soccer is teh ghey, football rocks your socks off
 

and monster is a weenie

I'm confused...soccer is known as football in most countries, so I could be voting for soccer either way. I'm sorry...I cannot vote in this poll.

football - the world's game. the beautiful game. you know - the one where they use their feet.

ghey? uh. no.

I voted soccer.....under protest!. Yours is the only country (as far as I know) where Football doesn't mean soccer.

Rugby.:bandaid:

I can think of nine sports that go by the name of football somewhere or other:

Soccer (association football)
American Football (gridiron)
Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football League
Rugby sevens football
Touch (Rugby) football
Australian Football (Aussie rules, Footy)
Gaelic Football (Irish)
International rules (compromise between the last two)

So, ahhhhh, which one did you have in mind when it came to sock-rocking?

Beautiful...until it you're watching it on television. And then its just boring. I guess you have to grow up watching the sport to get excited about watching 90 minutes of running, running, more running, some passing, and yet even more running only to have the game likely end with a score of 1-0.

Football (American football, that is) is the only game I can really get interested in watching.

it's sound and fury signifying nothing, but it means "home" to me.

Line dancing is to dancing as "soccer" is to ______

a) sports
b) no-arm diversions
c) boredom

:bolt:

see that is what most people think. in fact, i think the same thing if i turn on an MLS game. they are pretty boring unless you are a supporter for one of the teams. BUT if you watch teams that play attractive football, then it becomes a beautiful thing to watch, even on tv - especially on tv.

If you actually want to see the beautiful game i would suggest you watch some games played by: (in no particular order)

Arsenal - go you gunners!
Barcelona
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Sevilla
AC Milan (although the italian leagues can be annoying with their diving)
pretty much anything in Brazil.

Avoid MLS unless you are already a fan. It is definitely a kick and chase long ball league, but they are improving slowly.

As far as the 1-0 thing goes, yeah it happens. 2-1 is more typical though. But have you ever watched an amazing NFL game that ended at 14-7? the only difference is the increment in which points are awarded.

Annoying??

Did you see the world cup game Australia vs Italy?

Australia had made the Cup for the second time, and had got into the second round ... after 89 minutes it was 0-0, until the Italians got the ball forward and took the most appallingly staged dive inside the box, free kick, goal, game.
In one minute this undid all the good publicity for soccer that weeks of the Cup had done.

BTW Dana, Down Under, football does not mean soccer. If you use it that way it gives you away as a recent migrant :)

i didn't see that. I cannot stand the Italian national team. The whole lot of them are cheaters and divers. Serie A is not quite as annoying but I would say that is because of the influx of foreign players who weren't taught to fall down and scream anytime someone looked at them. unfortunately, it is infectious as AC Milan's keeper is evidence of. A Brazilian player with a decent reputation...up until this season. He is now just a joke and his fine career is nothing but a footnote on the joke.

I think this might be the big issue for why I never managed to get into it -- I really don't think the good games people refer to are actually aired, here. I've yet to see a game where players do anything more exciting than casually walk the ball down the field, pause to check for open players to pass to, walk the ball some more...

It is almost as if the field is too big to permit any frequent, exciting interaction.

Lots of boring NFL games -- I can't get excited about them, either. College [American/grid iron] football players are inexperienced enough to make enough mistakes that something interesting is usually going on during any given play.

To me, this still all comes down to frequency of scoring. I can't get excited about any goal in basketball -- how can you when there often more than one hundred points per team? On the opposite end, a single goal in the first minute of a soccer match might be the only one in the entire game -- enduring the rest of the game is merely painful because it isn't possible to be excited about field position, since a single kick frequently arcs the ball into a dead zone on the opposite end of the field. I find [American] football to be the closest you can get to a fairly happy balance, as even when the score is tight and teams are evenly matched, there is a tremendous amount of importance to field position and you can be excited/nervous at even a few yards of loss or advance. Getting a first down is, in essence, a goal in itself. The game is progressive and all players, not just the guy in possession of the ball, are forced to interact during every play, meaning no one is standing around with their hands in their pockets.

I think, for those reasons, are why [American] football appeals to Americans in a way that soccer has had a tough time gaining acceptance. Football matches our attention spans -- we appreciate the sudden "on/off" nature of football, with enough breaks to permit for beer/food runs without any need to miss a moment of the game. You couldn't walk away from a soccer match for fear that you'll not see the one and only game breaking goal.

...but I'm still trying to give soccer a chance, given that so many people tell me I'm missing out on something incredible. This is all, I'm sure, a cultural thing, anyways.

i don't know how to embed the youtube stuff in here like you cool people, so here is a link of a little bit of the beautiful stuff.
thierry henry
ronaldhino
C Ronaldo

It doesn't actually get going til abotu 1:45

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0wJsBQF9zWo


if you want to ever enjoy soccer/football you need to realize that it isn't all about the actual shot that finds the back of the net. it is the buildup, the interaction, the movement. every player is involved for 90 minutes with only a half time break. while some teams just kick the ball down the field and hope their striker can get it, the really great teams control the ball, use the whole field from end to end, and side to side. and sometimes the speed of the game is just insane. Liverpool v Arsenal this year was just insane. Liverpool had a couple guys that were ready to pass out by the last 5 minutes but there was nothing they could do but keep going.
if you are only interested in the ball hitting the net then just catch the highlights on EPL week in review on Fox Soccer channel or you tube. The game is what happens in between the points though.

