The Sports thread

[kanjiman8Member]

@ Nick
Kagawa is awesome. Definitely in the world class bracket. It looks like he will go to Man Utd, and as an Arsenal fan that is slightly disappointing as I wish he was joining us. Nonetheless, a great addition it will be to the league. I can only hope Ryo Miyaichi becomes as good if not better than Kagawa over time.

Kagawa’s arrival at Man Utd will probably spell the end of Park Ji Sung. Park has been tremendous for Utd. Very underrated and scored some crucial goals for them. His game time last season was alot less than previous seasons.

Asian players are starting to gain more attention in Europe. I can see the trend continuing. An absolute pleasure to watch them play and they come without all the drama and selfishness European and South American players cause at times.

[vanandrewMember]

@ Nick / Kanjiman – Latest is that Kagawa has knocked back Man Utd, which pleases me!

@ Kanjiman – I get most of my news from The Guardian. Their European coverage is pretty decent.
Zonal Marking is a must, as was Surreal Football until it’s sad demise.
Recently discovered The Tuesday Club, which is a bit of fun.

[kanjiman8Member]

@ andrew
I’d love it if he did reject Utd and joined Arsenal or another non prem team. I rate the guy highly and would be an excellent addition to any team.

I haven’t read the sports section of any paper for awhile. I think alot of the newspapers talk garbage and make up stories alot of the time. The Sun and Daily Mail are classic examples. However, I will check out the Guardian. Zonal Marking looks decent. What on earth is going on Surreal Football? lol

I have iTunes installed on my pc but rarely use it. I spose I should take advantage of it and download some podcasts including The Tuesday Club and some Japanese learning ones too.

[vanandrewMember]

@kanjiman – Surreal football, sadly lives on in a limited capacity at:

http://www.thefcf.co.uk/

It was a highly opinionated, often offensive take on football.
Even though I didn’t agree with all their opinions (they love Real M) it was a very funny and unique take on football. I find the majority of sites regurgitate the same bland views and have nothing original nor critical to say – Surreal bucked that trend.

[kanjiman8Member]

@ andrew
Completely agree. I read soccernet for stories as usually they don’t post rumours or make up stuff. It would be interesting to read a controversial site though.

I’m still planning to get more into Asian football as my Japanese ability gets better. The J-League is bound to be more interesting and comes without less drama than the EU leagues.

I read in another thread your from Australia. Do you watch the Hyundai A-League?

Australia have produced some awesome players over the years. My favourites are Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill and Mark Viduka. I should start watching the A-League too.

I’m glad Australia joined the Asian football federation as they have better competition now with the likes of Japan and South Korea. Aus beat American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qualifier when they were still part of the Oceania federation. That match even has it’s own wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_31%E2%80%930_American_Samoa :D

[vanandrewMember]

@kanjiman – I’d like to get more into the J-league too, judging by the Asian CL it is pretty good quality (unfortunately when was there I had to settle for going to a division 2 game!).

Sorry k-man, but I had to chuckle at the description of “Hyundai” A-league – they’ve done a good job with the branding if that’s how it’s known internationally!
I don’t follow it that closely as the games are on pay-TV, which I don’t have. So it’s hard to keep up with. I’ve been to a few games and support it where I can, but it’s hard to get into – the clubs all being only a few years old there’s not much character or history, so it’s been hard to be passionate about it.

Cahill is perhaps the best we’ve had in some time. It’s seemed at times he’s rescued Everton many a time, and his performance at the 2006 World Cup is legendary (and such a leap for short man!). I’d probably add Schwarzer to that list – he’s had a great career and it’s a shame he never got a chance at a big club.

Our qualification has always been a bit dodgy, so yeah, being in Asia is the best outcome. For a while we had to qualify
- through Oceania, then through Asia,
- then it was through Oceania then through South America,
- then Sepp promised Oceania direct qualification (what a joke!)
- finally sanity has prevailed.

What are your thoughts on England’s performance at the upcoming Euros? Predictions?
And on Roy as the manager?

[kanjiman8Member]

@ andrew
I feel Asian football is only going to get bigger and better. In Europe and the Americas, It’s largely been in the shadow of the European and North and South American leagues. European players such as Gary Lineker and Michael Laudrup have played at Nagoya Grampus and Vissel Kobe respectively towards the end of their careers while more recently Freddie Ljungberg had a stint at Shimizu S-Pulse. Some lesser known European players and alot of South Americans (mainly Brazillians) have also plyed their trade their at some point. Although the feeling now is these countries (eg. Japan, S Korea, China) want to develop more home grown players and use less foreign players.

