Yey. Soccer <s>Footbal</s> season is here again!

DanaC • Aug 10, 2007 9:33 am
Well. Here we go again. The Premiership kicks off this weekend. Fans all over the country are gearing up to get really annoyed weith their team on a week to week basis. Plans will be made, matches attended, goals scored and hearts broken in almost equal measure.

Me? I'm not a major fan. I nominally support two teams: Man Utd, and FC Utd. But I don't attend matches or anything. Most of my mates are into football to a lesser or greater degree, and we often end up in pubs, watching the big screen, so I always end up getting drawn into the tales and gossip and transfer rumours etc. Every season, by the time we get close to the finals, I have developed an interest and then bang the season's over...and I always think, next season I'm following it from the start.

This time I have remembered yey.

Already Newcastle have had an injury scare (Goalie is out for first two matches), so that's at least one very nervous friend I have:P Since the Toons are playing my old hometown (Bolton) on Saturday, I shall be taking close note *grins*.

Anyone in here folllowing the season? Who's your team? Which team do you consider your most serious (bitter) rival, and why?
smurfalicious • Aug 10, 2007 9:43 am
The Man is a huge (american) football fan - lives and dies by the Miami Dolphins.

He was watching the first game last night, happy as a pig in shit.

I think it will be very interesting to see how european football takes off over here now that Beckham is here to glorify the game.
Rexmons • Aug 10, 2007 10:35 am
i think soccer will become as popular as football in the U.S. right after the metric system does.
DanaC • Aug 10, 2007 11:05 am
I can't believe I typo'd on Football in the thread...
wolf • Aug 10, 2007 12:09 pm
You want it fixed, or you want to bask in embarrassment?
DanaC • Aug 10, 2007 1:28 pm
I'd rather like it fixing..
wolf • Aug 10, 2007 2:20 pm
All better now. ;)
DanaC • Aug 10, 2007 2:21 pm
.......now that really wasn't very nice was it?
wolf • Aug 10, 2007 2:37 pm
Perhaps not, but it's a funny as all get out.
cklabyrinth • Aug 10, 2007 10:31 pm
Can't wait until the morning. Got my alarm set for 6 AM to watch the Sunderland v. Tottenham match. My guess is that Robbie Keane will score the first goal of the season.

After that it's pretty much soccer the rest of the day. Probably gonna watch the Watford replay around 8 tomorrow night to study US international Jay Demerit. It'll probably be one of the few Watford (or Championship, for that matter) matches Setanta will play this season, so hopefully he'll be in good form after a respectable showing in the Copa America.

I'm excited if you can't tell, especially for next week's fixtures. Hopefully Benny Feilhaber will make his debut with Derby County.

To answer the last questions, my team is Liverpool, but I'm quite partial to Fulham and now Derby County as well. Most bitter rival would probably be Manchester United, of course.
cklabyrinth • Aug 10, 2007 10:34 pm
Oh, and what is FC United? Farsley Celtic?
lookout123 • Aug 11, 2007 2:28 am
i will be up at 5 am to watch the mighty Arsenal dismantle Fulham. Go you Gunners! This is going to be the campaign that Fabregas finds his shooting boots and V Persie runs away with it. (crossing fingers).

BTW. Demerit is a great story and a solid player. it is time to throw Gooch out of the USMNT and make Demerit the #1. Bocanegra better get his stuff straight or move on, he is too damn weak. Benny, Michael Bradley, and Danny Sztella (sp) are the future of the USMNT... but who cares? Arsenal 5 AM!!!
DanaC • Aug 11, 2007 7:41 am
FC is the break away club from ManUtd. It was started in the wake of the Glazer situation. *smiles* its run along slightly more socialist principles.


I am so annoyed I don't have Sky. Really really annoyed. Don't have Setanta either. Still...that's what pubs are for right?

