So after watching the Man U/Barcelona final today, I want to actually start following European football. Problem is, I have A) no idea which team to follow, and B) no idea how all of it works. I see all of these threads with Premiership and then I see UEFA and then I see all of these different names and whatnot.

Anyone care to explain things to a Yank? And also, if people want to lobby as to why I should support so-and-so's team, I'd be all for that as well.

Oh, and one last thing. Anyone know how an American would be able to follow European football through the season?

You should choose Charlton, they've never let me down...



The most prestigious cup world soccer (from now on called football) is known as the Johnstone Paint Trophy. Only big clubs like Charlton, Leeds, Norwich and Southampton are allowed to play in it. Wank clubs like Arsenal & Chelsea play in the Champions League.

OK, let's see.

Different countries tend to have different styles of play - you tend to see more flair in some, more emphasis on defence in others. It's just the traditional environment. The English Premiership is probably the best mix of these because of the money thrown around meaning players from all over come there to play.

As far as which team you want to support goes, it depends on whether or not you just want to be a glory hunter like someone getting into baseball in 2000 and declaring they're a Yankees fan, if you want small so you can show support as they try tio get bigger, or if you want to bve able to follow someone knowing that you may get a rollercoaster ride but that's half the fun.

A few comparisons for you:

Man Utd - Yankees: Spend loads of cash, act like they run the game, win a lot, everyone hates them

Chelsea - NE Patriots: Did win a lot and looked unbeatable for a while, but not as unbeatable as they were the last couple of years. That said, everyone REALLY hates them

Liverpool - Redsox pre '94: Were the big team, unstoppable, but of late they've been in a dry spell in the league. Big traditional rivals of United

Arsenal - who's been there or there abouts for a while without winning...how about the Angels? Or maybe the Marlins or D'Backs 'cause they're trying to build a team out of diaper-wearing kiddies and thinking that experience doesn't matter.(I thought saying the Nuggets because that moron Kroenke has major shares and they're just as badly run was pushing it)

Fulham - Rays: One good year does not a dynasty make

Tottenham - Cubbies: Used to be big players, now just the guys who think "this year is our year" every year. A few bright spots but never the big prize any more.

Wigan/Hull/Stoke/Burnley - Nationals: New players to the big game, gradually adapting.

Newcastle - Rockies: A couple of gems, but otherwise shite. (Not technically a premiership team any more but hey... also works for Sunderland, Blackburn and Bolton, amongst others)

Or there's Everton, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City, Birmingham, Wolves and I've missed one other I think but I can't think who.

Ipswich Town!!

Stop supporting the Top League team! Booo...

Either them or Accrington Stanley

Heres a league breakdown MK,

There are leagues in most major European Countries, but the major leagues are as follows:

England (Premier League)
Spain (La Liga)
Germany (Bundasliga)
Scotland (SPL)
France (Ligue 1)

Baaically it is strongly considered that the English and Spanish League are by far the best, and contain the highest standard of football.

The Spanish League is dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The English League is dominated by Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The Champions League which you saw last night, is a huge Knock Out Tournament that features only the best teams from the best leagues around Europe. Insanely difficult to win, but winning crowns you the best in the world.

As for who to support I suggest you start watching the game and allow yourself to choose a style of play and team that you enjoy above others.

A lot of people start supporting United just because they win everything, but they are still an amazing team, and last nights defeat probably wasn't the best example of them. They still dominate almost every competition, and I think they play the best football in England.

Chelsea, are unpopular with everyone except their own fans, mainly because they spent nearly 300million pounds perfecting their team. That being said they are still an excellent team.

Arsenal, focus on playing attractive, beautiful, passing football. In 03/04 they went the entire league without losing a single game, eventually setting the record at 49 matches before finally losing to united. These days they haven't won anything in a few years but are still one of the best teams in Europe.

Liverpool, a great team that plays with alot of passion, apart from their key players they don't have the quality of some of the other teams but still know how to win. The Likes of Torres and Gererd make them a hard team to beat.

Barcelona, great team with a great legacy and currently have some of the best players in the world. Have the biggest stadium in Europe holding more than a 100,000. Have a lot of money and don't mind spending it. Also they have Messi.

Real Madrid, another great team with alot of money. They have dipped in standard this year, getting hammered by Liverpool in the Champions League.

Those are the top teams around right now in my opinion, but when you start watching the beautiful game you'll tend to find someone you like more than others.

P.S. SUPPORT ARSENAL!!

You missed Blackburn Gari, not really surprising!

To me a good team to look out for in the Premier league this season is Wolves, good fan base, not going to achieve much but have it in them to succeed. I'm a Liverpool fan myself but I think English football is more served to have fans who support teams who aren't dripping in money so much. You'd be better off I think going to a team in the lower divisions but coverage Stateside for one is likely to be awful.