Often the most exciting bouts in a match don't involve any actual goals. There are the near misses, the attacks that are beautifully and heroically saved, the ball that looks like it's found the back of the net, with the whole stadium baiting its breath, only to clip the bar and veer off behind the goal. Some of the tackling and defending is like watching a dance, or a duel. The goals are really a very small part of the actual game.

@ZenGum. Oh I dare say. I just like taking issue with the whole Football = soccer thing :P

But when they DO score... the celebrations are the best. You have to wait for the last one.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=k0fPnu1grSo&feature=related

and the not so clever moments
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8sflsSYxc4I&feature=related

We're not going to Austria/ Switzerland next year.
Sigh.
And I can't even say we deserve to - Lampard was gifted his goal after all.

Just hope we can get a manager with experience now, turn us around in time for South Africa in 2010...

Well....the Bookies have the Special One tagged as a favourite...

What can I say - I can put up with Boring, Boring England to get some silverware.

But once we've got our second world cup (pref against Germany again) it's buh-bye!

SG, Dana chin up. Maclaren should have never been in that position. Missing Euro08 sucks, but at least the FA has time to put a new manager in place and get things turned around for SA 2010.

I honestly hope it isn't Mourinho. coaching the national team is a completely different beast than a club team and i don't think he's cut out for it. he's great at mind games and those don't play as big a role on the international stage. his man management is ok, but not great and that is the key to the national team. if you can't balance the egos you can't stear that ship. he doesn't do well when he doesn't have complete control of the team and let's face it - you're england. the FA will never get out of the way of good football. if he benched gerrard they'd call for him to be lynched. you know he won't bench lampard. those two cover the same ground and shouldn't be on the same field. he becomes sullen and pouts when personnel choices are taken out of his hands. so no way jose.

you might have a shot at Lippi though. that would be pretty sweet.

Keane would be a better choice though because he actually is willing to talk about hte problem. he isn't gray enough to get the job though.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...484078&cc=5901

I would love that. He said he wouldn't take the job a few weeks ago though.

Really? I'd say his man management is phenomenal, and in fact the best asset that he has. The mental strength and team spirit that he built amongst what was essentially a bunch of mercenaries at Chelsea was amazing.

fair enough but what happened once a couple things went other than how some of the mercenaries desired. his gamesmanship cost him. just my opinion, of course. i think tactics are his greatest strength and off the field politics and man management take too much out of him.

Hey, a soccer thread! A really old one... Oh well... *BUMP*

Exciting stretch run in the EPL, no?

Rugby is better than both.

Diehard Arsenal fan here. I'll just sit here brokenhearted for a while thanks.

Diehard Chelsea fan here. I'd try not to gloat, but where's the fun in that? Ya'll got Drogba'd.

I guess that's not very nice. Let's both just fantasize about a scenario that ends with C Ronaldo's fibula poking through his skin.

Nah, ronaldo may be a diving pretty boy but at least he makes it look good.

You realize that Drogba is just trying to up his value so he can go to italy or spain in the summer right? I think Italy has to be the better place for him, it is the only place he can get away with looking like he's been shot whenever someone breathes on him.

We'll see what happens at Chelski next year. Lampard in Spain, Drogba in Italy, Shevcenko back in Milan, Ballack and Makalele on their last legs, and just wait for Anelka to decide he isn't being respected enough. Whew boy...

;) :stickpoke

Of course, Arsenal will bring in another 16 year old from Africa with a name we can't pronounce and an early 20's firecracker from eastern Europe that noone else wanted.

The only thing I like about that pompous prick is that he plays for Man U, and that way I can focus all my hatred in one direction. Despite being our London derby, I really don't mind the Gooners, that's how much I hate Man U. When nothing seems to be going my way, sometimes I just sit down, close my eyes, and think of Ronaldo sprawled out on the pitch and clutching a bloody compound fracture with his face contorted from the kind of agony that looks like the summation of all the fake agony he's wanted us to think he was going through when he falls down in the box because some defender had the gall to not fall down themselves when he did an overly complicated and unnecessary stepover. I think of that, and the world seems right again. :)

Anyway, Lamps isn't going anywhere, you can have Sheva free of charge (Anelka too, actually), we're not attached to Ballack because he's always injured, and we've been aware for some time that Drogba's leaving, so we'll just outbid everyone for another top flight striker like we always do. The only guy who would really break my heart if he left is Joey Cole.

