olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I wish I could see the Champions league matches in HD I'm trying to learn more about the Premier league.....just when I was all excited about the concept of relegation (which I think is absolutely brilliant) I found out that they crown their champion just on a points system....there is no playoff or anything. That sort of disappointed me. Then I learned about the Champions league and I got excited again. I just wish I had more access to the games. The Fox Soccer Channel is awesome, but I'd rather have a better signal. I'd even pay to watch some of them, assuming it was a reasonable fee. I've been telling some of the people from other countries that I play poker with online that the US is ranked #4 in the world.....most of them are shocked by that, lol. I have to admit, I was too! 666699[/snapback] ho yes no payoffs in soccer national leagues but for playoffs atmosphere games we have the Champions league and the national "cups". The Final of the FA Cup in Wembley is probably the greatest game of soccer of the year even if the level of play is not as high as the Champions league final, you can not beat the atmosphere of Wembley ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 ho yes no payoffs in soccer national leagues but for playoffs atmosphere games we have the Champions league and the national "cups". The Final of the FA Cup in Wembley is probably the greatest game of soccer of the year even if the level of play is not as high as the Champions league final, you can not beat the atmosphere of Wembley ... 666704[/snapback] So you've got the various leagues like the Premiership, Bundes Ligue, and the ones from France, Italy, Spain, etc......then those clubs can qualify for the champions league, right? Who competes in the FA cup? Is that by club or by county? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 So you've got the various leagues like the Premiership, Bundes Ligue, and the ones from France, Italy, Spain, etc......then those clubs can qualify for the champions league, right? Who competes in the FA cup? Is that by club or by county? 666707[/snapback] the top 2 or 3 clubs of the big countries leagues and the champions of the small ones are qualified for the next year 's Champions League. The FA Cup is the english national cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 the top 2 or 3 clubs of the big countries leagues and the champions of the small ones are qualified for the next year 's Champions League. The FA Cup is the english national cup. 666708[/snapback] So only the English clubs compete for the FA cup? Isn't there some sort of tourney where the European countries compete in a tourney? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 So only the English clubs compete for the FA cup? Isn't there some sort of tourney where the European countries compete in a tourney? 666709[/snapback] Yes this is the european championships, that take place the olympic years only… France won in 2000 and Greece won in 2004 To give you a more precise view for the clubs competition, i’ll take the exemple of the french league but it’s exactly the same elsewhere in Europe. Last Year the League classification was 1-Lyon, 2 Lille 3- Monaco…. So those three teams were qualified for this year’s Champions League. Three french league games remains this year and Lyon is sure to win it all, for the second and third spots a few teams are still fighting hoping to have one spot for next year’s Champions league (Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille, Rennes…) . At the end of the classification it is almost sure that Metz, Strasbourg and Ajaccio will be relegated to the second league next year, while Valenciennes, Sedan and Caen, currently at the top of the second league standings should play in the first league next year. Yesterday the French Cup semis have been won by Paris SG and Marseille, they will play the final next week. When a team won its national league and its national cup, it is called the « Double trick » , Lyon will not make the « double » this year as they had been eliminated in the French Cup quarters by Marseille last week. In the Champions League the first game of the semis have been played this mid-week , it looks like Barcelona and Arsenal have the biggest chances to play the Final . The three french clubs have been eliminated earlier in the season (Lyon in the quarters vs Milano) . The last major competition is the UEFA cup that is an European competition for the clubs that have won their national cup the year before or have been ranked 4th of 5 th in their national leagues (for the big countries at least) . « Grand Slams » (a club that wins the same year its national league, its national cup and the european champions league cup) are very rare. I think Liverpool won one in the eighties but i’m not sure… No team will do it this year… Arsenal, Milano and Villareal will not win their national leagues, Barcelona the probable future Liga champ has not won its national cup (the other Barcelona club, Espanyol did it) so, well, the Town of Barcelona may win a grand slam this year ! (the town of London too, as Chelsea (and West Ham) can win the FA cup, will probably win the league and Arsenal can win the Champions league) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 Wow, that was a real education for me....thanks, Oliver! You're an okay guy for a Frenchman Does this stuff go on all year round? Or are there a few months where there is no competition at all? It must be really great to be a fan of a european soccer club with all of these tourneys and leagues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Wow, that was a real education for me....thanks, Oliver! You're an okay guy for a Frenchman Does this stuff go on all year round? Or are there a few months where there is no competition at all? It must be really great to be a fan of a european soccer club with all of these tourneys and leagues! 666713[/snapback] everything stops for about two months from mid june to mid aug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 everything stops for about two months from mid june to mid aug. 666715[/snapback] Wow....if the NFL ran for 10 months out of the year I'd never leave the damn house, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 everything stops for about two months from mid june to mid aug. 666715[/snapback] Champions League is more exciting but World Cup is still the best competition IMHO. It just got a bad name because of the way it was displayed in Korea with all the biased reffing. Maybe you don't enjoy watching WC as much because France's national team doesn't consist of many players that are actually french Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Wow, that was a real education for me....thanks, Oliver! You're an okay guy for a Frenchman Does this stuff go on all year round? Or are there a few months where there is no competition at all? It must be really great to be a fan of a european soccer club with all of these tourneys and leagues! 