What club should I adopt as my favorite in the Premier League this year?

Who should he support though, Aberdeen?

Yeah, why not. They can't do any worse than last year. We've got Celtic, Rangers, Hamilton and Hibs covered, so take yer pick from Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, St Johnstone, St Mirren, Kilmarnock (not advised), Inverness Caley Thistle (even less advised) or Motherwell.

(I just like saying "sheep shaggers" in my comedically woeful Scots accent)

I have a friend who's a Hearts fan. He's kind of a gloomy dude, though.

san te, good question. i was in this boat a year or two ago. i decided to let a season play out and see who i fell for. and i fell for...none of them. i stayed neutral.

i've ended up liking the way arsenal play, the way everton are run, specific managers (hodgson, moyes, o'neill, zola) and specific players (arshavin, fellaini, nasri, ireland, dempsey, etc) but nothing's connected at that ~visceral~ level. yet. i still think if i saw a game in england, or had a loved one devoted to a team, that that might change my pov.

but it's been fun, being neutral. i've never done it before. this way i get to laugh at liverpool and half-hate chelsea and roll my eyes at tottenham without any of it mattering too much.

all that said, i voted Everton.

156 otm

That's basically how I've watched it since Leeds were relegated.

@Danny -- don't worry, I completely disagree that soccer "isn't interesting to watch". It just seems to be a cultural gap (albeit a weird one, because this is such a worldwide appreciated sport). Americans tend to like immediacy in their sports -- while hockey is a relative in that it uses goals, Americans love it because the scoring is higher, and because of the violence. Football, basketball, baseball, all have some level of frequency in scoring.

When I approached the game from that angle, I hated it. It'll sound kind of stupid, but my appreciation for martial arts and kung fu cinema, which began after World Cup 2002, but before 2006 really changed the way I viewed it. Quite a few of Bruce Lee's movies frustrated me as a kid because the fights were choreographed very one-sided, but I always loved the choreography in Gordon Liu movies (hence my nick), due to the even-matched fights, and the back and forth nature, where it took a while for either person to land a punch or a kick, and even longer for one to prevail.

Same with soccer. When I approached it that way, as two opposing forces battling, each giving a little in a battle of wills, it became much more enjoyable. Plus IT'S A RUNNING CLOCK. I can't state the awesomeness of that enough.

(I am aware that goal scoring is more frequent in league games than World Cups -- but I think I'd hate soccer if it was always 5-4. 1-0 matches can be a blast.)

my appreciation for martial arts and kung fu cinema

you may want to follow nigel de jong and manchester city?

Who should he support though, Aberdeen?

― Grand amiral de la marine des licornes (Michael White), Wednesday, 14 July 2010 19:14 (26 minutes ago) Bookmark

middlesbrough.

:-)

haha actually would it be too confusing if we called the championship/etc thread "boro won't win the spl" this year

Great description, San Te. I've taken to watching occasionally from one step even further removed, as two grid formations lined up and probing at each other. This came about through watching low-quality streaming, actually, where you sometimes can't see any other detail.

Anyway, it's amazing how clearly you can see the game sometimes this way. Usually there's an equilibrium between the two forces, but sometimes it becomes unbalanced and somehow you can spot that immediately just from the pattern. When you get a clinical side like Germany you can see when they're going to score as soon as they get the ball - their third goal against England was obvious before the ball had even left their penalty area. I was thinking that judo must look a lot like that.

It's quite heartening how well-regarded my Everton are thesedays; back in the early days of ILX, they were regarding as entirely washed-up and too tedious to even draw the LOLs of a Newcastle. I'd be honoured if you'd relieve me of my solo Toffee status, if only for a few months. (Note: we almost always start badly; we lost only two of our last 24 games last season, but that was still only good enough for 8th, such was the shambles in the autumn).

Moyes still not the most charismatic fellow, but I'm warming to him

Again, as a Yank, loved Donovan's spell there this year and mad respect for Moyes also, Howard.

so, general question: how much of british club loyalty is geographic?

