7500 To Holte: FanPosts

Fabian Delph's return to Leeds: Part 2

2012-02-01T22:22:26Z

Last night's game against Birmingham was a pretty hard one to take, we played well for the first 30 minutes, got battered 1-4, and now Simon Grayson has been sacked. In the mix of all that Fabian Delph played again, so apologises for not getting straight to him, but at the moment everything is confusing at Elland Road. And to make it even worse it was BIRMINGHAM...so you lot should hate this too.

Delph lined up in centre mid once more playing the left centre role. With a disappointing transfer window and his late arrival to the side before the Ipswich game, many put far too much pressure on Delph to succeed. Pretty much 'He left for millions he must be good, he's a Leeds lad...now win us the game on your own.'

Last night was far more relaxed...the deadline day shenanigans might have taken some of the focus away from the game. From the off Delph was bloody brilliant, like last week every tackle was time to perfection. He broke up play before Birmingham had the chance to press forward. Then on the attack his best moment came with a beautiful cross field pass to Snodgrass, from left back to attacking right wing in a flash and with 100% accuracy. He never stopped working hard and was unlucky when the ball fell to him on the edge of the box, but he sliced it way wide after being off balance.

In the second half he struggled...why you ask? Well mainly because the entire team did and we collapsed and conceded three goals in eight minutes. At times you can tell he is a cut above the rest, and once again he stayed behind and walked to each stand to show his appreciation of the support.

There isn't too much to report, but with the shocking second-half performance and the sacking of our fans favourite boss it's the best I could do. We play Bristol City on Saturday, Delph should start despite a caretaker boss being in charge.

Fabian Delph's return to Leeds United: Part 1

2012-01-21T23:32:40Z

I've decided to do a little series of articles for you Villa supporters about the progress of Fabian Delph while he is on loan at Leeds United. I'll hopefully be on SB Nation myself soon enough when my Leeds blog gets added, but enough of me and back to Delph.

His return to the club comes at a time of desperation and disgust from some Leeds fans. We've had enough of Ken Bates and his ownership of the club, and having Delph back was a little breath of fresh air. His homecoming is earlier expected, in his own words he said he thought he might be back one day and well now he is.

The opening twenty minutes were fairly quiet for Delph, with both teams hoofing the ball from one end of the pitch to the other. When the ball did eventually fall to the floor, Delph was there flying in with his famous sliding tackle we were so used to see during his first spell at the club. Every tackle he attempted he won, and he showed bravery and determination throughout. His first real run at the Ipswich midfield and defence got the fans behind the team, he took on four or five players before being fouled on the edge of the box.

His passing was nice and simple and accurate. He showed a calm head in the midfield, but some may have expected more. After all, he is a Leeds boy and has been in the Premier League automatically people demand more for some reason. He looked a little rusty which is expected - and mainly the reason why he is on loan with us at the moment to bring the spark back. It wasn't a dream return but it wasn't the worst and the more he plays the better I see him getting, lets hope you lend him to us for the season.

Crests, Logos, and Creepy Animals

2011-11-15T20:03:46Z

Logos in American sports are fairly literal. Teams called the Wildcats have a logo of a wildcat. Soccer crests are less literal. This is probably because, especially in England, a lot of these teams were founded in the late 1800s and early 1900s and their nicknames have a unique background.

No part of Aston Villa Football Club infers a lion, but the Villa crest has a lion right in the middle. And there's been a lion in the crest since the earliest version I could find. (According to the Villa sites, it's the Rampant Lion of Scotland, there because of the influence of William McGregor and George Ramsay.)

Some crests, don't make much sense. And thanks to the magic that is Wikipedia, here are some amusing ones.

This all started off for me, when I found the crest of FC Avenir Beggen, a third division club from Luxembourg.

That does appear to be a gnome humping a football.

The lower leagues of England are a great source of whimsical ,old-timey crests.

There's blog favorite Tooting and Mitcham.

We have the awesomely named Dulwich Hamlet. The only football team/Shakespeare performers.

And one of my favorites: Penzance

Other lower league across Europe have some fun ones.

There's AEP Paphos of the Cypriot Second Division.

Personally, if I was in charge of the club, I would get rid of cartoon guy, and instead adorn the center with sponsor tie ins.

Or random celebrities

From the 4th Division of Germany, may I present Wormatia Worms

But by far the best place for crests is Southeast Asia, specifically Singapore. The S. League has the market cornered on creepy animal crests.

If it wasn't for the script at the bottom, that could easily be the cover of a hunting magazine.

Go on the Mighty Seahorse Lions!

Uhhhh.

That bear will frighten me for the rest of my life.

And finally, my personal favorite:

Bless you, Singapore.

