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European Football/EPL season 2018/2019

EPL winner

  • Man City

    Votes: 5 33.3%

  • Liverpool

    Votes: 6 40.0%

  • Tottenham

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Man United

    Votes: 3 20.0%

  • Chealski

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Arsenal

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • Total voters
    15
I want Liverpool, or Spurs.

I do have a question for fans of EPL and other leagues. I don't really have a team to root for just enjoy watching games on sat and sun morning (where I live). If you aren't a fan of the big 6 in the EPL, how do you enjoy a season? You pretty muhc have no shot to win the league, the teams at the top are so ridiculously stacked. I know for my teams, if my team is out of the playoff hunt, I don't really watch much, the season is pretty much done. What do you have to root for? Oh, our team finished 9th, we are so excited. yet people go nuts for their hometown teams. I just don't get it, there is no parody, its like all star teams playing against everybody else. And every year they spend millions bringing in even more stars
 
Not a great start for United; I hope it's not a sign of things to come for the season. I was really surprised by the loss to Brighton, and had hoped they would have bounced back against Spurs. We shall see....
 
Sampson Simpson said:
I want Liverpool, or Spurs.

I do have a question for fans of EPL and other leagues. I don't really have a team to root for just enjoy watching games on sat and sun morning (where I live). If you aren't a fan of the big 6 in the EPL, how do you enjoy a season? You pretty muhc have no shot to win the league, the teams at the top are so ridiculously stacked. I know for my teams, if my team is out of the playoff hunt, I don't really watch much, the season is pretty much done. What do you have to root for? Oh, our team finished 9th, we are so excited. yet people go nuts for their hometown teams. I just don't get it, there is no parody, its like all star teams playing against everybody else. And every year they spend millions bringing in even more stars
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Tell that to the fans of Leicester City. That was only 3 seasons ago. As a City fan I spent years, no decades, watching our stumbling about in the lower reaches of the 1st/Prem or in the 2nd/Championship, and even one season going away to watch us at the likes of Lincoln City, Colchester and my second love team York City in the third tier. I loved that season btw! It's not just about winning the big prize. I think that as a fan of a less wealthy, less fancied team you need to treat every game as a final, every goal as an orgasmic hit and enjoy the sport for what it is.

Sing like you're winning and keep dreaming because one day it might happen. It did for us thanks to all that Abu Dhabi money and I'm loving it, but then again, I loved it when we could sing our ironic, self-deprecating chants like "Just like the fans of the Invisible Man, We're not really here!" and "Where were we when we were s***. Right here!"

On a side note, I think that the US MLS system is badly flawed by not having a promotion/relegation system. In European leagues there are always three competitions going on in the same tier every season: the battle for the title; the battle for the European places; and the battle to avoid relegation. This means that 2,3 or 4 teams are battling it out at the top, another 3, 4 or 5 in the shout just below and 5, 6 or 7 scrapping for their lives at the bottom. There are very few 'dead rubbers' at the end of a season even if only one or two are clearly in the running for the trophy. If my team were 4th from bottom but with no danger of losing our Premiership status if things go badly, I probably wouldn't bother too much either. The MLS also needs a separate cup competition too - not enough trophies are in play IMHO.

Good luck to NYCFC in the play-offs, by the way!
 
Andalublue said:
Tell that to the fans of Leicester City. That was only 3 seasons ago. As a City fan I spent years, no decades, watching our stumbling about in the lower reaches of the 1st/Prem or in the 2nd/Championship, and even one season going away to watch us at the likes of Lincoln City, Colchester and my second love team York City in the third tier. I loved that season btw! It's not just about winning the big prize. I think that as a fan of a less wealthy, less fancied team you need to treat every game as a final, every goal as an orgasmic hit and enjoy the sport for what it is.

Sing like you're winning and keep dreaming because one day it might happen. It did for us thanks to all that Abu Dhabi money and I'm loving it, but then again, I loved it when we could sing our ironic, self-deprecating chants like "Just like the fans of the Invisible Man, We're not really here!" and "Where were we when we were s***. Right here!"

