Football

[Usul]

Do you support a special club or do you have some interesting stories related to football? You can post them here.

I am supporter of the FC Cologne, a club that was once quite successful in the German league and in the European Cups until the early 90's with players like Littbarski, Hässler or Overath.

Today, the club is heavily struggeling to remain in the top league. One year they go down, the next year they come back. Just like a lift.
Hard times for me, Saturday I'll be in the stadium to watch the match that will be definitely their last chance to avoid relegation.

[Dizi]

I have never really followed football, there was a time when I would say I suported Newcastle United and I used to have my room done in black and white stripes.

I love football to play as it can be quite fun with friends but I don't see the point in watching people who are getting paid a stupid amout of money kick a ball for 90 mins

Sorry to bring the shadow into your thread so soon

[elgado]

I don't follow German league football all that much, heck I hardly follow club football. I'll go to the pub to watch a big club match (e.g. Barca - Real Madrid), but that's about as far as I get into club football.

When it comes to international matches, I'm there. To say I'm interested is an understatement. I asked the pub owner to let me stay in 15 minutes after official closing time to watch the end of a b-class AFC football match ('twas Uzbekistan vs another Mickey Mouse team).

My native Mexico is coming to play an international friendly against the Netherlands just 10 minutes from my house. But since they only sell tickets online , I'm going to have to watch it on the tele <_<


PS/edit:
Newcastle's a top class city; went there three years ago. I was expecting a run-down blue-collar city, but you lot got some pretty modern stuff going on. Not to mention a Chinatown =D

[Maturin]

I wish you much fun with cologne in league 2, Usul .
My favs are:
Germany: Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Spain: FC Barcelona (In spain, it's always the team playing the most attractive and offensive football for me)
England: Liverpool, Newcastle United (Alan Shearer fan ) and a bit manchester united (Ryan Giggs)
Italy: No real team there I support, as rom and the fiorentina perhaps...
Netherlands: Ajax, they have quite a few 'cool' players like rosales, sneijder, mitea...

Oh, and in germany I forgot to mention Wormatia Worms. Their best times have been over for years, I really hope that they'll be able to jump into germany's 3rd league next season.

BTW usul, where will poldi go, what do you think?

[Pitkin]

Bulls for the Football League!

I have favourites only in the UK; couldn't imagine myself supporting any Spanish or Italian club, and the German, Portuguese and French clubs just don't do it for me at all either.

In England, and in general, my number one club team ie the one I follow the most closely (as closely as possible without actually ever seeing their matches) is Hereford United FC: a traditional club from western England near Worcester, which unfortunately were relegated from the former Third Division (nowadays League Two) in 1995 or 1996 and have been playing in the Conference ever since... now three consecutive seasons they've finished second in the Conference, making it to the promotion playoffs, but twice before they messed their hopes up in the semi-finals. This year it'll be different! Edgar Street to host League football again!

Apart from HUFC, I follow the deeds of a few other clubs: Luton Town (Championship, former First Division), Cardiff City (Championship as well), and lately also the fan-founded AFC Wimbledon (Ryman Premier, err... 7th highest level?). From the bigger clubs I fancy Manchester United, but my passion for them has dimmed a great deal since the magical 1990s crowned by the Treble in 1999.

Then, outside England, it's Aberdeen (Scottish Premier League) from Scotland. The club's not been in its best shape for years, stuck in the mid-table with some bloody Caley Thistle, but I've always been fond of the Dons anyway.

Even though I've never really 'changed' my favourites in club football (no way I could do that), my international team opinion is even clearer: Germany has always been the number one for me. Völler, Klinsmann, Littbarski, Matthäus, Möller; they're the heroes I remember the best. Oh yes, and even though Zico was a bloody awesome player back in his time, Brazil is the one team I hope not to win the upcoming World Cup (mainly because I find it devastating to see one and same team winning twice in a row).

The World Cup '06 will unfortunately write some new history for me, having only Germany from the teams I favour involved... to name three, Cameroon, Denmark and South Africa all failed to qualify.