Follow-up on Seattle

2011-10-31T18:17:43Z

I'll say this: for all of our differences, Seattle and Portland are eerily similar. First, both cities were clearly designed by Easterners, and IMO, Seattle WREAKS of Boston. My girlfriend thought it looked like DC. I think that, if Portland wasn't divided by a river, and if half of our "downtown" buildings weren't on the other side of said river, the panoramas would, again, be eerily similar. It makes sense to say that similarity breeds rivalry.

Anyway, I went in with an open mind, all prejudices aside, and came back with a mixed bag of thoughts

To start - and this is more of a feeling than a statement of opinion - it was smaller than I expected. I thought it would be as big as Philadelphia, but it's not. No worries though. Seattle is clearly bigger than Portland; Wikipedia gives Seattle the nod at 3.4 million people, versus PDX's 2.2. That extra million peeps gives you some taller buildings, two large stadiums, and more street life downtown. Portland is a divided city, and as an east-sider, I know all of the cool is over on this side. While downtown Seattle had far more "bustle", and a slew of fancy international boutiques, the cool part of town is definitely Capitol Hill. So our average hip-seeking visitor staying in a downtown hotel has to cross a river, and yours has to climb a steep-ass hill. Same diff.

Regarding the concert: First: damn, what a long walk from the LINK station! How do you guys do that so often!!?? Second, the crowd represented Seattle as one of America's premiere music cities VERY well. I was expecting Lizzy, as the opening band, to come on with the house lights on, and overall disinterest from the crowd. Instead, it was a full-on show, with lights, smoke, etc - and the people were INTO it. REALLY warmed my heart - I thought I was the only Lizzy fan on the continent, but holy shite, the crowd sang along with gusto! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z51wfp3hua8). The band LOVED the crowd, and vowed to come back. I definitely hope so.

After the show, we went to a lovely dinner at Olivar on E. Roy St. Taking the 49 bus up Capitol Hill was convenient and easy, and I adore your "night owl" transfers. We need that! Exhausted after a big Halloween party chez nous the night before, followed by 4 hours of sleep, a 3 hour drive, and a concert, we just hit the hay after dinner, eschewing what looked like a vibrant nightlife along Broadway and Pike/Pine. Being Halloween weekend, people were out in full force, and almost everyone was in costume. I'll say this about Seattle: you guys do enthusiasm VERY well. Portlanders tend to be more self-deprecating, whereas you guys seem more unabashed. Again, we could use that! The next morning, we walked (ouch!) up the hill, to Oddfellows for brunch, which was a lot of fun, and reminiscent of PDX, in look, quality, affordability, and attention to detail. But minus the hour wait.

Biggest positive: Streetlife. Kudos to you guys for using those magic things called sidewalks! PDX's bike culture has killed a fundamental aspect of urban life: walking to places. Kills the New Yorker in me. Our bars and restaurants may be full, but our streets are empty. And at night, there was generally a sense of "we're all going out!" all along the Broadway corridor, and had we not been exhausted and still mildly hungover from the previous night, we would have had no trouble finding a great time.

Biggest negative: Guh. Pike Place Market. Tourist attractions generally suck, but I had higher hopes for this one, since it's technically an active public market. I applaud it for simply existing - Portland desperately needs an indoor central market, and while there's a plan to build one, the simple fact that Seattle has had one for 100+ years is commendable. Otherwise, it's smaller than I expected, the fish throwing was infinitely lamer in person than it looks on TV, and it's miserably over-priced. I wanted to be excited, but was really let down.

One bit of snark, from a transportation nerd: 1920's Zurich called. They want their buses-stuck-on-a-network-of-overhead-wires back. Build an expensive and infrequent streetcar that doesn't go anywhere, like we did!

Overall, I give it a solid B. Maybe an 84 to Portland's 85 :-)

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I'll be back for sure, and we should grab a beer.

-M

Going to Seattle next week. Could use some advice

2011-10-20T16:26:27Z

I seek the infinite wisdom of our Seattle friends on this blog:

My infinitely-patient fiancee agreed to come with me to see Thin Lizzy (my all-time favorite band) open for Judas Priest at the WaMu on the 29th. We're literally going to see the original drummer, Brian Downey, the 2nd original lead guitar (after Eric Bell quit, they changed from a 3-piece to a 4), Scott Gorham, and a bunch of mercenaries play 9 songs - then we're leaving. It's all a bit nuts, but seeing Lizzy is on my bucket list, and they're not getting any younger. Plus, I get to rock my Villa jersey with 77 LYNOTT on the back. Yeah, baby!

