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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Debate... United vs. Yankees
As a fan of Manchester United I am constantly told that they are the "Yankees of soccer." Nothing gets my blood boiling as quickly as this. I guess you could compare them in the sense that when the Yankees win "World Series" they are considered World champions, although the obvious fact that Bud Selig has not let any "world" teams in yet (unless you count the Blue Jays), and since Manchester United are the current FIFA World Club Cup champions I guess we both share a "world" dominance.
I think I just get defensive because of the whole "band wagon" thing. I started watching United in the 95-96 season (oh no, the Yankees won the world series that year...) with my dad with the Premier League Review Show. That year United edged out Newcastle (who is Newcastle?) by four points to take the title. This was the year of Le King, Eric Cantona. Who wore their soccer jersey collars up? Well you did it because Eric Cantona was cold one night and did it! Trend started. I have tried to kick the habit and support other teams, but I have enjoyed Manchester United for close to 15 years. Granted, it is has been relatively easy on the field to support them, there are furious times when I could coach better than SAF... Monday Morning ___ syndrome (what would a soccer equivalent to Monday Morning Quarterback be? I guess striker...). I have picked painfully woeful teams in other leagues to follow... Kansas City (MISSOURI!!) Wizards, and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
How about a brief (just Sir Alex Ferguson) MUFC history:
In the early 90s SAF did something that few other top managers did, dropped his stars and played the kids. Everyone gets on about Manchester United and transfer fees, and yes they have broken the transfer record in England 4 times (1981 Bryan Robson,1,500,000 (pounds); 1995 Andy Cole, 7,000,000; 2001 Juan Veron, 28,100,000; 2002 Rio Ferdinand, 29,100,000). The current British holders for highest transfer is Man City at 32.5 for Robinho who sucks his thumb when he scores a goal... Come on, really?
The fact is SAF went back to the glory days, and the philosphy of MUFC legend Matt Busby and created his own Busby Babes... The Ferguson Babes (Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and David Beckham) stepped up and played with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole, and Le King. The changing of the guard occurred and Ferguson replaced the likes of Paul Ince and Mark Hughes with YOUNG UNPROVEN TALENT. That is what won him the Double, and the eventual treble in 99.
"The Kids are Alright"
Manchester United continue to win because they adapt, apart from that onslaught on a certain Rome May evening. Manchester United broke free from the traditional English 4-4-2 formation and won in Europe. The boring, yet pragmatic 4-5-1 was used with variations like 4-4-1-1.
There is no real point to this post. Manchester United win, the Yankees win. Manchester United fans reside in basically everywhere but Manchester, as the cliche goes... How many Yankees hats are seen in places outside the Boroughs? A lot.
My fantasy baseball team has the Ryan Giggs of Baseball on it - Mariano Rivera, and I would kill to have Derek Jeter, another loyal/professional Ryan Giggsesque player, in my opinion.
Is it bad to stick with a team that is deemed the Yankees of Soccer?
Hell no, it is a compliment!
Think about the FA Cup Final in 2008 between Cardiff City and Portsmouth... Utter dross. It had one of the lowest viewer rating in history, and was described by BBC pundit Caroline Cheese as "a game that won't live long in the memory," and she is British! They will always punt their own teams!
We need big teams! There is some romance for the little guy, but two little guys? Come on! What is the story line about Cardiff? I don't care about them, and I love this game. Wales, really... come on! I guess Wizards ultimate D-bag Eddie Johnson went there after he failed at Fulham, but he has a grill so I do not rate him.
I encourage Nike to put pinstripes on a Manchester United shirt. Lets live it up! If they ever tear down Old Trafford - celebrating its centenary - I will truly call us the Yankees of Baseball, until then I am going to continue to support my team.
I think I just get defensive because of the whole "band wagon" thing. I started watching United in the 95-96 season (oh no, the Yankees won the world series that year...) with my dad with the Premier League Review Show. That year United edged out Newcastle (who is Newcastle?) by four points to take the title. This was the year of Le King, Eric Cantona. Who wore their soccer jersey collars up? Well you did it because Eric Cantona was cold one night and did it! Trend started. I have tried to kick the habit and support other teams, but I have enjoyed Manchester United for close to 15 years. Granted, it is has been relatively easy on the field to support them, there are furious times when I could coach better than SAF... Monday Morning ___ syndrome (what would a soccer equivalent to Monday Morning Quarterback be? I guess striker...). I have picked painfully woeful teams in other leagues to follow... Kansas City (MISSOURI!!) Wizards, and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
How about a brief (just Sir Alex Ferguson) MUFC history:
In the early 90s SAF did something that few other top managers did, dropped his stars and played the kids. Everyone gets on about Manchester United and transfer fees, and yes they have broken the transfer record in England 4 times (1981 Bryan Robson,1,500,000 (pounds); 1995 Andy Cole, 7,000,000; 2001 Juan Veron, 28,100,000; 2002 Rio Ferdinand, 29,100,000). The current British holders for highest transfer is Man City at 32.5 for Robinho who sucks his thumb when he scores a goal... Come on, really?
