I've noticed lots of non-Americans on this site, so question is...are any of you football fans, in addition to being video gamers? I'm a HUGE Liverpool and Barcelona fan, but I also support Manchester City, FC United of Manchester, and not only follow the EPL, but La Liga as well.

Any thoughts on the Champions League this season? Any predictions for next season? I can't wait for the fall of Chelsea, and always enjoy seeing Man Utd. take it in the ass, LOL.

ahem, american football IS real football, thats why the other one is called soccer...
*go broncos*

But...only one is actually played with the feet, and came first anyway..."soccer" is just shortened "association football", and American football is "gridiron" football (which always sounded stupid to me...gridiron? wtf?!?). I hate calling soccer "soccer" when discussing it with non-Yanks, because it makes us sound like stupid, ignorant Americans. The Aussies call it "soccer" too, but that's about it...

Broncos? Ugh...If my Raiders were not so pathetic, I'd give you an arguement there, but I'm in no position to talk smack about the Brocs these days...all the Radiers have to look forward to is a high draft pick and another couple of years of propping up the AFC West...

I am a huge Barcelona fan even though i don't follow La Liga that much. Even though i am american i find all other sports kind of stupid compared to futbol ( soccer). Can't wait for the World Cup to start.

yes i support birmingham city FC, come on blues! We've got 2 more games left and still up for going down! But hey we are ahead of West-brom, wish i could say the same about villa tho. LoL. But football (soccer), is pretty only much called soccer by people taht do not live in england! 'Soccer'is way better than american football, because on visits to america ive watched a few of your football games and they are very boring to say the least. I dont know, maybe you are saying out football is crap coz ur soccer team is shit! English fottball and wot ever rules!

Birmingham's going to need a bit of help, since Portsmouth's been playing well of late. Sorta like the Baggies last year, it may come down to the last game of the season. Good thing you guys got rid of that prick Robbie Savage. I love reading his column, but I hate the player...another whiny Bellamy, LOL. I figured WBA would stay up this year, and the relegated teams would be Sunderland, Birmingham, and Portsmouth, but oh well. I know you Midlands folk love to hate Aston Villa, and I can't blame you there...by far the ugliest kit in England, LOL... David O'Leary has got to be the most boring manager in the EPL, and even Liverpool cast-off Milan Baros couldn't help them much...utterly boring team to watch, but those Midlands derbys are always a great affair. The only ones I like more are Newcastle/Sunderland, Spurs/Arsenal, Chelsea/West Ham, and of course, Liverpool/Everton (although I actually don't HATE Everton...I just pity them, LOL).

I can see why you found our "football" boring...so many stops and starts, 60 minutes = 3.5 hours, endless over-analysis, etc. That's why we look forward to the Superbowl commercials every year, and that's why cheerleaders are around...something to keep you occupied, so you don't fall asleep in your chair, LOL. I prefer the simplicity of "soccer"...one ball, two nets, "22 foreigners in funny shorts", 90 minutes, don't use your hands...easy! THat's why it will always be the world's game. Anyone anywhere can play, and you don't need equipment...a ball of tape serves just as well, and bare feet make you tougher. No wonder more people in the world know Pele's image on sight than the Pope's. Simplicity aside, it takes a true artist to make it beautiful. Ronaldinho...pure genius! Anyone that can move like that, create like that, see everything, and still celebrate like a 10 year old when he scores...wow. That man is GOD!



No doubt...La Liga is hard to follow over here, unless you speak Spanish, and get GOL TV, or one of the other subscription cable channels. Only Barca we get is Champions League, which is always fun, but I'd love to follow the season more closely. I'm hoping to be in Europe this summer, and we were going to try to go to a Barca game while in Spain, but the Cup will be in full swing, so I'm bummed. Still, we might try to pop up to Germany for a WC game, but tix are so expensive. Any predictions on winners and such? I see the US out at the first hurdle (WAY difficult group), and (I hate to say this...) Argentina winning it all. Messi is going to be a huge superstar in the not too distant future, and that team is really strong this time around. Brazil is a safe bet as well, but they are getting a bit old at the back.

I do know Spanish but i don't get Gol tv so i have to always go to a friends house. I see brazil winning even though people say they are overrated. I am half Iranian so my dad is is going for them but i don't see them beating Portugal and Mexico.

LOL, yeah, Iran's not gonna get out of THAT group, for sure. Maybe if they were in the Spain/Ukraine/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia group, they could pull it off, but at least you should be celebrating after you play Tunisia, LOL...

LOL...sorry about your Blues, allsorts...you'll be back up next year.

how can you be a football fan and support so many teams?

and i hate calling it soccer
whenever i search on the net about football all i get is crappy american football

MAN UTD til i die

LOL...it comes from not being steeped in local attachments and a foreign frame of reference. I guess I'm what you'd call a "first generation" football fan...although I have been watching and following for a long time, it hasn't been a life-long passion. Here in the states, it seems like everyone plays "sawker" until about eight years of age, then gravitate to other sports. For me, I fell in love with the game when I was in Israel in 1990, watching the FA Cup with a room full of drunk Englishmen. Their passion was contagious, and when I came home, I brought with me a suntan, a hatred of Man Utd., and a desire to continue following the game. It was impossible to do, since there was no TV coverage. I had to rely on World Soccer magazine, FourFourTwo, and the occasional months-old game on cable.

