The 2016-2017 Football Thread

[Scepticalscribe]

I'd like everyone to know, I can't stand the International break. More importantly, I can't stand that we've (England) not won anything major since 1996. And, and, and, wait for it, Iceland beat us.

Yeah, let that settle in...

The only word - something of an incorrigible cliché, I know, - that can be used to describe Iceland is.........."plucky".

Plucky. And - yes, admit it, well deserving of their victory.

I have to say that while I am somewhat sympathetic to England's plight, I find the excessive emotion that accompanies yet another (largely self inflicted) disaster on the international football field to be.......actually quite hilarious at times.

On a more serious note, let us not forget that England had an excellent team in the early 90s, and still got grief (from the public, the media, their own administration and sundry others).

 

[ivanwi11iams]

i swear to god i don't have another burner account on here...

LOL - that was taken care of today. Thanks to the Admin team.

 

[pachyderm]

LOL - that was taken care of today. Thanks to the Admin team.

not sure if we understand each other or not. i usually post just about the same thing during the Int break.

 

[Centaurr]

*World Cup update

James will be out of the Colombia game today against Paraguay due to a muscle strain, hopefully he will be back on the 11th versus Urugray for the WC Quailifiers

 

[pachyderm]

All right, this time the INT break has really and truly pissed me off!

At least 5 of my teammates are going to the MEX vs NZ match here in Nashville Saturday night leaving us thin/shorthanded.

3 of them are starters and one of them leads the team in assists, he's 2nd in goals scored to boot!

1 of them is our 2nd string keeper and being as we haven't heard from our first string keeper we are a bit worried to say the least.

We are in 1st place and are playing the 3rd place team but we need to win because 2nd place is playing the worst team in the league and will surely win.

 

[MonkeySee....]

You got pipped to 2nd by your worst enemy when it all but looked set in stone?

Yeah but thats vanity. Actually meant nothing as we had qualified already for the champions league.

 

[pachyderm]

Yeah but thats vanity. Actually meant nothing as we had qualified already for the champions league.

plus true spurs fans knew it would end like that.

while everyone else was thinking, "wow! spurs might finish 2nd!", true spurs fans were thinking, "hopefully we can finish one or two spots below 2nd!"

 

[ivanwi11iams]

All I have to say is, "We are The Arsenal..." The End

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Boy, am I sick of hearing about Rooney.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Boy, am I sick of hearing about Rooney.

In fairness to him, I don't actually think that this is Rooney's fault.

This is because he is not (or has never struck me as being) a narcissist, avid for publicity. This blanket coverage is more s symptom of the yearning, longing, and neediness on the part of the English media, - wider society and supporters - who have long seen him as a talisman.

Rooney's own commitment, work ethic and passion - for both Manchester United and England - have never been in doubt. To his credit, he was never one of those jaded yawning stars - he does care about outcomes.

The tragedy is that - in common with everyone else - age has taken the edge off his pace, and his endurance, and he is not the player he was. This doesn't mean that he deserves the long drawn out agony (and indeed, humiliation - the old "set up for a fall" beloved of much public commentary - besides, arrogance has never been one of Rooney's besetting sins, and he has served England well and better than most) of what is currently taking place.

He deserves better, a quiet word in his ear, a bit of respect; he can still play a role as a mentor and guide in the dressing room of the England set up.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I certainly wouldn't blame Rooney for the coverage about Rooney, though his agent is a terrible human being.

Maybe once he's gone the media and fans will find it harder to ramp up expectations, since England will be without a genuine 'superstar'. Or, more likely, they'll try to manufacture one out of Sterling or someone else, with predictable results.

 

[JamesMike]

Hopefully England will perform well tomorrow.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Since McLaren's England failed to qualify for the Euros, England's record in qualifying has been outstanding. Yet their performance in actual tournaments has been laughable.

So I'm not worried about England - they'll beat Slovenia or at worse draw (though I'll root for Slovenia, half my family hails from there). But it won't indicate that anything has changed.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Since McLaren's England failed to qualify for the Euros, England's record in qualifying has been outstanding. Yet their performance in actual tournaments has been laughable.

