Football

[Futtocks]

Explaining Football to Americans - I particularly liked this bit "One man sitting near me was uttering a torrent of profane anti-Wenger imprecations in a low monotone, in the manner of a psychotic cattle auctioneer narrating a pornographic movie".

[Severus]

Explaining Football to Americans - I particularly liked this bit "One man sitting near me was uttering a torrent of profane anti-Wenger imprecations in a low monotone, in the manner of a psychotic cattle auctioneer narrating a pornographic movie".

 

That article sounds like my idea of hell. Compare that experience to a rugby one where opposing fans can be trusted to stand together in terraces without getting into fights. 

[Methven Hornet]

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/resources/images/2462111/

 

Bradford city centre last night. I may not be the biggest football fan in the world but the last time there was this many people in the centre must have been in the 70's.

 

Brilliant stuff and at a time when otherwise we might have had various factions of dicks on the street about the Woolwich incident.

It is indeed brilliant stuff. I always enjoyed going to City as a Rochdale fan; used to go in the main stand with the home supporters and enjoyed the chat/banter.

As a club they shouldn't be in League 2, and I'm glad they got the opportunity to overturn the disappointment of the League Cup final.

[Griff9of13]

That article sounds like my idea of hell. Compare that experience to a rugby one where opposing fans can be trusted to stand together in terraces without getting into fights. 

 

I had a conversation about this with a football supporting friend at work recently. I posed the theortical question about him inviting me to accompany him to a game as friend but a supporter of the opposition team where he is a season ticket holder (Southampton). He told me in all seriousness that I would be discouraged from showing any support for my team if sat in the home section, and if I did dare cheer for my team I would face being ejected by the stewards!

 

He saw nothing wrong in this and thought it perfectly reasonable. This from an intelligent bloke in his sixties, not some young scally.

[Bleep1673]

Went to the Espanyal Espanyol v Barcelona match last night there must have been no-more than 50 Barca fans in the entire stadium:((((

Hats off to the Espanyal fans who created a wonderful atmosphere it must be hard living next door to one of the world,s richest and most famous teams.

Will 100% go again next season great stadium (Perfect for a Dragons match) and excellent VIP facilities.

CM

Espanyol play at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, so it should be good.

FC Barcelona is a members club and only leaves 1000-2000 seats for visiting fans, out of 110,000, so why should the local rivals make an exception, they only got 2k seats this season for the Nou Camp game.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Bleep1673

[shrek]

I had a conversation about this with a football supporting friend at work recently. I posed the theortical question about him inviting me to accompany him to a game as friend but a supporter of the opposition team where he is a season ticket holder (Southampton). He told me in all seriousness that I would be discouraged from showing any support for my team if sat in the home section, and if I did dare cheer for my team I would face being ejected by the stewards!

 

He saw nothing wrong in this and thought it perfectly reasonable. This from an intelligent bloke in his sixties, not some young scally.

Its crazy me and a few mates do home and away fixtures between our respective teams always sitting in the home end and never mind showing support, talling with a northern accent in the Charlton end at The Valley and having far to much in-depth knowledge of "the visitors" raises eye brows - in my experience its most advisable to stay quiet and sit on your hands!

 

Its a position re-enfornced by clubs, nobody in the game seems to understand that mature adults are capable of mingling and watching sport, supporting opposite sides and not be at each others throats!

 

Recently sat in the South Stand at Wigan and a team of touring kids, aged about 10 or 12 were cheering on Spurs, raised a few eyebrows, but thankfully everyone was grown up about it and stewards (no doubt used to the rugby!) were sensible and they were allowed to carry on, led to some funny and good hearted banter between the kids.

 

Another reason to spend time watching non-league football, crowds mingle freely lower down the pryamid and people go home in one piece!

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

Its crazy me and a few mates do home and away fixtures between our respective teams always sitting in the home end and never mind showing support, talling with a northern accent in the Charlton end at The Valley and having far to much in-depth knowledge of "the visitors" raises eye brows - in my experience its most advisable to stay quiet and sit on your hands!!

