Posted: January 11th, 2010 | Author: Zim | Filed under: English Premier League, footy | No Comments »
Tom Hicks Jr. and his Daddy, rich guy Tom Hicks, are seen here in Liverpool, England where they are screwing up yet another sports franchise.
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Nasty e-mail from team president (who is also the son of the owner) made public, causes his resignation…
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What? You can’t tell one of your fans to “blow” you and call him a “fuckface”???
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Soccer is still boring even if this story makes it to light.
by Mike Zimmer, Man Utd apologist
I’m not back to England yet, but this story still came to me this morning. Apparently there’s been quite the row over the Liverpool owner’s son, who just so happens to be the president of the football (aka soccer) team and his nasty e-mail to a supporter (aka fan). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/tom-hicks-jr-quits-liverpool-email
In the nasty e-mail, Tom Hick Jr. told the guy to “blow me fuckface”. I don’t see what the problem is. You see, in England they have it backwards on almost everything else. We can tell the owners of our loved/hated teams to “blow us” and call them “fuckface”, hell, I bash ol’ Mikey Boy Brown all the time for being a big bag of shit. The thing is, they can respond if they want, but don’t because they have class. They tell us in no uncertain terms that they think we can blow them when they put together a horrible team and then raise ticket prices. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: August 16th, 2009 | Author: Zim | Filed under: English Premier League, footy | No Comments »
Wayne “Don’t call me Andy” Rooney gets one past the Birmingham goalie for an opening weekend score in a Manchester United win.
As per the rules and regulations of living in England, appropriate time must be dedicated to the sports going on here even if it is soccer…
A quick look at the Premier League and some thoughts on the game in general…
Opening weekend of the Premier League for me whilst living her Part Deux.
by Mike Zimmer, Chest pains (day-to-day)
Alright, alright, quiet down! I know this isn’t going to be a popular post back in the states withmost of you as anti-soccer as they come. However, as I do have some readers here in England and must as per the rules and regulations of the United Kingdom (Ministry of electronic media distributions bureau and department for blogosphere taxation) must report on certain sporting events here in Great Britain I bring you some thoughts, observations and predictions on the Barclay’s Premier League season.
This is my second go around for an opening weekend in the English Premier League. Last year I lamented that it wasn’t all that big a deal and it kind of went from some kind of big to-do to not really registering with me. It was typically British in other words.
However, as last week I attended an opening weekend Championship League game over in the city of Leicester (pronounced Lester as in Molester, see Michael Jackson) and now have spent the last two afternoons really looking for the footy on the telly, I have seen a little different side of things than I previously reported.
(The Championship League by the way is the level just one notch down from the Premier League. The top team and two others that win a play-off bracket get promoted up to the Premier league while the bottom 3-teams from the Premier league get flushed every year. Now, this is something I wish American sports had. Especially in the NFL where the Cincinnati Bungles may finally be shamed down to playing in the semi-pro ranks with other moribund teams like Cleveland and Detroit. They’d be the best second rate teams in the land that way!)
Yesterday a full Saturday’s worth of soccer was in the offering on TV andI made a point to find it and watch it. And, again this morning and today, I’ve managed to seek it out and study it. It didn’t hurt that some of the league’s top teams were all on TV this weekend just like they like to do it in the states. Yesterday there was Chelsea beating a poor Hull team barely and today Manchester United played earlier while I’ve got Liverpool and Tottenham on in the back ground as I write this.
While nothing rivals the pageantry and big to-do pomp and circumstance of opening weekends in the NFL, College Football or even Major League Baseball, this weekend did seem a bit different to me. The English weather is already crisp yet warm like the fall, I’ve actually tried to keep up a little bit, tried to read up a little bit and I can see something of a big national relief in the sporting world that the game is back finally after a seemingly short 5-day lay off over the summer. OK, OK, it was 5-weeks. While nothing is going to equal the rabidity and national obsession we do our national games back in the states, I could see the excitement of a new year.
So, I thought as per the rules and regulations I mentioned earlier, to quickly update and inform the masses of the Kegerator Nation out there of the teams and the contenders in the Barclay’s English Premier League or the big boys of the footy world. The top 20-team league in the nation if not the world. Here is my quick prediction and helping familiarization for all of you back home whether you like it or not.
