Other Sports: Soccer/Football Thread Part Six

[FLYguy3911]

@Striiker Play Fifa. You'll find a squad.

 

[Jack Straw]

After watching the WC and a hundred youtube videos, I feel inspired to start watching a lot more soccer.

Problem is I'm not sure what to watch because I don't have a team or have any clue who to start watching.

I could be like that toe-person and tell you to pick my own favorite but I won’t. I’m better than that. So here’s my advice. Be a maverick. Go against the grain. Don’t pick a “big” club. Pick Brentford. They’re not going to win the Premier League, so you don’t have to worry about the frustration factor. They play a very attractive style, and they WILL (and have) beat the big clubs from time to time.

And possibly the deciding factor for you… they don’t have any Brazilian players.

 

[PDX Flyer]

@Striiker Brazil has a nice league with quality teams to follow.

Maybe key in on players you like and start watching more of their clubs. I’d probably key in on the Champions League matches. That’s where the top teams are competing against each other.

A couple big clubs fell/are in the Europo knockout stages as well

 

[PDX Flyer]

I could be like that toe-person and tell you to pick my own favorite but I won’t. I’m better than that. So here’s my advice. Be a maverick. Go against the grain. Don’t pick a “big” club. Pick Brentford. They’re not going to win the Premier League, so you don’t have to worry about the frustration factor. They play a very attractive style, and they WILL (and have) beat the big clubs from time to time.

And possibly the deciding factor for you… they don’t have any Brazilian players.

So I said the exact opposite of you lol. You nailed it with Branford though. They are very enjoyable to watch. Gotta love the Bees!

 

[kudymen]

@Striiker Pick a team whose stadium does not look like a toilet seat

 

[Starat327]

I'm open to all options.

Any big Swedish teams?

If you want to watch the best football in the world, you watch the premiere league. Its as simple as that. From top to bottom, its the most competitive league, where any team really can beat any other team on any given day. Serie A is probably the second most competitive and the German Bundesliga is like watching the original Fast and Furious -- its good football to watch provided you are OK with already know the ending.

La Liga in Spain is a joke. Easily the most corrupt league in the world and the same 4 teams are going to finish at the top, because thats the way their FA wants it. Ligue 1 isnt even worth watching. The football is terrible, and even the team that is by far the best and most expensive in the league, cant always win. It's that bad.

 

[Striiker]

@Striiker Brazil has a nice league with quality teams to follow.

 

[Appleyard]

I'm open to all options.

Any big Swedish teams?

IFK Goteborg
Malmo FF

Are the only two really big Swedish football clubs IMO.

Goteborg won 2x Europa Leagues in the 1980s and have 18 titles.
Malmo have 22 titles and were runners up in Champions League in late 1970s.

But since the Bosman ruling no Swedish teams can compete at highest level as lose all best players (same for basically any team not in England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy... and maybe Portugal and the Netherlands to a slightly lesser degree.)

Tbh though the Premier League is the best league on earth, the most competitive, and the most fun too... choosing a mid-tier Premier league side will be far more fun than even the 5th best team in Germany, France, Spain etc...

Maybe buy Football Manager and choose a team to play off based on logo and kit and see how much affinity with them you build over a season or so. Have some friends who got a favourite team that way aha.

 

[Jack Straw]

The other advantage the PL has is that you can get a full slate of matches every weekend on NBC and USA (occasionally even CNBC if there is a lot going on that weekend). And usually a game or two during the week. So you don't need to subscribe to a streaming service to watch matches. Just watch the PL for "free" for the rest of the season and maybe something will come to you.

 

[Appleyard]

Tbh @Striiker...

with investment in Premier League and English clubs in general in last few years... maybe check out some of the "sleeping giants". Sure a few of them will get Newcastle money in nest few years.

Premier League:
Aston Villa
Leeds
Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham

Championship:
Sheffield United
Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland
West Brom

League 1:
Sheffield Wednesday

All BIG clubs historically with some great histories and trophies...

look at their kits, logos, histories, the town they play in etc and see which ones resonate with you most.

Then give the old Football Manager season with them a spin.

 

[kudymen]

IFK Goteborg
Malmo FF

Are the only two really big Swedish football clubs IMO.

Goteborg won 2x Europa Leagues in the 1980s and have 18 titles.
Malmo have 22 titles and were runners up in Champions League in late 1970s.

But since the Bosman ruling no Swedish teams can compete at highest level as lose all best players (same for basically any team not in England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy... and maybe Portugal and the Netherlands to a slightly lesser degree.)

Tbh though the Premier League is the best league on earth, the most competitive, and the most fun too... choosing a mid-tier Premier league side will be far more fun than even the 5th best team in Germany, France, Spain etc...

