448 replies to this topic

[Viperar]

3 - 0 Milan . Man United have completely sucked in this game.

yeah def

[krudmonk v2.0]

Yankees of soccer? Are you serious...you have 0 knowledge of soccer if you claim man utd is the yankees of soccer lmao, thanks for the joke

So there are multiple "Yankees of soccer." Man U is definitely one of them.

[Viperar]

So there are multiple "Yankees of soccer." Man U is definitely one of them.

care to explain?

people here assume, oh my god, the only soccer team i hear about from europe are the good ones, and therefore since theyre good they must resemble the yankees, who splurge money all over the place and have failed to show for it recently. You do realize that more money is invested in european soccer than baseball anyhow. the prices are going to be higher and the money transactions larger as well.

You want to know the yankees of soccer? there really wasnt one until Abramovich took over Chelsea and started spending insane amounts of money bringing in all players from around the world. Want proof? Look at how Arjen Robben is being used on the team. Easily a top notch striker but sits on the bench as a sub because of the stacked lineup that Chelsea has. Again I dont believe you even knew about Abramovich or who Robben were without Googling their names.

Edited by Viperar, 02 May 2007 - 03:52 PM.

[glasgowcelticwing]

So there are multiple "Yankees of soccer." Man U is definitely one of them.

"Yankees of soccer" is quite an ignorant term to use descibing any team. If you actually followed the game and the history of the team's you'll realise that there is no use of this saying. Manchester United for example has not alway's been a successful team and has faught damn hard to be the Power in soccer that they are today.

[aarond]

Yankees of soccer? Are you serious...you have 0 knowledge of soccer if you claim man utd is the yankees of soccer lmao, thanks for the joke

down boy...

I didn't coin the "yankees of soccer" phrase. I'm sure you've heard it uttered elsewhere in American media. I imagine that the cause for such a phrase are the facts that Man U has a gigantic payroll, it's an extremely valuable franchise., and it's probably the most recognizable and followed team in the sport...just like the Yankees.


Think of it this way...


IF you were to analogize Man U to any team in Major League Baseball, who would it be? The Pittsburgh Pirates? Doubt it. They're perceived as an uber-franchise, just like the Yankees, whether they've historical been such or not.




but for the record, am I ignorant on European soccer? Probably...and I'm actually kinda glad about that. If the level of flopping and faking in European leagues resembles what we see in the World Cup every 4th year, then I couldn't be happier to be officially ignorant about the sport. I watched the game today and what I saw was actually pretty good. Even Ronaldo, who won Best Actor at last year's World Cup, managed to keep things at bay at least a little bit. Although, I do notice that that guy is actually looking for hte ref before he even hits the ground when he falls. Hilarious.

Edited by aarond, 02 May 2007 - 05:14 PM.

[Viperar]

down boy...

I didn't coin the "yankees of soccer" phrase. I'm sure you've heard it uttered elsewhere in American media. I imagine that the cause for such a phrase are the facts that Man U has a gigantic payroll, it's an extremely valuable franchise., and it's probably the most recognizable and followed team in the sport...just like the Yankees.
Think of it this way...
IF you were to analogize Man U to any team in Major League Baseball, who would it be? The Pittsburgh Pirates? Doubt it. They're perceived as an uber-franchise, just like the Yankees, whether they've historical been such or not.
but for the record, am I ignorant on European soccer? Probably...and I'm actually kinda glad about that. If the level of flopping and faking in European leagues resembles what we see in the World Cup every 4th year, then I couldn't be happier to be officially ignorant about the sport. I watched the game today and what I saw was actually pretty good. Even Ronaldo, who won Best Actor at last year's World Cup, managed to keep things at bay at least a little bit. Although, I do notice that that guy is actually looking for hte ref before he even hits the ground when he falls. Hilarious.

Ok, first of all the american media has no better perspective on this sport than you do as a non-caring american. So as they might have coined the phrase, it doesnt mean anything. If you really wanted me to correlate Manchester United with a baseball team, it would be the Atlanta Braves.

Payroll wise, they are tiny compared to Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea now. Also on recognizeable levels, Id say Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Man United, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich all have around the same amount of fan base in the US, as well as how much attention they get. Obviously right now Real Madrid getting more with Becks coming over to play for the Galaxy.

