OT: Announcing My Intent To Be Obnoxious
I'm the worst kind of English Football fan. Just got into it in 2015 when I attended my first game...a second division match between Brentford and Cardiff at old Griffin Park. Fell. In. Love. The fans were loud, emotional and creatively obnoxious. Brentford became my team. And I have become a total fanboy.
Last spring Brentford was promoted to the first tier for the first time since 1947. And this weekend in their first EPL game they defeated Arsenal 2-0. I know Arsenal is not what Arsenal was but still....
I'm hereby placing the Board on notice. I'm going to be like a religious convert. I've seen the light!
August 16th, 2021 at 11:48 AM ^
My friend convinced me to become an Arsenal fan a couple years ago. I now hate said friend.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
Did you sleep with his sister or something? That was no friend. Friends don't let friends support Arsenal!
August 16th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Demorest did this to me.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
But but but . . The Away Boyz!
August 16th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
The thing about Arsenal is they always try to walk it in
August 16th, 2021 at 12:57 PM ^
Ludicrous display
August 16th, 2021 at 2:13 PM ^
Someone in an earlier thread mentioned that Arsenal fandom is like being a Michigan fan. Decent fit. I'm not really an EPL fan but "chose them" as my EPL team >15y ago, I kick myself since I also had good reasons for other teams (relative living in Chelsea's turf, Liverpool etc.)...
August 16th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
What the fuck, Evan? We're down two points!
August 16th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
Hey Greg, why don't you go piss your pants again?
People don't forget.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^
It was an amazing first weekend (even though my beloved Newcastle came out on the losing end of a 4-2 affair with West Ham). No draws, loads and loads of goals, and hearing the actual reaction from fans instead of the piped in cheers absolutely had an effect on the players.
I won't even bother advising you to pump the breaks. But as you'll soon learn, victories over Arsenal are a quixotic thing. Perhaps Brentford will place better than fourth at the end of the season. Or maybe it's just Arsenal being Arsenal and Brentford will do what most newly promoted teams do--get relegated right back to the lower tiers of the unwashed. Who the hell knows. Regardless, welcome! Just be advised that fraternizing in any way with or entertaining illicit thoughts about the MLS is grounds for immediate and permanent excommunication.
Also, if you're going to be obnoxious, do it in the thread body. You can do better with your thread titles.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Refs being much more passive allowed the games to flow more freely so I really hope that trend continues.
My prediction is that Brentford won't go back down this year because they are the Oakland A's of the PL; heavily analytical team winning with names that you don't really recognize
August 16th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
I'm curious to see whether a moneyball approach can work in soccer like it did for baseball. There are so many individual components in baseball that can be broken down and controlled to produce a desired result. Soccer, on the other hand, doesn't really allow for the kind of control. While there are some generally applicable truisms, the game is so fluid, and there's so much opportunity for creativity, that I think it would make it immensely difficult to control circumstances to take advantage of certain tendencies. That said, against some of the less talented clubs that tend to try to grind out results based on trusting their system to work as opposed to the "better" teams that seem to create space within their systems to allow their stars' talent to take a game over, I can absolutely see where analytics could have a direct impact.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:53 PM ^
Like Billy Beane I imagine he will need to make adjustments as other clubs catch up but all PL clubs use analytics of some sort. Brentford's owner has already proven analytics work in football:
- He also owns Danish club FC Midtjylland which had never won a title but in his 7 years as majority stakeholder, using his analytics, they've won three league titles & finished second place twice.
- At Brentford they used analytics to identify under-valued players that they bought "cheap" & sold high on including Ollie Watkins, Chris Mepham, Neal Maupay and Said Benrahma.
- Since being promoted to The Championship in 2014, which was the first year of the analytical "era" for Brentford, they've finished in the top half of the table every year & obviously were promoted to the Premiership
I don't purport to have a clue how analytics work in football nor how the owner's analytics differ from "standard" analytics but whatever he is doing is working thus far
August 16th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Wow I was 99% sure I was about to go in and take this thread down when I saw the header. Well played.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
The OP is a master of the literary head fake.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:00 PM ^
Literary jab step.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ^
Go nuts buddy, you have my vote
August 16th, 2021 at 12:12 PM ^
Is this a clever social media campaign for Ted Lasso?
BTW, everyone should watch Ted Lasso.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
I'm still blown away by how good of a show it is. Generally my main shows have been humor based but much different (South Park, Always Sunny, Bojack, etc). But Ted Lasso Is. So. Good.
August 16th, 2021 at 4:53 PM ^
Apparently we have the same tastes in TV shows
August 16th, 2021 at 1:40 PM ^
Nicole Auerbach, who I emphatically and categorically do not have a crush on, has been gushing about Ted Lasso on Twitter for ages so it's in my queue for things to watch after binging The Expanse s4-5
August 16th, 2021 at 3:57 PM ^
Season 1 was ok. Season 2 is pointless so far.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
Sports are a beautiful thing. Still haven't locked down my soccer club. I follow Chelsea and BVB religiously, both due to Pulisic - and now Reyna (& Haaland) for the latter. But I don't see myself rooting on those teams once those players move on.
Enjoy your sports high, man! Hopefully we get some around Detroit/Michigan here soon.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
I often enjoy my sports while high
August 16th, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
I started rooting for Everton because of Tim Howard and Romelu Lukaku (not an American but I love his game). Both have moved on, but my heart is still on the Merseyside, clad in Blue. Go Toffees!
August 16th, 2021 at 1:50 PM ^
I'm not bitter that Everton stole Rafa... not bitter in the slightest.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
About Detroit. I'm getting a strong feeling that around 2024 we're going to have some really good teams. Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons seem to be on that timeline. The Lions? That would be asking too much. Though I like Brad Holmes.
