So here is what I want to say about football (soccer for the die hard Yanks)...
Readers may recall that in a previous post I made a crack about British football and I may have said that they need to STFU. What I mean by that is this: stop telling me that the Premier League is the epitome of football, European or otherwise. If the Premier League is any good at all, it is because of the abundance of non-English players and non-English style of play. Ok, bring on the hate mail from across the pond...
The easiest way to describe the totally boring, ultra-conservative English style of play is the absurd, yet still commonly used, "punt the ball down the pitch and see what happens". You know what I mean. You've seen it a million times. Never fails to be dull. And stupid.
Yeah, why bother controlling the ball when you can just shoot it a mile in the air and hope that it finds the head of one your teammates and that he can somehow control where the ball flies off of his cranium. A winning strategy and so lovely to watch.
Contrast that style with that of a team like Barcelona and the great midfield control of Xavi.
Now, I know they are about the best in the world at ball control and the passing game and all that, but even stupid kids on a playground understand the simple rule that says if you have the ball then your opponent does not have the ball. Note: if you have the ball your chances of scoring are greatly increased, whereas your opponent has equally diminished chances. But hey, screw that, we're English. Our goal keepers send the ball sailing down the field so wonderfully. Its tradition.
Pointless and boring seem more on target.
In a sport like Ice Hockey, the "dump and chase" makes sense - because it is perfectly legal for the defense to flatten the puck carrier. But in a game where the rules favor the player controlling the ball, it makes the most sense to keep control of the ball. (The argument can even be made in Ice Hockey, if you can assemble a talented enough team, that puck control also carries a huge advantage. See Detroit Red Wings recent history).
I was watching a Premier League game the other day and at half time they gave a stats recap. You know what they didn't bother measuring? Possession time. Can't keep control of the ball? Get ready to lose in the Champions League, again. Which is fine. Just stop telling me that England is where its at for soccer. I might be an American, but I'm not totally stupid.
Cheers!
Readers may recall that in a previous post I made a crack about British football and I may have said that they need to STFU. What I mean by that is this: stop telling me that the Premier League is the epitome of football, European or otherwise. If the Premier League is any good at all, it is because of the abundance of non-English players and non-English style of play. Ok, bring on the hate mail from across the pond...
The easiest way to describe the totally boring, ultra-conservative English style of play is the absurd, yet still commonly used, "punt the ball down the pitch and see what happens". You know what I mean. You've seen it a million times. Never fails to be dull. And stupid.
Yeah, why bother controlling the ball when you can just shoot it a mile in the air and hope that it finds the head of one your teammates and that he can somehow control where the ball flies off of his cranium. A winning strategy and so lovely to watch.
Contrast that style with that of a team like Barcelona and the great midfield control of Xavi.
Now, I know they are about the best in the world at ball control and the passing game and all that, but even stupid kids on a playground understand the simple rule that says if you have the ball then your opponent does not have the ball. Note: if you have the ball your chances of scoring are greatly increased, whereas your opponent has equally diminished chances. But hey, screw that, we're English. Our goal keepers send the ball sailing down the field so wonderfully. Its tradition.
Pointless and boring seem more on target.
In a sport like Ice Hockey, the "dump and chase" makes sense - because it is perfectly legal for the defense to flatten the puck carrier. But in a game where the rules favor the player controlling the ball, it makes the most sense to keep control of the ball. (The argument can even be made in Ice Hockey, if you can assemble a talented enough team, that puck control also carries a huge advantage. See Detroit Red Wings recent history).
I was watching a Premier League game the other day and at half time they gave a stats recap. You know what they didn't bother measuring? Possession time. Can't keep control of the ball? Get ready to lose in the Champions League, again. Which is fine. Just stop telling me that England is where its at for soccer. I might be an American, but I'm not totally stupid.
Cheers!
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