The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Hoppy. Please, stop watching.

 

[aygov]

1. because it happens in other sports somehow makes it more bearable?

2. about the equivalent of making a free throw, hitting a single or running 10 yards for a first down. (difficulty wise, not effect on the game)

3. players often push their teammates away. It is clearly an act of self celebration.

1. Yep. Unless you're going to be so principled as to shun any sport where it exists in any form then you're a hypocrite for pointing it out as a huge issue. Could it be better? Yep. Is it a game breaking issue? Not for me. If it is for you then I sure hope you're consistent.

2. I'd humbly disagree. No one is goal keeping a basket, and you score no points on a first down. There may be harder things in sports, but scoring is scoring. Having an issue with players celebrating a goal just seems to be nitpicking.

3. And NFL players often run away from their team mates to dunk the ball over the uprights or jump into the crowd, does that make them arrogant as well? I don't think it does. Some players have a celebration they want to do that won't work if they're mobbed by their teammates. Their teammates always seem to find them after anyways so, what's the problem?

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

The main complaint Americans usually roll out about soccer is the lack of goals. Hoppy is bucking that trend by complaining about what happens when goals are scored.

This is some kind of progress, I suppose.

Sorry Hoppy, I know soccer is un-American and commy and all that, but it is here to stay.

 

[passedpawn]

Doing my best to watch soccer...I few things I can't manage to get past:

1. The flailing and fake injuries - ridiculous and completely unnecessary

I love soccer, but I agree with this. Though, unnecessary is not true, it's very useful. But I think FIFA should do something about it. Yep, some teams are very bad with this.

Hope everyone is enjoying the tournament. Very nice so far, and no Brazil problems. I'm just on pins and needles waiting for the games tomorrow, Germany/Portugal and US/Ghana. Oh man, I think I'll take the day off!

Lots of rain, but it's the rain forest and soccer is an all-weather sport. Remember the US/ Costa Rica game in the snow last year? Epic.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

23 hours. I am sooooo stoked. I'm gonna be super obnoxious

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

23 hours. I am sooooo stoked. I'm gonna be super obnoxious

Anyone who uses the word super in a phrase like that is already very obnoxious.

 

[aygov]

Hope everyone is enjoying the tournament. Very nice so far, and no Brazil problems. I'm just on pins and needles waiting for the games tomorrow, Germany/Portugal and US/Ghana. Oh man, I think I'll take the day off!

Lots of rain, but it's the rain forest and soccer is an all-weather sport.

Everything has been awesome from a neutral's perspective. Plenty of goals and no draws! I'm nervous and uncertain about the Ghana game. I hope klinsy has the best setup, but you'll never know until that first game!

 

[HoppyDaze]

not sure why everyone has to be defensive. Just trying to start a discussion. There are plenty of positives, a ton actually. Baffles me the energy you spend to defend the obvious faults in the game. weird. Such a bitter bunch. Normally a group would welcome a discussion with someone trying to get into the game. No wonder no one cares about it here. terrible ambassadors the lot of you.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Anyone who uses the word super in a phrase like that is already very obnoxious.

I'm just warming up too. Imagine the people at the bar around me having to hear my I Believe and USA Ain't Nothin to **** with chants.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

not sure why everyone has to be defensive. Just trying to start a discussion. There are plenty of positives, a ton actually. Baffles me the energy you spend to defend the obvious faults in the game. weird.

Read back, I never defended the one actual fault that you listed. It just gets tiresome, that's all. We are just trying to enjoy the competition here. I am happy to discuss specific bad events that happen during the tournament, like the Brazil penalty decision, but frankly, you just seem to be trolling without any real purpose.

Try citing examples. Maybe post video for discussion.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Not trolling at all. Interested in your perspectives on it. I just don't find "they do it other sports" to have any sort of significance. You don't think the two point about arrogance are legit? You think our youth should be doing cartwheels after making a penalty kick? Or running away from teammates to take lone credit for a scoring play?

I guess I did get my answers. Penalty kicks are really hard and they are running to cheer with the fans. Thumbs-up!

