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Kind of like Rhetoric's post, I follow a sport (soccer) that doesn't have real legs professionally in my home country. I've been a LA Galaxy fan for a long time, but the Beckham drama, lack of success, and the internal finger pointing have taken a toll on me, so I'm setting my sights on the big leagues: The Premiership. Basically, I have only have one criteria: NO MAN U! I don't like the Yankees, and I surely don't want to root for their English counterpart. Any suggestions?
I'll suggest a few. Celtic (pronounced with a soft c) is one of the top teams in the Scottish Premiere. They have passionate fans and a great history/stadium. Celtic is basically an underdog when UEFA time rolls around, so they are a blast to root for. Also, if you're a Rod Stewart fan, he is one of their biggest supporters.
A good choice for the English Premiere would be Everton. They compete with Man U, so you'll have plenty of reason to root for them. Plus, the top US goalkeeper (Tim Howard) is on this team.
Lastly, you can choose Chelsea. If Man U is the Yankees,I'd say Chelsea is like the Angels. Both are solid teams, consistently at the top of the standings, and they also both have connections with Disney. Hope this helps in your search, but don't give up on the Galaxy. Things will turn around.
If Chelsea is like the Angels who is like the Red Sox? I mean a real winner this century....Lets put things in perspective people Yankess in the 21st Century = zero chamionships....what have you done for me lately? :thumbsup: Could not resist.Quote:
Originally Posted by cubbie
Plus I don't know too many Rod Stewart fans maybe if you had said Roddy Piper ;)
I think the Yankees/Man U comparison is in regards to being the most successful and most despised teams in the sport. I don't think a few recent titles will move the Sox into mostQuote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawler
successful, and I doubt you'd want them to be the most despised. If I must give the Red Sox equivalent to appease those New England fans, I'd say they are like Arsenal. They have two titles this decade, plus their home jerseys are red.
:jaw:Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawler
Really!?! You know more fans of Roddy Piper than Rod Stewart? We're talking about a former wrestler (or is he still around) who pretends he's from Scotland versus a singer who still sells out concerts, right? I'm still young, but I enjoy Rod Stewart's music. Tell me I'm not that much out of the loop.
Sadly the Premier League is becoming remarkably repetitive. Basically if you're deciding to support a team then you can pick exactly how succesful you want to be from the get-go.
If you want a team that stands any chance of winning the league then you can only choose ManU, Chelsea and whoever happens to have just been taken over by a conglomerate this week. There are absolutely no competitive safeguards in British sport and so it's just going to get worse from here on in.
I would recommend either Eveton or Aston VIlla to anybody looking to get a team. They are competitive each year, have great managers, and may eventually on a good year break the stornghold of the really big teams.
Of the big teams, Arsenal are the best pick as they play the most attractive football. On the other hand they're the least likely to do some thing the next few years.
If you want success and to be competing for the League Championship each year then there are really only 3 teams maybe four at a push. These are Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal.
These teams finish in the top four every season and therefore qualify for the lucrative Champions League. As they are in the Champions League they then generate the most money and then attract the best players leaving the other clubs out in the cold.
You've already stated that you don't want Man U (well done). Chelsea are a team that has a billionaire owner and has pumped masses of money into the club. Liverpool and Arsenal have rich histories but have been the also rans in recent seasons.
At the end of the day it would be easy to jump on the bandwagon and support one of these teams.
Manchester City have now got a rich billionare owner and they are throwing huge contracts to anyone who is interested and another team who are trying to buy success.
Outside these five there are a few teams that you may consider. Everton & Aston Villa have already been mentioned but are a little on the dull side. So I'll have to try and sell you my club. Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham Hotspur are another club that has a rich and colourful history but have found wanting in recent years. But one thing that you can be sure of with The Spurs is that there will always be some sort of drama or crisis going on. You will always be assured of a rollercoaster ride each season. We've even made it to a couple of cup finals in the last couple of seasons as well as starting last years campaign so badly that we were dead certs for relegation but ended the season one win away from European qualification.
Never a dull moment and normally a few goals to satisfy the neutral fan.
So try something different and support The Spurs!!! :thumbsup: (Someone has to) :)
Your that much out of the loop ;) Just a matter of taste thats all. I don't want to hijack this thread, but I just don't hear Rod Stewert any more unless its on an oldies light rock station. That is a fate far worse than most any ex-wrestler.Quote:
Originally Posted by cubbie
I am a Liverpool supporter, so that's who I recommend you follow. But that's just me. I tend to follow clubs who have a solid history to them. Real Madrid in Spain, Liverpool in the PL and Olympique Marseille in France. In the U.S., I follow the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Red Stars.
I think you should watch matches of the clubs you have an interest in, even from previous seasons. Learn their histories and major personalities. Then, from that, chose your club. :thumbsup:
I guess the other question I have is how is the best way to see/listen to Premier matches? I don't have Fox Soccer, and with Champions League also making the jump to FSC MLS and La Liga are the only two leagues I can see.
We have FSC and now also have the Spanish package just so we can get the extra games that air on the Spanish channels. It drives me nuts, but DH says he doesn't need the commentary, just the match.Quote:
Originally Posted by sportsguy2315
Well, ESPN2's airing something like 20 La Liga games this season so it's a way to save some money :)
Not sure if Setanta or GolTV still shows some PL matches.
Well, after some deep thought/evaluation, I've made my decision:
I'm a Toffee!
Why?
Well, I'm not the most familiar with soccer (As is the case with many Americans), but seeing what Everton did last night against the MLS was quite impressive in my book. Tim Howard is one of the best goalies I've ever seen (Including my 15 years watching hockey), while Louis Saha is Landon Donovan with a gazelle's speed. Add to that a balanced even keel midfield, and that's why I'm going blue.
P.S. There was a discussion earlier in the thread about celebrity supporters. Well, having two of the three living Beatles on your side (If you count Pete Best) isn't bad, along with Sly Stallone that's a pretty solid group.
Everton? Really? Ah well, at least you picked a team from Merseyside.
C'mon, you Reds!!!! :D
I'm sure we'll have some words fly before the November 29th and February 6th matches (Which I already have marked 6 points for the Toffees :) :soccer2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Davyjones
Don't worry, mate. I'll have you on speed dial so I can call you after we win. ;)
Everton are a good team . There manager is sound and respected not like Benitez whose mad rant last season lost Liverpool the title :thedolls:
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAIDER
I don't think it was all Rafa's fault, although the rant didn't help matters. It was the club's inconsistency that killed us. We did very well against the top teams, but played poorly against clubs we should have beat. Too many draws this past season; kind of frustrating. :mad: We just need to play every match like it's against Man U.
Davy :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by Davyjones
Liverpool were flying before he did that rant and after that he added extra pressure on his players that just wasnt needed when was not even through most of the season ...
Ok bottom line its the players who have to perform on the pitch ..But i think things would have been alot different if he hadnt commited that mad rant :thumbsup::beer:
Everton is a great choice.
As for the Benitez stuff, it's remarkable how the media always seem to think it's remarks made in the media that decide who wins. As opposed to who the better squad is, player stamina, individual forms of players...you know, trifling matters like that.