[mistergreen77]

Here it is called soccer. For some strange reason we call it football when people throw a egg shaped ball around with their hands. Statitistically, soccer is the most played sport in our country, but no-one watches it.

[Usul]

I wish you much fun with cologne in league 2, Usul .
[...]
BTW usul, where will poldi go, what do you think?

First, lets wait for the results on Saturday
I think Poldi will go to Bayern instead of Makaay who will quit the club.
But Werder and Hamburg are also interested.

[Maturin]

Frankly spoken, I hope that Cologne will stay in the 1. league, I can't say that I'm a fan or a supporter, but I like them.
And it finally seems as if they started playing...
I hope that Wolfsburg will go down instead.

[Tank]

Me supports Eintracht Frankfurt! We are in the UEFA Cup next season!

[Maturin]

The Eintracht... They could have done better so far this year, they have much more potential. Just like Cologne.

[Tank]

Yes, they reached Rank 10 after the "First Round" (What's Hinrunde in English?)
But they sucked in the second round ("Rückrunde")

[Maturin]

Good question tank...
I always talk about the first and the second half of the season.

Let's hope they do better in the uefa-cup than mainz (which will not go down, I'm sure) and bochum (which went down after their uefa-year).

[Chroelle]

Well since I am a GREAT fan of Brøndby IF from Danish Premier division (Superligaen) I couldn't help but write in this thread.
I follow some football/soccer that isn't Danish, but only modestly. Even Championship league and Uefa Cup.

My favs are:
England: Chelsea (and have been for years), has recently changed to Liverpool, since Daniel Agger (my fav player) moved there. A GREAT ONE TO WATCH. It is not every day that a Danish player youngster gets sold to a great english club for aprox 63 million Kroner. (7 kroner 1 dollar.)
Germany: Schalke 04 (Well, Christian Poulsen, Ebbe Sand and such...
French: Auxerre (Kahlenberg sold to them from Brondby)
Spanish: Used to be Real Madrid, but now I don't know anymore. They seem to have become so much of a commercial team, that I am not sure they have my respect anymore. Eventhough Graversen is with them now.

Generally I follow the clubs that have Danish players with them, and most likely if they are former Brøndby players.

I follow national football like a certified loon. I cannot keep my nerves at rest unless I watch the games. Even if they are only friendlies...

It seems to me that Danihs football has become more and more worldclass in the last two years. We got Elmander and Alvaro Santos in the two major teams and A LOT of really great players see Denmark as a good stepping stone towards bigger leagues in other countries. Sad when they have to leave, but great while they are here.
Mikael Laudrup is the Trainer of Brøndby, if you didn't know. Some of you might remember him

(Generally whenever Danish people are abroad and mention they are Danish this is the line that meets them: "AAAAh... Denmark.... Mikael Laudrup...Ah yes we know Denmark...Isn't it the capital of IKEA...?"

[Maturin]

Elmander... Isn't he from Sweden?
And I didn't know Agger moved to Liverpool, that's great, he's a gifted player.

[Chroelle]

Elmander is Swedish yes.

Agger moved to Liverpool when spring season opened up. He is truely one of the players that will define football of tomorrow. He has a great love for the game, an enthusiasm matched by noone, and a GREAT eye for the game. Propably the best defender Denmark has ever seen.
He was long term injured during the autumn and winter games, and was sold just as he got back on the field again. He hasn't gotten a lot of playtime yet in Liverpool but he will, if they don't end up loosing him to an even bigger club before that. If you ask me Brøndby made a poor decision in selling him now. He could have put them on the European map, and helped them get trophies. But the cash was good though and Brøndby has already invested some of them in new players. Joseph Elanga was an ok purchase, but he seems to be slacking off recently. Other than that they got some great players also in Thomas Rasmussen (up and commer with some experience) and Elmander. Marcus Lantz is also a good offensive player. Kasper Lorentzen is yet another one of Brøndby youngsters to watch for. Actually they had a whole generation that turned up 4-5 classplayers. Some of them are already on to other clubs, but they have held on to a couple of really good players.