Anyway, not trying to take away from anyone's enjoyment of the tourney. This is the only time I watch, so I ask questions about what I'm seeing. I guess I just don't understand mannerisms of the players.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Not trolling at all. Interested in your perspectives on it. I just don't find "they do it other sports" to have any sort of significance. You don't think the two point about arrogance are legit? You think our youth should be doing cartwheels after making a penalty kick? Or running away from teammates to take lone credit for a scoring play?

I guess I did get my answers. Penalty kicks are really hard and they are running to cheer with the fans. Thumbs-up!

They would appear a lot more arrogant if they scored a PK and just went "Meh, easy peasy" They are in a no-win situation with you. As for celebrations in general, they are individuals, they will behave as such. That's no mystery, and no issue.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Actually penatly kicks really aren't that hard. Not that they're a given, but something like 75% of them are converted or something like that. It's akin though to someone making a dunk or pounding in a TD from a yard out and celebrating. Hell you see it in football where guys celebrate tackling a guy who got down field.

It's annoying but it happens in sports. That said I can't think off the top of my head who celebrated excessively on a penalty unless it was late or a potential winner.

As far as celebrating on their own, who really cares. Often times players give their teammates credit if their teammates did most of the work too.

Also holy **** Leo.

 

[BadDeacon]

I personally find the flopping as a?fascinating part of the game. Unneeded? Yes... But for some teams and countries it's part of their culture (Think Italy) as compared to us arrogant Americans.

I usually laugh and appreciate the mental forethought that these guys are putting into it. It really is the most beautiful game. So simple and yet so complex.

 

[HoppyDaze]

I guess it's perspective. I'd rather see players master ball skills than flops skills. I can't stand it in the NBA either.

 

[HoppyDaze]

They would appear a lot more arrogant if they scored a PK and just went "Meh, easy peasy" They are in a no-win situation with you. As for celebrations in general, they are individuals, they will behave as such. That's no mystery, and no issue.

So it's either excessive celebration or "meh, easy peasy" with no middle ground? LOL no-win argument with you.

Enjoy fellas. USA!! USA!!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I guess it's perspective. I'd rather see players master ball skills than flops skills. I can't stand it in the NBA either.

Diving is an issue that needs to be better addressed. I don't think you will find many that disagree. Until that time, that is why we have curse words, so we can shout then at the referee/players

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I guess it's perspective. I'd rather see players master ball skills than flops skills. I can't stand it in the NBA either.

Or NHL, or NFL, or baseball (remember Jeter's HBP that hit the bat) people are always looking for an advantage in sports. Diving is a way of doing that. I'm not a fan even a little bit, but it's part of the game with certain countries/players.

What I abhor is people who flop on the ground and writhe in pain to kill the clock get carted off then hop up and asked to be subbed in. JMO if someone gets carted off the field they have to sit on the sidelines for 5 minutes or be subbed out. Or guys who do that should be shown a straight red.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

So it's either excessive celebration or "meh, easy peasy" with no middle ground? LOL no-win argument with you.

Enjoy fellas. USA!! USA!!

OK, middle ground:- YaY!!! That was easy, yet somehow so unexpected due to the disputed degree of difficulty! Go me!!....And that guy over there!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Slightly WC related, Dutch legend Ronald Koeman will be announced as Southampton's new manager sometime soon. Yay!

 

[BrewKnurd]

Or NHL, or NFL, or baseball (remember Jeter's HBP that hit the bat) people are always looking for an advantage in sports. Diving is a way of doing that. I'm not a fan even a little bit, but it's part of the game with certain countries/players.



What I abhor is people who flop on the ground and writhe in pain to kill the clock get carted off then hop up and asked to be subbed in. JMO if someone gets carted off the field they have to sit on the sidelines for 5 minutes or be subbed out. Or guys who do that should be shown a straight red.

Yeah, it's farcical to think or claim soccer has sole dominion over "simulation." Catchers position their glove to look more strikish. Receivers claim to have caught balls they didn't. Basketball is full of flopping. No sport is free of it. Doesn't mean anyone should like it, and surely we should try to deal with it.

The issue for me is less about the clock and more about the constant interruption of the rhythm of the game. The time mostly gets accounted for in stoppage time.