Was a season ticket holder for several years at Charlton and only had one experience like that. Charlton vs Liverpool in the season they went down and a dad had his young lad - about ten/eleven with him. for a Christmas present he'd got tickets to the game in the Charlton end where we had ours. two or three Charlton fans kicked off after Lpool scored and they jumped up. They made a massive fuss so much so that the stewards were called to remove them. I had a word with them and they were able to watch the rest of the game from the stairs (about 20 mins). Crazy.

[gingerjon]

Its crazy me and a few mates do home and away fixtures between our respective teams always sitting in the home end and never mind showing support, talling with a northern accent in the Charlton end at The Valley and having far to much in-depth knowledge of "the visitors" raises eye brows - in my experience its most advisable to stay quiet and sit on your hands!

 

Its a position re-enfornced by clubs, nobody in the game seems to understand that mature adults are capable of mingling and watching sport, supporting opposite sides and not be at each others throats!

 

Recently sat in the South Stand at Wigan and a team of touring kids, aged about 10 or 12 were cheering on Spurs, raised a few eyebrows, but thankfully everyone was grown up about it and stewards (no doubt used to the rugby!) were sensible and they were allowed to carry on, led to some funny and good hearted banter between the kids.

 

Another reason to spend time watching non-league football, crowds mingle freely lower down the pryamid and people go home in one piece!

A few years ago my mates and I set off from Lampeter to see Ebbw Vale v Aber in the League of Wales only to get nearly there and find the match off. Checking the fixture list we saw Swansea were playing Wycombe in the Freight Rover (or whatever it was called that year) so we drove over to the Vetch and sprinted out just in time for the game to start. It was about five minutes in before someone wandered over and, with genuine confusion, asked just who the blokes with broad English accents and black & green scarves were supporting.

I've only done the 'supporting the away team from the home end' a couple of times. It is very weird.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

My late brother used to go see Spurs at their northern away games. He was in the old kop at Anfield when Spurs scored. Unable to resist he punched the air cheering. His mates prepared for a paggering but to their surprise the Pool fans slapped them on the back and praised their bottle.He said he was bricking it but bluffed it out.

I took an Arsenal fan onto the Kop in 1991 or 1992 who insisted on wearing an Arsenal shirt. Apart from a few ###### taking comments there was no response (Lpool did win).

[shrek]

Was a season ticket holder for several years at Charlton and only had one experience like that. Charlton vs Liverpool in the season they went down and a dad had his young lad - about ten/eleven with him. for a Christmas present he'd got tickets to the game in the Charlton end where we had ours. two or three Charlton fans kicked off after Lpool scored and they jumped up. They made a massive fuss so much so that the stewards were called to remove them. I had a word with them and they were able to watch the rest of the game from the stairs (about 20 mins). Crazy.

Sorry wasn't calling Charlton out, always an enjoyable day otherwise we wouldn't do it. 

 

The only time I've witnessed an actual threat of voilance was sat in the West Stand at Wigan with a Liverpool mate who couldn't hold in his frustration any longer and unleashed a few words of "encourgement to his side".  Old fella behind us tapped him on the shoulder, thanked him for paying his money, then politiely but firmly informed him those were the last words of encourgement he'd be shouting or he'd be getting a smack.  All abit surreal given neither were "lads" and neither looked like they'd fight there way out of a paperbag let alone throw an actual punch!

 

 

A few years ago my mates and I set off from Lampeter to see Ebbw Vale v Aber in the League of Wales only to get nearly there and find the match off. Checking the fixture list we saw Swansea were playing Wycombe in the Freight Rover (or whatever it was called that year) so we drove over to the Vetch and sprinted out just in time for the game to start. It was about five minutes in before someone wandered over and, with genuine confusion, asked just who the blokes with broad English accents and black & green scarves were supporting.

I've only done the 'supporting the away team from the home end' a couple of times. It is very weird.

Ha, had something similar at Yeovil, standing on the away terrace with a Charlton mate (I'm really not a fan!) and I clapped something pretty irrelevent, think it was a Paul Warne getting subbed (ex Wigan) or similar.  Got a few looks, mates explained I was a Wiganer, steward came over wanting to know why I was in the "wrong end", told him I was a neatral from Wigan, which threw him!

