Football (Soccer) Thread

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

Just opening a thread to talk about Football. just to see what the interest is like here on the board. so who's your favourite team or player?

Interesting to note, Fifa have taken a leaf out of the ICC notebook and are hosting a tsunami appeal football match to be held in february, the 15th, if im not mistaken. should be great seeing two world XI's competiting with and against each other.

[Beny]

I assume you mean Soccer.

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

yup. as stated in the thread name

[Beny]

....DUHH

Sorry Late night last night!

Personaly I follow the game... I don't really follow any teams specifily, I try to keep an eye on the Aussie players and the English Premmier Leauge .The new A-Leauge looks set to open in this country (nice to see them getting their act togather). Soccer in Australia has always been a minority sport but It's been growing in popularity ever sincnce the last world cup. On the school yard now you're more likely to see a game of soccer than of anything else... Unheard of a few years ago... it's mainly the younger kids (year 7-9) who are really taking it up. I hear some schools now have bigger soccer teams than Aussie Rules teams. With coaching and the domestic league getting their act together (some big names considering coming back and players like Kewell and Viduka puting money into the comp) it looks like Aussie soccer could take the world by storm in the next few years.

BTW It was always likely to boom when we beat the poms!!

[Nikhil]

Well, that sport really thrills me. I absolutely love footy. As you can see from the picture on display, I'm a Liverpool FC fan and a big one at that. I'm thrilled at the prospect of us signing Rafa Benitez as our manager this year and I expect us to have a strong second half.

I personally like, Xabi Alonso a lot. He's an amazing and quiet pass master, a midfield maestro who will succeed Zidane as the most accomplished midfielder in the future. I also like Steven Gerrard a lot and most of the LFC team for that matter, and I *hate* Mancs and Chelski.

[Zainub]

I'm a Manchestor United loyal, internationally I support England, Pakistan's football team is rated 147 in the world, last time I checked i.e., could have got worse. I've seen them play a couple of time in the SAF games and all, and we were very poor. I don't mind supporting them though, but whenever I'm following major international competetions like the WC or EURO championships, I support England. There are two teams I love to hate, Arsenal and France. My favorite player was at one time Beckham, now its' Rooney, but I like Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Vany just as much. I also like John Terry and Frank Lampard, not so much when they play for Chelsea, but more so when they're playing for England.

In Pakistan, after cricket, field hockey is the most widely supported and followed game (it's our national game), then we have squash, so in terms of the no. of people who are likely to take up football as their profession footy is probably not even a minority sport - its even less than that. It has though significant amount of following. Like in many other parts of Asia, the EPL, and CL is followed extensively by young people. You'll find a lot of Manchestor United fans here. Last year, the whole of the sub continent was absolutely gripped by football fever when the EURO Championships were going on, even Sachin was following the competetions! And before that, when we had the world cup, there was massive following then as well, people went mad about Ronaldo and Brazil - he become the new hearthrob in one sense. And not to mention more people went for the Beck's hairstyle then you are ever likely to see.

I started watching and following in 1999, the year we did the treble, it was the same year when I started getting ESPN - I just fell in love with United and the sport itself instantly. Can u beleive it that ESPN Star Sports show more live EPL games than any other sports channel (or at least they claim to do that)?

Apart from football and soccer, I'm a fan of everything EPSN covers extensively - that includes f1 and tennis. My fav player in that is Hewitt.

[Andy Mellon]

Well, I'm a Spurs fan (my family are from Tottenham - so not a glory supporter). I also support Colchester and Southend as the only teams from Essex in the Football League (I'm not counting West Ham as in Essex). As a side matter, my uncle twice managed Billericay Town to the FA Vase (the non-league football trophy) - so there's some footballing pedigree in the family - though none of it has been passed to me.

I always like to see Man U lose - even to the ****.nal - but apart from that I don't have any teams I hate.

As another side matter, has anyone ever played Kabaddi?

[vvvrulz]

I'm at the other side of the spectrum, a Man U fan, lol.

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

Right Benny, it does seem that the popularity IS growing. I'll tell you what, Probably the best aussy player in the league is Tim Cahill at the moment. everton's young summer aquisition It was very funny when he scored his first goal, because during the match he recieved a yellow card for fouling, and when he scored the goal he took his shirt off in celebration, and that is a yellow card offence. you know what that means. 2 yellow cards and he was off. scores his first goal and rewarded with a sending off! but its the rules in the end.....

Nikhil, I am not sure what benitez has done........ he seems a sound manager tactically, but ever since he came, your players fall over like matchsticks they get injured every otehr match, and they always out for ages. lol bet you heskey the second (morientes) gets injured too. yeh alonso has been your best buy, but even he got injured and then has been injured again. once gerrard leaves (which he should do hopefully) liverpool will be poor. because gerrard IS liverpool good to see us beat you twice this season

Yup Zainub, it does seem like man united are the biggest team out in south east asia, favoured by the majority. last time i went to india, i was pleasently surprised, it was very easy to keep up with the footy. great to see


Andy mellon, i have to admit i have a bit of a soft spot for spurs! you have a great squad this season. that new kid, what was his name?? he got 2 goals on his debut, and set up a goal when you trashed everton 5-1! that was great.... and defoe, well what else is there to say? he is a class act, best youngster in the prem with wright-phillips and robben for sure. how does rooney get picked ahead of defoe for the england games???
ps. no ive never played kabaddi.... how do you know bout that sport??

[Andy Mellon]

Rahul, do you mean Dean Marney? The good thing about Spurs is that - Naybet apart - they are all under 30. Jol is a good manager (I was worried he'd be the new Christian Gross) and he likes to give the young-uns a chance.

Now... Kabbadi... I actually played it at school. They used to show Kabbadi highlights on Channel 4 in the UK about 10 years ago as well. It was a good sport to watch in my opinion - quite a skilful game, and it was also amazing to see the different shapes and sizes of people involved. It seems quite a leveller in some ways. I would imagine if I was at school in the UK now, we wouldn't be allowed to play it. A lot of high contact games have been banned. I'd love to see a Tsunami Relief game of Kabbadi on TV... Great stuff.