Though I nominally support Man U and Fc, I have an interest in Newcastle's progress and Bolton Wanderers. A good friend of mine is a Toon fan and I grew up in Bolton. I would say the most bitter rivals would be Manchester City (obviously) and Liverpool (old scores). *grins*
Cloud • Aug 11, 2007 10:51 am
REAL football has two ells! ;)
DanaC • Aug 11, 2007 12:23 pm
Yes we know. That was the original spelling error. Wolf very kindly 'corrected it'.
wolf • Aug 11, 2007 2:02 pm
I'm good that way.
deadbeater • Aug 13, 2007 6:30 pm
Man on Fox Soccer Channel we always get the boring games, like Man U-Reading, or anything by Wigan, while we miss the more exciting games, such as Chelsea-Sunderland. Sunderland played spirited, as if they are aware that they play to avoid relegation this year.
DanaC • Aug 13, 2007 6:36 pm
*winces* that Reading match was not ManU's finest hour. They piled on the pressure, but as soon as Rooney was injured they just didn't have it. Besides, Reading's defense was a great strategy, to hold ManU to a draw.

Would like to have seen the Chelsea Sunderland match. That did look an interesting game judging from the highlights.
King • Aug 14, 2007 11:21 am
Hmm United were poor. We're lacking someone to lead the line. Saha's the only one who can play that role but he's made of glass. Tevez might be able to do it, but time will tell I suppose. I'm not convinced that he's good enough in the air. I can't believe we've spent £50 million over the summer and have to play John O'Shea up front. Ridiculous. :headshake
cklabyrinth • Aug 14, 2007 9:43 pm
Anyone see Gerrard's stunner? Carragher handled the ball in the box, Villa tied it on the penalty and it looked like they were gonna drop points.

It was the first really spectacular Steven Gerrard goal I've seen since I started following the EPL. Of course, thanks to YouTube, which is ironically being sued by the FA, I've seen Gerrard's greatest hits, no pun intended.
lookout123 • Aug 15, 2007 3:12 am
no side is getting a worse return on investment than Spurs at the moment. what was it - 45 million and they lose their first two. and Everton owned them. woohoo!

still a bit nervous about my kids at the Grove though. oh well, win, lose, or draw i still thing wenger engineers the prettiest football around.
lookout123 • Aug 15, 2007 5:46 pm
wow - ManUsa is off to a rough start. if only they'll let arsenal get out in front just a bit before they find their way...
DanaC • Aug 15, 2007 5:55 pm
ManU had most of the possession and all the pressure was on the Portsmouth goal. It's that same old thing again though, just unable to finish.
Perry Winkle • Aug 15, 2007 6:48 pm
Gooooo Newcastle! (I'm mandated to say this by law. I will be living adjacent to their home stadium starting in September.)
DanaC • Aug 15, 2007 6:50 pm
*smiles* you'll be living next door to St James's aye?

So you are going to Newcastle University are you? A young friend of mine is at Newcastle Uni doing chemistry.

Where are you from Perry?
Perry Winkle • Aug 15, 2007 7:16 pm
DanaC;375052 wrote:
*smiles* you'll be living next door to St James's aye?

So you are going to Newcastle University are you? A young friend of mine is at Newcastle Uni doing chemistry.

Where are you from Perry?


Yeah, hopefully I won't be on the side of the building directly facing the field.

I'm from the States, and will be doing my MSc in Computer Science. (You might remember me as another poster... I had a name change a while back.)
DanaC • Aug 15, 2007 7:20 pm
*blinks* as in James Delphonse?
Perry Winkle • Aug 15, 2007 7:45 pm
as in Grant the Idiot Monkey Boy

(you're the first to notice my new user title, you earned a cookie!)
DanaC • Aug 15, 2007 7:55 pm
Ahhhhh grant! why the name change?
Perry Winkle • Aug 15, 2007 9:27 pm
I was worried about someone finding some of the things I had posted here. Now things are at a point where none of that would matter. I thought about changing it back, but that might cause more confusion than I already have.