Apparently the MLS is fantastic for fans. Cheap tickets and you can drink in the stands!

Support your local MLS team, it'll be a lot more fun than following some European team in the middle of the night.

ShowStealer wrote:Apparently the MLS is fantastic for fans. Cheap tickets and you can drink in the stands!

Support your local MLS team, it'll be a lot more fun than following some European team in the middle of the night.

Eh. MLS doesn't appeal to me. That's like trying to become a fan of the WBNA here in the states. (WBNA is the female equivalent of the NBA. The butt of all sports writers jokes)

From Gari's descriptions of the teams, I think I would have an easy time figuring out which team I would like. But I also agree with Outlaw's idea of watching a few games and making my decision from there.

I'm really interested in getting involved with this. Now it's just a matter of finding out how I can watch these games...

ThatChumpStain wrote:You missed Blackburn Gari, not really surprising!

To me a good team to look out for in the Premier league this season is Wolves, good fan base, not going to achieve much but have it in them to succeed. I'm a Liverpool fan myself but I think English football is more served to have fans who support teams who aren't dripping in money so much. You'd be better off I think going to a team in the lower divisions but coverage Stateside for one is likely to be awful.

Nope, they're in the brackets after Newcastle

Seriously, outlaw broke it down well, although I beg to differ with his final point, and I would probably add Inter Milan to the list he gave - excellent history, currently dominating the Italian league and with their current manager you can guarantee that the team will be entertaining to watch.

But yeah, I'd watch a few games - like I said, you'll find that different leagues have different styles, different teams have different focuses - fans tend to be very vocal if that changes, for example any defensive manager at Spurs or Man Utd would be driven out quite quickly by the fans, whilst a manager not looking for high profile players at Real Madrid or one not looking for bargains at Fulham would probably get dumped by the board.

You need to decide what type of play and player appeals to you. When loking at a new sport, I maybe look for one or two players I like the look of and use them as a guide. If they represent the whole style of the team then maybe that's the side for you. If they're Robinho at Man City then just keep looking...

ShowStealer wrote:Apparently the MLS is fantastic for fans. Cheap tickets and you can drink in the stands!

Support your local MLS team, it'll be a lot more fun than following some European team in the middle of the night.

I am going to an MLS game when I go to Canada - if my mate can sort me for tickets, they are meant to be hard to get for Toronto games.

Garibaldi wrote:

ThatChumpStain wrote:You missed Blackburn Gari, not really surprising!

To me a good team to look out for in the Premier league this season is Wolves, good fan base, not going to achieve much but have it in them to succeed. I'm a Liverpool fan myself but I think English football is more served to have fans who support teams who aren't dripping in money so much. You'd be better off I think going to a team in the lower divisions but coverage Stateside for one is likely to be awful.

Nope, they're in the brackets after Newcastle

Seriously, outlaw broke it down well, although I beg to differ with his final point, and I would probably add Inter Milan to the list he gave - excellent history, currently dominating the Italian league and with their current manager you can guarantee that the team will be entertaining to watch.

But yeah, I'd watch a few games - like I said, you'll find that different leagues have different styles, different teams have different focuses - fans tend to be very vocal if that changes, for example any defensive manager at Spurs or Man Utd would be driven out quite quickly by the fans, whilst a manager not looking for high profile players at Real Madrid or one not looking for bargains at Fulham would probably get dumped by the board.

You need to decide what type of play and player appeals to you. When loking at a new sport, I maybe look for one or two players I like the look of and use them as a guide. If they represent the whole style of the team then maybe that's the side for you. If they're Robinho at Man City then just keep looking...

Which team would you say is closest to the Twins style of play and their mentality when it comes to playing the game the right way?

Hector_Nicols_Accordian wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:Apparently the MLS is fantastic for fans. Cheap tickets and you can drink in the stands!

Support your local MLS team, it'll be a lot more fun than following some European team in the middle of the night.

I am going to an MLS game when I go to Canada - if my mate can sort me for tickets, they are meant to be hard to get for Toronto games.

Toronto are a new team and they have a massive fans base, probably the highest in the MLS. I think the rest of them never sell out. You should enjoy it.

MK wrote:

Garibaldi wrote:

ThatChumpStain wrote:You missed Blackburn Gari, not really surprising!

To me a good team to look out for in the Premier league this season is Wolves, good fan base, not going to achieve much but have it in them to succeed. I'm a Liverpool fan myself but I think English football is more served to have fans who support teams who aren't dripping in money so much. You'd be better off I think going to a team in the lower divisions but coverage Stateside for one is likely to be awful.

Nope, they're in the brackets after Newcastle

Seriously, outlaw broke it down well, although I beg to differ with his final point, and I would probably add Inter Milan to the list he gave - excellent history, currently dominating the Italian league and with their current manager you can guarantee that the team will be entertaining to watch.

