The Official 2023-24 Football (Soccer) Thread

[blackhawkrush]

30 minutes ago, goose said:

So we differ.  I find the Dutch approach brutish and contrary to the spirit of the Beautiful Game.

 

When I want that I watch Australian rules. 

Total football.     

[TheAccountant]

21 hours ago, blackhawkrush said:

And let's not forget the 1990 World Cup with Rijkaard repeated spitting at Voller, not that I'm a big fan of Germany, mind you. The Dutch were cursed to finish second, but how many nations would give their all to get the same results. 

You really do know your football!!!  I have read about that but never watched the game.  One of these I will find it on youtube and watch it.  Call me impressed.

[TheAccountant]

18 hours ago, goose said:

So we differ.  I find the Dutch approach brutish and contrary to the spirit of the Beautiful Game.

 

When I want that I watch Australian rules. 

That funny.  Like I said, the Dutch were big time dirty in 2010 but I still found their attempted long balls more fun to watch then the Spanish.

 

Now Spain vs. Italy  - thats totally agony for me.  Give me Germany, give me England, give me France.  Heck, give me Iceland or Sweden.  Given that I don't care for Portugal to seems like I don't not like southern European football.  To each there own.

 

On a different front - good to see Harry Kane scoring today for Munich.  Just hoping my preferred German club (Union Berlin) has another season like last years.  

[blackhawkrush]

3 hours ago, TheAccountant said:

You really do know your football!!!  I have read about that but never watched the game.  One of these I will find it on youtube and watch it.  Call me impressed.

Yeah, that whole story as it unfolded seemed like a soap opera, except for Rijkaard's disgusting behavior. Where are you from and what are your favorite teams, besides Union Berlin?  

[Nova Carmina]

16 hours ago, TheAccountant said:

You really do know your football!!!  I have read about that but never watched the game.  One of these I will find it on youtube and watch it.  Call me impressed.

 

Wait until you get him started on the Extra Classy!

[IbanezJem]

I`m liking Spurs XI for the Utd match - just two defenders, Romero and Van de Ven, and a goalkeeper, Bissouma in midfield and the rest are, ostensibly, attackers.

 

Did I say like? I meant to say I`m terrified at just how many times Rashford will be running at goal unchallenged by a simple ball over the top.  

[IbanezJem]

On 8/18/2023 at 3:07 AM, blackhawkrush said:

And let's not forget the 1990 World Cup with Rijkaard repeated spitting at Voller, not that I'm a big fan of Germany, mind you. The Dutch were cursed to finish second, but how many nations would give their all to get the same results. 

The sight of Voller walking off after getting the red card with large amounts of Dutch phlegm visible on his perm; well, it was not unamusing to an England fan. 

[blackhawkrush]

26 minutes ago, IbanezJem said:

I`m liking Spurs XI for the Utd match - just two defenders, Romero and Van de Ven, and a goalkeeper, Bissouma in midfield and the rest are, ostensibly, attackers.

 

Did I say like? I meant to say I`m terrified at just how many times Rashford will be running at goal unchallenged by a simple ball over the top.  

But the biggest question everyone seems to be asking is, is Ferguson really worth 140M euro.     

[blackhawkrush]

2 hours ago, Nova Carmina said:

 

Wait until you get him started on the Extra Classy!

But before that happens, let's turn our attention to Fortuna 1 Liga and... Wisla 1 Odra 3     Sapala, the man of the match, second yellow after just 18 minutes.  

[IbanezJem]

2 hours ago, blackhawkrush said:

But the biggest question everyone seems to be asking is, is Ferguson really worth 140M euro.     

Why buy a striker when we have Brazil`s No 9? 

 

Oh, wait...

[TheAccountant]

19 hours ago, blackhawkrush said:

Yeah, that whole story as it unfolded seemed like a soap opera, except for Rijkaard's disgusting behavior. Where are you from and what are your favorite teams, besides Union Berlin?  

From upstate NY near Albany originally.  Lived in Westchester county NY (just north of NYC, it the first county above The Bronx) for about 30 years and moved back home in 2021.  Job transfer (thankfully) plus it gave me a chance to move back in with my parents who are now 93 and 96.  They still drive but having me around is a big help.  I can drive them a lot of places (safer and easier on them, not to mention my blood pressure is lower from doing less worrying about them), do most of the shopping, cut and bring in most of the firewood (we do a lot of the heating of the house in winter with firewood) and just help in general.  The extra company is nice for them - just added conversation which we all like.