August 17th, 2021 at 9:54 AM ^
Yeah, I agree with you there. The Tigers are fun/entertaining to watch already - especially with Miggy chasing 500. The Pistons and the Red Wings should both be exciting next season with outside shots at wildcards. The Pistons are closer to than the Wings after some lottery luck. And I think there is some legit hope there for the Lions under Holmes. Campbell probably isn't the guy - but he's entertaining in the short term too.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
Back in the mid-seventies there used to be a bookstore in Dearborn where you could buy foreign newspapers, they had a whole row of. I used to like to buy an English newspaper and read about the soccer teams, I thought it was pretty cool. I don't know if there's any place you can buy a paper from London anymore
August 16th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
There is. It's called the internet.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
True. I use that new fangled device to keep up on Locomotiv Moscow. Or was that Dinamo?
Seriously though, Vlad...back in the day wasn't Spartak the KGB team and Dinamo the Army team?
August 16th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
Since we are talking about EPL...
What is the opinion on Pogba? Is this a contract year thing or has he finally committed to ManU?
He has always been one of the most talented players in the world, but also one of the biggest headcases. Has he finally turned it around?
August 16th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
I think he will leave for free next year. The thing about him is consistency. Some days he shows up with a 12/10 performance. Then could follow it up 2/10 performance where he loses it in midfield several times. He is also prone to conceding penalties. I also don't think the club put a good team around him either for his first few seasons. I think these are the best set of players he has had and it shows.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:48 PM ^
Great player but seems you have to "manage" him and stroke his ego too much for day to day consistency... I think it was an ESPN rumor that he's going to Real Madrid next year with Kylian Mbappe, so probably trying to go out on a high
August 16th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
The first announcement of intent to be obnoxious in the history of MGoBlog?
Not sure if it counts though, as Mr. Moore, did not get obnoxious yet.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:06 PM ^
Big Crystal Palace fan here. God help me. On the other hand, only lost by 3 this weekend at Chelsea -- a step forward from the 4 by which Palace lost to them last year. So ... progress?
August 16th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
Pulisic loves playing you guys. I love to root for Palace against everyone but CFC. Highly recommend everyone watch a video of Palace fans singing Glad All Over. What a cool place to see a match.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:16 PM ^
Crystal Palace, eh? Aren't they the South London equivalent of Queens Park Rangers?
August 16th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
Evertonian here. Took Southampton 3-1. We needed that too. Rafa Benitez, the new manager, was a legend at Liverpool and won the Champions League there. While at Liverpool, he referred to Everton as a 'small club' and earned the eternal ire of Everton fans.This was needed to build that sweet sweet good will. A loss could've seen his house burned to the ground.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:35 PM ^
This is awesome. Same story for me as with a lot of you, but the guy I loved was Didier Drogba and blue is the color. Champions of Europe, we know who we are. COYB.
I have a habit of adopting a lower tier team each year and watching. Last year it was the Fighting Ivan Toney's of Brentford. Thinking I might go with Queen's Park Rangers this year. would be cool to see them get back in the PL.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:42 PM ^
Not sure I realized just how much I missed fans in the EPL stands until I saw the Brentford faifhful explode after that first goal. That was a beautiful thing to watch.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Liverpool supporter here.
Played soccer since I was four and was always interested in the Premier League abstractly but never felt very connected considering it was rarely on TV growing up. I took a work trip to Scotland the year after I graduated college and was speaking with the sweetest old woman at one of the manufacturing plants we were visiting. We got onto football and I mentioned I didn't have a specific club I supported. The next day, she came to my cube with a Liverpool scarf, Liverpool pin, and earnestly said "You'll never walk alone." Been hooked ever since.
August 17th, 2021 at 3:24 PM ^
Always loved your screen name. In the meantime, I have always been partial to Tottenham Hotspur…
August 16th, 2021 at 1:50 PM ^
im pretty sure i have a tshirt that says "Announcing my intent to be obnoxious"
August 16th, 2021 at 2:17 PM ^
My kids bought me one...
August 16th, 2021 at 2:01 PM ^
I was kind of an Arsenal fan for a bit but I really have no connection to them. I have some connection to all the teams I support (Michigan, Detroit, Cal) except Arsenal. I spent a week in Manchester once but I dislike all Manchester teams.
I guess I watch without a rooting interest just because I enjoy the games.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:07 PM ^
I am happy for you. I hope you have the same experience I've had whilst supporting Leicester City. When I adopted them, they were languishing in League One. Five years ago (and after a great escape to avoid relegation the previous year) they won the Premier League at 5,000 to 1 odds. It was the most amazing and satisfying sporting journey I've ever (kind of) been a part of. Never stop dreaming! Anything is possible.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:20 PM ^
The only comparison in sports to Leicester winning the EPL was the Mets winning the World Series in 1969.
August 16th, 2021 at 3:27 PM ^
Ditto.
I adopted Everton because of Tim Howard. Stuck with them ever since. I'm not wavering on bit.
(...and then I got super lucky living in Colorado and seeing Tim Howard finish his career out with the Rapids.)
August 16th, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
I am a different kind of LCFC fan. I started randomly watching the PL in 2013-14, not having a team to root for. I was watching the Agueroooo!!!!! game at the end of that season, and it sealed my fandom. Single most amazing game of any sport I have ever seen (as a neutral) — the emotions and history and the drama even Hollywood wouldnt imagine.
So I was without a team until the Foxes came along with that wonderful year. I found myself pulling for them and have been rooting for them ever since. No one likes a dynasty (or six of them).
The last two seasons were great to be their fan… but for the last game of each.
Btw I am like Giannis and refuse to pay $5/month for Peacock.