I was thinking about Drogba’s Red Card during my flight from Dallas to LAX on Sunday and it got my thinking.

We see so many times during huge matches (Zidane anyone) players lose their cool in a split second.  Hell, even I got a Red Card for retaliation during the 2000 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Hershey.

Why though?  Is it because the players want it so badly?  What do you think?

Did Drogba deserve to be sent off?

I’ve got to give it to the English. They can take the piss out of any situation and still make it funny.

images via DailyMail

UPDATE - Just got this picture sent to us from our boy Mike H.

Here are a couple pictures from the Shamrock…we got relegated to the back room because we got there at 11:05 and it was packed. Notice the bumpy pitch shirt!

mike h.

I’ve been up since 4am and a little tired, but after watching that… I’m ready.

Beans, Ace, Steve and Hopkins are coming over to watch the Final.

Where are you watching?

The Double has been completed!!  1-1 (6-5 pks) to Manchester United.

And while it’s not the way Beans and I would like to see it happen (especially to John Terry), we’ll take it.

Edwin Van Der Sar (Fievel the Field Mouse) was / and still is the man.

images via FoxSports

I’m not one to hate on commentators. Most of us don’t always agree with what they say, including me, but that’s the way it goes. Besides, it’s always easier to knock someone than it is to do their job. In saying that, Tommy Smyth does drive me nuts. I know many of you would agree with me on this one. I’m not going to go into what it is about him that annoys me, but rather what happened in todays Champions League Final. I’m not sure if you picked it up in the first half when Tommy Smyth was blabbering on about something. At this point, Clarence Seedorf steps up and asks how he is supposed to concentrate on the game with Tommy Smyth running his mouth so much.

Now that’s the kind of honesty that is lacking in the TV booth.

BTW -  Who else saw the two Russian Army guys rocking Manchester United Jerseys in exchange for their Army Hats?  It was the Russian version of YMCA!

Slovakian Lubos Michel has been given the golden whistle, the 2008 Champions League Final.

The 40 year old is no stranger to big matches as he was in the middle of the 2003 Uefa Cup Final between Glasgow Celtic and Porto.

He’s also no stranger to game changing decisions.  Just ask Jose Mourinho about the Luis Garcia goal Michel allowed in the 2005  Semi-Finals between Liverpool and Chelsea.

image via ActivSport

The top honchos from the Greater Manchester Police have flown to Moscow as advisor’s for the upcoming 2008 Champions League Final.

Already expecting 20,000 more passengers on flights than usual, the only way to get around the tough Visa issues in Russia is to have a legit ticket for the match.

After what happened in Manchester last week with Rangers supporters I can imagine the meeting will go something like this.

1.  Don’t tell supporters not to come.  They’ll all show up if you do that.

2.  If you say you’re going to have a big screen up to watch the match, make sure it works.

3.  Screw Police Horses, bring out the Siberian Tigers.  (Sorry, that one was mine)

image via DailyMail

I remember coaches cutting and pasting whatever quotes they could find during the build up to a match and either photo copying them to put in our lockers or taping them up on the wall for motivation.

Never really worked for me unless I was the guy getting called out.  Then I was pissed.

I doubt Joe Cole meant anything by choosing Messi over Ronaldo for the best player in the world (I’d go with most dangerous, but that’s just me), but is now the right time to make that statement?

I’m pretty sure Cristian Ronaldo has heard the criticism that he doesn’t show up to big games before. I’m willing to bet that he knows how much pressure is on him and how important his individual performance will be for Manchester United next week when they face Chelsea in Moscow for the Champions League Final.

What ‘ave you done Joe? Wonder if Avram’s pissed about seeing that all over the papers.

image via ChelseaFC

It took only two days for Didier Drogba to declare that he and John Terry would be fit for the Champions League Final in Moscow next Wednesday.

Drogba’s knee injury during the latter stages of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Bolton was a cause for concern while Terry had to leave the match with a dislocated elbow, but was seen on the pitch afterwards with his left arm in a sling.

Did anyone really think that either one of these players were going to miss the second biggest match in football?

Only one more to hoist.

Wonder if winning Champions League will make up for the fact that the English won’t be at the 2008 Euros?