My Predicted order of finish and a little about each team…
Much like the MLB, in the Premier League, there are only a handful of teams that can really usually stake a claim at having a shot at winning it all. The money of the biggest clubs makes it so. There then is a great mass of good teams that run into so-so teams and then the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates-type teams at the very bottom who will be very, very poor.
The Top Contenders…
1st
Manchester United
Last year: Won the league title, perennial championship title holder or contender. Nickname: The Red Devils. US Team Equivalent: The N.Y. Yankees. Big name talent: Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand amongst others.
Man United is still regarded as the most popular and most successful team in the entire world when it comes to soccer. This team is searching for their 4th straight league title and 19th overall, the most in the history of the league. Since English football re-branded into an NFL-like top flight back in 1992 as the Premiership, Man United has more or less dominated it, never finishing worse than 4th or 5th. I enjoy watching them because they make soccer interesting, because much like the N.Y. Yankees, the Detroit Red Wings or the New England Patriots, they play the game at such a high level they make it fun to watch. This is the rare team I like for this reason and they are pretty much either universally liked or hated.
2nd 
Chealsea F.C. (London)
Last Year: Finished 2nd to Man Utd. Nickname: the Blues US Team Equivalent: The L.A. Lakers. Big name talent: Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba amongst others.
I hate Chelsea, let’s just clear the air about it. They lead the world in ugly players for one, they’re a bunch of cheats and pretenders and their fans are smug and un-likeable. Yep, sounds like the Lakers minus the fact that they don’t really have a Kobe. While they do have an ugly cuss by the name of Dragba that likes to take his shirt off, he hasn’t raped any women in Colorado and gotten away with it. Chelsea are pretty damn good though and will with Man Utd. be on TV alot and will more than likely do well in Europe too.
3rd 
Liverpool
Last year: Finished in the top 4 as per usual. Nickname: The Reds. US Team Equivalent: Boston Red Sox pre-World Series win back in 2004. Big names you may have heard of: Steven Gerrard amongst others.
Liverpool are often good but never seemingly able to be really great of late despite nearly always being at or around the top of the standings (or table as they Brits say). Their fans are insane and delusional too and most people from Liverpool like those from Boston come with a stigma attached to them. They’re arrogant, they’re loud mouth know-it-alls and they have an accent that is annoying (think Paul McCartney crossed with Ted Kennedy and add 4-packs of smokes a day and that’s it!). Living off their past glory they are infinitely popular and infinitely wealthy and prestigious. I do like their manager Rafa Benitez though as he and the management hate one another and they win despite this and perhaps because he is better than they give him credit for. They do have have some super talent though and could win it all this year.
4th 
Arsenal (London)
Last year: Top 4 Nickname: The Gunners US Team Equivalent: St. Louis Cardinals.
Arsenal are led by a resident genius, in a big market, are usually always near the top and competitive and win despite being some how regarded as not as elite all the time. Sounds a lot like Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals. Arsenal’s LaRussa is a Frenchman named Arsen Wenger who leads an uber talented team of youngsters minus a big hammer of a star like an Albert Pujols. Wenger and Arsenal manage every year however to some how be very good and despite not having quite the glitz of the other big boys do have some expensive talent. Only these 4-teams in my opinion really have a shot to win it or finish in the top-4 spots by the end of the year.
The Good teams…
5th 
Manchester City F.C.
Last year: 8th Nickname: Manchester has another team? or The Citizens US Team Equivalent: N.Y. Mets.
Yes, Manchester has another team and much like the Mets in New York, they’re typically always over shadowed by their much more talented and ballyhooed rivals Manchester United. Man City however is trying to make a splash in the big times as they’ve been bought up by a sheik from Abu Dabi with big cash and an open wallet. He’s snatched up a ton of talent and even wanted to pay $200-million for Kaka…who apparently was a Spanish player. Their big money and a new boss may get them into the talk of crashing the party up top.
6th 
Tottenham Hotspur (London)
Last year: 9th Nickname: the Spurs US Sports Equivalent: The Chicago Cubs.
Tottenham are the ”other” London team anddespite always being pretty darn entertaining win, lose or draw, they are kind of a lovable loser. While they don’t have the annoyingly horrific fans and they are regarded as the London football step-child in sense un-like the Cubs who own Chicago, the Spurs are capable of the extreme highs a lows that the Cubs usually produce year in and year out much to the cringes of their fans faces. Tottenham do have a great manager too and some talent but are certain not to be able and crash the top spots after they remember that they’re Tottenham.
