The European football thread

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Raderick

1 AM to get home? I don't get the UK. I really don't.

I don't understand what you mean

[Raderick]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

I don't understand what you mean

It takes me no more than 45 minutes to get home from Qualcomm Stadium to my home (traffic). What are they doing between the end of the match and 1 AM?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Raderick

It takes me no more than 45 minutes to get home from Qualcomm Stadium to my home (traffic). What are they doing between the end of the match and 1 AM?

err driving home Wigan to Chelsea (London) is a few more miles than what you probably travel.

[ukhotstove]

Arsenal didn't bring the fans on Wednesday like they usually do simply because it was on TV and by the time they got home your talking about 2am on a worknight when some would have to be up at 6am to go to work, why travel all that way when you can watch it on TV again proving that TV games effect attendances.

[ukhotstove]

The day you show live games on a Saturday at 3pm is the day that you will kill non league football and probably at least 1/4 of the professional teams.

[Raderick]

All I've heard about the former Manchester United owners were "two racing tycoons". Who where they?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Raderick

All I've heard about the former Manchester United owners were "two racing tycoons". Who where they?

This is one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.P._McManus

This is the other


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Magnier

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

The day you show live games on a Saturday at 3pm is the day that you will kill non league football and probably at least 1/4 of the professional teams.

There is live baseball on TV every night yet minor league baseball still thrives. I dont think the fans of the non-league teams will stop going because an EPL match is on TV.

[The Professor]

Originally Posted by bababui

There is live baseball on TV every night yet minor league baseball still thrives. I dont think the fans of the non-league teams will stop going because an EPL match is on TV.

Yeah, but this is only because MLB "helped" save the Minor Leagues after televised Major League games all but killed them.

Don't underestimate the power of television.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

There is live baseball on TV every night yet minor league baseball still thrives. I dont think the fans of the non-league teams will stop going because an EPL match is on TV.

There are just one or two more people in America than England.

[Raderick]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

This is one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.P._McManus

This is the other


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Magnier

I was expecting a different kind of racing, but I'll take it.

[Raderick]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

err driving home Wigan to Chelsea (London) is a few more miles than what you probably travel.

Ahhh. I just thought teams like Chelsea would only promote in their own village and not give a care about everwhere else. I guess I just don't get the UK.

[Sdpm100]

Absurdity of the FIFA World Ranking #1309

Courtesy of Sean Wheelock on last night's World Football Phone-in, who do you think is ranked as the third best nation in CONCACAF at present?

Now obviously Mexico are first and USA are second - even FIFA couldn't mess that up.

Now the most likely answer is Costa Rica - after all they have qualified for the last two World Cup finals.
But you'd be wrong. Amazingly (well not so amazing when you realise the way the FIFA World Ranking is calculated ) they are only SIXTH best.

So the next one would be Trinidad & Tobago, right? After all they reached the 2006 World Cup.
But no. In fact they wouldn't even make the final group according to FIFA as they are only 10th best.

Okay, so what about Guatemala, who missed out on the fourth place by just two points to T&T?
Nah, dudes, it ain't. (they are in fact 12th in CONCACAF)

In fact the third placed team from CONCACAF based on the FIFA World Rankings currently is a team that has reached only one World Cup finals in 1938, went out in the preliminary round to the aforementioned Costa Rica in the qualifying for Germany 2006, and lost all three games at the last Gold Cup to the USA, Costa Rica, and Canada.


Yes of course, the third best nation in CONCACAF based on the FIFA World Rankings is that well known football hotbed - Cuba.

http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statisti...v-2006,00.html

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Raderick

Ahhh. I just thought teams like Chelsea would only promote in their own village and not give a care about everwhere else. I guess I just don't get the UK.