[Bleep1673]

Espanyol moved to a new stadium 4 seasons ago it holds 40000 (Voted the best to watch football in Spain) on sunday evening there was only around 25000 there (12/15000 empty seats) Barcelona crowds are well down this season as are most clubs in Spanish football due to the crises and not helped by the very high ticket prices. We paid Euros 1200.00 for 5 tickets granted it included unlimited beer/soft drinks and tapas before during and after the match but that,s expensive.

CM

Sorry CM, I haven't been to Barcelona (the city) for about 8 years, I didn't know Espanyol had moved

[hindle xiii]

I see Crystal Palace are in the PL now. Not exactly a fashionable club but used to be pretty big when I was growing up (or seemed it)

Wonder how they will go on?

Immediate favourites to go down it said on the radio this morning!

[Wolford6]

Go Danny Gabbidon!

[bedlam breakout]

Immediate favourites to go down it said on the radio this morning!

 cant keep up with whos in and out, wolves? qpr? reading? one minute their in prem then other division- too many teams in prem just making up the numbers, stoke, norwich, swansea west brom etc, there are only 3 teams in it man u man c and chelsea with arsenal spurs nudging but not serious threats and liverpool and everton badly under acheiving year in year out, hope it doesnt become like the rangers celtic thing with only 2 teams in it.

[RSN]

Everton under achieving? They've been overachieving for 10 years. They haven't spent much at all in that time.

[gingerjon]

Immediate favourites to go down it said on the radio this morning!

That makes sense. I'd have a flutter on that.

If I ever fluttered.

[hindle xiii]

 cant keep up with whos in and out, wolves? qpr? reading? one minute their in prem then other division- too many teams in prem just making up the numbers, stoke, norwich, swansea west brom etc, there are only 3 teams in it man u man c and chelsea with arsenal spurs nudging but not serious threats and liverpool and everton badly under acheiving year in year out, hope it doesnt become like the rangers celtic thing with only 2 teams in it.

So what would your friends talk about down the pub if there was no P&R?

 

[Amber Avenger]

So what would your friends talk about down the pub if there was no P&R?

 

 

Excellent!

 

There are THREE teams that get promoted every year so it is extremely hard to keep track of over a 12 month period.

[Griff9of13]

News reports this morning all about how England and the Republic of Ireland managed to play a game of football last night without it descending into a riot.

[gingerjon]

The franchising of the Women's Super League and enforced relegation of Doncaster Belles, relocation of Lincoln City to Notts County, and promotion of 'mid table in the tier below' Manchester City has now been reported (and condemned) on the BBC, the New Statesmen and US online magazine, Slate.

 

Franchised Super Leagues, eh?

[gingerjon]

News reports this morning all about how England and the Republic of Ireland managed to play a game of football last night without it descending into a riot.

 

From what I've heard - I didn't watch as the Cubs were tearing the White Sox a new one on ESPN - that's possibly the most interesting thing about the game.

[MikeW]

The franchising of the Women's Super League and enforced relegation of Doncaster Belles, relocation of Lincoln City to Notts County, and promotion of 'mid table in the tier below' Manchester City has now been reported (and condemned) on the BBC, the New Statesmen and US online magazine, Slate.

 

Franchised Super Leagues, eh?

I like how the Women's second division is called the Premier League.

[gingerjon]

I like how the Women's second division is called the Premier League.

 

From next season it will be called Super League 2.  And then there'll be a Premier League!

[Bleep1673]

to Bedlam:<br /><br />Wolves are now in the 3rd tier<br /><br />Scotland will be a one horse race for a couple of years as Rangers were sent down to Scot. Div 3 in 2012<br />And even if England do become a League where only one of 4 or 5 teams have a chance of winning, the others won't give up, or would you like to see a six team Premiership?<br /><br />Portugal is in an even worse position. Since the war only 4 Clubs have won the Championship, and one of those, Boavista only once (2000-1), the rest have been won by Sporting Lisbon. Porto & Benfica.<br />Scotland have had 11 teams as Champions, including 7 since the war.<br />England has has 23 in total & since the war 15 different Clubs.

[Bleep1673]

Sorry about the above typos I dont know whats happened