666713[/snapback] It would be if it wasn't so corrupt. Soccer is too political. The fans, players and management all have political agendas and it sometimes gets in the way of the game. If you wanna watch champions league, Spanish ESPN shows games. Just check on http://www.uefa.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirly5 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I agree that soccer is very political. I wouldn't put too much faith in the FIFA rankings. It is some complicated formula (much like the BCS). Is the USA good? I think so, but not 4th best in the world. I have Fox Soccer Channel and that channel is great. Weekends are filled with all sorts of soccer action. A really good resource for understanding the Premiership is The Limey on si.com. At the bottom they have a tutorial on relegation, the different cups, divisions, etc. It is really helpful if you are new to English soccer. I like the Champions League but that has some drawbacks. I guess my biggest beef is the G14 (it may be G12 or something like that). It basically is an alliance between the top clubs in Europe that guarentees that the members will be in the Champions League every year. I think teams should get in on merit. I have seen some articles that a showdown could come where the G14 breaks away and forms a SuperLeague making the Champions League nul and void. Enough of the doom and gloom. Soccer is a great sport and I can't wait for the World Cup this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Champions League is more exciting but World Cup is still the best competition IMHO. It just got a bad name because of the way it was displayed in Korea with all the biased reffing. Maybe you don't enjoy watching WC as much because France's national team doesn't consist of many players that are actually french 666727[/snapback] The Champions league level is really better than the World Cup. this season's Barcelona could easyly beat any world champion team in history. Club teams are real teams, national teams are made up with selection committees, most of them thinking politics before soccer and they only play together a dozen times a year while club teams are year round built and trained. and about France's team...Excuse me but what are you talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I agree that soccer is very political. I wouldn't put too much faith in the FIFA rankings. It is some complicated formula (much like the BCS). Is the USA good? I think so, but not 4th best in the world. I have Fox Soccer Channel and that channel is great. Weekends are filled with all sorts of soccer action. A really good resource for understanding the Premiership is The Limey on si.com. At the bottom they have a tutorial on relegation, the different cups, divisions, etc. It is really helpful if you are new to English soccer. I like the Champions League but that has some drawbacks. I guess my biggest beef is the G14 (it may be G12 or something like that). It basically is an alliance between the top clubs in Europe that guarentees that the members will be in the Champions League every year. I think teams should get in on merit. I have seen some articles that a showdown could come where the G14 breaks away and forms a SuperLeague making the Champions League nul and void. Enough of the doom and gloom. Soccer is a great sport and I can't wait for the World Cup this summer. 666736[/snapback] hirly so far the Champions league teams are there because of what they did the year before and the G12 can do what they want they'll not take the power without the fans support and the fans don't want a league with franchises like the north american pro leagues. the hear and soul of european soccer is still the national leagues, an europena pro league is not what the fans want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 Thanks for all the info, guys....it really helps me to understand the structure of things much better than I did before this thread Part of the reason why I love soccer so much is because it's just about the only sport I can put on the television, not really know much about either team, and just be totally into the game. I played for ten years growing up, and I remember very well what it felt like to play this wonderful game. I can sit and watch, and all of a sudden I can take the experience of playing as a child and imagine how much more incredible it would be to play as a professional. People criticize the lack of scoring, but in my opinion a near-goal is every bit exciting - and often times MORE exciting - than an actual goal. And something else I was thinking of when i was watching the NBA the other day.....In the NBA, fouling is basically a friggin strategy. I HATE that about the NBA....I think it's totally bogus that you can even have something called the "hack-a-shack" and really not risk a whole lot. Soccer is the exact opposite. You foul someone inside the box and you're in deep sheeaat! The severity of the consequences serves to deter fouling much more than it encourages it. I love that about soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirly5 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 A really good book to read is Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby. He wrote High Fidelity too. It is about his love or obsession with Arsenal. It is a great book because you can relate to it so easily. Replace Arsenal with the Bills and you could write the same book. This was the basis for the movie "Fever Pitch" that came out last year about the Red Sox. Once again, this will help shed some light on English soccer. I love to watch soccer. Any level. Soccer is like hockey in my mind, either you like it or you dont. A lot of my friends think it is boring. Not enough scoring or action. I can easily sit and watch a nil - nil tie. You are right about the near misses being just as exciting as an actual goal. What some players can do with the ball is amazing. It always amazes me how a player can take a booming cross and chest it or handle it so easily. Cross and then right to foot. I like watching the really top clubs or top national teams because the ball rarely goes out of bounds due to mistake. If you watch a Premiership game then watch a MLS game you can tell the skill level difference. The ball goes out a lot in MLS. But the best athletes in America dont take up soccer. They take up football or basketball. Slowly but