 

Living near NYC you would think I would have gotten to some of the NYC based teams games and perhaps gotten to like them but no.  I started out watching the 1994 World Cup in some NYC bars.  That made me a casual fan until 2004.  One day in 2004 I was working in NYC, got done early and decided to stop in a pub I liked on Bleecker St. for a bit to eat and a beer.  Early afternoon and the place was packed.  Like really packed.  Barely room to move.  I was like "What is this, an alcoholics convention?"  Turned out the pub was a hang out for English, Aussie, Irish, Scottish, Welsh expats (although I have met French and Israeli expats in it as well) and England was going to play Croatia in the Euro-cup.  It was a really good game.  Wayne Rooney had 2 or 3 goals and England won 4-2.  The bar was nuts.  I was like "I have never even heard of the Euro-cup.  Never really got this sport but maybe now I am seeing what the rest of the world sees in it.  Its fun".  From then I started to explore it a bit more.

 

I wound up living in a town in Westchester that was very heavily hispanic and I started going into their bars and clubs to watch games.  Could not understand a word since the games were in Spanish (which I don't speak).  Strangely, I never felt threatened even though I was alone and about the only English speaker in the place.  Heck, they probably thought I was with the INS or something and were scared of me.  Just made certain I got out at reasonable hrs. and tipped well.  I got so I felt more comfortable in those clubs then if I went to restaurants in the more upscale, well off, English speaking town near by.  So that got me more and more comfy with the sport.

 

Then I got talking with some of the guys in my office who were immigrants from Poland and The Ukraine.  The guy from The Ukraine was huge into it (esp. since his dad had played the game at a club level back in the days of the USSR).  The Polish guy kept talking about Deyna & Lato from 1970's Poland and Pushkis from Hungry.  That forced me to read about the history of the game a bit more.

 

So how did I get into Union Berlin?  I happened to watch one of their games at random and it was mentioned that they were a 2nd division team that had just been promoted.  Plus the crowd was just nuts - I was like "What a contrast to Hertha Berlin which plays in a huge dull stadium.  What a contrast to even many of the English teams that have crowds that are a bit dull.  This team is fun, not well known and won't be popular to follow - not a Dortmund or Munich.  They are the easy team to follow since they are successful.  Always fun to pick a winner.  I like picking a team when its down and staying with it when its not popular.  Then when everybody gets on board I can tell folks I was with them back in the day.  Plus the crowd is so fun to watch".    

 

I really like the German leagues due to their ownership structure - I believe they are required to have 50% +1 local ownership.  Not owned by, well, your know who owns most of the big European clubs.  So that means most of the big clubs are clubs I won't support strongly.  Give me clubs that are locally owned - not owned by billionaires or sovereign wealth funds.  Or at least a club that way down and being Brough back up (Wrexem for example).

 

So basically its the German leagues in general, Union Berlin in particular.  In the US, for some reason its Portland and Seattle - fun crowds I guess.

 

Whew!!  That was a mouthful.

 

So how did a Chicago guy get into the beautiful game?

 

 

 

 

[blackhawkrush]

3 hours ago, TheAccountant said:

From upstate NY near Albany originally.  Lived in Westchester county NY (just north of NYC, it the first county above The Bronx) for about 30 years and moved back home in 2021.  Job transfer (thankfully) plus it gave me a chance to move back in with my parents who are now 93 and 96.  They still drive but having me around is a big help.  I can drive them a lot of places (safer and easier on them, not to mention my blood pressure is lower from doing less worrying about them), do most of the shopping, cut and bring in most of the firewood (we do a lot of the heating of the house in winter with firewood) and just help in general.  The extra company is nice for them - just added conversation which we all like.

 

Living near NYC you would think I would have gotten to some of the NYC based teams games and perhaps gotten to like them but no.  I started out watching the 1994 World Cup in some NYC bars.  That made me a casual fan until 2004.  One day in 2004 I was working in NYC, got done early and decided to stop in a pub I liked on Bleecker St. for a bit to eat and a beer.  Early afternoon and the place was packed.  Like really packed.  Barely room to move.  I was like "What is this, an alcoholics convention?"  Turned out the pub was a hang out for English, Aussie, Irish, Scottish, Welsh expats (although I have met French and Israeli expats in it as well) and England was going to play Croatia in the Euro-cup.  It was a really good game.  Wayne Rooney had 2 or 3 goals and England won 4-2.  The bar was nuts.  I was like "I have never even heard of the Euro-cup.  Never really got this sport but maybe now I am seeing what the rest of the world sees in it.  Its fun".  From then I started to explore it a bit more.

 

I wound up living in a town in Westchester that was very heavily hispanic and I started going into their bars and clubs to watch games.  Could not understand a word since the games were in Spanish (which I don't speak).  Strangely, I never felt threatened even though I was alone and about the only English speaker in the place.  Heck, they probably thought I was with the INS or something and were scared of me.  Just made certain I got out at reasonable hrs. and tipped well.  I got so I felt more comfortable in those clubs then if I went to restaurants in the more upscale, well off, English speaking town near by.  So that got me more and more comfy with the sport.