The fact is SAF went back to the glory days, and the philosphy of MUFC legend Matt Busby and created his own Busby Babes... The Ferguson Babes (Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and David Beckham) stepped up and played with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole, and Le King. The changing of the guard occurred and Ferguson replaced the likes of Paul Ince and Mark Hughes with YOUNG UNPROVEN TALENT. That is what won him the Double, and the eventual treble in 99.
"The Kids are Alright"
Manchester United continue to win because they adapt, apart from that onslaught on a certain Rome May evening. Manchester United broke free from the traditional English 4-4-2 formation and won in Europe. The boring, yet pragmatic 4-5-1 was used with variations like 4-4-1-1.
There is no real point to this post. Manchester United win, the Yankees win. Manchester United fans reside in basically everywhere but Manchester, as the cliche goes... How many Yankees hats are seen in places outside the Boroughs? A lot.
My fantasy baseball team has the Ryan Giggs of Baseball on it - Mariano Rivera, and I would kill to have Derek Jeter, another loyal/professional Ryan Giggsesque player, in my opinion.
Is it bad to stick with a team that is deemed the Yankees of Soccer?
Hell no, it is a compliment!
Think about the FA Cup Final in 2008 between Cardiff City and Portsmouth... Utter dross. It had one of the lowest viewer rating in history, and was described by BBC pundit Caroline Cheese as "a game that won't live long in the memory," and she is British! They will always punt their own teams!
We need big teams! There is some romance for the little guy, but two little guys? Come on! What is the story line about Cardiff? I don't care about them, and I love this game. Wales, really... come on! I guess Wizards ultimate D-bag Eddie Johnson went there after he failed at Fulham, but he has a grill so I do not rate him.
I encourage Nike to put pinstripes on a Manchester United shirt. Lets live it up! If they ever tear down Old Trafford - celebrating its centenary - I will truly call us the Yankees of Baseball, until then I am going to continue to support my team.
Season 2009 - The start of a new blog...
I can't get enough of football - soccer - futbol - fussball.
I read website after website...
I listen to podcast after podcast...
I shop for jersey after jersey...
I discuss everything from transfer sagas to the sociology of the Taylor Report
so, naturally, I wanted to start writing about it (really so I can neglect my studies even further).
The 2009-10 season should be interesting.
Will the Premier League start scoring again?! Last season saw the second lowest goal tally in the history of the EPL... Anelka landed the Golden Boot at 19 goals! Wow that is a whole bunch of goals for the King of Sulk! Only in 97-98 and 98-99 was there a lower Golden Boot tally (18, and each season Michael Owen was tied for the title)
What will happen in the Premier League now that Manchester City have the players to back the bank account, and more importantly who of the traditional "Top-Four" will be edged out for the blue half of Manchester (stand up Arsenal)?
What will Manchester United do to make up Ronaldo's goal tally (37% of the total goals over the past two seasons), or more pressing is how will Ferguson keep Owen healthy (side note: How do England fans feel that David Beckham and Michael Owen could be starters at the 2010 WC? What has happened to young talent in that country? Let it be known, I have nothing against tattoos and broken metatarsals)?
Who will be the sex symbol at Old Trafford now? We have had George Best (the 5th Beatle), Cantona, Becks, and CR to name a few (who all wore number 7). Now who?! Rooney, the White Pele, all that chest hair (taco meat) and receding hairline? Never. Berbatov? Dracula couldn't win a best-looking contest in Transylvania. Paul Scholes, the Ginger Prince, could take it, but I think Vidic should get it. We all love an Eastern European. Who loved Rocky IV the best? I know I did...
Speaking of CR9, What will the chemistry be like at Madrid with this new rendition of the Galacticos? I predict downfall. They have got to get rid of players! They have more Dutch surplus than Best Buy has copies of "Austin Powers Goldmember"
How will the Detroit of Germany, VfL Wolfsburg, cope without head coach Felix Magath? How quickly will they get bumped out of the Champions League? I think the addition of former VFB Stuttgart manager, Armin Veh, should be a fantastic addition to the core group of players from last year.