As much as I'd love to support a good Brummie boy and stick around for Judas Priest, it's just not happening, especially if we have to sit through BLS first. Instead, we're going out to dinner! I have my heart set on Olivar (Loire/Catalan fusion? Yes please!), but know very little about how to get there. We're staying at the W, and rather than drive, we'd rather cab or bus. Are cabs plentiful? The restaurant is by the Harvard Exit Theater (no clue)...is there anything to do up there, or are we better off going out elsewhere after dinner? I really appreciate any and all advice.

Cheers.

Euro 2012 qualification -- who will make the playoffs!

2011-10-07T00:37:44Z

Now to sort out the playoff picture for Euro 2012 qualification. Keep in mind that one runner-up out of the nine will not advance to the playoffs. Because most groups have six teams while others have five, to make it fair the second-place teams in a group of six have their points against the last-place teams subtracted from their points total. Again full standings here.

Group A: Turkey (14 points, 8 for playoffs table), Belgium (12 points, 9): Both teams play Germany, Turkey gets them at home, Belgium plays them away. Belgium plays Kazakhstan before their game with the Germans while Turkey plays Azerbaijan at home. The Azeris did beat Turkey at home earlier in qualifying and the Belgians will need a repeat of that to grab second because the Turks win the head-to-head tiebreaker (that‘s assuming the Germans beat both teams to complete a perfect qualifying campaign). Because Belgium plays the last place Kazakhs, they probably need to beat Germany to avoid being the bottom-placed runner-up. Turkey may need a point at home to Germany to be sure they get in.

Group B: Russia (17, 14), Ireland (15, 12), Armenia (14, 8), Slovakia (14, 8): Russia‘s in pole position to win the group but they could be out altogether if Slovakia win their final two games (including a home match with the Russians) and Ireland win their final two matches. But the horse closing fast on the outside is Armenia, a Cinderella story coming out of Pot 5 of 6 at the start of qualifying. They held the Russians at home, but looked down out after a credible 3-1 defeat in St. Petersburg. The Armenians (a very young side mostly) then thumped Andorra and came up with a scarcely believable 4-0 win in Zilina over Kirsten Schlewitz’s Slovakia. The Armenians control their own destiny for second. They have Macedonia at home and a win their sets up a huge match with the Irish in Dublin. Keith Fahey scored the winner with 14 minutes to go in Yerevan at the very start of qualifying, but the Armenians have a lot of momentum behind them. The second place team here is almost certainly making the playoffs and even with all the Villains in their side, I’d love to see Armenia get there.

Group C: Serbia (14, 8), Estonia (13, 10), Slovenia (11, 5): It is Serbia’s to lose with two games to go even though one of those is Italy at home. The Serbians final game is Slovenia away and if they fail to win either game that could open the door for Estonia. Of course Estonia would already have the door open for them had they not lost 2-0 to the Faroe Islands in June. The Estonians have Northern Ireland away for their final fixture. In the last round of qualifying, Estonia hammered the Northern Irish 4-1 in Tallinn. If the Serbians manage to finish second without winning either of their final two group games then its likely that this will be the runner-up without a chair when the music stops.

Group D: France (17, 11), Bosnia-Herzegovina (16, 13): Assuming France beat Albania and Bosnia beat Luxembourg then both these teams will be playoff bound at the worst.

Group E: Sweden (18, 12), Hungary (18, 12): Hungary only have one game left, so they need Sweden to slip up against Finland in the Nordic derby and then hope that already qualified Netherlands can get a result against the Swedes in Solna. Hungary finish with Finland in Budapest. The Swedes beat Hungary 4-3 on aggregate in their two meetings so they get the tiebreaker and go through to the playoffs if they beat the Finns in Helsinki.

Group F: Croatia (19, 13), Greece (18, 12): Either team should be good to go to the playoffs no matter what happens.

Group G (5 teams): The other great story of Euro 2012 qualifying for me is tiny Montenegro (11 points and also out of Pot 5) who’ve topped this group most of the way. But a bad spell has put their chances of the playoffs in a bit of danger. The Montenegrans could still win the group if they win their final two matches, but England (17 points) at home is no small prospect and then there’s a trip to the famous St. Jakob Park to face Switzerland (8 points) in the final match. The Montenegrans did beat the Swiss, so a draw in Basel would be enough to get second and probably take their place in the playoff draw (goal difference could be a problem). Before the big match in Basel, Switzerland go to the Liberty Stadium in Swansea to play Wales who are coming off improved performances under Gary Speed in the last round of qualifying (beat Montenegro and lost undeservedly to England at Wembley Stadium). England are playoff bound at the minimum so I can’t help but root for the Montenegrans to recapture that early spirit and finish the fairy tale.