 

Then I got talking with some of the guys in my office who were immigrants from Poland and The Ukraine.  The guy from The Ukraine was huge into it (esp. since his dad had played the game at a club level back in the days of the USSR).  The Polish guy kept talking about Deyna & Lato from 1970's Poland and Pushkis from Hungry.  That forced me to read about the history of the game a bit more.

 

So how did I get into Union Berlin?  I happened to watch one of their games at random and it was mentioned that they were a 2nd division team that had just been promoted.  Plus the crowd was just nuts - I was like "What a contrast to Hertha Berlin which plays in a huge dull stadium.  What a contrast to even many of the English teams that have crowds that are a bit dull.  This team is fun, not well known and won't be popular to follow - not a Dortmund or Munich.  They are the easy team to follow since they are successful.  Always fun to pick a winner.  I like picking a team when its down and staying with it when its not popular.  Then when everybody gets on board I can tell folks I was with them back in the day.  Plus the crowd is so fun to watch".    

 

I really like the German leagues due to their ownership structure - I believe they are required to have 50% +1 local ownership.  Not owned by, well, your know who owns most of the big European clubs.  So that means most of the big clubs are clubs I won't support strongly.  Give me clubs that are locally owned - not owned by billionaires or sovereign wealth funds.  Or at least a club that way down and being Brough back up (Wrexem for example).

 

So basically its the German leagues in general, Union Berlin in particular.  In the US, for some reason its Portland and Seattle - fun crowds I guess.

 

Whew!!  That was a mouthful.

 

So how did a Chicago guy get into the beautiful game?

 

 

 

 

Well, it's a Chicago guy via Krakow. I was born in the old country, and emigrated to the U.S. when I was quite young. At the time, the Communists had a deal with the West about reuniting families. My mother was already living in the States. By that time, 1970's-80's, I was well versed in football, remembering the golden era of Polish soccer. And while still residing in Poland, I recall my first live game, Wisla 4 Szombierki 0. Well, after that scoreline, there's no turning back, right? In Chicago, I can't forget the epic battles between the Sting and Cosmos, with Pele and Beckenbauer playing for the despised New York side...oh, sorry.  Looking forward to discussing this sport with you in the future. 

[goose]

As as dramatic final, England-Spain isn't disappointing so far!  The 68th minute alone has made getting up at 2:30am worth it.  

[IbanezJem]

I`m watching Norwich vs Millwall. 

[goose]

16 minutes ago, IbanezJem said:

I`m watching Norwich vs Millwall. 

Misogynist!  

[Tony R]

Poor and disappointing display from England who, I think,  bottled it. Spain were better, fitter and more controlled. 

[TheAccountant]

Did not get up in Tim to watch the final - had a sneaky feeling Spain would win and unfortunately I was right.

 

Did watch a reply of the 3rd place game.  That was a fun game!  The Aslani goal was a thing of beauty.  Wide open, flowing football - just what I like.  Glad she scored - for some reason I have always liked her play.  She commits a lot of fouls but she also draws a lot of fouls.  That tells me she is always in the thick of the action and gives it her all.  That might be why I have liked her as a player.  Given that she is 34 I don't think she will be around for the next cup so its was a nice way for her to (likely) end her cup experience.

Edited August 21, 2023 by TheAccountant

[Nova Carmina]

Well done to Spain! I'm disappointed with the result, but can't argue with it. It was a good World Cup, but I hope to be able to watch more of the next one.

[Nova Carmina]

LFC made me nervous, and the sending off was ludicrous, but they came out all right. That defending, though. Woof.

 

Too bad about Everton, innit?

 

(Oh, and didn't the adorable Spurs do well, too!)

 

And while I'm here, up the Hammers!

Edited August 20, 2023 by Nova Carmina
schadenfreude

[blackhawkrush]

Bailey, you're relieved!   

[blackhawkrush]

Cracovia 1 Piast 1    We just love those penalty kicks against our teams in the 90th minute, don't we? 

[IbanezJem]

Hey Robert! Spurs are top after three games (just like 2021 and 2022 and assuming nobody else plays from now). I`m making my yearly post requesting that the season ends here. 

[blackhawkrush]

2 hours ago, IbanezJem said:

Hey Robert! Spurs are top after three games (just like 2021 and 2022 and assuming nobody else plays from now). I`m making my yearly post requesting that the season ends here. 

Warta 0 Cracovia 0  One point behind the leaders. Just wanted to point that out before it all changes. 

[blackhawkrush]

Matty Cash seems to be over the injury.  

[blackhawkrush]

Wisla 5 Arka 1  It's a mirage.