Football (Soccer to those across the pond)

[Marcus15]

I think a lot of americans don't like soccer because our sports are score oriented. Many say the game is boring. I try to explain that it is exciting for me to see the shots on goal whether there's a score or not.

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by Wybren

GO SHARKS!!

Go the mighty Broncos! We'll be dining out on shark fin soup tonight...

And go United! I hope it's a good game, Seph. You know I've never been to a live football game before. I had every intention of attending the Australia vs Iraq WC qualifier that was played up here a few weeks ago but it kind of slipped me by. I must get out to a Queensland Roar game this season. I think I'd be more into them if they didn't have such a dreadful name... Oh well, it's all we have, I guess!

[Wybren]

PFFT Shark fin soup my hiney, Roast Horse more likely

Well at least the Roar mascot is a cool lion Cul, they could of done worse.

[Culhwch]

I was hoping for a Brisbane FC, or something similar. I think we lean too heavily on the American convention of naming sports teams. They've got nothing on the traditions of the European football clubs...

[HardScienceFan]

almost all of our First League clubs have placenames,sometime an amalgamation of placenames,when ther's been a (very rare)fusion.
plus we have some Greek heroes
*Heracles Almelo,Ajax,of course*

[The Ace]

Well we have Partick (an area of Glasgow, but the team has been based in Maryhill for over a century) and Inverness Caledonian, Thistles, in the senior league, the thistle being our National symbol.

Meadowbank Thistle are now Livingstone.

Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers (the Bigot Brothers, and a curse on Scottish Football) are named after the City where they're based, even though both tend to ignore the,'Glasgow,' these days.

Hibs (Hibernian) use an Irish name despite playing in Edinburgh and Hearts (Heart of Midlothian) seem to've slipped a bit as they play in East Lothian (Edinburgh, again).

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by Wybren

PFFT Shark fin soup my hiney, Roast Horse more likely

Ah, I think the phrase is look at the scoreboard.

[Wybren]

Yeah well, it was a good game to watch anyway.

[Sephiroth]

Cheers, Wy and Cul. Really looking forward to the chance to see some of the best players in the world playing here, in my hometown. Looks like we might be in for a sterner test than last year -- Barcelona played Hibs last night in their first of two games in Scotland, and won 6-0. Considering that they just started pre-season over a week ago, and that Hibs have played a couple of matches already, that is truly a whipping!

Here's hoping Hibs were just crap, and that we can match Los Culés as well as we did last year. But even if we don't, seeing the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Puyol, etc, lining up at Tannadice is still going to be great.


And it's a fantastic point you make, Cul, about the team names. I've always thought the same about the Aussie teams. Fair enough, the Americans name their teams the same way as always, but I would like to see a bit more of the 'Sydney FC', 'Adelaide United' type thing. Makes them sound like real football (soccer) teams, if you ask me, and after all, tradition is a big part of what all sports are about.

I would highly recommend that you go to a game! I dunno what the A-League games are like, because I've never had the chance to watch one, but I'd love to find out. But your national team has come on leaps and bounds over the past couple of decades, and like I was saying to Wy, the fact that you're in the Asian World Cup Qualifying group now is good for the competitive aspect of your games, since playing the likes of NZ, Vanuatu, Tonga, etc was not really helping. Sure, it makes it more difficult to qualify, but you are good enough now to meet that challenge.

I don't think there's much to choose between Scotland and Australia on the international scene atm. It would be a really close game. Only a few years ago, however, you were definitely better than us, albeit we were at our lowest ebb ever, under Berti Vogts...



FWIW, I'd like to go to see an NRL game, too. Rugby games are a bit of a non-event up here except when it's an international. And we don't even play Rugby League in Scotland, but it seems like a faster and more exciting game than Union, to me.

I'm a Sharks fan now, though, thanks to Wy.

(So not much to be said about that last result. But still, only two points behind Womanly, despite the loss...!)

[Cayal]

Broncos, Sharks? It's all irrelevant to the MIGHTY MELBOURNE STORM!