I trust that in a year or two we will see Brøndby in Champions league once more. This time I hope they won't meet some of the best teams right off the beginning...

[Maturin]

Didn't Lantz came from german club Hansa Rostock? The name still sounds familiar to me...
btw: You said that you like Poulsen. Do you just look for his nationality or also for his actions? He is a great defensive midfielder, but what he did with the contracts in order to join either villareal, inter milano or ac milan was just stupid in my eyes.

[Chroelle]

Yes Lantz is from H.R. And so is Thomas Rasmussen.

I like Poulsen as a player. He has done some pretty stupid things so far, but let's see what he decides. I am not too confident that he will leave Schalke.

It looks a bit too much like negotiation techniques to me

He is a great asset to the Danish Nationals but I am not sure that he will not steer into trouble...
This is funny enough pretty much the classic carectaristical flaw of Danish midfielders. Look at Gravesen (too violent says the spanish press), Tøfting (got prisontime, and was too violent), Poulsen (Got a little primadonna thing going), and I could go on mentioning names...

Actually Brøndby is playing an important match tonight and I totally forgot. I gotta go see the results. Dammit I have been way out of my head all day. HOW COULD I FORGET. It's a match to win or leave the trophy fight.

[Pitkin]

Oh, after reading Chroelle-san's posts, I feel the urge to point my own view about the players of my own nationality...

100% unlike Chroelle-san, I do not give Finnish players any more value in the football world than I give to some Inverness-born (no offence to Inverness-borns) full back playing in the Scottish Third Division. If a Finnish player plays in a club I support, great. If he doesn't, he's not going to get any more sympathy from me than any other opponent player. Sami Hyypiä and Liverpool are a great example together: he's a player in a club I personally cannot stand (sorry, Chroelle-san ) so I wish him no goals and no great performance in the Premiership.

In the Finnish national team it's different, though; the moment Hyypiä wears the lame-looking Finnish national team kit, I hope and expect him to be the best, most stalwart full back ever playing in the whole world. The double standards of mine are very easy to see, but that's the way I look at the game. One interesting issue raises from international football, furthermore: football is the only sports event where I actively support Finland whenever they're playing. In ice-hockey or any other sports I actually care more about other teams' success than that of my 'own'.

Ah, and one more thing: How could Chroelle-san ever even doubt us knowing the likes of Michael Laudrup or his brother Brian? Moreover, it's nearly an exceptionless fact that if there's a Dane playing football in whatever club I don't especially dislike, that player is always my favourite from the squad. Gravesen should rid himself of Santiago Bernabeu, though.

It was not my intention to provoke any Reds' or Real Madrid fans or Finnish enthusiasts with my post above. Deal with it. ^_^

[Chroelle]

I'm dealing with it
Actually I agree very much with your views on Graversen. And of course I never doubted you to know who Mikael Laudrup is, or his brother Brian, or Peter Schmeichel for that matter.
We have a great way of producing great players that go out into the world and play great football (while the unfortunate not so talented ones stay in Denmark - remember the capital of IKEA).

I'm a little tender on the whole subject of football today as Brøndby lost 5-2 to Esbjerg yesterday. They still have a chance though on their homecourt, and they are the strongest team on own soil in the league, so we hope for a 3-0 or higher result then...

[Maturin]

ah, you don't like liverpool, this means WAR.
Just joking, , it's your personal opinion.
But to me, it's the same way. I don't automatically like all the clubs with german players (there aren't that much out of the Bundesliga... Fulham I think and Liverpool with Didi Hamann, but that's just a coincidence, he's a player I do not like very much).
I have some clubs I like, I wouldn't even care if they went down a league, I like the club, not the players or their place in the league (except barcelona, they play awesome attractive offensive soccer, it's a joy watching them).
-----------------
So Brøndby lost... 5:2. Did they even play with a defense or was it kinda 1-5-4?
Nevertheless, I hope for you that they'll win their match at home...