in their table, but if AM beat unu, especially if it is convincing, there is a reasonable argument that teams 3 through 20 in spain are better than their Prem counterparts.

[Lazie]

Both of dem. Maudib is the one that call EPL fans "kick and run" fans or is Me dat? Anyway, I agree it's a two team league in their table, but if AM beat unu, especially if it is convincing, there is a reasonable argument that teams 3 through 20 in spain are better than their Prem counterparts.

Really? MU has played Villarreal, Valencia that I can remember in the UCL ... handled them without leaving first gear.

Man City played Villarreal twice this season and put them aside with ease.

Look at the team that started against Bilbo last week ... you seriously think if it was a UCL tie Fergie would start that team leaving Nani, Carrick, Rio on the bench and Scholes gven the day off?

As much as Maudib a talk ... if a nuh Real or Barca in action him not watching La Liga.

[Paul Marin]

The argument they will have now is that your team is the top team in the Prem and are being dismissed by a team lying 7th in la liga; even starting a weakened team, can you see Liverpool or Newcastle (7th and 6th place) dismissing Real Madrid (1st place) at this point in time? Don't think so. I am not saying you're wrong, but that will be the argument. Bilbao should be up 3-0, when you see the highlights, there is a beauty of a run in the '53 minute that had it scored would have been the gem of the season. Nuff skill.

[Paul Marin]

No mountain is too big for MU.

Quote from Soccernet:
Stat Park Ji-Sung has started 17 games this season and United lost 7. Without Park starting, United have played 25 and lost just 1.

This one might be - 2-0 now...66' ... right after Slur Exlax made his substitutions.

[Lazie]

The argument they will have now is that your team is the top team in the Prem and are being dismissed by a team lying 7th in la liga; even starting a weakened team, can you see Liverpool or Newcastle (7th and 6th place) dismissing Real Madrid (1st place) at this point in time? Don't think so. I am not saying you're wrong, but that will be the argument. Bilbao should be up 3-0, when you see the highlights, there is a beauty of a run in the '53 minute that had it scored would have been the gem of the season. Nuff skill.

Win some ... lose some. Doesn't change the fact that leagues have teams that pull viewers.

La Liga: Real Madrid & Barca
Seria A: Inter, Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Roma
EPL: MU, MC, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool

Again, how many man look at the La Liga tv listing see Valencia and Malaga a play and sey ... wha mi affi see dis.

[Paul Marin]

Win some ... lose some. Doesn't change the fact that leagues have teams that pull viewers.

La Liga: Real Madrid & Barca
Seria A: Inter, Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Roma
EPL: MU, MC, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool

Again, how many man look at the La Liga tv listing see Valencia and Malaga a play and sey ... wha mi affi see dis.

After di buss a$$ Atletico putting in pon your side that might change - AB should be winning dis game 4-0 at least by now. Plus they are playing some attractive football. Cho.

[Peter R]

Are there teams based on a similar ethnocentric philosophy like AB operating elsewhere in Europe? is it racist? It is a little troubling... or is it like affirmative action?

[Paul Marin]

Are there teams based on a similar ethnocentric philosophy like AB operating elsewhere in Europe? is it racist? It is a little troubling... or is it like affirmative action?

Peter - I don't know if it is fair to call it racist. From what I have read, they do not have a written policy, but it is pretty clear that they only take players who are basque, so ethnocentric - "yes", racist - I don't think so.

As to whether this is a unique philosophy - I would argue that most of the football throughout the world is like this but that would be hard to prove as lack of funds would be used as a credible excuse for clubs not to sign foreign players in some places. For example, how many African players play in South America? They are least represented there than any other continent on the planet. FIFA's 6+5 rule also could be arguably ethnocentric. Barca used to be like this with their Catalan nationalism business.

In England you still see a lot of difference to this with the "support your local club" mantras espoused by many fans who don't like OOTs (out of towners).

Anyway, AB had a player who was black. His mother was basque and his father from Africa, so there you go - still basque only I guess. A club like this could not survive in England...but Spain? Well...they are complicated over there.