Group H (5 teams): Norway, Portugal, Denmark all have 13 points. Despite the fact that Portugal and Denmark play each other in the final game, they both have a game in hand on Norway who have almost no chance to grab the runner-up spot. The Norwegians lose the tiebreaker with Denmark. And because the Norwegians and the Portuguese tied 1-1 on aggregate in their two matches, the tiebreaker between them is goal difference (Portugal +8, Norway +1). So unless Portugal slips up against Iceland at home and at Denmark or the Danes slip up against Cyprus in Nicosia and at home to Portugal it will be the Danes and Portuguese headed for at least the playoffs.

Group I: Czech Republic (10 points), Scotland (8 points): Most likely the Czechs will finish second. They do play Spain at home to start this round while Scotland away to Lichtenstein. One problem for the Scots, they finish in Alicante against the all-conquering Spaniards. Even if the Spanish do them a favor in Prague, its hard to imagine the Scots getting anything in that game. If they don’t then all the Czechs would need is a draw in Kaunas against Lithuania (they have the tiebreaker over Scotland). Now the Lithuanians did defeat the Czechs in the second game of qualifying but its gone horribly wrong after that good start. Since that win the Lithuanians lost to the likes of Lichtenstein and their only point was a 0-0 draw at home with those same minnows.

Sadly the playoffs will be seeded so depending on the makeup of the playoff grouping it will still be a tough hill to climb in November for some of the smaller sides, but remember Slovenia did beat Russia in the playoffs two years ago, you never know.

My guess the playoff field is this: Turkey, Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Czech Republic (four seeded teams will be Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Sweden).

UEFA 2012 qualification --- how the groups will be won

2011-10-06T16:07:02Z

We have reached the denouement of the qualification for the 2012 European Championships. The next 4 days will see the hopes of nations of fans fulfilled or crash. The full standings for each group are here. In part one I will take a look at who will win each group and book their places in next summer’s tournament.

Lets get the easy part out of the way, here are the teams that are already qualified.

Germany (perfect in Group A), Italy (only dropped 2 points in Group C), Netherlands (perfect in Group E) and Spain (perfect in Group I).

Now for the rest of the groups!

Group B: Without a doubt the must fun group but more for the race for second place (more on that in another post). Russia’s last game is at home to Andorra and barring a cataclysm, they will win that game to finish on a minimum of 20 points. Before they play the Andorrans in Moscow they face a tough trip to Zilina to face Slovakia (official national team of 7500toholte‘s Kirsten Schlewitz). The Russians may need something in that game because if Slovakia were to win and then win at Macedonia, the Repre would be level on points with the Russians and own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Ireland too will be rooting for Slovakia to win. The Irish lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with Russia and could only win the group with victories over Andorra (away) and Armenia (at home) and a Russia defeat in Zilina.

Group D: This group is likely going to the last match. France plays host to Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina does the same with Luxembourg. Both should (and will) win setting up the biggest match in Bosnia’s young sporting history, a trip to the Stade de France. If Bosnia win they book their place in Euro 2012. Any other result means its France. And in case you think a Bosnia win incomprehensible any one remember this.

Group F: While in Group D the decider is the last match of qualifying, the penultimate match will likely settle things here. Greece (18 points) is at home to Croatia (19 points). Their first meeting was a 0-0 snoozer in Zagreb. It is hard to imagine Croatia not getting the maximum at home in their final match with Latvia so the Greeks have to win. A victory for Greece would mean that even a draw in Georgia would be enough for them to win the group (because a win would give the Greeks the head-to-head tiebreaker). And the last match for the Greeks is trickier than you think. Georgia opened qualifying with a 1-1 draw in Piraeus and their only defeat in Tblisi in qualifying was a surprising reverse to Latvia.

Group G: For England its real simple, a draw against Montenegro in Podgorica will suffice to win the group. The Montenegrans did get a deserved point at Wembley Stadium earlier in qualifying but there form was much better then. Since then they only managed one point against Bulgaria and Wales (even losing to them) and sacked their manager. Even if Montenegro knocks off England they would still have to win in Switzerland to complete their fairy-tale story and advance to Euro 2012.

Group H: Another potential winner-take-all climax in this group. Denmark, Portugal and Norway are all on 13 points. Norway only has 1 game left so their chances are virtually nil. Portgual had a terrible start to the campaign but have turned things around and should beat Iceland at home (the Portuguese did draw 4-4 with Cyprus at home after all, but that was under Carlos Quieroz who thankfully for them is sacked!). Denmark has the tougher assignment on paper with an away visit to the Cypriots. But Cyprus have been dire at home (1 point from 3 matches). Wins for the Danes and the Portuguese mean everything will be settled Tuesday in Copenhagen. Portugal would win the group with a draw because of their 3-1 win over Denmark earlier in the campaign.

