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Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 6:52 am
by brothers
It's just the nature of the game, but I sure wish it wasn't so difficult to score more often. That one yesterday was 1 - 0. The winner didn't score until 97 minutes.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 8:27 am
by Squire
I don't trust a game where nobody falls on a live ball.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 9:34 pm
by JayTrek
Which match were you watching, Gary?

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 5:58 am
by brothers
JayTrek wrote:Which match were you watching, Gary?
Jason, I was watching SportsCenter on ESPN when they had a short segment on soccer that included this information and showed some clips of the action. I didn't recall the names of the teams that were involved. I think the game took place over this past weekend.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:39 pm
by jww
I have long been a big footy fan. The challenge people seem to have with it here in North America is that there isn't enough "offense" Of course, that comes from a continent where two of the top sports have more stoppages in play than you can shake a stick at in NFL and MLB. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those a-plenty. Footy just gets a bad rap because most people don't understand it. Think of it -- no equipment to move the ball or puck. Just you, a ball and your feet. It truly is the Beautiful Game.

In the end, I guess it's a bit like wet shaving .... ymmv.

Jason -- great result on Saturday, and bad on United for handling the Van Gaal departure so poorly (reminds me of Moyes two years ago ...... media announcing for Mr. Woodward ----- ).

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 1:47 pm
by brothers
You're right Wendell, even though it seems soccer has become a lot more popular these days. Two of our granddaughters are and have been playing soccer for several years. We have learned a lot about the game. I enjoy watching it, even though I never had a single opportunity to play it in my life. In junior high school we played a form of rugby every day at lunch and I really enjoyed it. Another game without equipment, and few delays. Obviously one reason soccer seems to move so slowly and takes an eternity to score is that the playing field is far too large. Just my opinion :lol: .

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 2:41 pm
by Rufus
brothers wrote:You're right Wendell, even though it seems soccer has become a lot more popular these days. Two of our granddaughters are and have been playing soccer for several years. We have learned a lot about the game. I enjoy watching it, even though I never had a single opportunity to play it in my life. In junior high school we played a form of rugby every day at lunch and I really enjoyed it. Another game without equipment, and few delays. Obviously one reason soccer seems to move so slowly and takes an eternity to score is that the playing field is far too large. Just my opinion :lol: .
Soccer (properly Association Football) is the most popular sport in the world. It is played regularly by an estimated 250 million people in 200 countries. Its fan base is estimated at over 3 billion people. It seems, therefore, that the USA is coming late to the party. Rugby (Union and League) is another sport with a worldwide following and participants; it is officially played in 120 countries by over 5 million participants. I don't think American football can hold a candle to either sport in its worldwide appeal; even field hockey dwarves American football (and Rugby) in its worldwide appeal and participation.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 2:54 pm
by Sam
I would tend to agree, but when I had a vested interest, such as the USA in the World Cup, each minute was thrilling. Or when the French player is about to headbutt someone, I'll stay glued for that, lol

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 4:43 am
by fallingwickets
As an immigrant :D and why it might explain my feelings, I cannot stand to watch football for all the love and money in texas. It is sooooooooooooooooo boring. And so lame, sportwise. Oh look, i ran one yard....let me go sit down and take a 20 minute rest!! How you americans let an hour game turn into a 3 hour plus event is beyond comprehension. Ok, peace, and out :D :D :D :D :D

clive

p.s. thank goodness gary and his friends don't watch test cricket HAHAHAHAHAHA

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 6:50 am
by Rufus
fallingwickets wrote:As an immigrant :D and why it might explain my feelings, I cannot stand to watch football for all the love and money in texas. It is sooooooooooooooooo boring. And so lame, sportwise. Oh look, i ran one yard....let me go sit down and take a 20 minute rest!! How you americans let an hour game turn into a 3 hour plus event is beyond comprehension. Ok, peace, and out :D :D :D :D :D

clive

p.s. thank goodness gary and his friends don't watch test cricket HAHAHAHAHAHA
Clive, I couldn't have put it better; I'm an immigrant too. I grew up playing soccer, rugby, cricket and field hockey and I just don't get American/Canadian football. Ice hockey I get, but the NHL season is way too long, especially if the Habs are not in the playoffs. As for test cricket, I like it, but T20 appeals in a slam, bam sort of way.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 7:34 am
by pausted
p.s. thank goodness gary and his friends don't watch test cricket HAHAHAHAHAHA[/quote]

When I saw this thread I was going to bring up cricket and since Clive already did:

My wife and I were recently on a cruise. When I would visit the cigar bar on board each afternoon to enjoy my daily cigar, they always had ESPN International playing on the bar TV sets. So I watched cricket for about an hour a day for 7 days straight. As of now I must admit that I still have no idea what the hell was going on! :lol:

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 9:03 am
by brothers
Actually a bit off topic (soccer) but I understand well over 100 years ago, American football was in the process of being abandoned due to the number of guys who were getting killed or crippled. President Theodore Roosevelt interceded and was responsible for the process that resulted in the mandatory wearing of sturdy helmets. Fast forward to current times, and now it has been confirmed that the violence (with helmets!) is still causing death or disabling health issues due to multiple concussions sustained in playing football. Do I care if football ceases to be played, no. My 11 year old grandson took a pass on football for several reasons. His primary sports are basketball and baseball. My dad, my brother and our uncles played baseball, as did I. Curiously enough, several of my mother's older sisters were heavily into playing basketball, until their father, my grandfather, put a stop to it because one of their class/team mates was badly injured and the medical treatment available during those days (1920s) was woefully inadequate, and the young lady died from her basketball injury, unfortunately.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:42 pm
by ichabod
I'll just leave this here, mostly out of mischief :D

https://gfycat.com/ThoseFluffyJellyfish

Here we have a passage of play in an English Premier League game. The fact that it shows Sunderland beating Man United at home, and I'm a Sunderland fan from Sunderland* and Wendell's a Man United fan, is entirely a coincidence. . .