7th
Aston Villa (Birmingham)
Last year: 6th Nickname: Villa or The Villains. US Sports Team Equivalent: Cleveland Browns.
While his American football team sucks back in the states, Randy Lerner’s real pride and joy is Aston Villa, a storied club from the mid-lands who just hasn’t really done much since he bought them. Much like the Browns there is history, prestige and promise for a hard working city hungry for a winner. And, in the end, they usually tease but never deliver. While not like the current Cleveland Browns who suck ass, Aston Villa have some talent and the ability to chase but not catch the big dogs. The also haven’t looked good in the run-up to the season and lost their opener to a so-called lesser team at home. Sounds like the Browns!
8th 
Fulham (London)
Last year: 7th Nickname: The London team you can’t remember or The Cottagers. US Sports Team Equivalent: Carolina Hurricanes.
Scrappy, that’s this team. They are the team that no one thinks about or cannot remember when it comes to naming good teams andteams that can compete. A year after nearly being relegated out of the top flight in 2007-2008, they turned around and shockingly made their way into Europe by finishing Top 8 last year. The thing is though Fulham apparently are the oldest club in London dating back to the 19th Century. I actually have no idea if that was a fluke or not and to be honest this could be a rather crap team and I’m talking out of my ass. However, when you look at the rest of the lot packed in the middle and how they’ve played thus far, well, I’ll stick with them to stay about where they were last year.
9th 
Everton (Liverpool)
Last year: 5th Nickname: The Toffees US Sports Team Equivalent: Boston Bruins
Everton were supposed to be the team on the rise and while they’ve managed to make themselves a fixture in the upper echelon of the league, they’ve never really broken on through. They made Europe last year and will make it again this year after they slogged their way to a 5th place finish. However, they got slaughtered on opening day 6-1 at home (in soccer that’s like a 52-7 beat down) and I haven’t heard much of anything about them in the positive.
10th 
Wigan Athletic
Last year: 11th Nickname: The Latics
Another of the smaller clubs that has done well, Wigan kind of stumps the masses because they’re just not great but never, never bad. After making their way up from the depths of lower divisions they don’t seem set to disappear anytime soon. They also seem to be able to beat big boys from time to time or hang with them annoyingly. They beat Aston Villa on the road to open the season too and seem ready to bore everyone into the middle pack once again this year.
11th
West Ham United (London)
Last year: 9th Nickname: The Hammers
Another team from London that is on the outside looking up at big boys Chelsea and Arsenal. This team is another boring one that kind of always seems to hover around the middle of the pack never great, never overly poor. Typically when you get to the middle of the pack, these are the teams that tie (or Draw for the UK crowd) all the time. In other words, they’d still win the MLS undefeated and then some.
The Lower tier…
12th 
Bolton Wanderers
Last year: 11th Nickname: The Trotters
Bolton are one of the many hangers on in the middle of the pack, bereft of the next level of talent to really make any waves with the big boys. They’re rebounding from a re-build year too and would seem to be slogging it out hoping not to slip into the lower depths and fight relegation. They’re better than some of the other teams in the lower end however and should stay up in the big leagues when all is said and done.
13th 
Blackburn Rovers
Last year: 15th Nickname: Rovers of course!
Blackburn managed to stay clear of being flushed by 7-points over a crowded bottom of the standings board. This year should be no different yet they would seem to be in a little better shape when you consider some of the other teams they’ll be slugging it out with in ties all year long.
14th 
Sunderland
Last year: 16th Nicknames: The Black Cats or Mackems
Sunderland are one of the yo-yo teams that are always near the bottom of the league. They battle relegation instead of battle for championships each year and this year should be no exception. They play their best or worst soccer when it comes to trying to not be flushed with the dregs and stay up to live another day. Last year they weren’t as bad as some of the other teams including theirbitter rivals New Castle who did get the boot. It’s kind of a Geordie Bungles/Clowns rivalry too!
15th 
Birmingham City
Last year: Promoted from Championship League as winners there Nickname: The Blues
The quintessential yo-yo team going from relegated to promoted, Birmingham City is back in the top flight after getting the flush back in 2007/2008. This team is run by a cut throat lady who once upon a time used to be a hot piece of ass to boot. They’re not a good team mind you, but they should probably be able to stay up this season but just barely.