On a side note, I think that the US MLS system is badly flawed by not having a promotion/relegation system. In European leagues there are always three competitions going on in the same tier every season: the battle for the title; the battle for the European places; and the battle to avoid relegation. This means that 2,3 or 4 teams are battling it out at the top, another 3, 4 or 5 in the shout just below and 5, 6 or 7 scrapping for their lives at the bottom. There are very few 'dead rubbers' at the end of a season even if only one or two are clearly in the running for the trophy. If my team were 4th from bottom but with no danger of losing our Premiership status if things go badly, I probably wouldn't bother too much either. The MLS also needs a separate cup competition too - not enough trophies are in play IMHO.

Good luck to NYCFC in the play-offs, by the way!
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I don't watch MLS since the quality is so sub par compared to EPL. I do like relegation, but I don't think that would fly in the US. People would stop watching if they got relegated.

Yeah, Leicester was a fluke, and I loved it. The relegation battles are interesting though
 
Sampson Simpson said:
I don't watch MLS since the quality is so sub par compared to EPL. I do like relegation, but I don't think that would fly in the US. People would stop watching if they got relegated.

Yeah, Leicester was a fluke, and I loved it. The relegation battles are interesting though
Click to expand...

So, do you only watch EPL football?

I think it's much more fun to pick a side and stick with it through all the ups and downs. I chose Manchester City in 1968. I had no connection with the city at the time, although the first house I ever bought was 20 years later and 2 streets away from Maine Road, City's ground at the time. I was a 6-year-old in 1968 with an older brother who used to abuse me in the way 8-year-olds always abuse 6-year-olds. He was a fan of our local team, Nottingham Forest and the first match I ever saw was when Man City came to Nottingham. My dad took me and my brother and Genghis Jon was in tears at the end when City won 0-3. I've been a City fan for 50 years now, as we used to say "through thin and thinner". City won the league in 1968 and we had to wait another 44 years to win it again. I wouldn't swap that for anything.

BTW, Leicester wasn't a fluke. You don't win a 38-match season by a fluke. They were undeniably the best team that season.
 
Andalublue said:
So, do you only watch EPL football?

I think it's much more fun to pick a side and stick with it through all the ups and downs. I chose Manchester City in 1968. I had no connection with the city at the time, although the first house I ever bought was 20 years later and 2 streets away from Maine Road, City's ground at the time. I was a 6-year-old in 1968 with an older brother who used to abuse me in the way 8-year-olds always abuse 6-year-olds. He was a fan of our local team, Nottingham Forest and the first match I ever saw was when Man City came to Nottingham. My dad took me and my brother and Genghis Jon was in tears at the end when City won 0-3. I've been a City fan for 50 years now, as we used to say "through thin and thinner". City won the league in 1968 and we had to wait another 44 years to win it again. I wouldn't swap that for anything.

BTW, Leicester wasn't a fluke. You don't win a 38-match season by a fluke. They were undeniably the best team that season.
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Yeah, mostly EPL because NBC started playing those games so its what I get. I might watch some Bundesliga on Fox at times, mainly if Dortmund is playing to watch Pluisic.

I don't think I can ever get into a team that I didn't grow up with and be passionate about it. If I had to pick now it would be Liverpool or Tottenham. I remember jumping up out of my couch when Aguero scored that goal to give Man City the title on the last day, I didn't even care but it was so exciting to watch. I did root for Leicester City the year they won. I will root for any EPL team in the Champions Cup
 
Sampson Simpson said:
I remember jumping up out of my couch when Aguero scored that goal to give Man City the title on the last day, I didn't even care but it was so exciting to watch.
Click to expand...

Oh, man! One of the greatest moments of my life!



Even if you're not a City fan, this little doco will entertain you. "I swear you'll never see anything like this again, so watch it, drink it in..." I only found this a couple of weeks ago. I've no idea how I could have missed it.
 
Andalublue said:
Quite an even distribution of teams in the CL draw. No really easy groups, no Group of Death either.

Group A: Atletico Madrid, Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge - evenly matched, I'd say. Predict Atéti and Monaco to qualify.
Group B: Barcelona, TOTTENHAM, PSV, Inter Milan - Tough group for Spurs, but if they continue their strong start to the season I could see them qualify with Barca.
Group C: PSG, Napoli, LIVERPOOL, Red Star Belgrade - two from the first 3 to qualify. No, going to stick my neck out and say Liverpool and Napoli.
Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasararay - anyone's guess, mine would be Lokomotiv and Porto.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens - Bayern surely, and then possibly AEK.
Group F: MAN CITY, Shakhtar, Lyon, Hoffenheim - City, Lyon. Feel fairly confident with that.
Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen - Real and CSKA or Roma. I think I'll plump for CSKA.
Group H: Juventus, MAN UTD, Valencia, Young Boys - Juve and either Valencia or ManU. Neither Valencia nor United have started the season well, but they've got time to get up and running. I'm going to go for Valencia because it would be perverse of me to go for United.

