Football

[Freuds_Cat]

OK now I make no bones about the fact that I am not a fan of the game of soccer. I have lived next to Stamford Bridge (Chelsea's home ground) and been to games plenty of times. I respect the level of skill and athleticism which the players display but my biggest problem with soccer is the fact that they seem to think its OK to have roughly 1/3 of all games end in a draw. This is due to the goal and scoring system IMHO. Draws are incredibly rare in the Australian game. In the AFL I would guess that we would get less than one draw per season on average out of more than 44 games

I dont expect many (if any) of you to either understand or like Australian Football but the difference here between codes in relation to a draw was blatant today at the Australian rules Grand final game which......you guessed it, ended in a draw.

To watch the players and the 100,000 strong crowd go from nearly 2 hours of absolute intensity to stunned bewilderment was curious. Players wandering around not sure weather they should shake hands with opponents, sit, stand or leave the ground. No plan, no standard procedure, no rules. Commentators lost for words, now thats not an everyday occurrence.

Amazing stuff 

[Highlander]

I have lived next to Stamford Bridge (Chelsea's home ground)

I think the problem with the modern (British) game has just come down to one simple fact - it's a business... the "beautiful game" is dead, long may it rest...

[Freuds_Cat]

Sadly the same thing is happening to Aussie Rools

[TBird1958]

Leave it to us Amis to really screw up football......................


By that measure, soccer is still the "beautiful game". 

[Chaser001]

It doesn't bother me that a game can end in a draw.  Sometimes certain things in life turn out that way, too.  To me it's just a reflection of reality.  I wish they had never changed the rules in American football to get rid of the draw.  Unlike many Americans, I actually do watch soccer sometimes, although I don't understand all the rules.  I watched much of the World Cup this summer.  One comment I have about that is that it seems to me they could use some kind of electronic instant replay, though.  Even not knowing a great deal about soccer, in some cases it was clear that some pretty bad calls were made in the World Cup.  I was told that the head of FIFA was against bringing in the instant replay.

[Pilgrim]

I find soccer pretty boring.  I'm not one of those who needs constant scoring to make a game interesting, but SOME scoring helps. 

The stop-and-start aspect of American football is often criticized, but it helps me follow the game and see how each play develops.  To me both soccer and most basketball games are essentially an ongoing foot race.

[TBird1958]

Al,

You must at least be happy at Nebrsaka's complete drubbing of the Huskies on national TV last week........

[Chaser001]

I find soccer pretty boring.  I'm not one of those who needs constant scoring to make a game interesting, but SOME scoring helps. 

The stop-and-start aspect of American football is often criticized, but it helps me follow the game and see how each play develops.  To me both soccer and most basketball games are essentially an ongoing foot race.

I find both basketball and baseball very boring. 

[Pilgrim]

Al,
You must at least be happy at Nebrsaka's complete drubbing of the Huskies on national TV last week........

I was jumping up and down!  I was pissed at all these self-appointed football "experts" who seemed to think that because they were creaming their jeans over Jake Locker, the entire husky football team would somehow elevate their play to near-championship level.  Not gonna happen.  One player doesn't make a team, even the QB.  They sucked last season and they'll be marginally better this season.  The way we're playing today (losing, mainly due to weak defense) I'm looking forward to the Apple Cup more and more.  We're steadily improving...and they look highly vulnerable to me.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It doesn't bother me that a game can end in a draw.  Sometimes certain things in life turn out that way, too.  To me it's just a reflection of reality.  I wish they had never changed the rules in American football to get rid of the draw.  Unlike many Americans, I actually do watch soccer sometimes, although I don't understand all the rules.  I watched much of the World Cup this summer.  One comment I have about that is that it seems to me they could use some kind of electronic instant replay, though.  Even not knowing a great deal about soccer, in some cases it was clear that some pretty bad calls were made in the World Cup.  I was told that the head of FIFA was against bringing in the instant replay.

FIFA is opposed to ANY kind of referee acountability measures because it's basically an open secret that Cup refs and FIFA itself are for sale to anyone interested. Fair play and call review rules would do a lot to weaken the power of the center ref, who in many cases is the 12th player for one of the teams.  There is also a huge amount of nationalism and the US has often had its foreign policy critiqued on the football field on many ocassions, which is a pretty cowardly thing to do. IMO if your team is so "superior," why do they have to cheat to win? The pro leagues are better, especially the Premiership, which has so much money tied up in it, EPL stars can justly think of US sports stars as the working poor.

I have lived next to Stamford Bridge (Chelsea's home ground) and been to games plenty of times.

Chelsea and Manchester United seem to take turns being the LA Lakers of the EPL. I used to like Man U until they got rid of most the players I liked and focused on that twit Ronaldo.

[uwe]

The refree decisions - especially in the game between Jerrys and Limeys at the world cup - were abyssmal. They should have hung that ref. Instant replay in this day and age where it actually enables people on the field to come to a just decision is badly, badly needed. I understood the Brit outrage at that game.

[dadagoboi]

With all its flaws I prefer the non stop action of soccer (football).

Life ain't fair, why should sport be?  I'd go for lie detector testing of officials before the games.  If they are deemed objective let the mistakes occur as they may.  I used to love baseball, a game usually lasted 2 hours tops.  Now it IS boring, time outs, replays, protests, deliberating every possible outcome.  I watch my college football team because they win but next week a 1 hour game will run over 3.  Ridiculous.

[Chaser001]

I'm becoming more cynical about this all the time.  It's a good thing sports doesn't matter to me much.  I have a relative who is a referee and official at various levels--not at the college level, though.  He has become increasingly convinced that American college football is fixed.  This means they may slant things in such a way as to try to help as much as possible certain teams that are "cash cows" in various conferences.  He knows more about the SEC, but he says every conference does it.  If certain teams end up in certain bowl games, more money will be made.  As he says it, the "fix is in."  Although I really don't know a great deal about soccer, I began to think as I watched the World Cup that something along those lines might be happening with soccer.  Of course there are no bowl games, but there have to be pretty important people who prefer that certain countries win strictly for economic reasons.  I won't name any names, but I doubt that it is honest.  As for the instant replays, I do think that might help soccer.  But it appears that in spite of that bad calls are still made in American college football. 

[Aussie Mark]

The Cat is referring to AFL, the football code that is popular with females, homosexual and bi-curious males on US cable TV, due to the tight shorts and sleeveless shirts.  To translate for US members, allowing a drawn result in the AFL Grand Final (68 points each, in fact) would be like not allowing game 7 of the World Series to go into extra innings if required.

But, from a business perspective, they get another 100,000 bums on seats at the stadium next Saturday for the Grand Final Replay.

[Freuds_Cat]

The Cat is referring to AFL, the football code that is popular with females, homosexual and bi-curious males on US cable TV, due to the tight shorts and sleeveless shirts.  To translate for US members, allowing a drawn result in the AFL Grand Final (68 points each, in fact) would be like not allowing game 7 of the World Series to go into extra innings if required.

But, from a business perspective, they get another 100,000 bums on seats at the stadium next Saturday for the Grand Final Replay.

Spoken like a true Rugby fan