DISQUS

I actually take a counter belief that mainstreaming of soccer in Amercia is a good thing, I really dont like it at all, well except for all the great games we get on the tellie now.


Ive been a fan since the mid 70s and have gone thru all the ups and downs you referenced, but all along Ive felt that following international soccer both national and club teams, I was privaledged to appreciate and be apart of something 99% of the people here in the US didnt get. I never once felt the odd ball, I always felt somewhat sorry for those that didnt get it, man what they are missing out on.



But now soccer has gone all suburban and landon donovan here, I mean really what could be worse? We have a crap national league, horrificly produced and commented us games, its all going espned, oh my!



Im not a fan of the packaged politically correct direction that soccer here has pursued to make it acceptable to the mainstream here. If they dont get it oh well, leave it for those of us who do. Remember, most of the people here cant pick out canada on a map, so im quite sure not fitting in is kinda ok.



Anyway, I kinda miss the feeling that i described above when Baggio missed the penalty and i screramed my head off in a full bar in Philly, ironically full of mainly italian descendants, and people looked at me as though i were nuts, and i just smiled. :) There are many other examples.

ahhhh helllooooo these guys play for upwards of 200k a week wages, everything after that is secondary

No offense to Hanneman, hes a very good keeper, but hes rated below Howard for the national team. I would think Arsenal and Man Utd would aim a bit higher. I know the arse just brought in Fabianski who looked very commanding int he preseason, but he is very young, and they have been linked to boruc from celtic.


as far as fff, it is what it is, i must say the production value has greatly improved. it was horrific last year,

Gaffer:


I know, it still seems like grasping to me, but im bias i admit. After hoping Man utd would win the league last year, which made me ill most weeks, its much better to be back wishing them ill fortune again! :)



Its still so early yet, and with hopefully a much tighter league, Utd wil be fine, regardles o fthe size of the pitch, theres just too much talent on the team. Go Citeh!!

Im neither prudish or british, but this article lost my interest halfway thru. The author is hit or miss for me sometimes spot on and others a boar, this one falls in the latter.

With all of the south floridians on here, you outta get a knowledgable group of 4-5 folks and go to gol tv and put it to them to get it right. Audiences deserve that

Your article in its title state "no worries" then you outline 2 big ones he he


Looking for an extra 5 meters of width on a pitch seems like clutching for straws.



With United winnign everything last year we didnt get the pleasure of the bulbous nose whinning about this and that, glad to see that part of him back, heres for much moire of his bitchin this year

There Sunday wrap up show is better than lats years version too. Its hardly a decision for me Saturday, the last 15-20 mins of a match or fsc droll? hehe


Im not sold on Miles. Hes a walking cliche factory and frequently misapplies. I was hoping one of the gooners on the sunday set would have taken one of those bass ale bottles upside his....

I too wondered what had happenned to you and glad to hear you will be ok. I enjoy your postings and that of your guest columists too.


Welcome back! There are still 37 exciting rounds to go.



I know you have an aversion to examining the free p2p streams, but many people are using these and would encourage a rethink on this. I would imagine it would fall into line with your growing global presence, as the p2p serve a vast international audience, and would be welcomed by your audience I imagine.

did the MENSA meeting let out early?

welcome back to sfla, just so you know you were missed.

I suspect he was taping up Hargraeves, and if you had to live in Manchester youd take any and every chance to get on a plane and get outta there.

The best thing about fsc is the epl and sky sports. The worst: the rest of fsc.


Id vote to pull the plug on the whole thing, its awful. Sell it to a company that knows how to produce live sports programming, not espn style but with some creativity and quality to the production, the talent etc, this channel is just brutal.

Can u find a gayer picture of this chap?

Gaffer exactly what impact would lehman have made last night?