It's the one part of football that's hard to make American's understand, it isn't a put down as you don't have away fans in professional sports stateside. Best I can explain it is say the Yankees played the Red Sox at Fenway and 4,000 Yankee fans who lived in New York bought tickets in one large block and travelled up to Fenway to watch the game, that's what football is like over here.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Sdpm100

Absurdity of the FIFA World Ranking #1309

Courtesy of Sean Wheelock on last night's World Football Phone-in, who do you think is ranked as the third best nation in CONCACAF at present?

Now obviously Mexico are first and USA are second - even FIFA couldn't mess that up.

Now the most likely answer is Costa Rica - after all they have qualified for the last two World Cup finals.
But you'd be wrong. Amazingly (well not so amazing when you realise the way the FIFA World Ranking is calculated ) they are only SIXTH best.

So the next one would be Trinidad & Tobago, right? After all they reached the 2006 World Cup.
But no. In fact they wouldn't even make the final group according to FIFA as they are only 10th best.

Okay, so what about Guatemala, who missed out on the fourth place by just two points to T&T?
Nah, dudes, it ain't. (they are in fact 12th in CONCACAF)

In fact the third placed team from CONCACAF based on the FIFA World Rankings currently is a team that has reached only one World Cup finals in 1938, went out in the preliminary round to the aforementioned Costa Rica in the qualifying for Germany 2006, and lost all three games at the last Gold Cup to the USA, Costa Rica, and Canada.


Yes of course, the third best nation in CONCACAF based on the FIFA World Rankings is that well known football hotbed - Cuba.

http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statisti...v-2006,00.html

That's why I've always hated rankings and seedings for competitions, I say throw them all in one big bag like they used to do and if two top teams play each other in the first round then so what. Why should top teams have an easy way through the rounds.

[ukhotstove]

Half Time in the Charlton v Liverpool game, wont give the score away just in case but a few things have been clear.

1) Charlton will get relegated if that back four puts in performances in every game like they are today.

2) If I were Barcelona I'd shove Ronaldhino on the right wing and watch him cut Liverpool apart.

3) Craig Bellamy must be the thickest footballer to play the game, he has bags of speed yet gets caught offside time and time again, all he has to do is drop back a yard or two extra to keep onside and if the defender pushes further up to compensate this then it leaves more space behind the back four.

[ukhotstove]

Cuba moved up 22 places who did they beat in their last couple of games Brazil and Argentina ? FIFA rankings are a joke and always have been.

[Sdpm100]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Cuba moved up 22 places who did they beat in their last couple of games Brazil and Argentina ? FIFA rankings are a joke and always have been.

Surprisingly no they haven't beaten those two.
In fact it is Surinam (3-1) and Haiti (2-1). World-renowned for their football those two countries.

[Sdpm100]

Absurdity of the FIFA World Ranking #1310
Of course the UEFA region isn't that much better.
Italy and France are the top two (ranked 2 and 4 overall), which is fair enough, although Brazil as always number one for some unknown reason.
In fact I had to laugh at the headline on the FIFA ranking website - "world champions close in on Brazil". They might just pass them in about 20 years time when Brazil fail to qualify for two World Cup's in a row.

But I digress.
After Italy and France, England are third in UEFA. Uh, how?
And fifth overall. Even after not getting past the quarter-finals of any tournament since Euro 2000, they are 400 points better off than the team that beat them, Croatia, and are ahead of Portugal by three places. Again, just how is this ranking actually calculated?

Germany, even though they finished 3rd at the World Cup are only 6th, just ahead of the Netherlands who didn't beat Portugal in the round of 16, who themselves then went on to finish fourth, yet are still ranked ahead of Portugal.
And that's even before taking into account the fact that Portugal finished runners-up at Euro 2004.

http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statisti...v-2006,00.html

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Sdpm100

Surprisingly no they haven't beaten those two.
In fact it is Surinam (3-1) and Haiti (2-1). World-renowned for their football those two countries.

Ahhhh I was close, I mean you beat that powerhouse of world football Haiti and you should go up 15 places at least.