Anyway, it lasts about 80 seconds and contains something like 28 passes. Just to fit the thread, it also ends with a shot on goal that does not go in (Borini, he needs about 8 attempts to score one goal I think).
(If I remember right, Poyet was our manager, Moyes had been sacked and Giggs was in temporary charge.)
So - 28 passes represents something like 20% of the passes/plays in the average NFL game, according to this http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/64 ... e-nfl-game.
That would be around 40 minutes of time in an NFL game. In less than a minute and a half.
Imagine if each completed pass ended with a man doing a dance of joy, followed by a few substitutions, and a complete reset of the players positions, and you get to understanding why fans of sports like soccer use the word "slow" to describe NFL football.

(As another immigrant, I have to say that my favorite American sport, that I've been introduced to here through my son playing, is Lacrosse. I actually find sports in which it's "easier" to score more difficult to watch. A goal should be a rare event, it should be amazing, and it should cause fans to weep with joy, which is why Borini is so appropriate for this thread :D . Would it help if Fifa changed the scoring system to give 28 points for each goal? I'm going to stop now. . .).

(*That's what "Mackem" means under my name).

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 2:54 pm
by brothers
No question, it's a passion shared by billions of people who live and love soccer as long as they live. I'm just saying it took 97 minutes for one of two teams to score only one goal. Wouldn't matter if a goal was one point or 28. :) Maybe if they could have lengthened the game to 200 minutes (3 hours and twenty minutes), the other team would have scored, tying it up at one all and ready to go into overtime. Seriously, I do think they could avoid such long drawn out games by simply downsizing the playing field and maybe even making the already huge goals even larger. Larger than the proverbial barn door that it seems these kickers simply cannot hit even when they're standing right in front of it. I'm having a bit of fun, and am hoping you fellows will forgive me because I intend no disrespect. I will end my silly facetious rambling by saying I enjoy watching the highly competitive soccer games whenever I find one on television. I am one of the billions. =D>

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 1:11 pm
by jww
ichabod wrote:I'll just leave this here, mostly out of mischief :D

...

Here we have a passage of play in an English Premier League game. The fact that it shows Sunderland beating Man United at home, and I'm a Sunderland fan from Sunderland* and Wendell's a Man United fan, is entirely a coincidence. . .
...
Too funny.

Oh, and while it ain't much, we are the current FA Cup champions after May 22, 2016. Not to mention we have just signed the worlds most entertaining manager ---- bringing back Fergie-style football on and off the pitch.

Just thought I'd remind you all of that. :D

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 1:15 pm
by jww
Sam wrote:I would tend to agree, but when I had a vested interest, such as the USA in the World Cup, each minute was thrilling. Or when the French player is about to headbutt someone, I'll stay glued for that, lol
That head-butting French player happened to have just guided Real Madrid to a win over Atletico Madrid in this year's Champions League final ....... Head-butting aside, Zinédine Yazid Zidane also happens to have entered rare space as a player and manager to lift the Champions League cup for the same team in their playing and managing careers. Pretty impressive stuff, even if he took over from a somewhat stuffy and over-his-head Raffa mid-year.

I wanted Atletico to win, but in the end, you hit the wood in a penalty shootout and the next opposing player to take a shot is Rinaldo -- you ain't going to likely win given those circumstances.

I'm just sayin'. :wink:

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:00 pm
by brothers
I just finished watching a game Leicester v. Man United. It ended in a tie, the game was extended 4 minutes for stoppage. The final/tying goal by Leicester was scored in the final few seconds. I am puzzled by the fact that a tie was met with great disappointment by Man United, but it was cheered as a major victory by Leicester. I've always considered a sporting event that ends in nothing more than a tie to be, as they say, like kissing your sister. Obviously, Man would be disappointed because they didn't win. Why is Leicester so happy about it? They didn't win either, so they should be equally disappointed shouldn't they? What am I overlooking?

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:07 pm
by Gareth
The celebration was probably because they didn’t end up losing to Manchester United. Simple as that, I’d imagine.

It’s a game I’ve never truly understood the mass appeal of, partly for the reasons you mentioned, Gary. I prefer Rugby (Union) these days.

Gareth

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:25 pm
by brothers
I've thought of that too, and my only conclusion is that a team who considers themselves somehow overjoyed by not losing is the loneliest of all. A cellar-dweller who believes they are suited only to lose. Personally, I'd never be a team member or a fan of such a team. Someone coined the term "loser" which must be how Leicester sees themselves. How sad! :cry: PS: while watching, I became frustrated when Leicester fought so hard and couldn't muster one more goal. I started to hold out hope for them, and I freely admit I was happy to see them score the tying goal at the end.

Re: Soccer/Futbol

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 5:16 pm
by Gareth
Gary, it’s a unique peculiarity of the English Premier League where a draw can sometimes be celebrated as if it were win. The British do, after all, love nothing more than an under-dog.

Gareth