Europa League Results [R]

Basel is leading Roma 1-0 at half-time. Great result for Fulham if it stands.

 

HatterDon, not only an old grumpy donkey, but a certified jackass.

Ain't he cute. Love it though. I am prepared to take it, as well as I dish out. But this ain't over by a long shot.

 

Great result for Fulham for group E. I think this puts us in the driver's seat.

re: Celtic. While I'm more partial to Mo Edu's team, I do like seeing British teams do well. Still, losing that badly to a 2nd tier Israeli team doesn't bode well. I'm not convinced Mowbray was the right choice for Celtic.

 

Right now, you are probably not the only one. The list of candidates when they were looking was oddly absent of some influential names, which I would think would be a tad worrisome for the organization.

They run one of the best financial programs of any football club in the world, but they seem to become too insular at times, even with a signifcantly global supporters fan base. With what some estimate is over 1 million registered fans in the United States, I cannot quite understand what is taking them so long to make more of an effort to seize on their opportunities.

Still, it's a bit of a conundrum. What draws many to CELTIC is their Irish/Scottish/Catholic authenticity. Stray too far from that, and then they have REALLY killed the golden goose.

 

I was hoping for a Roma win. I really don't want to make this a 3 team group and with a Basel win, that's what happened. Roma will do well the rest of the way, had Basel lost, they might've been looking at being out of it after our match.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure how Basel winning is good for us, exactly.

 

You are wrong. It was only 3 years ago that they made it out of the Gropu Stages and in to the Final 16 of the UCL. It's not a historical problem with the club, and your histrionics about how the old firm could only manage mid-table in the CCC are an obvious tell to your developed prejudice against the Scottish League for whatever reason, or lack of reason. All you are doing right now, is being an opportunist.

You have about as much understanding of the current situation at CELTIC as a, well....grumpy old donkey. (Won't find me spouting matchbook philosophy about Luton Town on here, because I am quite aware I know feck all about them. Stick to what you know, Don.)

 

FFC24/jmh. The Basel win is good for Fulham because AS ROMA is the best team in the group. I'm actually confident that we can not only beat Basel at home with our A-team, but can at least draw them away. With AS ROMA, unless they completely fall apart this season, they are the one team in our group that I see as capable of preventing us from getting 3 points at home and will be very tough to even get a point from in Rome.

So yes, Basel got 3 points at home and will likely get another 3 points at home against CSKA Sofia, but where will their other points come from? Had AS ROMA tied, they would be as on track as Fulham and arguably favored to win the group, leaving us fighting for the 2nd spot and a tougher game in the elimination round.

 

re: Celtic/Rangers. A local Scottish derby that is a microcosm of a conflict that has lasted almost 500 years. Horrible things have been done by both sides with few worthy acts to redress the balance. Large numbers of the local fans hold onto the half-millenium long conflict as vigorously as the peoples of the former Yugoslavia and Palestine hold onto their, even older conflicts.

That said, as fans of the game, we can hold onto those old emnities as closely as the locals or we can choose to live in the present, recognizing that neither club maintains any religion based litmus test for employment and that, to our point, both clubs have given opportunity for American players to play in Europe.

Right now, my "allegiance" is the Rangers because of Mo Edu (and I guess DMB as well); in a few years time, it may be for Celtic. I actually have a bit more skin in the game than most as my grandfather was born in Belfast to an Irish father and Scottish mother. Nonetheless, I'd still cheer for Celtic if the situation demanded, despite the odd looks that side of my family might give me.

 

I am with FFC and jmh on the Basel win not being a good result for Fulham. As for where Basel's points will come from? Basel should beat Sophia at home and I think they will have a good chance of taking points from them on the road also. Coupled with the Roma home result that will put them on either 7 or 9 points not including any matches with Fulham. I expect Fulham will win the home match with Sophia giving Fulham 4 points excluding the Basel and Roma matches.

I think Basel just put the pressure on Fulham to beat them at the Cottage, take points from them on their pitch and beat Roma at home or to beat them both home and away to advance. Of course I am not thinking that Fulham cannot pull off the results required to advance but I do believe the road just got a bit bumpier.

 

Thinking about the Basel result, it may be a difference in expectations. I expect Fulham to advance out of the group; the question is whether we win the group or get 2nd place. In that context, a loss by AS ROMA, the team expected to take the other advancing spot, is good for Fulham.

I can see how, if you are envisioning a tighter group, that a win by Basel makes it more of a 3-horse race.