My predictions for the group winners are these. Group B: Russia. Group D: France. Group F: Greece. Group G: England. Group H: Denmark

That’s part one, part two will focus on the race for the eight playoff berths (remember one group runner-up will not advance).

Games to look out for in Tuesday's UEFA 2012 qualifying

2011-09-05T22:14:19Z

So we've had some interesting results in Friday's fixtures that have altered the landscape of qualifying for UEFA 2012. Now its on to these matches and how they could affect the final round of qualifying in October

With that in mind here are the key matches in Tuesday's UEFA 2012 qualifying.

11 a.m EST/8 a.m. PDT --- Group B, Russia vs. Ireland --- Russia are in the catbird seat in this group, but they were made to work very hard by the Macedonians and were a touch fortunate that Igor Semshov's strike was enough. They are two points clear after Ireland and Slovakia drew a blank in Dublin. This is the early game in this group and while a draw would favor the Russians, a win would almost sew up a top two spot and put major pressure on the Slovakians playing later. Ireland does have a negotiable final two matches, but I still stand by what I said before Friday's games, that they needed 4 points from these two games to give themselves a chance. Will be interested to see if Ireland can take the attacking vigor they showed in the final 20 minutes of Dublin and take that with them to Moscow.

2:15 p.m. EST/11:15 a.m PDT --- Two games here to watch for here, first in Group B, Slovakia vs. Armenia. I've sort of ignored the Armenians but they have 11 points in the group and are an up-and-coming side. They held Russia and thumped Slovakia 3-1 at home. The Slovakians turned in an improved performance against Ireland after labouring in two wins over Andorra. The Repre were well on top in the middle portion in the game and despite Ireland's late dominance were good value for their point. With the home match with Russia looming its vital that Slovakia get all 3 points here.

In Group D its Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Belarus. This is a rematch from Friday and Bosnia were superb in their 2-0 victory, scoring twice in two minutes and the comfortably holding off the Belarussians. A win for Bosnia here and they will finish Belarus' chances and have a hammer lock on a top two spot. If they could get some help from Romania (hosting France in their own must win 15 minutes after this starts), the Bosnians could even think about upsetting France to win the group. And that week in October might be the biggest in that young country's sporting history.

2:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. PDT --- Most of the games start at this time and while I briefly mentioned Romania-France my game of the day starts then and it's in Group H, Denmark vs. Norway. The Danes scored early in the first meeting with the Norwegians and only a late goal from Erik Huselkepp prevented them from walking away with the maximum. Denmark has 10 points and a game in hand on both Norway and Portugal (each with 13 points). A draw here would leave this group on a knife's edge. The Danes need to win this game for me, because if they do with Portugal to come at home, a win here would mean they control their own destiny. A draw here and its advantage Norway for second place because there final game is at home to Cyprus.

2:45 p.m. EST/11:45 a.m. PDT --- England-Wales in Group G is only a little more interesting because Wales put behind a load of bad form and upset co-group leaders Montenegro, doing England a massive favor. For that alone I am looking to see if the England fans will surprise me and respect the Welsh anthem, somehow I doubt it. And England win would leave them only needing a draw at Montenegro in their final group game to qualify for UEFA 2012.

The more interesting game is in Group C and its Italy vs. Slovenia. Slovenia had an absolute nightmare at home against Estonia and away to the group leaders (who can qualify with a win) they are facing a mountain to climb. The Slovenians are level with Serbia on 11 points, but they've played a game more. Worse for them is that Serbia has the Faroe Islands at home. And while the Faroes are having one of their best campaigns under former Ireland manager Brian Kerr, the Serbians won 3-0 in Torshavn and should win at home. So for Slovenia its pretty simple, draw is the absolute minimum and the win is probably necessary (although Italy with nothing to play for could do them a favor in October). A loss and Slovenia could be as far down as 4th in the group (Estonia and Northern Ireland are playing each other and each could move above them with a win).

Bent leaving England training camp

2011-09-05T03:18:31Z

I see Bent is on his way back to VP for treatment on his groin strain. I must say although its crap he cannot play for England but its good that we have the chance to get him fit for the visit to Everton. This player is probably the most important asset we have wrapping him in cotton wool between game is alright by me.These first few game of the season have presented Villa a easy run a chance to win a few points at the expense of the weaker teams in the Prem so it is important we have our best available

Games to look out for in Friday's UEFA 2012 qualifying

2011-09-01T21:26:42Z

I am probably in the minority but I don't mind International breaks as long as they are filled by qualifying matches that actually mean something as opposed to mostly annoying friendlies!

So with that in mind here are the key games in Friday's UEFA 2012 fixtures.