The Relegation Competitors…
16th 
Wolverhamption Wanderers
Last year: Promoted from Championship League via Play-off win Nickname: Wolves
This is only the second time that Wolverhampton have ever made the Premier League and the one and only time they did, they were relegated soon after. However, with some pretty bad teams amongst the bottom, they might have a shot to stick you never know. Really though, history doesn’t bode well for teams that haven’t been able to stick around in the past after brief promotion.
17th 
Hull City
Last year: 17th and last not to be relegated Nickname: The Tigers
Hull just avoided relegation last season after a dandy debut in the league to start last season. However after a somewhat fast start to their maiden campaign in the big leagues they managed to nose dive and win only once in the new year. On the final day of the year, they got lucky when New Castle lost and they stayed in the top flight while New Castle got booted. This year may be really tough for them to stay up considering they are a worse looking side than last year’s team.
18th 
Stoke City
Last year: 13th Nickname: The Potters
While Stoke acquitted themselves by finishing mid-standings last year in their first ever year in the Premier League, I don’t see them being as successful a second time. The battle for the bottom more than likely will include them battling it out late into the season for survival.
19th 
Burnley
Last year: Promoted from Championship League after winning play-off Nickname: The Clarets
Burnley is in the Premiership for the first time and back to the top flight of English footy for the first time in 33-years but staying will more than likely be hard for them to do. This could be a one and done season for them on the big time circuit.
20th 
Portsmouth
Last year: 15th Nickname: Pompey
This club is having all sorts of trouble and turmoil despite a massive influx of cash by new ownership. They are in a shambles heading into this campaign and look like the team that most likely could fall apart and go back down. They’ve been in the top flight for a while now after working their way back from the depths but it seems like another such backward step could be coming this year.
So there you go. Whether you wanted it or not, a complete look at every team in the English Premier league. Now, let’s get to some American Football. All this week will be my exhaustive College Football Previews!!! Oh yeah, bring on the good stuff!!!
Posted: April 19th, 2009 | Author: Zim | Filed under: Babble, Beer, English Premier League, Kegerator Nation | 1 Comment »
Saturday I witnessed Peterborough United Football Club or ‘The Posh’ as they are known around my new hometown play Stockport United F.C.
A Friday out drinking on the town somehow lead me to a soccer game on Saturday afternoon…
Yet, the visit to see the local “football” club in action was a fun couple of hours entertainment…
Beers were consumed, new friends were made, sports was watched, no fights or arrests took place and I might just do it again in the future.
by Mike Zimmer, Posh?
When I went out Friday night to my local watering hole for some beers, I didn’t really have a plan nor friends to meet out. Yet, I managed to run into some familiar folks at my regular local, have a few beers and then head home to turn in early and catch up on my DVR before baseball came on at Midnight.
Upon the walk back home, I stumbled into the other pub I don’t often drink at. For whatever reason I felt I needed more beers and maybe I’d run into someone else there too. Heck, it was on the way home any how. That pub is known as the “sports” pub and also has a few other somewhat lesser charms to it. For one: it smells bad in there. Two: I have never felt at ease in there and Three: for it to be called a “sports” pub is a crime against the ideal of a sports bar. The place has 2-TV’s, count them, 2 and since it has both a dart board AND a pool table it’s given that name. Oh and it’s next to the bookies and people routinely go down the sidewalk to place bets at any given chance.
It’s a rougher cut crowd, more working class and gruff and that also means it’s a bit closed off for a Yank like me. My regular pub has more of a mixed crowd and they’re used to the Americans up there somewhat. Even if it can be a bit snobby, it’s never been scary. My trips into the Sports pub in the past haven’t always been the case.
Yet, there I was and in the throws of tying one on in classic heavy drink fashion. Helped out by half a pain killer for my back that I’d taken before my walk home because it was stiffening up. Oh, and did I mention I hadn’t had a thing to eat all night??? I’m a big guy, I can hold my drink, but I was seriously wounded and then some.
Amazingly enough I managed to meet 4-new people and started talking soccer with them (football to them). And, I mentioned that I’d actually like to go to one of the local teams’ games sometime but I knew nothing about it, how to get tickets and how to properly enjoy it.
