OT: Need Help with European Soccer Viewing
I need your collective MGoHelp: I am an admitted novice when it comes to European soccer but have recently become more interested in it. I have a fixed amount of time to spend in the evenings watching games and I'm having trouble deciding even what league to focus on during my time. After reading up a bit, I sense that the UEFA Championship League might be the way to go. But then I read that the British Premier League is the best league overall. And I know that Fox Soccer channel also shows games of the Italian Serie A as well (and probably others too). I guess what I am saying is that I have no f-ing idea what I should be watching. Can anyone help point me in the right direction with respect to the league to focus on? Is the UEFA Championship League the way to go for a late bloomer like me?
(As an aside, I still don't understand how the UEFA Championship League works - how can teams play in it while their regular season is ongoing? For example, how can Arsenal play in it while the Premier League is in-season?)
Thanks in advance.
August 24th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^
Good luck finding those games on tv easily and the majority of players on the Dutch national team play their club football outside of Holland.
Dutch players in the EPL would be
Robin van Persie - Arsenal
Dirk Kuyt - Liverpool
Nigel de Jong - Man City
Rafael van der Vaart - Tottenham
and I'm sure I'm forgetting some obvious ones.
August 24th, 2011 at 4:00 PM ^
Wesley Sneijder - Man Utd...oh wait, I mean Inter
Klass Jan Huntelaar - Schalke
Rafael Van der Vaart - Tottenham
Mark Van Bommel - AC Milan
Arjen Robben - Bayern
August 24th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^
The Netherlands has a good league. Very competitive at the top with Ajax, PSV, AZ Alkmar, and FC Twente. But after that there is no one. And most of the Dutch players play abroad.
Ajax is a great team to follow though, they have the 2nd best youth syetm in the world so they are always good. Hard to watch their games though.
August 24th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^
AZ has signed USA striker Jozy Altidore, who has already put in three or four goals in the first couple of weeks. I've adopted them for as long as he plays for them... I live in NYC and watched Jozy at Red Bull-- great kid and I wish him the best!
August 24th, 2011 at 4:02 PM ^
I'm really glad to hear that Jozy is getting some PT with his new club. I would rather have him playing for AZ than him riding the pine for some mid-level EPL team.
August 24th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^
Almost everything is there, if not in HQ.
August 24th, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^
I like watching all of the best clubs because the quality of their play is just better. Man City is my team, but I enjoy watching Man u, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Watch Barcelona play FC Porto this Friday on Fox Soccer Channel, they will thoroughly entertain you.
I am not a big Italian Seria a fan, because the Italian game is very defensive minded, therefore being kind of boring. The EPL and Champions league are the best to watch, and anytime Real Madrid and Barca are playing, always try to check it out.
August 24th, 2011 at 12:47 PM ^
who needs soccer when you have ManBall?
August 24th, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
With a new baby on the way, I need late-night entertainment that will last into the football offseason. I figured soccer was the closest sport to college football due to the emotion/passion of the fans involved. So, there it is.
August 24th, 2011 at 2:40 PM ^
A local rival of Man U and Man City?
August 24th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^
Liverpool are starting Suarez against Exeter in the League Cup tonight... On Fox Soccer PLus starting at 2:35 PM EST. enjoy!
August 24th, 2011 at 3:15 PM ^
Just after we were talking about him he puts in a goal to go up 1-0
August 24th, 2011 at 3:19 PM ^
triple post
August 24th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
make that quadruple
August 24th, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^
reminds me of something important. Hopefully I can say it without violating the no-politics rule.
There are a lot of soccer teams in Europe; London alone must have at least 30. That means fans don't just sort themselves out along geographical lines like they mostly do here; sometimes class or race or religion or politics comes into play. So for example St. Pauli in Germany has become the club for the anarchist or autonomous community crowd; Bologna in Italy has (or used to have) a reputation as the club for communists. Rostock in Germany has a lot of rabid neo-Nazi fans. Or Lazio.
If you don't have a chance to have a direct, organic connection to a particular club, maybe it's a good idea to vet the fan community before you commit. It may not matter much from a distance, but when you finally visit Rome for that first Lazio match after years of watching them from afar on tv you might be in for a shock when you see the swastikas waving in the stands and the guy next to you has a Mussolini tattoo. (Unless that's your scene, of course.)