9 a.m ET/ 6 a.m. PT --- Group F, Israel vs. Greece. This is the first kickoff in UEFA qualifying. The Greeks have a game in hand on Israel and share the group lead with Croatia. Israel's next game is at Croatia so they have to win. And if Greece wants to win the group then a win here is probably necessary since the Croats face Malta today.

1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m PT --- Group D, Belarus vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina. These are the two teams chasing France in this group and this is the first of a doubleheader between the two in this round of games. Belarus (12 points_ has played a game more than the Bosnians (10) so they probably need 4 points from these two fixtures to ensure they go through (though Romania on 8 points is still a threat to grab the runner-up spot).

2:45 p.m. ET/ 11:45 a.m. --- This is when most of the games will be played and there are some real beauties in here. Germany-Austria is a local derby but mainly the most interesting thing about this game is that a Germany win will make them the first team to qualify for the tournament. Northern Ireland has a must win game at home with Serbia. Both teams have a game in hand on Slovenia in the race for second behind Italy in Group C. I would also put up Cyprus-Portugal up as one to watch in the hopes this happens again.

The absolute game of the day for me is in this time slot and it's in wide open Group B. Ireland vs. Slovakia. These are two of the teams tied at the top of the group with 13 points. The other co-leader, Russia, is at home with Macedonia. This really is a make or break week for the Irish with a trip to the Luzhniki to play Russia on Tuesday. Kirsten's beloved Repre get Armenia at home next so even though a draw would leave both teams likely trailing Russia, a draw probably suits the Slovakians more than the Irish. That said, I think Giovanni Trappatoni will know how the group sets up and he knows a win is pretty necessary for their chances to qualify. If the Irish are a bit more expansive then Slovakia certainly has the attacking intent to take advantage. If there is one game I wish was on TV it would be this one.

How I Came to Embrace (Association) Football Part I

2011-08-19T23:39:09Z

In life there are moments that have unforeseen consequences. In sport when your team loses the impact isn't always felt right away. Often times there is a delayed reaction. When that reaction occurs and you start to finally feel anger and disappointment. The realization that opportunity is lost forever that unforeseen consequences can rear their head.

When my beloved New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants I was completely numb. As the game unfolded I never felt safe, even when the Patriots took the lead late in the fourth quarter. In the days and weeks that followed I just wanted to avoid anything and everything NFL related. Given that the majority of what I watched on TV was sports related and that I listened to more sports radio than music at the time this was difficult. As I struggled to avoid our nation's most popular sport anger bubbled to the surface.

I was angry that the best team in NFL history would never get the respect they deserve because the one game they lost happened to be the Super Bowl instead of Week 2 or a Monday Night in Miami. I was angry that the Patriots could not shut up the 1972 Miami Dolphins, to date the only NFL team to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl. The classlessness of that team cannot be understated. Most sportsmen realize that records are by in large meant to be broken, and don't openly root for would-be challengers to fail so they can cling to their place in history. All throughout the season the Dolphins rooted against the Patriots and made derogatory comments in the media. Every year when the last undefeated NFL team loses, the remaining members of the 1972 Dolphins have a little reunion complete with a champagne celebration. If I could lace that champagne with cyanide and get away with it I would. I was also quite disappointed. I admit that most fans would kill to have had the success the Patriots have had in the 2000's, but this was a chance to do something that had never been done before. The Patriots could well win the Super Bowl again, but the once in a lifetime chance to go 19-0 was gone forever ant that was disappointing.

For about a month I managed to do a decent job avoiding the NFL. One day ESPN was on in the background and there was a segment on about the NFL draft. I asked my roomate if the draft was that coming weekend. He laughed and told me the draft was two months away in April. While suprised that I had insulated myself to such a degree that I forgot when the draft was, I was also angry. Why does the media spend almost four months starting from the end of the Super Bowl talking about the NFL Draft? How many 1st rounders make it? 50%? But yet people spend one third of a year talking about a bunch of college kids, the majority of whom will amount to nothing. It was at that moment I realized how incessant the coverage of the NFL was. This is a league whose season lasts five months, but is covered year round? ESPN shortens Baseball Tonight in June to cover NFL Mini-Camp? The NFL occurred to me as another mass produced consumer product that is shoved down the throat of the American Consumer.

At that moment I was out. At that time football while a distant second to baseball was still my second favorite sport. That didn't matter I was not going to be force fed a product whose flaws were finally becoming aparent.