What I remember is, one fella introduced me to a season ticket holder and his buddy and they told me to be back there at the pub at 1pm the next day. The pub closed and I stammered home, off to drunk dial my way thru my phonebook of usual suspects for the crime. Luckily I only reached one person and let me tell you, my sister can be very forgiving. But, apparently calls were made, messages that I cannot remember making were left, regret and embarrassment ensued and the cycle continues. Tis’ the natural order of life.
For some reason, I went right to bed after that and awoke with the sense that I really should keep my appointment with the lads down at the pub or I’d not be able to show my face back in the joint again without perhaps running back into them sometime and face the stares and music of something typically unflattering about “the Yank”. The only problem was, I was hung over like a M-F-er, full on shakes, sweats and dizzyness to go along with a pretty nasty headache. Nothing else but slugging down about 12-14-pints of lager on an empty stomach with half a pain killer could explain that one away.
Yet I went. It was a beautiful if chilly day even with the sun. Typical English spring: even on a nice day of temps in the 50′s, the wind was blowing a gale of 20mph and it brought with it a cold chill that is ever present. To be outside at a sporting event though is fun no matter what it is, even soccer. 
The other end of the ”pitch” or field at London Road Ground. Yes, that’s the name of the stadium. The Posh’s home is modest but fair and my seat was as good as it gets at mid-field in the mezzanine.
The guys I was to meet down at the pub were a bit suspicious and actually a little surprised I made it. They were friendly but not very conversational. They insisted they could help me find my way, get a ticket and then rejoin them once the day was finished, no big deal.
We hit it off pretty good though. This despite my feeling and fear that they probably thought I was some kind of raging, beer swilling, loud American like I’d been the night before. I behaved myself the best I could and tried very hard to be as keen about the whole experience as I could considering I was hung over and felt really out of place and out of sorts.
Of course, we did have to have a pint though before hand and then another at a pub across the street from the actual venue itself where Peterborough United play their home games. It wasn’t unlike going to the states and having a beer at a bar adjacent Jacobs Field or like it was down at Riverfront when they still had Flanagan’s. The pub filled up with all sorts of fans, from scary to old to the normal looking folks like the group I was with. To their knowledge, there isn’t much of a faction of Posh hooligans, though I could see just like with Raider fan the stigma lingers. In the process of all this hanging around and chatting, the guys had apparently warmed to me enough to see if there was a way for me to join them up in their season tickets where they said occasionally there was a few open seats and I could sit with them after buying my general admission seats.
Both guys, season ticket holders for year, are avid fans. They travel with the club when they head out of town, missingonly 2-away games this year. And, they never miss a home game for anything. As this was one of the Posh’s last home games in a 46-game season that means they’d seen 43-Peterborough games before we arrived Saturday. Home AND Away games they go to!
Peterborough plays in the 3rd highest level of professional soccer in England. It’s called League One and they just won promotion from League Two last season after being one of the top teams in that level. This season, they are now guaranteed promotion again to the Champions League, which is the next level of soccer in the country, down from Premier League play with the big boys.
In other words, Posh are at the equivalent to AA in baseball and are getting promoted to AAA. It’s an interesting idea to their sports here that the game is tier’d breakingup the competition to teams of like skill and finance in most cases. It also rewards success and winning by promoting the good teams and demoting the ones that stink it up. Each year from the top flight of the Premiership down, they boot out the bottom 3 or 4 teams (or relegation as they call it here) and promoted the next level’s best. Think what this could do for baseball, I mean, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati would be awesome. In football, the Bungles would be at the lowest level and be fighting relegation each year because Mike Brown is a bastard.
Stockport with a rare offensive chance in the Peterborough end during the second half, execute the silliest play in soccer: the nut banger.
With the crowd chanting “We are going up, we are going up” and singing other things to that effect it was a fun atmosphere. And the guys I were with were more than willing to talk to me about the sport, the little things that needed explaining from time to time and sharing their view and interest in the sport. It was nice because I love the idea of showingsomeone that doesn’t know the sports I like. It reminds me more and more of why I love them and it’s always nice to have more folks on board or to understand you a bit more. I mean, these guys spin all the boring jargin about soccer we do back in the states about Football. Sure, sure, our game is better and we have more to talk about but it was still actually nice to hear it here considering I hadn’t yet met anyone that felt that way about sports while here in England that wasn’t a fellow American.
