Michael Laudrup hasn't done his homework Europa League 2013/14

Michael Laudrup doesn’t often stumble on matters of world football, but there was a rather dicey moment yesterday afternoon when he was asked to name a couple of Petrolul Ploiesti’s players.

There was a stutter, a bit of a pause, and then the names of Grosan, Boudjema and ‘that No 8’ came to mind. He smirked. Bullet dodged.
By his own admission, a couple of weeks ago, when he first learned that the Romanians would be Swansea City’s final obstacle to the Europa League group stages, he had neither heard of the team, nor a single member of their squad.

He wasn’t even aware that they are managed by a man, Cosmin Contra, who once played for him at Getafe and very nearly took him to the semi-finals of this same competition in 2008. ‘That makes me feel old,’ Laudrup said.

spurs kicking off at 5, i'll be home at 5.10, i dont have itv4, i'll work something out

maybe title should have been Never Go Back to Georgia

In November 1973, Spurs flew to the Georgian capital for a third round tie in the UEFA Cup under legendary manager Bill Nicholson and were greeted in a rather disturbing manner.
'When we went out to inspect the pitch, as you do, in the middle was a sort of wooden gallows,' reveals Steve Perryman. 'And hanging by its neck was their idea of a cockerel. Of course, that's our emblem. That was their way of saying welcome!'

Lloris; Naughton, Dawson, Kaboul, Rose; Capoue, Paulinho; Townsend, Dembele, Sigurdsson; Soldado.

Friedel, Fryers, Walker, Carroll, Chadli, Coulthirst, Kane.

oh yeah townsend can play europa

I love that, their idea of a cockerel! That incomprehensible, never-seen-abroad animal bird

And the Tbilisi line-up? Has anyone ever eaten Georgian? There's a Georgian gaff on the way to the Emirates, I've often fancied having their idea of a gander

Capoue Paulinho Dembele could be interesting

Dinamo Tbilisi: Loria, Khurtsilava, Giorgi Gvelesiani, Kvaratskhelia, Glisic, Grigalashvili, Dzaria, Kvirkvelia, Merebashvilli, Xisco, Dvali.
Subs: Zarkua, Ustaritz, Khocholava, Seturidze, Papava, Goga, Vouho

i've eaten delicious georgian breads from a bakery, but never a full meal, the food is supposed to be amazing.

Right, next time I'm there it's on

Hopefully it's called something like Tbilisi Lover, will report back

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BSSHWMsIIAAAluf.jpg

That's beautiful. I really want to put on Led Zep IV now.

xp to Ismael, the restaurant is called Tblisi and it's great - get the Hachapuri

it's like andros really doesnt want come back and play for us or something

Update pls

Good save lloris!

I forgot how poor sigurdsson is on the left

Centre looks v good tho, and naughton far better as rb cover than lb

Dembele with his sixth foul of the half and second needless one since being booked easy boy eeeaaassssyyy

Oh lovely from townsend, paulinho heads home

Blandford dropping the local gastroknowledge xps, valuable new ILF feature imo

Soldado totally isolated so for, the sooner we sort that out the better

Sorted

Lennon could learn a lot from townsend tbph

I know this lot aren't much cop, but tbf to Spurs they're doing the job and no mistake

avb out

We're puttin on the guy from dawsons creek this is a pisspull

If yer talking about Willian, Townsend in good form, Danny Rose a viable pick at lb, you've got depth through the squad now. 5th.

Fanny Rose, wtf was that

If chadli can put the ball in like that all season you can keep yr willian for 30m tbph

seriously, if rose and townsend were anything like this useful last year then sending them away when we had no backup in their positions was clownish

i've eaten delicious georgian breads from a bakery, but never a full meal, the food is supposed to be amazing.

It is amazing. There are a few Georgian restaurants in London.

Really impressive win. I thought there would only be a goal or two in it.

yeah pretty clinical stuff, tho tbh we looked shaky on the left of defence at times. naughton/townsend combined very well all night on the right

omg petrolul's goal

almost tempted to turn the sound on to hear what pulis made of tonight

Pulis is okay tbh. Not a fan of Poyet at all.

Incredible amount of teams I've never heard of before in the EL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q30xBcggwkU

yeah me and the guy at the next table in the pub just looked at each other and laughed

Spartak got thumped at home by St Gallen earlier. I didn't see that coming.

Friedel, Walker, Vertonghen, Kaboul, Naughton, Carroll, Sandro, Sigurdsson, Holtby, Townsend, Defoe.

Kind of insane that this is basically our second team now.

What happened in Alkmaar? Match stopped by a fire?

love that ESPN has Paulinho listed as Joe Paulo Paulinho

tony pulis is pronouncing gallas gallath

galaz

yet again the poorest looking player in this second xi is sigurdsson

so awkward and slow on the left

Holtby!

Sigurdsson needs to be played centrally or not at all really. I think he's a very good player behind the striker or in front of a deeper midfield two.

Really hope Holtby works out.

Btw Vertonghen should not be playing in this game and we'd better hurry up and sign Chvrches.

Siggurdsson has played in I think every game this season to date, and not looked really comfortable or effective in any of them

Agreed he's best behind the striker, don't think he's good enough to be ahead of holtby there, would rather see more of carroll there tbh, if we sign eriksen then i dont know what game id ever see sigurdsson getting time in tbh

maxi p. has been terrific

open goal more or less

i want extra time, no late goals plz

extra time of matches like this is usually just a lot of people with cramp trying not to do anything

yeah true, it already feels like sevilla are slowing down

not sure marin has touched the ball since he came on

never seen marin do anything, he is probably the shittest person to be compared even ironically to messi

classic mbia there

lol

Tough game

that ball from rakitic!!!!!!!

holy shit that rakitic pass !

should never miss the target there

I applaud the effort tbh

Lol Marin

hahaha

that's brutal

hahaha removing marin...

Merko

emery and that jacket cannot win this

lol smh sherwood describing the rakitic pass as "smashes it ahht"

bodies laid out everywhere

the carnage of extra-time

seen rakitic miss a few pens this season

wait did rakitic just let benifica take the first pen??

terrible decision statistically speaking

iirc 60% of teams going first win

Could tell he was going to miss.

hahaha that idiotic kick by cardozo

retake surely?

beto miles of his line but cardozo deserved it for that shite.

hate when refs allow that. dudek excepted

mbia lol

And again.

how the fuck does the 3 refs not see that

Maybe itll work next time

sevilla's pens have been mint tbf

sevilla players are all thumping the ball in, benfica should take note rather than go for those lame shots

Fuckin bump never gonna happen thread for rodrigo

Nine European finals in a row lost since 1962.

great pens

cursed

Sevilla's pens were all alpha as fuck

like when an original europa team wins rather than cl drop-out

lol xp

benfica couldnt even get past a beto

pleased to see those stupid stuttering runups fail

speaking statistically that sub-Aldridge faux-jinky runup must have such poorer results than any other recognised way of approaching a spotkick

lol good penalty, now back to Loftus Road with you Stephane

couldn't care less about goalies stepping off their line if the taker's gonna try that wait-and-see bollix, seems like a fair enough response really

if the keeper doesn't take the bait the kicker should just stop. at worst get a yellow card, and then take the kick properly.

if a player is sent off while taking a penalty, but before striking the ball, is the penalty considered missed?

YOU ARE THE REF

no, someone else takes it?

which one of those alpha sevilla players was wearing a fedoria