I'm amazed by the folks who will skewer soccer for time wasting but have no objection to an offense that is clearly ready to snap the ball wait until the last second in a football game. But that's just smart play, right?


Sent from my iPod touch using Home Brew

 

[aygov]

Not trolling at all. Interested in your perspectives on it. I just don't find "they do it other sports" to have any sort of significance. You don't think the two point about arrogance are legit? You think our youth should be doing cartwheels after making a penalty kick? Or running away from teammates to take lone credit for a scoring play?

I guess I did get my answers. Penalty kicks are really hard and they are running to cheer with the fans. Thumbs-up!

Anyway, not trying to take away from anyone's enjoyment of the tourney. This is the only time I watch, so I ask questions about what I'm seeing. I guess I just don't understand mannerisms of the players.

Celebrating a penalty is more down to the fact that you've scored a goal which sometimes can be hard to come by rather than the difficulty of taking the penalty.

The diving or rolling around on the ground is the product of cultural stuff, South American and Spanish teams seem to be the worst, and the fact that more often than not if you don't make a big show of being fouled the ref isn't going to give it. I'd like to see it go away, but even with it there are plenty of things to outweigh it.

On another note, I would love to see Messi have a big world cup! It looks like the Bosnians are going to make it interesting though!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Does anyone else not think that a person genuinely trying to get into the game might be more interested in asking questions about the more important aspects of the game, such as the offside rule rather than the attitudes of it's players? Maybe questions about positioning? What is a wing back? How is injury time calculated?

If one already knows all that, then the diving is fairly self explanatory.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Or NHL, or NFL, or baseball (remember Jeter's HBP that hit the bat)

No. No even close to comparable. NBA is, but that's all. It's over half of every contact play in soccer. I can't think of a single MLB flop ever

 

[passedpawn]

Does anyone else not think that a person genuinely trying to get into the game might be more interested in asking questions about the more important aspects of the game, such as the offside rule rather than the attitudes of it's players? Maybe questions about positioning? What is a wing back? How is injury time calculated?

If one already knows all that, then the diving is fairly self explanatory.

Meh. If that person is posting here, they are interested in the game. That's as far as I'd analyse that. Questioning it further is a bit obsessive IMO.

 

[passedpawn]

No. No even close to comparable. NBA is, but that's all. It's over half of every contact play in soccer. I can't think of a single MLB flop ever

AJ Pierzinski. I can provide a link if you like. What a ahole, I hate that guy.

 

[HoppyDaze]

OMG I do remember that...when he pretended to be hit by that pitch. Hate that guy too. eff him.

 

[passedpawn]

OMG I do remember that...when he pretended to be hit by that pitch. Hate that guy too. eff him.

No, he got in a rundown between 2nd and 3rd. Totally pretended obstruction by the short stop, even fell down. Hollywood all the way. He was given the base, and ended up winning the game for the white sox. 2008.

Did I mention I hate that guy? He's a major cheater.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Does anyone else not think that a person genuinely trying to get into the game might be more interested in asking questions about the more important aspects of the game, such as the offside rule rather than the attitudes of it's players? Maybe questions about positioning? What is a wing back? How is injury time calculated?

If one already knows all that, then the diving is fairly self explanatory.

Not every person who doesn't like soccer is a troll or a jerk. I know that blows your mind but it's the truth. There's a lot I do appreciate about the game, but the diving kind of ruins it because it's constant and players actually learn to do it instead of learning the game. Just like in NBA how the refs reward players for being good at flopping. It is bad for the game. And for people trying to get into soccer it just looks so stupid when someone is rolling around on the ground grabbing their ankle when the replay just showed zero contact. The question was how to look past that and enjoy the game. It is way harder for a newcomer to do because it looks so ridiculous.

 

[aygov]

No. No even close to comparable. NBA is, but that's all. It's over half of every contact play in soccer. I can't think of a single MLB flop ever

Half of every contact, really? I think you're overstating it hugely there. I can't speak for the MLB since I think baseball is boring as sin, but you see it in the NFL plenty. Fat defensive linemen that can't handle the hurry up offense falling down injured, WR flailing around going down the field trying to get the interference call. It happens all the damn time.