THe only team I really "support" support is Liverpool...the rest are ones I just like. If any of them play the Reds, my money's on them, like the FA Cup final this year...that's going to be a great game!

On the web, the places that I go to for news is:
the BBC football section - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/default.stm
The Guardian - http://football.guardian.co.uk/
The Prem's homepage - http://www.premierleague.com/
The English FA home page - http://www.thefa.com/

I can handle Man Utd. supporters, as long as they're not jumping on a bandwagon, like all those Chelsea fans - we're probably united in our loathing of them. At least your boys have had a nice run of success under Sir Alex. Oh, and sorry about Rooney's foot...that's a bummer...

It was actually his knee but whatever. That really sucks for all you Rooney fans.

No, same game, but that was John Terry of Chelsea that took the knock to the knee:

Sven-Goran Eriksson today admitted Wayne Rooney has more than one broken bone in his foot and could need a "miracle" to be fit for the World Cup, but he still intends to select the striker in his finals squad.
The England coach has been promised an update from Manchester United tomorrow, in the wake of a second scan on the foot Rooney injured at Chelsea last weekend. However, despite a statement from United claiming their player was still six weeks away from full training, it appears Eriksson will not be dissuaded from naming him on Monday.

"I knew yesterday that he had more than one fracture. That's what I heard," said Eriksson. "I don't know what that means but I'm not that pessimistic. I'm born that way. Miracles happen in life now and then, but I don't really know.
"I will probably name him on Monday. It will be 26 and maybe 27 players. Three or four of those players will know they are reserves. I will not rule him out until the doctors tells me there is no chance. No one wants that to happen. Everyone hopes he can take part in the World Cup at some stage. I would be stupid to say that it is not bad if he can't play at the World Cup. It would be like Brazil missing Ronaldinho, France missing [Thierry] Henry - he's one of our absolute best players. But anyhow, we have a very good team, a very good squad and I'm convinced we are going to do a very, very good World Cup anyhow."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had hit out at Eriksson's optimism, claiming the England boss was peddling a "wild dream". But the pair spoke yesterday and agreed Rooney would stay in Manchester until he was fit to play, rather than join up with the England squad on May 15. "We had a long chat about Rooney and the fact that he is going to stay in Manchester," added Eriksson. "I might pick him but he is going to stay in Manchester to do all the recovery until he is football fit. I think that's fair. He is staying at home and working with the physios and masseurs in Manchester.

"Nobody knows when he will start running. Nobody knows today. He has a serious injury and I will be updated tomorrow because our doctor [Leif Sward] goes to Manchester tomorrow to see [United doctor] Mike Stone."

A short statement from United this lunchtime insisted that the original prognosis of a six-week absence for Rooney still stood. "Despite stories in the press we believe Wayne is still six weeks away from full training," it read. "We are not prepared to discuss anything specific in relation to his injury or his rehabilitation."

Eriksson also revealed that he expects Michael Owen to be fully fit in time to play in Germany, but that he still has certain reservations as to the Newcastle striker's sharpness. "We have two problems. I am quite sure Michael will be fit but nobody knows about Wayne Rooney. That's two extremely good strikers.

"We have discussed it a lot and we have to wait and see. It might be possible to change the formation but we have a lot of time to think about that. We have three games to look at our options. If you take away Michael and Wayne, you have Darren Bent, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe who are likely to come in."

My bad. Good job with the quotes. At least somebody on this forum likes to provide proof of their statements.

LOL, thanks...by the way, that was from the Guardian. Original story found here:
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1766612,00.html



D'oh! my bad on Terry, too! It was his ankle...have the game on the DVR, still haven't seen it yet, LOL:

Terry will miss the rest of the Chelsea's Premiership season
England defender John Terry has been given the all-clear for the World Cup after receiving positive results from a scan on his injured ankle.
The 25-year-old needed three stitches in a cut just above his ankle picked up during the win over Manchester United.

Terry twisted the same ankle later in the game but a scan to check for deep bruising to the bone has proved clear and he can now start running again.

"He should be fine," said Chelsea club doctor Bryan English.

Terry joined the celebrations after Saturday's 3-0 victory over United sealed the Premiership title but left Stamford Bridge on crutches.

Manager Jose Mourinho told Terry after the weekend that he would sit out the final two games of the Premiership campaign.

Terry's news will be a welcome boost for England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is facing up to the probability that striker Wayne Rooney will miss the World Cup in Germany after breaking a metatarsal bone in his foot during the same match.

(source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/w...nd/4971920.stm)

NP, sure will atleast many of our, out dated players are staying.

LIVERPOOL ALL THE WAY! i think that liverpool are the best. Stevie Gerrard is amazing and av u seen that goal he did against west ham. It was proper dream goal. LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL!!!!!!

lol

hey i am a arsenal fan, supported arsenal for about a decade already. their free flowing football is so exciting to watch! Thierry henry is my favourite player currently. i would love chelsea to fail too!!!

Chelsea is going to win it all

I am a manchester United fan all my life. WE have the title, no one will catch us. But i am more of a NFL fan. GO 49ERS!!!

Im a Barcelona and Chelsea FAN!

i like Chelsea and arsinal.........

Man united all the way, unlucky about yesterdays draw though

hell no to all that soccer bullshit!

soccer rulresm and birmingam fc will win the championship this season this year