While in the past and currently at present, players are going to Asia at the end of their careers, (eg. Nicolas Anelka and probably Didier Drogba), this is bound to change in the future. The Asian leagues are much more competitive than the MLS in America, which is another popular destination for players to goto at the end of their careers (eg. Thierry Henry and David Beckham).

You find that the top American players mostly play in Europe. While this could be the case of players from Aus and Asian countries too, I don’t ever see the MLS getting as popular as the Asian Leagues will. Partly to do with the Asian leagues being more competitive and the fact that other sports are more popular in America.

It might not happen for awhile but I expect future players to seriously consider plying their trade during the beginning and middle of their careers in Asia. Lifestyle and language plays a part in this too and won’t be ideal for every player.

If I was a football player I’d definitely play in Asia. J-League for sure and perhaps a stint in Korea, China and Aus. :D

As for the (Hyundai) A-League, that’s what it’s known as over here when ever I hear it mentioned on TV or read about it on the net. Similiar to how the English Premier League is known as the “Barlcays Premier League”. I guess it’s easy to think of the sponsor when talking about something hehe.

If you know the right places to look on the net, you can watch any football/soccer match live for free. The quality of the streams aren’t always that great but definitely watchable. I’ve done this a few times for 3pm kick offs in the Prem.

Your right about the A-League not having much character yet. As it was only formed in 2004 it’s behind the other Asian leagues in terms of history and popularity. This will definitely change as time goes on.

Cahill is a legend. Your right about him saving Everton on many occasions. His performances and work ethic are 100% almost every match. He’s a great header of the ball too. I remember he turned around a WC qualifer against Japan back in 2009. Aus were losing 1-0 at home and then Cahill scores twice to win the match.

Schwarzer has been a great GK. I agree he should really have played for bigger clubs than Middlesbrough and Fulham. Arsenal were interested in him at one point but Mark Hughes wouldn’t allow him to leave. Harry Kewell was superb at times but injury as blighted his career. Brett Emerton was a solid midfielder at Blackburn for 8 years. Lucas Neill is a a great defender. Always puts in hard tackles and saved Blackburn and West Ham from defeat many times. Mark Viduka was quality at his peak. Did very well at Leeds. Surprised he didn’t join a bigger club after Leeds were relegated.

Aus are definitely in the best Confederation. From what you said, qualifying for previous tournaments was a shambles.

Are you a fan of Cricket too? The Aus team from the Ashes 2006/07 were incredible. Shame most of them have retired.

[NickMember]

I know it wasn’t addressed to me, but in response to “What are your thoughts on England’s performance at the upcoming Euros? Predictions? And on Roy as the manager?”
I can easily see England dropping out at the quarter finals. The prospect of facing Spain or Italy is a terrifying one, but I guess it’s too early to really say. Germany are going to win, probably on penalties, to make up for the Champion’s League final.
Roy Hodgson is fine by me as manager. He has international managerial experience, something Redknapp doesn’t have.

Also, J-League football is awesome. I’ve only just started watching, but no theatrics and the play is much more entertaining to watch than many Premier League games. There’s much more emphasis on intricate link-up play rather than the current “winning ugly” style most Premier League teams have taken up.

[kanjiman8Member]

Completely forgot to answer the question about Roy Hodgson and England in my last post. Thanks for posting Nick :D.

I pretty much agree with what Nick said. Roy’s been involved in management for nearly 40 years and the game itself almost 50. He’s managed in different leagues and different national teams. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and is genuinely a nice guy. However, like many a manager before him in the England job, I can’t see him leading them to win a major tournament. The problem with England is the unrealistic expectations the media put on the team.

I expect England to at least make the quarter finals. The top teams will be Spain, Germany and Holland. I can see one of those winning it.

@ Nick
Glad you’ve started watching the J-League. I’d take J-League over the Prem any day. The Japanese talent on show is very exciting. I still believe an Asian team can one day win the World Cup. It’s boring that only European and South American countries have won it so far.

[vanandrewMember]

@nick / kanjiman – it’s tradition now for England to go out at the quarter finals, yeah?!