But yeah, I'd watch a few games - like I said, you'll find that different leagues have different styles, different teams have different focuses - fans tend to be very vocal if that changes, for example any defensive manager at Spurs or Man Utd would be driven out quite quickly by the fans, whilst a manager not looking for high profile players at Real Madrid or one not looking for bargains at Fulham would probably get dumped by the board.

You need to decide what type of play and player appeals to you. When loking at a new sport, I maybe look for one or two players I like the look of and use them as a guide. If they represent the whole style of the team then maybe that's the side for you. If they're Robinho at Man City then just keep looking...

Which team would you say is closest to the Twins style of play and their mentality when it comes to playing the game the right way?

Aston Villa, they are a team that most people seem to like and play the game the right way! also seem down to earth and a team everyone seems to like really!!! havent won much in recent years! but winning isnt everything!

If you want to support a team that wins all the team, support Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool and probably Arsenal too.

If you want to support a team that plays good football but doesnt win trophys much, support Aston Villa, Tottenham or errmmm hmm..

But anyway! if you want to support one of the best teams in the world, choice either Ipswich Town or Charlton Athletic! never a dull moment!

I endorse the following comment.

Rooq wrote:But anyway! if you want to support one of the best teams in the world, choice either Ipswich Town or Charlton Athletic! never a dull moment!

ShowStealer wrote:I endorse the following comment.

Rooq wrote:But anyway! if you want to support one of the best teams in the world, choice either Ipswich Town or Charlton Athletic! never a dull moment!

Add Tranmere Rovers to that.

Actually, add AFC Wimbledon, I kinda like keeping an eye on what they're up to.

This is off-topic, but still relates to football.

I just purchased FIFA 2009 and am having quite the time playing it. It's difficult to get used to all the controls and whatnot. But here's one initial question: What do all the positions mean, and what do they do? Anyone care to explain?

MK wrote:This is off-topic, but still relates to football.

I just purchased FIFA 2009 and am having quite the time playing it. It's difficult to get used to all the controls and whatnot. But here's one initial question: What do all the positions mean, and what do they do? Anyone care to explain?

Basic positions:

Goalkeeper - Pretty obvious
Centre Back - Central defenders, guard the box
Full back - Left and right backs
Midfield - Centre of the pitch, where attacks get built
Wingers - Run the sides the pitch, very attacking players
Centre forward - Play up front and help create and score goals.
Striker - Scores goals.

There are pther positions, like sweeper and such, but these are the most used positions in football.

USA! USA! USA!

USA beat Spain!

...

Is that good or mean anything?

Mtank325 wrote:USA! USA! USA!

USA beat Spain!

...

Is that good or mean anything?

It's huge. I watched the whole game. Spain had been previously unbeaten in 35 straight matches. If we could pull out an upset and win the Confed Cup, it would go a long, long way to gaining some confidence and credibility heading into the WC.

MK wrote:

Mtank325 wrote:USA! USA! USA!

USA beat Spain!

...

Is that good or mean anything?

It's huge. I watched the whole game. Spain had been previously unbeaten in 35 straight matches. If we could pull out an upset and win the Confed Cup, it would go a long, long way to gaining some confidence and credibility heading into the WC.

Jesus, USA are 2 up on Brazil! And they deserve it!

Outlaw2x4 wrote:Jesus, USA are 2 up on Brazil! And they deserve it!

What a heart-breaking loss. Although this was a tremendous learning experience for our club. Beating Spain and coming up just short today will definitely help us next year.

Support your local league by the way. Who cares what sports writers think and what jokes are made?

It will only get better if people like yourself go to the games and support it. Rome was not built in a day so they say. Plus by going to see some matches, you will get a better understanding of the sport.

http://www.sportsjoystick.com/images/content/boxart/image003%5B1%5Dfifa09cover.JPG

Who's the guy on the left?

That's Guillermo Ochoa, he plays in the Mexican league and is the goalkeeper for Mexico.
The one on the right is Maurice Edu, I think he plays for Rangers.

So I was planning on maybe watching a few games from the Premiere League at the beginning of the season, but then I remembered that I don't have the kind of money to buy Fox Soccer Channel or anything of the sort. Unfortunate too, since I was really excited to start following a new sport.

Disregard that last post. Turns out it's only $5 a month to get Fox Soccer Channel, and with my birthday coming up in a few months, that will be the perfect gift. Now comes the hard part deciding which team to go for...

MK wrote:Disregard that last post. Turns out it's only $5 a month to get Fox Soccer Channel, and with my birthday coming up in a few months, that will be the perfect gift. Now comes the hard part deciding which team to go for...

That's great that you'll get to watch the PL this year man. Shaping up to be a a very interesting season. But don't bother deciding to support any team just yet. Just stay neutral and eventually you'll pick a team.