And then there is Barcelona.
As a Manchester United fan I must pause for a moments silence for the pride that was killed in Rome...
Now, how will the best-dressed manager in football follow up the perfect season? I guess coaching a team as fluid and "orgasmic" as FCB leaves you time to buy perfectly cut suits and leather skinny ties (So why doesn't Arsène Wenger wear better suits, or at least ones that aren't grey with maroon ties? Arsenal seem to be the closest thing to "sexy football" that is not in Catalonia. Well, because they are a poor man's Barca. Drawing numerous games and losing at home to teams like Hull City will not get you into Pep's category.) I think Barca could be the first team to retain the Champions League "big ears" trophy (in the modern format), and they will do it in Madrid at the Bernabéu... Irony...
Finally, World Cup year! When the draw happens in December, who will the USA get?! I pray that FIFA puts the USA nowhere near #4 in the world rankings again... How do you spell false sense of security? C-z-e-c-h-R-e-p-u-b-l-i-c. 3-0... World Cup 2006 over, thanks for the memories. Although we were the only team to score on Italy in open play... Albeit an own goal...
I read website after website...
I listen to podcast after podcast...
I shop for jersey after jersey...
I discuss everything from transfer sagas to the sociology of the Taylor Report
so, naturally, I wanted to start writing about it (really so I can neglect my studies even further).
The 2009-10 season should be interesting.
Will the Premier League start scoring again?! Last season saw the second lowest goal tally in the history of the EPL... Anelka landed the Golden Boot at 19 goals! Wow that is a whole bunch of goals for the King of Sulk! Only in 97-98 and 98-99 was there a lower Golden Boot tally (18, and each season Michael Owen was tied for the title)
What will happen in the Premier League now that Manchester City have the players to back the bank account, and more importantly who of the traditional "Top-Four" will be edged out for the blue half of Manchester (stand up Arsenal)?
What will Manchester United do to make up Ronaldo's goal tally (37% of the total goals over the past two seasons), or more pressing is how will Ferguson keep Owen healthy (side note: How do England fans feel that David Beckham and Michael Owen could be starters at the 2010 WC? What has happened to young talent in that country? Let it be known, I have nothing against tattoos and broken metatarsals)?
Who will be the sex symbol at Old Trafford now? We have had George Best (the 5th Beatle), Cantona, Becks, and CR to name a few (who all wore number 7). Now who?! Rooney, the White Pele, all that chest hair (taco meat) and receding hairline? Never. Berbatov? Dracula couldn't win a best-looking contest in Transylvania. Paul Scholes, the Ginger Prince, could take it, but I think Vidic should get it. We all love an Eastern European. Who loved Rocky IV the best? I know I did...
Speaking of CR9, What will the chemistry be like at Madrid with this new rendition of the Galacticos? I predict downfall. They have got to get rid of players! They have more Dutch surplus than Best Buy has copies of "Austin Powers Goldmember"
How will the Detroit of Germany, VfL Wolfsburg, cope without head coach Felix Magath? How quickly will they get bumped out of the Champions League? I think the addition of former VFB Stuttgart manager, Armin Veh, should be a fantastic addition to the core group of players from last year.
And then there is Barcelona.
As a Manchester United fan I must pause for a moments silence for the pride that was killed in Rome...
Now, how will the best-dressed manager in football follow up the perfect season? I guess coaching a team as fluid and "orgasmic" as FCB leaves you time to buy perfectly cut suits and leather skinny ties (So why doesn't Arsène Wenger wear better suits, or at least ones that aren't grey with maroon ties? Arsenal seem to be the closest thing to "sexy football" that is not in Catalonia. Well, because they are a poor man's Barca. Drawing numerous games and losing at home to teams like Hull City will not get you into Pep's category.) I think Barca could be the first team to retain the Champions League "big ears" trophy (in the modern format), and they will do it in Madrid at the Bernabéu... Irony...
Finally, World Cup year! When the draw happens in December, who will the USA get?! I pray that FIFA puts the USA nowhere near #4 in the world rankings again... How do you spell false sense of security? C-z-e-c-h-R-e-p-u-b-l-i-c. 3-0... World Cup 2006 over, thanks for the memories. Although we were the only team to score on Italy in open play... Albeit an own goal...
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