The ubiquitous media coverage of the NFL. Most of this coverage was from NFL rights holders that pay billions to broadcast NFL games which only gives them more reason to push the NFL even more.
A tyrannical commissioner whose rule of the sport is the epitome of capriciousness.
The NFL game-day experience is mediocre at best. Tailgating is awesome, nobody loves to grill and drink beer more than me. Watching an actual NFL game sucks. During all of the commercial breaks you are just standing around in the freezing cold. Out of the four traditional North American sports going to an NFL game is last and it's not even close.
The NFL's illusion of parity pissed me off. It's not more competitive than MLB, but fans who don't know better still think that if MLB had an NFL-style hard cap with revenue sharing that would cure all of the sport's ills. All a salary cap does is help keep salaries artificially suppressed and prop up incompetent organizations that can't maximize their own revenues.
Speaking of commercial breaks, the game has no rhythm. Even the most staunch NFL apologist has to admit that touchdown, commercial, kickoff, commercial, 3 and out, commercial, sucks. There is nothing worse than watching a football game where the opening drive lasts 10:00 (playing clock time, not real time). You just know the networks are going to jam as many commercials as they can into the rest of the game and it will be unwatchable.
The chauvinism of some NFL fans really started to bother me. The type of people who complain that soccer doesn't have enough scoring or that baseball is too slow. I guess watching 0:05 of actual play, followed by 5 replays, in between commercials is action packed! These fans will also point to the NFL's ratings and revenue as a sign of it's superiority. Bud Light is America's best selling beer, vanilla the best selling ice cream flavor, and Justin Beiber the most popular contemporary musical act. That the NFL rakes in zillions does not impress me.

Admittedly I have softened my stance since then. When I am home on a Sunday I will watch the Patriots. I pay some attention to the league but I don't spend my entire Sunday watching games. I still avoid the shoulder programming around the games except for Bill Bellichick's pressers. I am not the NFL fan I was then it's a tossup between football and hockey as a distant 3rd behind football and soccer for me. On that day in February 2008 I was done with the NFL.

This is Part I of a two part piece. Given that I am already over 1000 words I felt the need to break it up. Yes I realize how self-indulgent this is,

Twas the Night Before Kickoff

2011-08-13T02:58:34Z

Twas the night before Kickoff, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a City's fan louse.
The kits were hung in the closet with care,
In hopes that The Villa soon would be there.

The supporters were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of internet streans danced in their heads.
And mamma in her Bent kit, and I in my scarf,
Decided to get ready for another Villa season that would surely make us barf.

When out on the pitch there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to which Villan had sprained their bladder. (And is out 2-4 weeks.)
Away to the window I flew like a Gab,
Tore open the shutters and started to sob.

The moon on the breast of the new-rolled out grass
Gave way to the sounds of some Villa fan's sass.
When, suddenly my eyes saw a scum fan's flare,
But it was actually Big Eck, and all eleven players.

With a little old manager, so crazy and ginger,
I knew in a moment it wasn't Arsne Wenger.
More rapid than Stoke his players they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Elfboy now, Roaches! now, Bazza and Shay!
On, Collins! On, Bent! On Warnock! No, not you Beye!
To the top of the table! to the FA Cup Final!
Now dash away! And please no injures that are spinal!

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the pitch
The prancing of diving poofs. who are super rich.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the right wing, Marc Albrighton came with a bound.

He was dressed all in claret, from his head to his elf shoes,
And he was so adorable fans that the Fulham fans booed.
A bundle of crosses he had flung with his foot,
And he looked chimney sweep, covered in soot.

He was shortish and quick, a right jolly old elf,
And I swooned when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Just one Tweet reply to me and I would be dead.

And Big Eck's eyes, oh how they twinkled! his accent so scary!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the ginger of his head showed him to be from Glasgow.

The job he had previously made all the Villa fans mad,
But he swore that soon the protesters would be glad.
He had a suit and a tie and a League Cup title,
But it was the style he played the protesters said was vital!

He spoke not a word, and sorta went straight to his work,
And signed a Frenchman and an Irishman, who I hope aren't jerks.
And in his Scottish accent, which is such a blast,
He gave a hint that the Zoggy signing wouldn't be his last!

He sprang to the touchline, to his team gave a whistle,
And they took the pitch to play, hopefully not like Partick Thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, hoping to give his team a spark.
"Happy kickoff to all, and please no more Ian Darke!"