As for your last paragraph, dont try and get yourself off the hook for an accusation you made by dissing the sport. That would be like me saying oh yeah blah blah about the Tigers, then someone proves me wrong, and then i back out by saying oh i hate baseball anyway, im glad i dont know about it. Doesnt really make much sense

[aarond]

As for your last paragraph, dont try and get yourself off the hook for an accusation you made by dissing the sport. That would be like me saying oh yeah blah blah about the Tigers, then someone proves me wrong, and then i back out by saying oh i hate baseball anyway, im glad i dont know about it. Doesnt really make much sense

It makes perfect sense. I wasn't trying to "back out" of anything. I blatantly admitted that I'm not a soccer expert. Although, I guarantee you I am far more familiar with it than about 75% of the American public. I know it's not saying much because Americans don't give a crap about soccer. But what percentage of Americans even know that Champions League just finished the semi-final stage? What percentage even know what Champions League is? I'm not trying to get off the hook for anything either. I have a hard time believing that Real Madrid, Arsenol, Bayer Munich, and Chelsea are just as recognizable to fans around the world, let alone America, as Man U. Analogous statements like "The Yankees of soccer" aren't meant literally. They're figures of speech. All of this fuss over a figure of speech. But if Man U isn't the Yankees of soccer, they're at least the Yankees of the Premiership.

As for me dissing the sport, I'm not dissing the sport. I'm dissing the players. I'm not even dissing all of the players. I'm dissing the ones like Ronaldo (either one of them actually) and Drogba. Guys who go down and act like they were shot in the back when somebody barely breathed on them. The sport could be great. I wanna love the sport. It's a great concept. But the diving and the faking is too much to stomach sometimes. All contact sports that call penalties have divers and fakers. But soccer seems to have a lot more than most. Otherwise, it's fun to watch.

Edited by aarond, 02 May 2007 - 07:15 PM.

[krudmonk v2.0]

"Yankees of soccer" is quite an ignorant term to use descibing any team. If you actually followed the game and the history of the team's you'll realise that there is no use of this saying. Manchester United for example has not alway's been a successful team and has faught damn hard to be the Power in soccer that they are today.

I was merely running with the theme. I didn't first write "yankees of soccer."

care to explain?

people here assume, oh my god, the only soccer team i hear about from europe are the good ones, and therefore since theyre good they must resemble the yankees, who splurge money all over the place and have failed to show for it recently. You do realize that more money is invested in european soccer than baseball anyhow. the prices are going to be higher and the money transactions larger as well.

You want to know the yankees of soccer? there really wasnt one until Abramovich took over Chelsea and started spending insane amounts of money bringing in all players from around the world. Want proof? Look at how Arjen Robben is being used on the team. Easily a top notch striker but sits on the bench as a sub because of the stacked lineup that Chelsea has. Again I dont believe you even knew about Abramovich or who Robben were without Googling their names.

Who the hell are you? The only person who follows the EPL? How the hell would I not have heard of Chelsea, its players or its owner? Get off the high horse. Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are indeed analogous to the Yankees. They're the big four and will remain the big four. But hey, four is better than the three in Portugal and Holland or the two in that joke Scottish league.

[Viperar]

I was merely running with the theme. I didn't first write "yankees of soccer."

Who the hell are you? The only person who follows the EPL? How the hell would I not have heard of Chelsea, its players or its owner? Get off the high horse. Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are indeed analogous to the Yankees. They're the big four and will remain the big four. But hey, four is better than the three in Portugal and Holland or the two in that joke Scottish league.

hahaha you still havent explained why they are analogous to the yankees and maybe you should get off your high horse calling the Portuguese, Dutch, and Socttish league jokes....

sometimess....

[aarond]

you still havent explained why they are analogous to the yankees

But I did. Again, you're taking a figure of speech, a cliche if you will, a little too literally, imo. The reason for the cliche, at least when I use it, is because they: a) spend a lot of dough; b) are extremely well recognized and talked about; and c) have a seemingly endless amount of value. There might be teams that spend more money. I doubt there are any teams that are more recognizable and I'm positive that there aren't any clubs that are more valuable. So there may be teams that spend more money, and maybe the cliche "Yankees of soccer" would fit those teams as well. "Yankees of soccer" is another way of saying that they are an uber-franchise.

[superstarsingh]

you resigned him cause hes a magnificent goalie. The reason he plays out of net sometimes is he is the kind of goalkeeper that serves as a sort of second sweeper. In net, hes fantastic, i just dont think Arsenal needs a second sweeper type of goalie...they need a strong in net goalie more along the lines of buffon

He WAS a magnificent goalie.

[glasgowcelticwing]

I was merely running with the theme. I didn't first write "yankees of soccer."

Who the hell are you? The only person who follows the EPL? How the hell would I not have heard of Chelsea, its players or its owner? Get off the high horse. Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are indeed analogous to the Yankees. They're the big four and will remain the big four. But hey, four is better than the three in Portugal and Holland or the two in that joke Scottish league.

I stand by my statement about the Ignorance shown toward's soccer.

Who the hell are you?!?!? to call the Scottish league or any other European league a joke when you clearly don't know what the hell you are talking about. Just because you've " heard " of Chelsea does that mean you deserve a prize or something???? Instead of reading an article here or there that state's that the SPL or any other league is poor maybe you should actually watch a couple of game's and form your own opinion instead of using other people's.

[Cruiser008]

Well damn. I guess I'm cheering for Liverpool in the finals since I hate AC Milan.

[Viperar]

yeah im rooting for liverpool too!