Any thoughts?

The group stage matches I'm most looking forward to seeing? PSG v. Liverpool will be good. Real v. Roma. Juve v. United. Barca v. Spurs and all six of City's games, maybe with the slight exception of Shakhtar away.
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A: A. Madrid should go through with Monaco and Dortmund fighting for second spot.
B: Barca and Tottenham should have enough. Inter is not what it use to be. PSV.. well.
C: Almost worst than B imo. PSG and Liverpool and Napoli will be fighting for 2 spots..
D: Crap shoot. All clubs could go through.
E: Easy group yet again for Bayern. Benfica and Ajax fighting for second spot.
F: City should easily go through, with the 3 others fighting for second spot.
G: Real and Roma. No contest here.
H: Juve should finish first and then it comes down to which Man U and Valencia team show up.
 
Andalublue said:
Oh, man! One of the greatest moments of my life!



Even if you're not a City fan, this little doco will entertain you. "I swear you'll never see anything like this again, so watch it, drink it in..." I only found this a couple of weeks ago. I've no idea how I could have missed it.
Click to expand...


I hear it is very slick, some on Dutch TV say too slick. One of the greatest soccer documentaries is "Hark hear the angels sing"

Chronicling the thrashing taken by Amsterdam’s professional soccer team during the club’s luckless centennial year, “Ajax — Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is an insightful account of sports elevated to the high-stakes, high-pressure level of big business. While European soccer fans constitute its automatic audience, this polished documentary incorporates sufficient off-field suspense and human drama to grip non-aficionados as well, making it an appealing item for nonfiction TV programming.

Unlike sports docus such as “Hoop Dreams” or recent Sundance entry “Go Tigers!,” director Roel van Dalen’s film concentrates less on the athletes than on the complex circus surrounding the soccer club, with its concerns of image, economics and competition. Accompanied by composer Ernst Reijseger’s elegant string commentary, the focus shifts smoothly between the professional team, trying anxiously to put a disastrous season behind it and get into championship mode; the junior team being groomed for future stardom and subjected to only marginally less psychological torture; the search for raw recruits in Ghana; and the behind-the-scenes machinations and media prodding that lead to the A team’s scapegoat coach being ousted.
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It is a raw and well made documentary about the most disastrous year of my soccer club, with the tragic losses and tragedy that goes with a failed 100 year celebration of the club.
 
Holland are building up a great team for the 2012/2016 World Cup, phenonemal defense with:

- deLigt/vDijk/deVrij.
- decent midfield with vdBeek/FdJ.
- good attackers with Kluivert/Depay/Promes

Now we just need a bit of depth and we can contend
 
Desert Storm said:
Holland are building up a great team for the 2012/2016 World Cup, phenonemal defense with:

- deLigt/vDijk/deVrij.
- decent midfield with vdBeek/FdJ.
- good attackers with Kluivert/Depay/Promes

Now we just need a bit of depth and we can contend
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And an attitude change. Holland has always been it's own worse enemy. Internal conflicts and racism issues has held back the Dutch team. With many if not all of the old troublemakers gone, then there should be some hope. Only problem can be Ronald Koeman, who was part of the problem in the past....

But the talent in the team is huge..

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Another win for Liverpool.
Could this finally be their season? I wouldn't bet on it, but it's actually possible.
 
Apocalypse said:
Another win for Liverpool.
Could this finally be their season? I wouldn't bet on it, but it's actually possible.
Click to expand...

Too early to say. Chelsea, Watford, Everton and City are all yet to lose a game too. Liverpool haven't yet played a Top 6 team. Watford, City and Chelsea all have. It might be Liverpool's season, but there's no more reason to think that than there is to believe any of those other 3 teams will win the title.
 
PeteEU said:
And an attitude change. Holland has always been it's own worse enemy. Internal conflicts and racism issues has held back the Dutch team. With many if not all of the old troublemakers gone, then there should be some hope. Only problem can be Ronald Koeman, who was part of the problem in the past....

But the talent in the team is huge
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Holland havent had infighting since Euro '96 when Davids was sent home.

And I'm not sure where you're getting this racism from, care to elaborate??
 