As for Roy, I like him a lot, few English managers and players go outside of England and he’s done that with success. I am pessimistic about his chances though. I agree with all you both said, but also he’s got a very conservative, defensive and rigid style. His systems are often very inflexible, and I don’t know how the egos in the English squad will react to that.

Nick – how do you watch the J-league?

K man – Interesting analysis and prediction with Asian football – I hope it comes true. What happens with China will be interesting. Currently the standard is pretty poor despite the money there – like all sport they’re throwing heaps of money at it. Also, it needs some proper development and administration. There are lots of incidents of fan violence and of corruption.

That WC game against Japan, wow that was amazing. I’ll have to look into streams of games, haven’t done that before.

I don’t follow cricket closely (during the non-summer times of the year it’s hard to follow), in summer I’ll get into it. This isn’t a popular thing to say but, I hate 20/20!
Yes, indeed we had some amazing players, but that’s all over now! The administration here has done a terrible job of transitioning a new generation in – the team has been really lost the last couple of years. What’s going on with England? They’ve been a bit up and down, yeah?

[kanjiman8Member]

@ andrew
Yes, haha. The expectation over here is if England reach the quarters then it’s somewhat of an achievement. The last time they reached the semis of any tournament was Euro 96.

Roy will have to deal with big egos in the dressing room. It could either be his making or downfall as England manager.

The Chinese Super League was founded at the same time as the A-League. So it’s still very new. I agree that they need proper development and administration before being able to compete in popularity with the J-League and K-League.

I know a couple of stream sites. Google “first row sports” and it should be the first link in the results. That’s the main site I use.

I don’t watch Cricket as much as Football but I think England are doing ok lately. They won the Ashes back to back, but didn’t win the World Cup last year. The current generation seem to be doing well. That Ashes white wash back in 2006/07 must of gave them the motivation to do better.

I think Aus are going through a tough cycle at the moment. The Ashes squad was absolutely world class. So many great players in that team. Warne, Ponting, Lee, McGrath, etc. They will bounce back eventually and create a new generation of players.

[vanandrewMember]

@ k -man – of course, they have to bounce back to knock England about again!

Thanks for the stream tip.

Well, at least one of Roy’s dilemmas has been solved for here – Frank L has been ruled out of the Euros. The issue of how to handle Stevie Me & Frank L in one team is now solved.
You may be able to confirm/deny, but I get the impression that expectations are low (comparatively) in England regarding their chances at the Euros; yes?

Brendan Rogers at Liverpool – does he have any chance, or is he just fresh meat?

[kanjiman8Member]

@ andrew
Despite being English I don’t get support any of the English national sports teams. It’s a combination of things that I’ll talk about another time. I prefer to stay neutral :). I fully expect the next generation of Aus cricketers to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and maybe even go one better.

That streaming site is great. It looks like it’s maintained well too.

The Gerrard/Lampard dilemma has been an issue for some time. At club level Gerrard has saved Liverpool on many occasions single handedly. Lampard has been a crucial source of Chelsea’s goals since he joined. Chelsea cope better without Lampard than Liverpool can without Gerrard. For England, Lampard has got more goals but Gerrard has given more to the team. From a neutral pov if England can rely on other players to score then perhaps Gerrard is the more important of the two. I’d say both are past their peak anyway so will be interesting to see what happens.

This is the first tournament for a while where the expectation hasn’t been as high in previous years. Mybe the media have figured by not putting so much pressure on the team, they might acutally perform better. I still can’t see England getting past the quarters.

As for Rodgers becoming new Liverpool manager, it’s definitely a gamble and he will need time in order to turn the club around. He’s still a young manager with his only experience at Watford, Reading and Swansea. He surprised people with his style of football he got Swansea playing. If the Liverpool owners and fans are patient and give him time to make mark on the club then he will be a success. If they expect him to walk in and to get them back into the top 4 and win more trophies then he won’t last long.

[SheepyModerator]

Not a huge sports person. For spectating I like Rally (WRC) and Ice Hockey (NHL). I’ve dipped my feet here and there into competitive firearms shooting and I like to box for fitness. I’ve become kind of interested in Kayaking but it see that as more of an “activity” than a sport.

..starcraft? :P

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by  Sheepy.

[kanjiman8Member]

Starcraft a sport? It might be for Hashi and Koichi :D

[Author]

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