Football

[Playaa]

anyone into it at all? (Soccer that is).

I've been a huge fan all my life but never been able to really follow games here in the US...every once in awhile I've caught games on Satellite but it's usually just MLS games.

Just found out yesterday that I can get a package on Direct TV for $15 a month that will let me watch nearly EVERY game over in Europe...I finally get to watch the GOOD players play and I get to watch it all the time!

yay for me!

[Gond]

but NFL network comes with DirecTV...what more could you want?

 

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I'm a big fan Playaa. Been playing since I was 4. Trying to find a team here in Falls/Akron area to play with for some exercise.

 

We have time warner cable with the regular digital cable and I found a channel on it I never had in Denver or Tennessee. I think its FoxSoccer or something like that...115 on my dial. They show all of the EPL games and the majority of the Serie A, Bundis Liga, and the Spanish League. Its awesome.

[meherdmann]

I too like football. I usually just follow MLS and the US National Team, but I'll catch some Mexican League games on Univision or EPL on FSC every once in a while as well. My favorite team is the Columbus Crew. Too bad they're having such a horrid year

[Thief_Lord]

Sorry.......

 

I thought this post wouldn't be about a Communist sport...

 

 

No hurt feelin's I hope

[Playaa]

so I spent the day home sick yesterday and I figured it'd be a good chance to hook up the channel so I got on DirecTV's website and ordered it.

Spent the day yesterday watching 1 Australian Rules Football game (the "Super Bowl" of that sport actually), 1 Rugby game and 1 Football game (Chelsea v Aston Villa). So far I really like the channel but I'm disappointed that it's only 1 channel...which means I only get 1 game at a time.

I will say that I think Australian Rules Football may be my favorite new sport. I had never seen it before so it took a little time to catch on but it's like a mix of Rugby, Football and American Football...on a round field...

check it out at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football

it was incredibly exciting to watch, even before I understood what was going on...the game was very fast paced and there were very few penalties called so the game just kept moving on. It was kinda like watching Soccer players with an American Football scoring by kicking Field Goals...plus there was tackling. 1 of the parts I really liked was that any ball that was in the air for more than 15 yards...when you caught it no one could tackle you (unless you started moving from the spot you caught it)...but if it wasn't in the air long enough you were fair game.

if you ever get a chance to watch Australian Rules Football I highly urge it...very cool sport.

[Playaa]

Ronaldinho is just one reason why THIS football is the good one.

[Playaa]

*emo tear*

I need more people around me interested in this sport. I've been watching the Champions League games all by myself with no one to chat with about them afterward...there have been some intense games and I've only been able to talk to my tv about them....

this sucks.

 

BGB...get Setanta to help me fulfill my discussion needs.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

Most of the games are being played while I'm at work...unfortunately. Because of that I forget to set my DVR too. I think I heard its Liverpool and Man U in the finals though right? I can't stand Ronaldo (Man U not Brazil). He's a pompus donkey and I hope Man U goes down just because he's on their team. That being said, he is very good when he decides to play and not flop around on the field to fake fouls and walk around and watch.

 

***Edit

 

Wow, I just went to the site and saw that Milan blanked Man U 3-0 in the 2nd Leg to make it to the finals. What's up with that?

[Playaa]

Kaka is up with that man.

He's considered the best player in the world by many (he's also a very devout Christian which is cool in my book). It was pretty cool that Kaka was the reason that the team Ronaldo is on went down since alot of people say Ronaldo is the best in the world.

 

As for Ronaldo's diving...to be honest the more and more I've watched the European game the less and less I care about diving. It's odd. It still makes me mad when it's done obviously and they get away with it but the refs in Europe are usually pretty good at spotting diving and will ignore it. I've also realized that what alot of people call "diving" is more like "exaggerating a true foul that the ref couldn't see". Also, one of the reasons Ronaldo is known as a diver is simply because he's more well known. There are quite a few players that dive and make Ronaldo look like he's incredibly honor-bound, but these are players that just don't get the press that Ronaldo gets so you don't hear about their antics.

 

I've also seen Ronaldo in games where he has shown that he actually DOES have some honor. I watched a game where a player literally stomped, spikes and all, on Ronaldo's ribs while Ronaldo was on the ground. The ref had his back turned so never saw it. Ronaldo just got up, complained to the ref (rightly so) and left it at that when the Ref didn't do anything. Alot of players in his situation would have retaliated with force but he just played the game instead. Later in the same match Ronaldo was in the box against that player and cut past him and created a situation where he would have to be fouled or he would get a goal, the player fouled him but not hard enough to truly take Ronaldo down but enough to basically make Ronaldo's cut pointless (since he would lose the ball) so Ronaldo just went down and got the penalty kick. To be honest it felt fully like a situation he deserved after what had happened earlier.

 

Basically though, the more and more I watch the more I realize that the professional players know how to give a small bump that isn't REALLY a foul but is still enough of a hindrance to completely ruin a players chance of continuing with the play...so quite often in those situations players dive to convince the ref that they were hindered even though the hindrance wasn't a big enough bump to cause them to fall.

 

Then again there ARE still plenty of players who just fall down when the wind hits them *cough* Didier Drogba *cough*

 

The Champions League final is tonight. Liverpool vs. AC Milan. Should be a great game, I'm rooting for Liverpool but I really like Milan as well.

 

*editted for spacing and readability*

Edited May 23, 2007 by Playaa/Pselus

[Playaa]

BGB, does Fox Soccer still play the Spanish League games?

That's the only league I care about that Setanta doesn't get but everywhere I look at FSC it advertises other leagues than that. If I can watch Barcelona on FSC I will gladly pay another $12 a month just for that.

[Playaa]

wanna see how good Kaka is?

watch him slaughter United's defence with a simple head on the ball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhIlNe2h3gk (watch the whole thing to see how good of a "simple head on the ball" it is)