[betterREDthandead]

Calling Man U the Yankees of soccer is not quite fair, but calling them the Yankees of the Premiership is.

http://www.rte.ie/sp.../0207/manu.html

That article is several years old but I'd be surprised if that partnership between the Yankees and United is over with. Man U is far and away the most recognizable name in all of English soccer. They're the fourth-richest team in the world (and that's a drop from recently, when they were higher) and the richest in England. Equating Manchester United with the Yankees is perfectly fair.

If anything, Chelsea is the Red Sox of England - a nouveau riche club that only recently started acting like an arrogant superpower.

[BlakChamber]

I have a question for American (and I guess Canadian) soccer fans that I've always wondered about. When I see American fans saying they're diehards of Team X, and hate Team Y with a passion, or Team Z 'til they die, I've always wondered A) how they pick their teams and B) how they can become so passionate about it, living across the pond.

There's really only two teams that I'm truely passionate about. Michigan State, because I grew up cheering for them and I went there; and the Tigers, because I've been a fan of them my whole life. Everyone else, if they win, great, if they lose, it sucks, but it doesn't affect me like the Spartans and Tigers.

I guess if you're a first generation American and your family cheered for the team, or something like that, I'd get it. Canadians I might understand since Canada remains closer to England than the US does.

Help me understand.

[aarond]

I have a question for American (and I guess Canadian) soccer fans that I've always wondered about. When I see American fans saying they're diehards of Team X, and hate Team Y with a passion, or Team Z 'til they die, I've always wondered A) how they pick their teams and B) how they can become so passionate about it, living across the pond.

There's really only two teams that I'm truely passionate about. Michigan State, because I grew up cheering for them and I went there; and the Tigers, because I've been a fan of them my whole life. Everyone else, if they win, great, if they lose, it sucks, but it doesn't affect me like the Spartans and Tigers.

I guess if you're a first generation American and your family cheered for the team, or something like that, I'd get it. Canadians I might understand since Canada remains closer to England than the US does.

Help me understand.

I second that quest for understanding. I also am a Spartan alumn, and nearly a life-long metro-Detroiter. The only non-Detroit team I root for hardcore is the Dallas Cowboys. I lived in Texas when I was younger for about two years, and I went to several Cowboys games and became hooked. But other than that, the Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and Spartans are all teams that I have sunk a great deal of heart and sole into rooting for. To me, there has to be some tangible reason to root for a team. It's usually geographical. So what is it for Americans who are "die-hards" for some European soccer club?

[glasgowcelticwing]

I have a question for American (and I guess Canadian) soccer fans that I've always wondered about. When I see American fans saying they're diehards of Team X, and hate Team Y with a passion, or Team Z 'til they die, I've always wondered A) how they pick their teams and B) how they can become so passionate about it, living across the pond.

There's really only two teams that I'm truely passionate about. Michigan State, because I grew up cheering for them and I went there; and the Tigers, because I've been a fan of them my whole life. Everyone else, if they win, great, if they lose, it sucks, but it doesn't affect me like the Spartans and Tigers.

I guess if you're a first generation American and your family cheered for the team, or something like that, I'd get it. Canadians I might understand since Canada remains closer to England than the US does.

Help me understand.

It's probably the exact same as us European's with Ice Hockey. Most of the time you just pick a team and follow them, you get caught up in the passion and the competition between rival's and it just roll's on from there. For example I'm a Red Wings fan and I HATE the Ave's.

Edited by glasgowcelticwing, 03 May 2007 - 11:56 AM.

[BlakChamber]

^^^
How does your hatred for the Avs compare to your hatred for the Rangers F.C.?

I'd find it difficult to believe that the rival a team in America that you have no real connection but decided you liked and started following, would inspire more hatred than a home grown rival of a team you've (I'm assuming here) followed all your life.

I now live where Texas A&M University if located, so I cheer for them. And I cheer against University of Texas. But I don't hate Texas, just like I'm not an A&M diehard. And even if I live here the rest of my life, I'd never be able to hate Texas as much as I hate...loathe the university of Michigan.

[glasgowcelticwing]

^^^
How does your hatred for the Avs compare to your hatred for the Rangers F.C.?

I hate the Ave's but I despise Rangers. But the hatred between Celtic and Rangers run's a hell of a lot deeper than rivalry , Sadly it's political and Religious. But that's probably the reason why it's one of the biggest rivalry's in Soccer.

I'd find it difficult to believe that the rival a team in America that you have no real connection but decided you liked and started following, would inspire more hatred than a home grown rival of a team you've (I'm assuming here) followed all your life.

We'll from my experience's as a Wings fan my hatred for the team's that they're playing stems from reading the history of the team and watching video's of the game's between say the Wings and the Ave's. I mean who couldn't hate the Ave's after that hit that the turtle done on Drapes , then again seeing D - Mac beating the crap out of him make's me love the Wings.