The London Road Ground was nothing special. The place had no special vibe and wasn’t in any way a cathedral to English football in the least. It was decided modest and somewhat minor league though it seats about 15,000-at full capacity. The crowd of around 10,000-was in good spirit and into the game intently though, so you can’t say their fans aren’t devoted.
It was very English in a way, very different than an American sporting event. There wasn’t a lot of conversation and I tried to pick my spots to talk to the lads about the game. The noise wasn’t like at an American football game either, there was chanting, ooooh-ing and ahhhhh-ingof course but that’s really it. And then lots of clapping and a appreciation of good plays, but it was very well refined and never over the top. One annoyingthing they do have in Peterborough is chant “come on ‘boro” which comes out of the crowds sounding like some deranged bird and not so much a chant as a sound like “CamonburaCamonburaCamobura”. say that really loud, really quickly and see how people around you respond.
No drinking was allowed in the seating area though there were modest beer garden like areas under the stadium. The concessions were noticeably modest to poor and it was also apparent that most of the local folks pretty much steered away from it as the lines were biggest for bottles of soda and coffee. Otherwise, there just wasn’t much majesty to it at all and it felt minor league. But, for 20-pounds or the equivalent to $28, I guess I was expecting a bit more. Then again, most Premier League teams are just like NFL teams in that that price is trebbled or quadrupled and then all the bells and whistles that come with it only escalate the price.
I was able to sit with my new friends and enjoy the game from really great seats. And, we saw one of those rare things in soccer called “a goal” when Posh put one past the Stockport goalie. Peterborough was actually really dominating for most of the game including a first half that was spent entirely in the Stockport end as it was clear that The Posh were much better than their less than .500 opponent.
Posh hit the “woodwork” or post of the goal 3-times and had a couple other near misses that could have opened the floodgates to more goals. But, such is the case in soccer that near misses and opportunities like those go missed and hence low scores that bore Americans. I mean, I was able to tell that it was an entertaining game and that Peterborough were better than Stockport but the score bores you when you here it: One-Nil.
With the win, Peterborough cemented their place for next season at a higher level and the home folks went home happy. You can see more about them if you like at www.theposh.com.
As for the day though, it was a good time. The guys I went with are nice fellows and I’m lookingforward to running into them again soon. They invited me back if I wanted to go sometime and said that I’d have to go with them to an away game next season as this season is almost at a close. We were able to talk sports both here and in the USA and it was a fun day talkingsports with someone here that loves it. In general they like sports just like me and we had that in common and were able to appreciate it. That made the all the better.
While I don’t think I’ll be getting season tickets, I’d go back to see more games over in Peterborough. And yes, I’m interested in seeing one of those away games if I could.
Posted: August 16th, 2008 | Author: Zim | Filed under: English Premier League | No Comments »
Yes. True. But what if you are stuck in a foreign country and are subject to it’s relentless existance?
Living abroad is giving me another view of sports, but isn’t really swaying me towards ‘footy’…
Opening days in sports are supposed to be a big deal, but apparently when you play 9,000-games and 423-cups a year, it’s not that big of a deal…
If I must be subject and therefore punished by this game, I must pass this on. Call it, pooping it forward.
by Mike Zimmer, Hooligan
For reasons inexplicable, I failed to notice or witness opening day of the soccer season here today in England. I didn’t realize that this was the first weekend of the season until well into the day. So much for the English Premier League and soccer being the most important thing in the world or the greatest league of any sport in the world.
I’m not sure I understand how this happend either. I mean, it’s not like this country isn’t obsessed with the sport, they are. The area in which I live perhaps isn’t though which could have some baring on my influence and subjection. The thing is, it really didn’t occur to me and it’s not like I was intentionally NOT paying attention. There just wasn’t this big to-due about it or any special importance put on the fact that the new season was upon us (like a cold we can’t get rid of). I mean, it just occured to me as I was watching the news this evening that, oh yeah, the season of the biggest league in England and supposedly the world had started today. Though I knew it was coming (like a swarm of locusts), the day escaped me and I failed to see/watch/listen or even hear anyone talk about it’s return. Strange. Perhaps it’s the British way to be understated about things, I don’t know. It just came and went without much fanfair. No one was talking about it at the pub last night, the television may have mentioned it some…but…I didn’t notice.
