European Soccer Part XIII

[Terrierbyassociation]

See SAF, even American ManU fan dislike when you go into "whiny blowhard" mode.

[Bob Gray]

Wolves almost went out of existence altogether, which was quite a tumble for a team that was probably the preeminent team of the 1950s. From 1984-1986 they went from the first to the fourth division.

It is fascinating to look back at the old standings of the English leagues in the past. I recall reading about a year early in the 20th century when the three teams fighting to avoid relegation were Arsenal, ManU, and Chelski (Chelsea back then). Of course I have to put in a plug at this point to note that Arsenal is the team with the longest continuous run in the top English league. :)

Here's a list of the 12 teams that founded the original English league in 1888:
Accrington (Old Reds)
Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Burnley
Derby County
Everton
Notts County
Preston North End
Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers

An interesting mix of teams, some of which have not seem top flight football in a long time.

[jtwcornell91]

Hey, so is this the right thread for Euro 2004, or is this only for club soccer? My Polish colleague tells me DirecTV has a PPV of Euro 2004 for $180 for the tournament. A little rich for my blood, especially since I'll be on the other side of the Atlantic for the month of July.

[Don King]

Originally posted by Bob Gray
Of course I have to put in a plug at this point to note that Arsenal is the team with the longest continuous run in the top English league. :)


Been relegated once, ever. :) They entered the Second Division in 1893 and clawed their way to the First in 1904; they were relegated in 1913, promoted again in 1915, but thanks to WWII didn't begin in the First Division until 1919. They've been there ever since.

John-- this thread was originally titled "All Things European Soccer" so it's the place for anything related even peripherally to UEFA. Also to US soccer. Really to soccer in general. :)

[jtwcornell91]

Originally posted by Don King
John-- this thread was originally titled "All Things European Soccer" so it's the place for anything related even peripherally to UEFA. Also to US soccer. Really to soccer in general. :)
Would it be out of line to start an "Official Thread of Euro 2004" when the time comes?

[MavrckMngr]

Originally posted by jtwcornell91
Would it be out of line to start an "Official Thread of Euro 2004" when the time comes?

Not at all.

BTW, has anybody played the Euro 2004 video game yet? Is it even worth renting?

[Don King]

Originally posted by jtwcornell91
Would it be out of line to start an "Official Thread of Euro 2004" when the time comes?

Be sure not to mention results without a [ R ] (for results) in the thread title, though. There was a big to-do about that during Japorea 02. :p

Along the same lines as Mv's question: is Winning Eleven 7 any good? (FIFA 2004 kind of bored me.)

[Terrierbyassociation]

Originally posted by Don King
Be sure not to mention results without a [ R ] (for results) in the thread title, though. There was a big to-do about that during Japorea 02. :p

Along the same lines as Mv's question: is Winning Eleven 7 any good? (FIFA 2004 kind of bored me.)

Winning Eleven is much more realistic. It's a b-word to learn how to play though. I mean, playing as England I still lose to Saudi Arabia(they always get some wierd bogus penalty to win 1-0)

I'm learning how to shoot now though, so that's interesting. :)

But yes, Winning Eleven 7 is leaps and bounds better than Fifa 2004, even though it's just a straight port from the PS2 version.

[Big Poppa Pump]

Winning Eleven 7 is apparently absolutely unparalleled, but I have to echo TBA that its REAL hard to get the hang of. I bought Winning Eleven 6 last year, and it frustrated me to the point (and this doesn't happen to me with video games) that I brought it back in a week. I picked up FIFA 2004, but always go back to 2003.

If only the Netherlands were in FIFA 2003...that'd totally be my go-to team.

[x-cheque]

There are many many things EA could do to improve upon their FIFA franchise, but because it is so easy to play and the graphics are gorgeous, they don't. International teams that didn't qualify for the world cup in 2002? Not there. Create your own club? player? uniform? stadium? ditto. Not even a practice function. And yet I spend hours playing it.

I picked up World Cup 98 for the N64 the other day and man, is it a different game. Much more difficult to play - and a bit more rewarding. All the functions are there - edit team, edit player, practice, etc. etc.

I was a big fan of FIFA 2001, I thought it had all the bells and whistles along with the good solid functions that a soccer simulation needs.

[Bob Gray]

To keep this thread from totally devolving into a computer game discussion, the big news is this Thailand investment in Liverpool. The whole thing strikes me as odd, as apparently it is mostly government funds, not the the Thai PM's own funds, which are being ponied up. So in effect the government of Thailand will own a good chunk of Liverpool. It's bad enough when some Russian billionaire turns an English team into his playpen, but the have foreign governments buying up English teams seems really bizarre. I guess they don't have any poverty or anything to put the money toward in Thailand!

Also, Alan Smith talking about going to ManU from his beloved Leeds strikes me as very odd. If he's really such a loyal Leeds guy, the last place he'd head is Old Trafford. Come on Alan!