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

'Back in the day', the two clubs thrived, however. Both were regularly able to attract crowds of 20,000+ for big games. Now, it's a decent crowd if we get half that, and the other lot, well...try halving that again.

The situation is untenable, really, but we're stuck with it. I won't pretend that I haven't wished they would go out of business, since it would really benefit us in the longer term...but that goes against my principles as a football fan, even if they are the enemy. I don't like to see small clubs go to the wall...

Why not take a tip from that Scottish politician (Anthony something, I think) and try "Sheducation, Sheducation, Sheducation" to get those Dundee fans on board.

[Sephiroth]

Brilliant, Ursa. I love it!

So much so, in fact, that I'm sure I'll have to steal it from you and use it locally.






Oh, and I should have mentioned that despite being called 'Roar', QLD are still my favourite A-League team:




'Mon the Tangerines!!!

(And they, too, have a lion as mascot.)

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Brilliant, Ursa. I love it!

Thanks: my pleasure.

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

So much so, in fact, that I'm sure I'll have to steal it from you and use it locally.

As long as you let them know that a polar bear told you it. (You can call me the Sheducator, if you like.)

[Weasel Soup]

"I think a lot of americans don't like soccer because our sports are score oriented. Many say the game is boring. "

As an american I have always found this funny. People say "nothing really happens" all the time who don't get the game. But the point is it doesn't stop. Ever go to an NFL game when it's 20 below wind chill, all the stopping gets irritating (Go Pack Go lol) and TV time outs? GAH! Baseball, a game I love, the vast majority of the game is played by standing. If a baseball player ran 9 miles in a game he'd probably die lol.

As for scoring, nobody seems to mind an outstanding pitchers duel and a 1-0 game in baseball, where for action its mostly scratching and spitting.

I think the major reason most Americans don't like it is on of 2 fold...either they never played or don't understand the rules, or frankly it's almost considered to be patriotic to not understand. That's silly eurosport mentality. Once an american see the strategy and/or (paticularily in international) the varying styles of play the interest comes quickly.

When I started playing back in the 70's, every coach I had was an immigrant to America, First coach Irish, second German, third German, fourth Irish and last 2 German. We kinda pitied the teams with American coaches... this will be a cakewalk, and feared the teams that took commands that were not in English...we are dead on the feild. We had 4 teams in an area of 75000 residents. That same area now has four teams with in a square mile per age group, and most of the coaches are american.

But I believe all this is changing, we are on our fourth truely involved generation of players, we have a, albeit mediocre, sustainable professional league. If you see a U-8 team playing now its not just a crowd of 20 kids within 10 feet of each other kicking the ball arbitrarily and two goalies collecting bugs in the back of the net. At 7 they are already spreading the feild. Also they arent wearing baseball cleats anymore lol.

During Euro I was wearing a french kit one day and was walking to work and people were pulling up in the cars and stopping asking me where I was watching the match (ITA v FRA in group), and a few obligatory choice Italian hand gestures. I got 15 extra customers that afternoon, and when you buy a round yelling shots equal goals, I tipped out well lol.

"I try to explain that it is exciting for me to see the shots on goal whether there's a score or not."

As a former player who played stopper for 9 years, I have never been a huge goal fan lol.

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by Weasel Soup

As an american I have always found this funny. People say "nothing really happens" all the time who don't get the game. But the point is it doesn't stop. Ever go to an NFL game when it's 20 below wind chill, all the stopping gets irritating (Go Pack Go lol) and TV time outs?GAH! Baseball, a game I love, the vast majority of the game is played by standing. If a baseball player ran 9 miles in a game he'd probably die lol.

Thats also why i dont understand American sports and their leagues.

I tried to watch NFL just for fun but it drove me crazy with 5 seconds play,stop,commercial and on and on....

Baseball is even worse, you think when is the pitcher gonna stop doing everything but throwing. So long too.

I love NBA cause of the power,skills but watching NBA playoffs live is too much almost. Timeout every 5 minutes and never ending commercials.

The timeouts are nothing but i would rather listen to the commentators than watching US tv commercial all the time.

Thats why i usually download the games the day after. Where the time outs and commercials are deleted so its just basketball.