All I do know is, that when a new season of something important and all mighty is back in the states, it comes back with avengance. And that to me is a good thing. I mean, even to those non-NFL fans out there, you can’t NOT tell that it’s a new season upon you. There’s magazines on every shelf in abundance, beer displays with football themes, relentless TV comercials flashing every advertisment for every possible game to be played, when, where, what time and whether or not it’s in HD. There’s a buzz, a feeling, something special is in the air. Opening weekend of college and pro football is something special in the states. Wives are widowed, Saturday’s and Sunday afternoons are off-limits to and plans are altered until February and everyone knows where others will be when those roll around.
Not here I guess.
Look, I’m an America and by birth right I am allowed to hate soccer if I choose. There are so many aspects of the game I hate. Maybe it’s the boring ass eliments of games that rarely produce much scoring or excitement. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s “The Worlds Game” and I resort back to those hard to break binds of being an American and intentionally not caring what the world thinks.
Maybe it’s the flopping and agony the players show when a stiff breeze knocks them over on the field…er…sorry…pitch and they’re ”fouled” and must be removed on a stretcher only to have some team doctor put magic cold spray on them and have them burst back onto the field as if they were reborn or something. I don’t know what it is, but the game has never really grabbed me so to speak.
I’m not totally against it, I’ll watch it, I understand it (what’s not to understand?). I am a lover of all things sports and I am eager and hungry for it in pretty much any form. Hell, I’ve watched more of the Olympics this year mostly because over here they show a heck of a lot more sports on their telecasts that you never see back in the states. Mostly because we don’t have an appetite for field hockey, hand ball or fencing in the states. But, I’ve watched because I could.
Heck I’ve been a defender of the English Premier League to a certain extent. It’s the “best” soccer I’ve ever seen. More talent, more speed, more skill and of course you have the history and prestige of it all. Most of these teams over hear have been playing organized leagues since the late 1800′s for goodness sakes. I am able to tell the difference between it and watching the grass grow…er…watching MLS back in the states. It’s a completely different animal, it’s the best league in the world talent wise, especially versus the American counterpart which would be the equivalent to A or AA if it were baseball we were talking about. David Beckham went there for a payday and to be able to be the best player in a shit league, trust me.
However, now, I’m stuck with it. I’m stuck here in England and I have to endure it. But, the thing is, it isn’t like it’s being shoved down my throat here. Yet.
Like I said, perhaps it’s the area in which I live: it’s mostly countryside and kind of posh and old money rich. It’s not a football mad city center or area for some reason. There also isn’t a big team locally to support in the big leagues. Aston Villa is about an hour away and that’s it. The closest team on a large professional level is in Peterborough (amazingly nicknamed, The Posh), which is about the size of Dayton, Ohio. Their team is in the equivilent of AA or two levels below the Premier League which is the NFL of soccer.
The jamming of the sport down my throat may be coming. Perhaps their delayed enthusiasm for the sport is that they just completed their season like a week ago. OK, fine, it was early June. Yes, their “season” is nearly 10-months long though they only play 38 league games. The problem with that decieving number? Well, they play relentlessly. Cups, friendlies, tournements, it’s all just a consistant ploughing thru games and it’s hard to keep track sometimes. They don’t only play the teams in their league, they play teams from lesser leagues and levels, they are in tournements with their league foes in games that don’t count towards the season, but are in Cups. The goal here as much as winning the whole shebang is to earn ”Silverware” or cups and trophies. It’s inane.
Raphiq Doodlemeyer takes it from behind from Sven Svendrickson. Arsenal won 1-0.
But if I’m trapped here and I must endure it all, I figured I better get to know about it a little bit and then of course, pass this all on for you to have to see here on the site. You see, it was Woody Hayes that had this concept he wrote and spoke about at events called, ’Paying it forward’. Well, in honor of Woody and an American football fan being stuck in the land of soccer, I will “Crap it forward” to tell you of my agony or interest in ”The Worlds Game” and “The Premier League” of the world.
So, stayed tuned as I occasionally post articles about soccer. Look, I won’t bore you with the details and all the ins-and-outs, teams and players all that much, I know you don’t care. But, what I will bore you with is my expirience with it and my exposure to it. They do it on Deadspin.
Your welcome.
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