The Official Football Thread

[KimmyChan]

Oh dear

Both Newcastle & Middlesborough have been relagated alongside West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League

[Bonta Kun]

aannnnnnnddd Rangers have taken the title!

damn brothers were going crazy and bloody woke me up, its Sunday I want to sleep in!!!

well props to the Gers, they deserve it.

[Wing Zero]

Looks like were relegated...that goal from villa summed up our season, terrible luck. Oh well this will be a learning curb and hopefully Newcastle will get sorted out for next season, and be that same team that came up in 1993/1994.

[Emerald Emblem]

I think it'll be tight for the automatic promotion places next seasons Coca cola championship.

[boggart]

In the end, it felt kinda awkward pushing Newc into relegation...

And as for Milan's game, funny how Ambrosini scored both our goals against AS Roma but also scored a red card in the process. Best of both worlds I guess...

[Shinndou]

About the Milan's game, it was a sad and shameful thing to see a portion (albeit very small) of the Ultras insulting Maldini with that banner at the end of the match. He was receiving applauses from almost the whole stadium since it's his last game at San Siro. A true pity and shame for the whole Calcio world. The Federation really needs to enforce some strict rules and only let true and pacific supporters in, and keep the thugs and delinquents out.

[Kimura sensei]

So, the rumours say that Scolari is going to Juventus and a beginner coach is going to Milan. They really want to make Inter win the Scudetto next year, uh?

[solomon]

To all the foriegn socceer heads, I have a question.

How do you watch soccer?

More specifically. Assuming they have basic command of the rule of play (which I think many do, after hauling their kids to and from games) Is there a certain thing or things you tell foriegners (read Yankees) to pay attention to when they watch pro soccer?

We all know about the culture gap, but I recently found the hockey gap brigable (im from mid-atlantic, NOT a hockey bed) and am interested in trying out soccer (although many tell me to stay with Euro teams cause apparently MLS is second rate).

[KimmyChan]

I did kinda cheer & shed a few happy tears for Hull City though when they found out that they'd missed the relagation deadline yesterday by the skin of their teeth...The looks of relief on all the fan's faces said it all

[boggart]

Originally Posted by solomon

How do you watch soccer?

We have some English Premier League (EPL) games broadcast live here in Australia on pay-TV. I'm pretty sure the US would have them broadcast live on your many and varied sports dedicated channels over there. Otherwise, I watch online streams of games which aren't broadcast here. Twitter is good to keep up to date with scorelines of other games being played at the same time.

That's the couch potato's guide.

I follow the local A-League too, and attend home matches as much as I can. I'll be a season ticket holder for the 09/10 season.

Originally Posted by solomon

More specifically. Assuming they have basic command of the rule of play (which I think many do, after hauling their kids to and from games) Is there a certain thing or things you tell foriegners (read Yankees) to pay attention to when they watch pro soccer?

When you're watching a football match, keep an eye on positions different players play. You'll see how skilled they are in their area of expertise. It's rather like the American NFL where different players will specialise in different aspects of the game.

Originally Posted by solomon

We all know about the culture gap, but I recently found the hockey gap brigable (im from mid-atlantic, NOT a hockey bed) and am interested in trying out soccer (although many tell me to stay with Euro teams cause apparently MLS is second rate).

The MLS is actually quite decent if you compare to the A-League; but of course it will not compare up to the top flight leagues in Europe or even South America. Football, for those areas, is their life. Try watching a few MLS games first and then start following a few games here and there from the Spanish league (La Liga Primera Division), the Italian league (Serie A) and the English Premier League. Heck, even games in the German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 and Dutch Eredivisie are quite entertaining to watch.

The thing to remember is that different regions of the world will play football differently. Some try to emulate others, but inevitably they'll still play to their strengths. Some argue that the EPL is actually quite boring to watch, and that the La Liga matches are a lot more entertaining and "beautiful". So in the end, it's really up to you.

[Shinndou]

Originally Posted by Kimura sensei

So, the rumours say that Scolari is going to Juventus and a beginner coach is going to Milan. They really want to make Inter win the Scudetto next year, uh?

Scolari? No way.
Either Ferrara will stay or Antonio Conte will be Juve's next coach, it's been pretty much confirmed by the club directors.

[solomon]

Thanks boggart, do you know which leagues are streamed in the internet? Want to give soccer a try My undergrad korean friend watches Manchester somewhere but I don't know excatly where.

Does the Premier league even stream matches? I hear it's SUPER sponser heavy with exclusive TV packages.

Also, do you guys play in inclemant weather such as rain? One of the things I love about gridiron is that it's played in just about any weather (cept for hurricanes....I think heh)


Oh yea, with the Premier League when the beeb shows "highlights" are they just clips from the matches, cause I read somewhere that you can only watch them on SKY

[KimmyChan]

Tomorrow is almost here! UEFA Champion's League Final day! Barcelona Vs. Man United!

[boggart]

Originally Posted by solomon

Thanks boggart, do you know which leagues are streamed in the internet? Want to give soccer a try My undergrad korean friend watches Manchester somewhere but I don't know excatly where.

They are streamed on TV streaming programs. Otherwise there are other ways to watch online as well.

Originally Posted by solomon

Does the Premier league even stream matches? I hear it's SUPER sponser heavy with exclusive TV packages.

It is VERY sponsor heavy, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Originally Posted by solomon

Also, do you guys play in inclemant weather such as rain? One of the things I love about gridiron is that it's played in just about any weather (cept for hurricanes....I think heh)

Yes, football is played in all weather conditions. Rain, snow, smog, sun, heat...

Originally Posted by solomon

Oh yea, with the Premier League when the beeb shows "highlights" are they just clips from the matches, cause I read somewhere that you can only watch them on SKY

No idea.

My tip is to catch the Manchester United vs FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday 27th - Europe time. Check your local guides. This will definitely be a must-watch game.

[KimmyChan]

I'm gonna be travelling up in Manchester myself for the day alongside my boyfriend round one of my boyfriend's mates houses watching the action unfold later on that night on their wide-screen HC TV

[boggart]

Originally Posted by KimmyChan

I'm gonna be travelling up in Manchester myself for the day alongside my boyfriend round one of my boyfriend's mates houses watching the action unfold later on that night on their wide-screen HC TV

I will probably be in bed watching it live on TV. Haha... 4am is way too early!! And I have work at 9am that same day too!

[Blerghovic]

As much as it pains me to say it (Arsenal fan) there's no way Barca will beat Man U. They won't be able to contain Utd with their slow defence, while Manchester have the best D in the world.

[KimmyChan]

Originally Posted by boggart

I will probably be in bed watching it live on TV. Haha... 4am is way too early!! And I have work at 9am that same day too!

Kick off is at 7.45pm in the evening for us guys here in the UK tomorrow

[boggart]

Originally Posted by Hiraishin

As much as it pains me to say it (Arsenal fan) there's no way Barca will beat Man U. They won't be able to contain Utd with their slow defence, while Manchester have the best D in the world.

That's arguable. Barca will definitely lack in defence come Wednesday, but don't be surprised if they make up for it in attack with Iniesta and Henry back.

It's hard to say, and with C.Ronaldo having his ups and downs, it's even harder to predict. My heart wants Barca to pull up and knock off ManU from their high-and-mighty pedestal.

[KimmyChan]

Originally Posted by Hiraishin

As much as it pains me to say it (Arsenal fan) there's no way Barca will beat Man U. They won't be able to contain Utd with their slow defence, while Manchester have the best D in the world.

I appreciate your true honesty there very much...Thank you for that vote of confidence