Maybe buy Football Manager and choose a team to play off based on logo and kit and see how much affinity with them you build over a season or so. Have some friends who got a favourite team that way aha.

Speaking of which, there was this freeware football manager Football Fanatic back in late 90s, AIK Stockholm always showed up in the cups Memories

 

[TCTC]

So I said the exact opposite of you lol. You nailed it with Branford though. They are very enjoyable to watch. Gotta love the Bees!

Yeah, for such a small club Brentford has done a really good job establishing themselves in the Premier League.

But I find Brighton more impressive. They're such a well-run club since Tony Bloom took over. Definitely one of the most exciting clubs in football right now. Their scouting department is on another level.
When they lost Potter to Chelsea people thought this would be the start of their decline. Instead they brought in De Zerbi and got even better. They look like a club that can do no wrong right now.
They have a pretty nice stadium too.

 

[TCTC]

Tbh @Striiker...

with investment in Premier League and English clubs in general in last few years... maybe check out some of the "sleeping giants". Sure a few of them will get Newcastle money in nest few years.

Premier League:
Aston Villa
Leeds
Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham

Championship:
Sheffield United
Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland
West Brom

League 1:
Sheffield Wednesday

All BIG clubs historically with some great histories and trophies...

look at their kits, logos, histories, the town they play in etc and see which ones resonate with you most.

Then give the old Football Manager season with them a spin.

I've had a soft spot for Sheffield United since I got to watch a few games at Bramall Lane. Great atmosphere. Hope they'll get promoted this year. Looks good so far.

 

[Appleyard]

I've had a soft spot for Sheffield United since I got to watch a few games at Bramall Lane. Great atmosphere. Hope they'll get promoted this year. Looks good so far.

Yeh. They are my second team aha. As went to University in Sheffield and went to some games there. Amazing stadium.

Hope they someone manage to keep Sander Berge... but tbh he should be at a top Premier League team. Know talk of Arsenal in on him. Too good for Championship by far... and too good for an also ran Prem team too.

 

[Striiker]

I appreciate all the advice.

Definitely leaning heavily towards Premier league or Serie A. Maybe the German league? I already know of a few teams over there.

Might just need to watch a few random games and see if anything sticks out to me.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I appreciate all the advice.

Definitely leaning heavily towards Premier league or Serie A.

Might just need to watch a few random games and see if anything sticks out to me.

Just don't decide anything until you speak with me privately.

 

[Appleyard]

Wow.

Stevenage (4th tier) knock Aston Villa out of FA Cup.

 

[Striiker]

I'm already tempted to buy some hats.

Already have a Juventus one and now I'm looking at a couple from Bayern Munich and Dortmund.

 

[TCTC]

Yeh. They are my second team aha. As went to University in Sheffield and went to some games there. Amazing stadium.

Hope they someone manage to keep Sander Berge... but tbh he should be at a top Premier League team. Know talk of Arsenal in on him. Too good for Championship by far... and too good for an also ran Prem team too.

Yeah, there were rumors about Liverpool being interested in him too. I'm glad it didn't materialize. But I can see him moving in the summer.

I spent a semester at Hallam University. So I kind of adopted Sheffield United as one of my teams. That's how Valencia also became one of my teams when I was there for a few months. Sadly under Peter Lim they've become pretty much irrelevant now.

 

[kudymen]

I'm already tempted to buy some hats.

Already have a Juventus one and now I'm looking at a couple from Bayern Munich and Dortmund.

Good. I moved to a city right next to Dortmund last Saturday. Bundesliga everywhere. Pick wisely

 

[Starat327]

I'm already tempted to buy some hats.

Already have a Juventus one and now I'm looking at a couple from Bayern Munich and Dortmund.

If you're going to go for a German club, Dortmund over Bayern is the way to go. Dortmund plays exciting football because they attract a lot of the young up and coming talent of the world (I suppose this could be a chicken or egg scenario, though). They are unlikely to compete with Bayern because of financial muscle but they are infinitely more entertaining.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Sweet kits too.

 

[Striiker]

If you're going to go for a German club, Dortmund over Bayern is the way to go. Dortmund plays exciting football because they attract a lot of the young up and coming talent of the world (I suppose this could be a chicken or egg scenario, though). They are unlikely to compete with Bayern because of financial muscle but they are infinitely more entertaining.

I don't know if my little heart could take having young and exciting talent and watching them leave to go to the bigger/richer clubs.

Sweet kits too.

This is what matters most.

 

[Starat327]

I don't know if my little heart could take having young and exciting talent and watching them leave to go to the bigger/richer clubs.


This is what matters most.

The difference here is that usually when one goes, they bring in another who is just as exciting. They don't just throw their money at useless vets to replace them.

 

[trostol]

outside of Liverpool..i've always liked Hull for some reason..