surely I think the USA will progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 A really good book to read is Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby. He wrote High Fidelity too. It is about his love or obsession with Arsenal. It is a great book because you can relate to it so easily. Replace Arsenal with the Bills and you could write the same book. This was the basis for the movie "Fever Pitch" that came out last year about the Red Sox. Once again, this will help shed some light on English soccer. I love to watch soccer. Any level. Soccer is like hockey in my mind, either you like it or you dont. A lot of my friends think it is boring. Not enough scoring or action. I can easily sit and watch a nil - nil tie. You are right about the near misses being just as exciting as an actual goal. What some players can do with the ball is amazing. It always amazes me how a player can take a booming cross and chest it or handle it so easily. Cross and then right to foot. I like watching the really top clubs or top national teams because the ball rarely goes out of bounds due to mistake. If you watch a Premiership game then watch a MLS game you can tell the skill level difference. The ball goes out a lot in MLS. But the best athletes in America dont take up soccer. They take up football or basketball. Slowly but surely I think the USA will progress. 666778[/snapback] Thanks, I added the book to my Amazon list.....I've got another wave of CDs I want to order, so the book will add some variety Aside from my brother (who also played for many years), I don't think I know ANYONE else who likes soccer. It's sort of a drag cause it's always more fun when you have people to share the interest with, but if I have to enjoy it myself then so be it Something else about the game that I really like is that most matches are usually right around 2 hrs. They really aren't that long at all, and it's pretty much two non-stop halves of competition. I've said this before, but I honestly believe if you take someone who'd never seen baseball or soccer, put them in front of a television and show them both sports, they'll pick soccer as the more entertaining 9 times out of 10. Oh well, I'm just glad that MLS is having enough success to remain a viable league. I know what you're saying about the competition....but the advantage that the MLS has for me is that it's carried by HDNet, and the games look AMAZING. I"m also pretty excited to see Freddy Adu come along. He may end up being the best thing to happen to American soccer in the last 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 A really good book to read is Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby. He wrote High Fidelity too. It is about his love or obsession with Arsenal. It is a great book because you can relate to it so easily. Replace Arsenal with the Bills and you could write the same book. This was the basis for the movie "Fever Pitch" that came out last year about the Red Sox. Once again, this will help shed some light on English soccer. 666778[/snapback] I just bought that online- thanks! I still have some Arsenal songs stuck in my head. I sat in the Arsenal punting section for Arsenal-Fulham in March. Arrrr-senn-alllll! Arrrr-senn-alllll! Arrrr-senn-alllll! On a sidenote- Olivier, Hirly, AJ- are you familiar with the Auld Firm(Old Firm) football game between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtics? I was over there and heard many perspectives on that game- fascinating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirly5 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I just bought that online- thanks! I still have some Arsenal songs stuck in my head. I sat in the Arsenal punting section for Arsenal-Fulham in March. Arrrr-senn-alllll! Arrrr-senn-alllll! Arrrr-senn-alllll! On a sidenote- Olivier, Hirly, AJ- are you familiar with the Auld Firm(Old Firm) football game between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtics? I was over there and heard many perspectives on that game- fascinating 666872[/snapback] I know that it goes deeper than just soccer. The Protestants (Rangers) vs the Catholics (Celtic). I actually own a Rangers jersey because Claudio Reyna played for them a few years back. I have heard that you do not want to be in certain parts of Glasgow wearing the wrong colors. Blue for the Rangers and green for Celtic. Those fans have a lot of passion. I would love to go to a soccer match in Europe sometime. The crowd chants and reactions are always great. Hornsby does a great job in describing the environment at matches before and after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I know that it goes deeper than just soccer. The Protestants (Rangers) vs the Catholics (Celtic). I actually own a Rangers jersey because Claudio Reyna played for them a few years back. I have heard that you do not want to be in certain parts of Glasgow wearing the wrong colors. Blue for the Rangers and green for Celtic. Those fans have a lot of passion. I would love to go to a soccer match in Europe sometime. The crowd chants and reactions are always great. Hornsby does a great job in describing the environment at matches before and after. 666897[/snapback] People would come up to me in Glasgow and scream in my face- RANGER OR CELTIC?! I asked what are you? Usually they were Rangers. I asked "what would you do if I said Celtic"? "I would punch you". I then went to Belfast and saw more of the same. Anyways I bought a Celtic jersey and was a hero in Dublin- an American wearing a Celtic jersey. I also had some people yell some stuff at me like "go bomb some busses". Intense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linksfiend Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Tally ho dear chum... Off to the footy and all that. Spot of tea before the lads give the oppos a jolly good chuffing shoeing... England soccer is one of those things that brings out the rabid patriotism in me... Truly if you have never experienced 80,000 people in Wembly Stadium singing 'God Save the Queen' and going mental cheering and shouting at the end that you will not know... 666083[/snapback] I saw this comedian on TV a few months ago. I can't remember his name. But he was telling this story about the time he went to see a game between England and Germany. It might have been a "friendly" or maybe a Euro Cup game. Anyhow, I guess England was losing relatively badly - maybe 3-0. Then they started their version of "the wave" where everyone in a section shouts "if you won the war stand up", then they all stand up, then the next section does it all the way around the stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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