As for Arsenal, it's OK, I'd take on the "wait 'til next year!" approach too if I were you. I'm sure you'll love watching them squander a lead by having a winless streak at the worst possible time next year just as much as this year :)

yeah, maybe. how many weeks this year did Chelsea sit on top of the table again? last year? How much did the mob pay for your squad?

vs Arsenal's squad, young, improving, can play attractive attacking ball like your boss covets...all assembled for less than the cost of your Ballack Schevcenko flops.
:D yeah, i know where my hopes will be.

Saw that one guy...Beckham, on 60 minutes. He came off looking like the goob I thought he was.

Well...he ain't brain of Britain, but he was a stunning footballer in his heyday.

@ Lookout and Dingleshmutz .... prolly best if I stay out of this particular conversation eh lads? :P

Ha, if Beckham couldn't take a free kick, he'd be flipping burgers somewhere...

nah, come on in dana, you know you're my favorite commie manc tart.

Improving? Do you mean as a whole? Because last I checked, ya'll are 0-4-1 in league play since Man U railroaded you in the FA Cup ;)

J/K. Anyone here follow US Soccer at all? Playing Poland today... I'm pissed Bradley left Altidore off the roster.

Well, see, that's just too logical for us, so we call a game where a player kicks the ball with his/her feet, not football, but soccer; and we call another game where the player is knocking down his opponents more of the time than actually kicking the ball, football.

Anyway, since the question is which of these sports is "ghey", I'd have to say neither. However, in American football, it does seem a bit gay that at the beginning of each play, center is bent over ready to pass the ball while the quarterback stands right behind the center in position to receive the ball, and the center's ass is right in the quarterback's face.

Hardly.

Oh wait, do you mean American football, or real football (what us Americans wrongly call "soccer.")

3 - nil shellacking of the Poles. It's not as fun when you have to watch games on gamecast because you're at work :( But I'm guessing I'm the only one here who cares about Team USA.

No, I'm a supporter. I go to the southwest and west coast games. This game just didn't really grab me. Bradley got my hopes up early but has left me hanging since he got the fulltime gig.

Click Click

How about against England at Wembley? I'm already excited. It's tough to ever cheer against my Chelsea lads, buuut... Yay jingoism!

Hee hee hee, Thank you Riise! You'll never walk alone now, chump.

Yeah, keep on cheering for that diver, er i mean forward Drogba. Or how about Terry's nice little stamp on on Torres. Cheating Chelscum.;)

Seriously, how the hell did Riise screw that up?

Haha, who knows. The ref had to have had the whistle in his mouth, Riise clears it correctly, they would've called time right then. Absolutely amazing. I think my favorite part about the whole thing is hearing the Kop singing "You'll never walk alone" when it happened. Gawd what I would give to see the look on their faces...

"You'll never walk al... OH SHIT!"

Hahahaha... That poofter got what he deserved today.. I don't care how good you think you are, PK's are a big deal, take them with a purpose, you fuckin' Prima Donna... Go Barca!

I'll agree with you there. They should have had Henry up front all game, hell, all season.

My brother would love you, lj. Not in teh ghey whey.

I dunno about all season, I'm not sure how his game translates to La Liga. But all game? Definitely. Think he might have an inkling about how to score against an English team? Boy, I'm loving those Rijkaard to Chelsea rumors now even more. :headshake

*SNAP* Back to reality LJ, take your hand out of your pants and shelf those Beckham fantasies for a later time please.

I wouldn't f*** Beckham with someone else's p****.

But that's not soccer-related. I feel the same way about Ben Roethlisberger. ;)

yeah. i play. well, i kick a ball on a field and sometimes it goes in the same general direction that i had hoped for. they put the nets on the end of the field just so we feel like real players. we don't really score much. it's kind of like international soccer.

I think Henry would have done really well if they'd played him in a position he was meant for. he's a goalscoring forward. not a left winger. he can't defend for shit and he's past his prime so the running that is expected from a winger just wasn't going to work. but put the ball at his feet in a central position, watch him fade left and cut in and just count the points. It would have worked well in a slower league like spain.

Yeah, that's true. They did put him up top yesterday, and he almost scored.. Too bad it was like the 80th minute that Rijkaard figured out that he might know how to score against a team he'd been playing at least twice a year for the past several season. But oh well, screw him, I hold grudges against the Froggies for no particular reason. Frogs and Canucks. Or the worst of the worst, the Froggy Canucks. Hmm... What was I talking about again?

Not a fan of the frogs myself, but but but they make some great players. Did I mention I'm an Arsenal fan? Hell, we have half the french national team in London.

I got to see AC Milan Primavera upclose in real life last June.
Mille grazi! More football please!
Dreamy sigh.
Italians. : )

Holy shit. Lookout, did you watch? Took a year or two off my life. I almost cried when Lamps got his goal for his mum.

I was expecting a boring (for casual fans) 1-0 longball Chelsea win. That game was fantastic.

I watched as much as I could stomach. Just don't like the way either team plays. I'm not a Lampard fan and I didn't want Chelski to win, but it was nice to see him hit the PK for his mother.