Desert Storm said:
Holland havent had infighting since Euro '96 when Davids was sent home.

And I'm not sure where you're getting this racism from, care to elaborate??
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Simply not true. There was issues in 2006 and 2010.

As for the racism issue.. that has been around since the Gullit years on and off. I remember Van der Saar and others were involved in issues .. where the black players were banding together to freeze out white players and so on. This has been an on and off issue for years... It is one of the main reasons the Dutch golden generations never really lived up to their potential if you ask me... that and the fool Van Gaal.
 
Chelski fluked a couple of lucky goals past plucky Bournemouth....
 
FIFA World Player of the year short list...absolute scandalous this year yet again one could say... but this really is bad.

1) No world cup winner... aka no Frenchmen.. No Griezman or Mbappe
2) No world top scorer... aka Messi.

What did make it..

1) Salah... yes and no. Great year in the EPL, and a good run in the CL.
2) Modric... CL winner and key for this, and key for Croatian run at the WC...
3) Ronaldo... CL winner and top scorer.. but other than that, a poor season for club and country. Messi certainly did better with more titles and goals.

It really shows that the award is 25% "fan based" and the marketing power of Real Madrid. Absolutely scandalous if you ask me.

The list should read

Mbappe, Griezman/Messi and Salah. Imo winner should have been Mbappe or Griezman... basically a Frenchman!
 
Should have been Ronaldo, Modric, Varane with Ronaldo winning. WC isn't everything, Ronaldo's massive CL contribution, on a completely different scale than Modric or anyone else, should grant him the award.
 
Apocalypse said:
Should have been Ronaldo, Modric, Varane with Ronaldo winning. WC isn't everything, Ronaldo's massive CL contribution, on a completely different scale than Modric or anyone else, should grant him the award.
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I disagree. I think if anyone does, Modric deserves it. He has been every bit as important to Real's CL campaign as Ronaldo. I'm frankly a bit sick of these endless awards. Who even knows the difference between them anyway? The fault with almost all of them is that they ludicrously over-reward strikers. SINCE 1991 that Top FIFA/Balon D'Or award has been won by 25 strikers or attacking midfielders, once by a defensive midfielder/sweeper and once by a defender. It has never been won by a goalkeeper.

Football's a team sport, much as Cristiano Ronaldo might not like it. I think individual awards detract from the sport, so pfft to their biased and unrepresentative little poll.
 
PeteEU said:
There was issues in 2006 and 2010
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No there wasnt. I live on/off in NL and read/watch media every day, there was no infighting in 2006/2010.
If anything the 2010 group was very tight

PeteEU said:
As for the racism issue.. that has been around since the Gullit years on and off. I remember Van der Saar and others were involved in issues .. where the black players were banding together to freeze out white players and so on
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That was during the days of Kluivert in 1996/1998, so 20 years ago.
Those issues were resolved a long time ago

PeteEU said:
This has been an on and off issue for years
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Sorry, but you're not very well informed. This is completely not true
 
Andalublue said:
I disagree. I think if anyone does, Modric deserves it. He has been every bit as important to Real's CL campaign as Ronaldo. I'm frankly a bit sick of these endless awards. Who even knows the difference between them anyway? The fault with almost all of them is that they ludicrously over-reward strikers. SINCE 1991 that Top FIFA/Balon D'Or award has been won by 25 strikers or attacking midfielders, once by a defensive midfielder/sweeper and once by a defender. It has never been won by a goalkeeper.

Football's a team sport, much as Cristiano Ronaldo might not like it. I think individual awards detract from the sport, so pfft to their biased and unrepresentative little poll.
Click to expand...
It is because the FIFA award and in part the Ballon D'Or are popularity contests won by great PR machines and not actual skill and results.

Ronaldo should never have won nor been nominated for the amount of awards he has. Take this nomination... what exactly did he do last year that was so impressive relative to Mbappe or Messi or a host of other players. I would actually contend that Kane did more for club and country than Ronaldo by far. And it is not the first time the marketing department of Real Madrid have awarded the award basically.

I also agree that attacking midfielders and attackers are far to much represented in the list.

Imo they should sit down and like the golden boot, set up formula that takes into account goals, assists, and other measurable data depending on what leauge it was done in.

And then average it out depending in the position played. For example.. an attacker that scores 40 goals is impressive but a midfielder that does 20 is far more impressive.

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