PLenty of chances to win the game and arsenal didnt take it, i think ive seen this movie too many times this year. I dont lay it on injuries, every team has em, i mean listen to the moaning in stamford bridge when they lose 1 central midfielder, can you imagine how annoying hed be if he had lost 10 of his 1st teamers? so please.



the real blame to me is with wenge. he played 2 of his 4 defenders out of position both on the right side. he easily could have either kept senderos inside or at the least protect him with moving gallas to the right. wenge has many strengths but he does tactically come up short.



tough week to be a gooner

id be a little surprised to see arsenal come. wenge has repeatedly siad how he doesnt really favor it, preferring his little austrian retreat. it may happen and if does it will totally be hill-wood and deins marketing based decision not wenges, and not the best way to get the campaign started with a rift in the board room.

Being here in Amercia its hard to really get worked up about ticket prices that are largely market determined, in the UK. It does strike me as a bit of a double standard that if you look at the overall revenue created by the league each year, you will see that the big 4 dominate in capturing that revenue. Its hard to then say OK u small clubs we are going to cap your match day revenue to make our fans happy. Just strikes me as a bit of a double standard, and as you know Im an Arsenal(the highest priced tickets) thru and thru.

thx good luck to you and the evil empire today


lookin forward to the big one sunday

video link says it private, how do you access it, if you can?

This is perhaps the most idiotic suggestion ive heard to date. They cant field enough good referees as it is now and they want to triple the number? Jesus.


Secondly, let go of flamini's foul no foul please gaffer your prejudice is now tiresome. You also dont mention Henry getyting pulled over in the box even more physically than did heskie. Im not talking of the dive but his run to the middle of the box in the 2nd half. If you let one go, you let the other go, if you call one, you call the other.

Gaffer,


Im with you on all of the matches we get, and I would add Gol TV that brings in great la ligua matches and bundelsigua games. While the production values arent up to epl standards, the spanish league in paricular offer some great games!



I would also add my concern over the production value of super saturday +. This past weekend perhaps sank to a new low, intorducing the wrong sound bites on a number of occassions, and it now seems just a 45 minute infommercial for thier crap italian games shown on sunday.



I think you have some relationship with FSC and would encourage you to discuss with them the need to inprove the production values of their original progamming and their voise over or production of their own games. Its really not even second rate. If they dont improve they will never expand the base of hard core fans who will watch because they love the game and sadly just put up with what is all too annoying, intrusive shrill coming out of the booth.

given the relatively poor quality of fsc's presentation of the epl when compared to sentanta the switch can only be considered great news! now if we can only get some interesting matches

Only 6 million for the Man u- Arsneal match? That doesnt seem right, did u mean 60? Even that seems small for a world wide audience.


Its great being a fan here in the US, with FSC, Gol TV and Setanta, we get piped into our homes fantastic games from the EPL, CL, CC, FA, Serie A, La liga, France and Holland on occassions as well. Yet Ill have to go round the pub and pop down a 10er to watch Arsenal-Bolton in an FA cup tie this weekend.



I read Blackburn are rolling back ticket prices as a result of the new TV money. But Arsenal seems to have no problem sellin out 60,000 seat Emirates at 94gbp a pop. I know Wenge was afraid it would be difficult to sell out such a large stadium.



All in all though its a good bargain when you consider that the Dolphins(NFL) just sent out renewal notices to their most loyal season ticket holders, some as lon as 35 yr plus holders, that raised their prices from $185 to $400 per game, and $500 if they renew after Feb 23rd. Ouch!

Sheva inconsistent? He has been consistently dreadful all season! 20 minutes, 1 foul and an audition, well taken i might add, for the role as the invisible man.


The arrogance of Chelsea has caught up to them. I have never heard of a professional team in any division in any league going into a campaign with 2 central defenders.



Today's result ensures more competitiveness, bringing liverpool, and hopefully arsenal closer to the top. Additionally, I look forward to more of the soap opera histrionics from King's road, that weve been treated to for the past fortnight.



Collect call for Roman Abromovitch, will you accept the charges?

It will not nor should not happen. Not only do the big 4 compete in the epl they also compete in europe, and limiting slaries in any fashion would put them so far behond the 8 ball in that competition that.