Football (Soccer) Thread

[Ed Anger]

I'll stick with Loserpool.

[Syt]

Gives me Norwich.

[FunkMonk]

Nice.

Is that for Sunderland or for Oosa?

USA international friendly away game to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Good game to watch. US was 2-0 down at the half, scored four straight and won 3-4.

[Josquius]

Apparently northern Ireland beat Russia. Weren't the russkies meant to be good these days?

[Valmy]

Apparently northern Ireland beat Russia. Weren't the russkies meant to be good these days?

Well there is good and then there is Northern Ireland good.

[Viking]

Apparently northern Ireland beat Russia. Weren't the russkies meant to be good these days?

The thing about European International Soccer.. there a are a whole list of really really small countries that rarely do well but do manage to put together national sides with 8-11 top league players, usually from the minor teams. Even Iceland has manged 2 top league players (Tottenham and Hellas Verona) and 8 second tier (3 dutch league, 2 belgian, 1 russia, 1 serie B and 1 portugese) and another 6 overseas pros (5 in scandinavia 1 in league one). These players do from time to time hold their own against world stars. Even the best teams in the world need to take iceland seriously or they will draw or even lose.

Then again teams like Wales, North Ireland and Slovenia have long traditions of doing decently internationally and have quality players as well as experience professionals. The Euro Championships are a much harder competition to win than the World cup.

Northern Ireland has half a dozen premiership players and the rest are in the championship or scotland (and olympiakos). They should be taken seriously by everybody.

[alfred russel]

Then again teams like Wales, North Ireland and Slovenia have long traditions of doing decently internationally and have quality players as well as experience professionals. The Euro Championships are a much harder competition to win than the World cup.

I hear that said by a lot of europeans, but I think it is rather demonstrably false.

16 european teams qualify for the euro championship, and 13 for the World Cup. So at the benefit of avoiding competition from the 3 most marginal european teams in terms of qualifying, you pick up Brazil, Argentina, and 17 other squads from around the world.

[Josquius]

On that team picker I got Crystal palace for  some dumb reason. Surprise at being in the premier or some such.


Today's result-:bleeding:
Sounds like typical sunderland even despite the new signings. Played a 7-0 win of  a game, failed  to score, the other team got one chance and scored.

I'd rather go analogy to city and culture so you get the same emotional relationship you have towards your american sports team to your english soccer one.

Or, you could do it the scandinavian way. Every single scandinavian person has an english team, even if they are not soccer fans. It is either determined by some emotional connection to some city in england or some event in england or some person from england, or it is inherited from family (e.g. my dad loved coventry, so I love coventry, and if I ever go to england I will go to a coventry game!!!!!111111oneoneone) or it is the home team in the first full game you watched on tv. That last one is surprisingly arbitrary, but apparently completely binding.

BTW, referring to the first of the scandinavian reasons, when Newcastle Brown Ale started becoming popular in norway 20 years ago the amount of magpie fans increased massively.

Exactly.

However many years ago when I was nine or so we were watching the game at my mate's house while and there was this one guy on the team whose play style and heart I liked and since then the Spurs have been the team for me in the English league (this was before the EPL was a thing).

My Italian team are Juventus because when I was a kid we didn't get English football on tv (well, cup finals and maybe once in a blue moon), we did get Italian football though. I liked Ravenelli's celebration.

[Viking]

Then again teams like Wales, North Ireland and Slovenia have long traditions of doing decently internationally and have quality players as well as experience professionals. The Euro Championships are a much harder competition to win than the World cup.

I hear that said by a lot of europeans, but I think it is rather demonstrably false.

16 european teams qualify for the euro championship, and 13 for the World Cup. So at the benefit of avoiding competition from the 3 most marginal european teams in terms of qualifying, you pick up Brazil, Argentina, and 17 other squads from around the world.

The point isn't that Lithuania can challenge for the cup, it is that Germany destroyed Saudi Arabia in the world cup 8-0, while they would count themselves satisfied to get 2-1 in Belfast. Why is the Euro Cup a harder competition to win? Needing to get one more goal against denmark (who famously didn't even qualify for the Euro Cup they won) is more likely to get a goal against the run of play than needing to get a goal against costa rica or south africa.

It is harder for a big side to win, there are more chances to screw up and more potential dark horses to go the whole distance)

[Iormlund]

Then again teams like Wales, North Ireland and Slovenia have long traditions of doing decently internationally and have quality players as well as experience professionals. The Euro Championships are a much harder competition to win than the World cup.

I hear that said by a lot of europeans, but I think it is rather demonstrably false.

16 european teams qualify for the euro championship, and 13 for the World Cup. So at the benefit of avoiding competition from the 3 most marginal european teams in terms of qualifying, you pick up Brazil, Argentina, and 17 other squads from around the world.

It's about the first stage. In the WC there is rarely more than a single group without some fourth rate team from Asia or whatever, so a top contender has to play really badly not to reach the play-offs. In the EC however, there are no charity matches. If you don't play at a 100%, even the Swiss or the Irish are able to ruin your day.

[alfred russel]

The point isn't that Lithuania can challenge for the cup, it is that Germany destroyed Saudi Arabia in the world cup 8-0, while they would count themselves satisfied to get 2-1 in Belfast. Why is the Euro Cup a harder competition to win? Needing to get one more goal against denmark (who famously didn't even qualify for the Euro Cup they won) is more likely to get a goal against the run of play than needing to get a goal against costa rica or south africa.

It is harder for a big side to win, there are more chances to screw up and more potential dark horses to go the whole distance)

Except dark horses have never gone the distance in the World Cup (Uruguay might be considered a dark horse now, but not in the state the sport was in at the time and with home field advantage). I'd suggest that dark horses have won the euro cup though others may disagree.

Some easy marks make it into the World Cup, but there are also 32 teams. Getting past the easy marks in the group stage just leaves you in a field of 16, the same as the euro cup starting point.

[Iormlund]

You got it the other way around Alfred. It's not that any team can win the EC, it's that any team can ruin your chance to win the tournament.

[Viking]

Some easy marks make it into the World Cup, but there are also 32 teams. Getting past the easy marks in the group stage just leaves you in a field of 16, the same as the euro cup starting point.

In a group stage a small side like greece can ruin your day and guarantee his own qualification by just drawing from the group stage. In the group stage a draw is often enough and a competent side going for a draw very often trumps a quality side going for a win. In the knockout stage when both sides are going for the win then the quality side has a greater advantage.

[FunkMonk]

Liverpool and United this morning on NBC Sports.

I miss Ian and Macca. 

[Ed Anger]

 

I liked Gerrard getting in Persie's face. Persie likely not able to understand Gerrard's accent.