| snoopy |
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| 29/12/2007 21:53 |
Favourite League?
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Just wondering what everyone's favourite league is? Is the Premiership really the best?
| thrall |
| (member) |
| 29/12/2007 22:49 |
Re: Favourite League?
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For me , yes.
I can`t say if it is the toughest or not but it is best to watch for a neutral.
| FootballFanatic1 |
| (member) |
| 30/12/2007 01:41 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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Premier league is OK. But the style of play generally lacks sophistication. It is fast and physical for sure but I prefer football with a little more subtlety. As my father commented recently when we were watching a match over Christmas together, he said "this is how we used to play, full of drudgery and commitment", i.e. glorified school boys football. The first 20 minutes of Man U vs Everton resembled a UFC bout more than a high level football game. In other games, the modus operandi for players was basically to knock the ball forward at all costs and in the quickest time. As long as it was in the general direction of a teammate it would do, accurate play seemed an after thought.
This is not to say that there is no exciting games in EPL. Just look at the 4-4 with Chelsea and Villa.
But at the highest level, I expect more sophistication. Players trying to play from the back. An accurate passing game. Speed that does not sacrifice accuracy. Teams trying to open up defenses with clever inter-play. For these qualities one often has to look in the direction of Italy and Spain.
The following page is beautiful and sums up the different approaches in football cultures succinctly:
http://www.geo.uw.edu.pl/ZYCZ/04SUMM/FOOTBALL/football.htm
MISTRZOSTWA W PIŁCE NOŻNEJ - PLANY TAKTYCZNE
THE FOOTBALL GAMES - TACTIC PLANS
Plan niemiecki / The German plan
Plan angielski / The English plan
Plan włoski / The Italian plan
Plan francuski / The French plan
Plan brazylijski / The Brazilian plan
Plan szwajcarski / The Swiss plan
TOP
From: Humour.com
| steve31 |
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| 11/01/2008 21:25 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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for me my favourite league has to be the premier league due to my team(everton)being involved in it.i do like the spanish league aswell.and the scottish when the old firm play and the french and the portugese but i hate the italian league as it is fixed!
| Historyman |
| (member) |
| 15/01/2008 23:12 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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The style of play is not the only factor which determines a person's favourite league. There are cultural and historical factors to take into account. Being aware of the general history of a league and of its leading teams can make a big difference in your appreciation of it. For example, until I read a bit about Italian football history, I had little idea of the north/south divide which polarises the country. So now I know that a Milan v Napoli clash has all the necessary ingredients for an explosive match. The media hype about north/south contests in the Premiership is a non-starter by comparison.
It's a similar story in Spain, an artifical country with intense regional rivalries.
I would love to watch La Liga and Serie A every week, along with the Premiership. But Historywoman would give me short shrift on that one, so I'll generally watch the Premiership matches and keep up to date with what's happening in the other two leagues. I love all three of them for different reasons.
| FootballFanatic1 |
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| 16/01/2008 02:33 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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I'm sure cultural and historical considerations play some part in *some* people's perceptions of what is the best league but they don't play a major point in *mine*.
Having followed the Serie A for 20 years or so now, I naturally have come to understand some of its history, familiarity with its club etc, and for sure these add something to my appreciation of it. However, this is not the primary reason I enjoy the Serie A.
I have also followed the English and Spanish game for a similar length of time. These were the only leagues that I had opportunity to follow closely on TV. The main reason I prefer the Italian and Spanish leagues over the English is really two fold. First, the style of play and approach to the game was more to my liking. And next because for most of the time, my favourite players and hence my favourite teams played in Serie A and or to a lesser extent in Spain, though since the turn of the century both Spain and a little less, England has caught somewhat.
| BocaBoca |
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| 18/01/2008 10:14 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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It's got to be La Liga. The games are often as fast-paced as the Premiership but with more skill thrown in. And the atmopshere at some of the grounds is excellent. Atletico Madrid at the weekend was rocking !
| BocaBoca |
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| 18/01/2008 10:17 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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As for English football, you can knock the standard of football in the Championship but you cant knock it for pure excitement - all the teams are capable of beating each other (something the Premiership can only dream about) and plenty of sleeping giants with big followings.
| AsgAarD_xxx |
| (member) |
| 30/03/2008 20:19 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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It depends on what we're talking about. I like English Premiership because of great games, I like Serie A because of football fans (the atmosphere!), I like Eredivisie because of Ajax
.
| Bernardinho |
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| 04/06/2008 06:22 |
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Re: Favourite League?
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I grew up watching all three leagues (Serie A, La Liga and EPL) and out of the three I would have to say Serie A is my favourite league. The teams have a lot of self belief and the quality of play is nothing short of superb.