Rant/Season preview

2011-08-12T15:52:13Z

I fired off this foul-mouthed string of consciousness to my buddy, a Liverpool fan; it contains a good deal of my thoughts on Villa and how the Football pundits get off on downgrading us. It's also absolutely the case that the media has left Liverpool out of the "big clubs" discussion now that flavors of the month City and Spurs have come onto the scene, but I contend that the media is, as usual, misguided and easily enamored. Liverpool are my surprise title contenders this year, and while I don't see them actually overcoming United and Chelsea, I see Arsenal on the decline, Spurs unable to juggle league and European football with a thin, injury-prone squad, and City as the usual mess/circus they've become, while all LFC have done is add quality and stability in the boardroom and on the touchline. So, without further ado (apres le jump):

I've been reading a few previews, and have noticed a few trends: first, everyone licks United and City's balls. Second, everyone hates our teams. The average LFC prediction is 5th, and Villa 10th - that asshole Nick Webster predicted us to finish 13th, below the quality of Sunderland (12th), Bolton (11th), FULHAM (10th), Everton (9th), WEST BROM (8th), and STOKE (7th). For fuck's sake. I'm not saying Villa will contend for the Champions League, but why the hell can't we finish ahead of these shitty teams? People are enamored with Sunderland, but they lost their two best players, Bent (cough) and Henderson (cough), are weak at the back, and lack quality up front! And West Brom 8th and Stoke 7th? West Brom have 15th written all over them, and Stoke will probably finish 13th. Yes, they're tough at home, but they haven't changed in 3 years, and I'll bet my ass every manager in the league knows their tricks by now! I'm fully aware that our teams have been through a bit of turmoil over the last year or so - LFC with the ownership bullshit, and Villa with a manager carousel sparked by that little fuck walking out 5 days before the season last year, and us hiring a guy with a heart condition (I actually think he did a good job). But things have changed, and there's a lot more stability around our two clubs; LFC have committed ownership who have bought (ahem) Carroll, Suarez, Downing, Henderson, and Enrique to play along side Gerrard, Kuyt, Maxi, Mireles, Carra, Skrtel, Glen Johnson, etc. You guys are loaded with quality. LOADED. Stevie just needs to get healthy. And while Villa sold two quality midfielders (again, sigh)...we replaced Downing with N'Zogbia, which I'm absolutely fine with, and replaced Friedel, who I loved, but he was looking increasingly unstable, with Shay fucking Given. I watched Villa's two games in the Asia Trophy, against Blackburn and a loaded Chelsea side...Given looked incredible. He makes video game saves. We fucking STOLE him for 5mil. We didn't replace Young with a new signing, but I think Albrighton will step up and take his place. If anything, Albrighton is more physical (for a small guy, too!), and isn't a diving, self-centered fuck. Don't get me wrong, Ash is a great player, but his insistence on taking every corner, every free kick, and every PENALTY, only to sail them into Row Z...it was holding us back. He was the worst penalty taker I've ever seen. From 5,000 miles away, I could stare into his eyes and see that he was going to miss. Now Bent can have them all, and he'll bury them all. Both of our teams' biggest problem recently has been inability to take 3 points from lesser teams. I think that's going to change this year, and if LFC can finish 6th and Villa 9th with the amount of bullshit we went through last year, there's no reason we can't contend for the CL and Europa League respectively.

Poll

This view is:

Right on!

3 votes

Nuts!

1 votes

4 votes | Poll has closed

The Fans Football Podcast -- Looking For A Few Fans Ready To Chat

2011-08-07T20:26:36Z

Hello, I'm writing here to try and find football fans that would be willing to help me in a project. The project is a podcast with real football fans of all clubs, whether you be in Slovenia, Germany or anywhere on Earth it doesn't matter. (Extra terrestrials are subject to a lengthy interview process) The podcast would contain topics from the week's football action, whether it be another Manchester United player cheating on their wife, or getting a hair transplant. There would be loads to talk about!

If you love talking, playing, watching, listening to, or reading about football please contact me and I'm sure we could arrange something! You can follow me on twitter (@Mtthwcwn) or search for me on facebook.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Regards, Matthew

Side teams

2011-08-03T15:58:20Z

A sports fan is like a planet. Some of us are like Earth, with one large moon, a single sports team that means everything to us. Not to stereotype, but these sorts tend to be extremely local folks, and whether you support Everton or Auburn, that one team dominates your thinking 365 days a year. There are the Marses of us, with a couple of teams, most likely from different sports, and often in the same town (your prototypical Yankees in the summer, Giants in the winter type).

But then, there are us Jupiters. Somehow - and we don't always know how - we end up with scores of sattelites, some bigger than others, but the gravitational pull that is our obsession with sports has dragged a staggering number of teams into our orbit from the outer reaches of space. So, as I sit here in my Villa shirt, drinking coffee from a Habs mug, with my Nantes banner and Timbers Army scarves in the background, I ask you: how many teams are in your orbit? Which are the most important?

I'll go first. There are 11 teams for which I at least read up about online. The top six are teams for which I never miss a game.

Most important: Montreal Canadiens, Aston Villa, FC Nantes, Portland Timbers

Secondary: (my "ESPN" teams): Buffalo Bills, Portland Trail Blazers

Over the hills and far away: Sydney Roosters, Sydney Swans, Leinster Rugby, Al Ahly Cairo, CS Herediano