The European football thread

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

No matter what they say. England still have the most passionate fans.

Best atmospheres I've ever been to were.

Ajax v Feyenoord (old Ajax stadium)
Inter v Lazio
M'Gladbach v Hamburg
Barcelona v Deportivo

Greatest atmosphere

Celtic v Rangers

Most fun.

Any Wigan midweek cup game against higher rated teams, Aston Villa & Chelsea stick out when Wigan were a lower league team.

[magnet]

I can't imagine seeing a Celtic/Rangers game. How much are tickets at those 2 stadiums?

[bababui]

UKHS...may I ask if the football environment in England isnt what it should be?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by magnet

US teams don't have roving gangs fighting under the team name. That's a big reason.

We have our regular gangs already.

Spoken to a few Americans over the years and kinda makes me laugh cause they'd be like "yeah but you have vilonce at your sports and gangs at soccer games" but I'm like yeah but our gangs at football games don't caryy AK 47's round with them, alot of the violence now happens at the lower league clubs because the average supporter as been priced out at larger clubs that's why if you ever see programmes on England national team and hooligans most will be from lower level teams.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by magnet

I can't imagine seeing a Celtic/Rangers game. How much are tickets at those 2 stadiums?

Last time I went to an Old Firm game cost me about well cost my Uncle about £18 just short of $36 now when I go it cost's me around £25 roughly $50.

[bababui]

In America most sport is still a father/son affair if it hasnt already been corporatized. And we have never had standing areas because they are against fire regulations for some reason.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Last time I went to an Old Firm game cost me about well cost my Uncle about £18 just short of $36 now when I go it cost's me around £25 roughly $50.

Tix for the Rolling Stones might be $250. Tick prices are getting out of hand. It wasnt long ago the best tix at Anahein Stadium were $4.50.

[bababui]

UKHS..may I ask if you are a XTC fan?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

UKHS...may I ask if the football environment in England isnt what it should be?

It's not what I'd like to see, too high prices have priced out families and most importantly fathers taking their sons to games my dad used to take me to every Wigan game at home but it only cost him like £5 - $10 for both of us, I know wages and stuff weren't as high then but now it costs my brother in law about £60 - $120 to take my nephew but I know for a fact my brother in law isn't earning 6 times as much as my dad when he used to take me.

Also the advent of Hillsborough and violence it's brought in all seater stadiums were I've been brought up with standing, although some fans get around the seating policy big example being Man Utd at away games their fans always stand and nobody does anything but in the end how you going to make 5,000 people sit down if they don't want to

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

UKHS..may I ask if you are a XTC fan?

Don't think so as I don't know what it means

[magnet]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Spoken to a few Americans over the years and kinda makes me laugh cause they'd be like "yeah but you have vilonce at your sports and gangs at soccer games" but I'm like yeah but our gangs at football games don't caryy AK 47's round with them, alot of the violence now happens at the lower league clubs because the average supporter as been priced out at larger clubs that's why if you ever see programmes on England national team and hooligans most will be from lower level teams.

Well, we don't even have sports based gangs fighting hand-to-hand, is my point.

Sports and violence don't really cross that often here. It might be because we get our violence fix elsewhere (see: everywhere else ).

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Don't think so as I don't know what it means

Sorry..the 80's band..

Generals and Majors
Senses working overtime

[magnet]

Originally Posted by bababui

Sorry..the 80's band..

Generals and Majors
Senses working overtime

I figured you meant the drug.

[ukhotstove]

All seating is another gripe I have with Liverpool fans because of Hillsborough all seaters were brought in but it wasn't the lack of seats that caused Hillsborough what caused the deaths that day was the fact hundreds of Liverpool fans got into the ground who didn't have tickets, reason they have tickets is so that only a certain ammount of fans can get in but Liverpool fans were climbing into the ground without tickets so what happened was too many fans in the ground.

Liverpool fans do use the excuse that the police let them in which they did and was stupid but if all these Liverpool fans without tickets had stayed at home there wouldn't have been all those deaths, yes the police take the majority of the blame but what gets me Liverpool fans have never taken any of the blame with what happened at Heysal and Hillsborough.

What really gets my goat about all that happened at Hillsborough is that they got to the Cup Final and during the broadcast of the game you could actually see Liverpool fans climbing into Wembley, so doing exactly the same thing that helped kill 96 people.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by magnet

Well, we don't even have sports based gangs fighting hand-to-hand, is my point.

Sports and violence don't really cross that often here. It might be because we get our violence fix elsewhere (see: everywhere else ).

No it wasn't your quote I was really on about, what you just said about getting your violence fix elsewhere sums it up most.

What I was meaning way some Americans talk about football hooligans you'd think it was white picket fences and stuff in America but they fail to talk about the street gangs.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Sorry..the 80's band..

Generals and Majors
Senses working overtime

Nah I was brought up on Motown and Elvis, because my dad died (dad who I talk about is really my step dad but he married my mum when I was 5 so call him dad) when I was young so my mum had to go out and work so I ended up being looked after and brought up by my cousin who was into Motown and was in love with Elvis.

Then when I was older I got into stuff like Madness and The Jam (you can see their stuff on youtube) now I like all kinds of stuff but mainly Feeder, Greenday, Blink 182 and the like.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

No it wasn't your quote I was really on about, what you just said about getting your violence fix elsewhere sums it up most.

What I was meaning way some Americans talk about football hooligans you'd think it was white picket fences and stuff in America but they fail to talk about the street gangs.

Compared to the 80's, the police have managed to localize the gangs. Now days they just destroy their own neighborhoods. illegal immigration has vastly made the problem worse. Not the immigrants themselves, but their male children. They also have an alarming drop out rate at school.

[Big Hugg]

Could I bother someone to give me an objective view on this year's Fulham squad. I'm pretty new to the EPL as a whole and have adopted them as my team of choice. The media seems to be picking them as relegation favorites, but from what I can tell they do that every year. And of course the biased Fulham view is a shot at the top 10. Obviously, they got dominated by Man U, but the totally outclassed Bolton, despite the draw result.

I'm expecting the usual 13th-15th type season from them. What do you guys say?

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Nah I was brought up on Motown and Elvis, because my dad died (dad who I talk about is really my step dad but he married my mum when I was 5 so call him dad) when I was young so my mum had to go out and work so I ended up being looked after and brought up by my cousin who was into Motown and was in love with Elvis.

Then when I was older I got into stuff like Madness and The Jam (you can see their stuff on youtube) now I like all kinds of stuff but mainly Feeder, Greenday, Blink 182 and the like.

In Los Angeles, uniquely amongst American cities, there is a HUGE following for UK 80's bands mostly because of one radio station. Love 'One Step Beyond' and the single Madness released last year about the kid telling about his parents. Loved the Jam but what the hell was Paul Weller thinking about???

UK bands that can sell out the Staples Center: Depeche Mode, the Cure; Bush

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Compared to the 80's, the police have managed to localize the gangs. Now days they just destroy their own neighborhoods. illegal immigration has vastly made the problem worse. Not the immigrants themselves, but their male children. They also have an alarming drop out rate at school.

Yeah I caught something a few weeks ago maybe even months ago were they said that places you wouldn't expect gangs are having gang trouble because of hispanic people moving to places that they never lived at before, my take on it is your not on this planet that long why waste it killing people over dirt and stuff like I've always said I have plenty dirt in my backyard just bring a bucket and I'll give you a couple shovels of it.