A nice chap I gather - a distant relative was at school with him, called Everton when he was in Liverpool for a day on business, and Moyes had him and his boy up to the training ground and entertained for the afternoon despite not having seen him in thirty-odd years.

so, general question: how much of british club loyalty is geographic?

Support Your Local Team (or don't, whatever)

Ahh, remember when Liverpool had glory hunter fans?

arent like sixteen of these clubs in london anyway

There are only five London-based Prem clubs at the moment.

but 8 northwest teams, true land of football

"only" five! new york only has two baseball teams

there will always be something a bit arbitrary & weak about whatever team you choose, unless you pick Fulham which is an entirely natural team for an American to support imo. otherwise embrace this fate & try and discern footballing virtue from staring into the faces of the managers.

Support a club that nobody in America can pronounce right, like Leicester City or Middlesborough

suggested shortlist:

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00294/owen-coyle_294322s.jpg
http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2008/12/martin-oneill-415x275.jpg
http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Wolverhampton+Wanderers+v+Hull+City+Premier+4xrThc143bNm.jpg

Or spell. It's Middlesbrough.

xpost

No bad blood for Coyle after his mid-season switch?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/images/2004/12/09/cherries_archive_harry_470_470x352.jpg

Or spell. It's Middlesbrough.

whatev!

:-)

http://d2eosjbgw49cu5.cloudfront.net/soccer-weblog.com/imgname--why_bbc_need_to_apologise_to_big_sam---50226711--images--sam-allardyce.jpg
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/09/26/460MoyesMatthewLewisGetty.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/images/2008/03/12/tony_pulis_470x315.jpg

That's a great picture of Mick McCarthy.

he just looks blazed. has to be him or sam

never under any circumstances:

http://chelsea.theoffside.com/files/2009/11/Spurs_Favorite_Chef.jpg

If it's just about managers, Ian Holloway ftw:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/21/article-1185509-066EB2540000044D-128_468x312.jpg

coaches caught in mid-coach

Man how did I miss this thread? Ugh. I've always been a World Cup-only soccer fan...not so much by choice, I just was never compelled to follow Australian soccer, or English, though I had friends that did pretty passionately. I think it's time though...resolve to start following the MLS more closely, maybe hitch my wagon to the San Jose Quakes, since they're nice and local...who knows, maybe I'll get to see a game or two.

And since the Spurs will be televised this weekend, maybe I'll give them a gander too. Onward and upward. Besides, I need something to cheer me up when the Oakland Raiders inevitably start to emit their foul odor ;_;

And thus the mystery of "where VegemiteGrrrl is" is resolved

you know the mystery of which I speak

new york only has two baseball teams

There are, what, 30 MLB teams/franchises/whatever? And they're pretty evenly spread across the country, is that right? Football clubs tend to be clustered around (former) industrial towns; there are 92 league clubs in England - if you include the first tier of non-league (still pro/semi-pro), it's 116. Of these, 15 are in Greater London (which is where 1/7th of England lives). Of these, at least 10 have played in the top flight of English pro soccer at some point in their history; right now, there are 5 up there.

As pointed out elsewhere, the North-West (Merseyside/Gtr Manchester/Lancashire) boasts 8 Prem sides at the moment.

FWIW, apparently David Cameron is an Aston Villa fan.

Is that in the same way that Tony Blair was supposedly a member of the Toon Army?

I don't support anyone either. But I'll have to say that I hope Liverpool do well this time, but secretly rooting for Blackpool to kick everyones arses. Aint gonna happen obv.

I have some problems with the idea that you have to "root" for a team to be interested in a sport or a league

It necessary to get into any really good arguments tho

I generally have few problems getting into really good arguments

the idea that you have to "root" for a team

Are you Australian?

If it's just about managers, Ian Holloway ftw

otm. although he'll only be there for one more season, two at most, and then you're left supporting a team nicknamed after the most unimpressive of citrus fruits.

but this is only meant to be for this season anyway, right?

The issue with supporting teams like Blackpool is that if you're ever in Britain you'll feel somewhat obliged to actually go there.