So I'm not worried about England - they'll beat Slovenia or at worse draw (though I'll root for Slovenia, half my family hails from there). But it won't indicate that anything has changed.

If we win the press will have us down as world betters.
If we lose or drawer they will be calling for a new manager and questioning his selection.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

If we win the press will have us down as world betters.
If we lose or drawer they will be calling for a new manager and questioning his selection.

England have got to be the most overrated international team out there. It's not entirely their own fault, and the English press are certainly not the only national media to get hysterical about their national team. Same goes for the fans, I avoid forums devoted to the USMNT, for example - so much drama, rage and mountains being made out of molehills.

But with that being said, there just seems to be so much angst over England as a team that should be world-class but always fails when the chips are down. The thing is, so many manager/systems/players have come and gone, you can't blame them for this supposed lack of performance in the long term. So let's look at what has not changed over the last few decades:

• The Fans
• The Media
• The FA

I think it's fair to say that these three groups are more responsible for the long-term expectations, image, and structure of the England national team than the players and managers. Fans can drive expectations to a certain degree, but have almost no power over the structure. The media often shape the team's image and expectations, for better or worse. But only the FA can alter the structure, which is fundamental to the national team's prospects in the long run; yet the elderly suits inhabiting the FA are always the last to get fired or changed when things go wrong. Hmm. Why didn't a bunch of FA suits do the decent thing and resign when their football program failed miserably at the Euros? Surely they are more responsible for the debacle than anyone else? But no, the manager will serve as an eternal scapegoat.

 

[JamesMike]

At least Hart had a good match.

 

[Centaurr]

Full Time: Colombia 2-2 Uruguay #WCQ #WithOutJames

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Tonight we were treated to the hilarious spectacle of England fans singing 'Justice for Allardyce'. You can't make this stuff up.

Meanwhile, USA draw 1-1 in their friendly against New Zealand. Less than 10,000 fans in attendance - US Soccer looking a bit stupid charging $80+ a pop for a friendly match against New Zealand, and RFK Sradium outside DC is not known for its big crowds. Would it kill them to drop the price for these kinds of matches? Heck, I could buy four match tickets for Columbus Crew SC for that money.

 

[twietee]

US Soccer looking a bit stupid charging $80+ a pop for a friendly match against New Zealand

Spoiler

-

Dortmund with a mile long sickbay - maybe Hertha can get the best of them and reach for the no1 spot? Good times!!

 

[pachyderm]

I certainly wouldn't blame Rooney for the coverage about Rooney, though his agent is a terrible human being.

Maybe once he's gone the media and fans will find it harder to ramp up expectations, since England will be without a genuine 'superstar'. Or, more likely, they'll try to manufacture one out of Sterling or someone else, with predictable results.

ALL agents are terrible people.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Not all the tickets were that much - I think the cheapest were $25 - but I heard a lot of complaints about the price structure for this match. Sure, people will pay through the nose when we play Mexico in a qualifier, but they should slash prices at least in half for a New Zealand friendly. Focus on filling the stadium rather than making a few extra tens of thousands of dollars. The TV money is way bigger anyway.

 

[JamesMike]

They should have a lower price for children to build a larger fan base.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

They should have a lower price for children to build a larger fan base.

I agree.

However, these days, I think many clubs - especially the obscenely wealthy ones - are a lot less interested in the traditional 'fan base' than in marketing the club internationally.

With funding secure from owners such as oligarchs, TV deals and merchandising, financially, they don't need the fans, or close ties with locals in the regions where they are based. At best, locals supply a little local colour - a nice atmospheric backdrop at matches, - but many of the new breed of wealthy owners are indifferent to local traditions and local pride.

 

[pachyderm]

I agree.

However, these days, I think many clubs - especially the obscenely wealthy ones - are a lot less interested in the traditional 'fan base' than in marketing the club internationally.

With funding secure from owners such as oligarchs, TV deals and merchandising, financially, they don't need the fans, or close ties with locals in the regions where they are based. At best, locals supply a little local colour - a nice atmospheric backdrop at matches, - but many of the new breed of wealthy owners are indifferent to local traditions and local pride.

Completely agreed.

 

[MonkeySee....]

All I have to say is, "We are The Arsenal..." The End

"The Arsenal"