[Nathan]

Originally posted by Bob Gray
Also, Alan Smith talking about going to ManU from his beloved Leeds strikes me as very odd. If he's really such a loyal Leeds guy, the last place he'd head is Old Trafford. Come on Alan!
Great, just what we need running around Old Trafford, Alan freaking Smith?

[Jon]

Originally posted by Terrierbyassociation
Yeah, those fans are going to be banned for life for their actions and these are HOME FANS, the US player was on the away team. I can't believe people would be racist like this, not only is it stupid, it makes your team look bad too.

I'm not surprised. Idiots on both sides of the OF have been making monkey noises at black players for years. :( Of course, this behavior is strictly prohibited at both Parkhead and Ibrox but (and here's the kicker) ONLY for the home support. So, last weekend, we have a couple dozen Rangers twits making arses of themselves by mocking Bobo Balde... The majority of both fanbases hate this behavior, but it seems like no one is willing to stop the racist minority that gives both groups a bad name.

See I'm even doing my part by not refering to them as "huns". :) Score one for tolerance... ;)

[Bob Gray]

I actually generally like Alan Smith, as long as he doesn't lose control, as he's done a few times. He's young enough he still should get better over the next few years. It just would be very odd seeing him plying his trade for the Red Devils.

[FerrisLives]

Originally posted by Bob Gray
To keep this thread from totally devolving into a computer game discussion, the big news is this Thailand investment in Liverpool. The whole thing strikes me as odd, as apparently it is mostly government funds, not the the Thai PM's own funds, which are being ponied up. So in effect the government of Thailand will own a good chunk of Liverpool. It's bad enough when some Russian billionaire turns an English team into his playpen, but the have foreign governments buying up English teams seems really bizarre. I guess they don't have any poverty or anything to put the money toward in Thailand!

Also, Alan Smith talking about going to ManU from his beloved Leeds strikes me as very odd. If he's really such a loyal Leeds guy, the last place he'd head is Old Trafford. Come on Alan!

That actually could be a pretty sweet deal for Liverpool. In addition to the nation of Thailand owning part of Liverpool, Liverpool will develop a soccer academy there and have a major say in running the Thai pro league. Not only will it give Liverpool a serious injection of cash to compete with Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal, but it will also give the club priority access to players from Southeast Asia.

[Bob Gray]

Of course, as long as Houllier is in charge, the chances of the extra cash actually bringing in top notch players is pretty slim. Liverpool's traditional loyalty to managers is really impeding their chances of improving or even holding their own, IMHO.

I just find it odd that the Thai government will apparently have a major role now in calling the shots at Liverpool.

And this is yet another reason why people should root for Arsenal, who are one of the few top English clubs who are still a traditional English soccer club. Merchandise United is a publicly traded company beholden to its shareholders, Chelski is a Russian billionaire's toy, and now Liverpool is partially run by an Asian government. Whereas good old Arsenal is run by a traditional board headed by the Wood-Hill family who have run Arsenal for many decades, with a focus on remaining a traditional football organization.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Hey, Can anyone here sum up the Leeds situation for me? I am moving there later this week, and although I am a huge Euro soccer fan, I really only pay attention to the German, Dutch, and Italian leagues. I don't know much about the Premiership. All I know about Leeds is that they have a team, but are relegated next year...anything else I should know?? Thanks!

[Bob Gray]

Leeds is in bad financial shape and will sell all their star players before next season, so I think they'll do well to stabilize next season and make sure their drop doesn't continue. Quite a fall for one of England's larger clubs, but it just shows how some bad financial decisions can sink a club. They just fired their manager, who I think did a nice job of trying to save them from relegation. They do supposedly have a real good youth academy, so maybe they can bring up some more John Milner types in the next couple years to rebuild their squad. The current squad is nothing special beyond a few stars like Smith, Viduka, and Robinson, none of whom will likely be at Elland Road next season. It's a bad time to be a Leeds fan.

[FerrisLives]

The only thing that makes Leeds tolerable for fans is that only a few miles away Bradford City is in even worse shape. Bradford has notified all their players to find new teams, and they may have to groundshare at the home of a team in the Tetley's Super League, which is so far down the pyramid of English soccer that it is shockingly embarassing that any Nationwide League team would have to groundshare at the home stadium of such a club. Things are so bad at Bradford City that I wouldn't be surprised if the FA is forced to act and has to decertify them for competition in division 2 next year, and reduce the division to 23 teams. As it is they are going to have to hold open tryouts or something just to field a team in division 2 next year. Bradford City has to be the worst run club in the history of English football. As long as Leeds doesn't get that bad the fans will forgive a lot.

[MavrckMngr]

Originally posted by FerrisLives
Bradford City has to be the worst run club in the history of English football.

If so, Wimbledon is **** close.

I've played Winning Eleven 6, and the learning curve for it is almost impossibly steep. FIFA 2004 was boring, yes, but 2005 looks promising...thinking about giving EA another chance.

BTW, they have had their heads up their arses with Holland. From what I've read about Euro 2004, they have real kits and players for Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan...ICELAND?!..., but generic stuff for the Netherlands.