Give me some EPL info!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Old news, alva .

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by C0ckney
i'm an arsenal fan but i can't believe anyone (least of all a yid) is saying spurs will go down. spurs will never, ever, ever in your life go down. they are one of a number of teams, like villa, saints and everton (well maybe not this season ) who are never in any danger of winning anything but will not go down either. no ambition, no world class players, but they have a lot of support and a bit too much quality not to surivive. as one spurs director was quoted as saying after they lost 4-3 to man city in the cup last year 'it's ok, we'll get a full house in here again next week'

I aint no yiiiiiiiiiiiiid /Alf Garnett

Seriously, i thought the same before the Leeds catastrophy last season. BTW it may surprise you but we do have some world class players, they just arent recognised when we lose every other week. Man Utd and Arsenal will always get the 1st featured highlights on Match of the Day every saturday night for half an hour. I lose count how many superlatives Barry Davies uses for Henry in one match

[johncmcleod]

Yeah I thought about putting Nesta and Cannavaro in there, but I have a bias against Italians. They are cheap and underachievers. I do respect the professional league, just I don't like the NT.

And for the teams, I didn't include American teams, because it is just too hard to compare them. I don't expect to get good response from my ranking of the teams, people usually get mad when I post it.

There is no team that will 'never' go down. All teams have ups and downs, and every team will fall eventually. it won't stay there forever. I learned this the hard way, being a Leeds fan.

[Imran Siddiqui]

That's ok wrt: American teams. They aren't on the level of the best Euro teams anyway. I'd imagine most of them these days are mid-table EPL quality. DC United, which is a mid table MLS team is actually undefeated in 5 or 6 friendlies with EPL teams (such as Tottenham and Birmingham City).

[FrustratedPoet]

Friendlies don't mean anything, since it is very rare for either side to pick their first-choice team. I can't comment on the strength of the MLS teams, though, since I know nothing about your league ... it's just that friendly results tell you very little one way or the other.

[Imran Siddiqui]

True, but IIRC, there were plenty of first team players involved. Just showing that American teams aren't **** like most Euros think.

[FrustratedPoet]

As a Tottenham fan I can most emphatically assure you that the ability to beat us in no way marks out a team as "not ****".

I'd like to see some MLS soccer. I saw a couple of games several years ago and it was pretty awful, but I've heard from several sources that the standard of play there has been improving rapidly.

[RGBVideo]

Well I did JUST start to take an interest in soccer . I played it for many years and have been interested in the World Cup for many years.

[Imran Siddiqui]

As a Tottenham fan I can most emphatically assure you that the ability to beat us in no way marks out a team as "not ****".

Perhaps so . But I think at least some MLS teams could be mid-table teams in the EPL, though I guess that wasn't the way to prove it .

I'd like to see some MLS soccer. I saw a couple of games several years ago and it was pretty awful, but I've heard from several sources that the standard of play there has been improving rapidly.

Well, what'd ya expect from a new league? In the beginning stages it's going to suck because who wants to play there, not knowing if it'll stick around? Now that it is relatively stable (it's financially solvent and in no danger of folding) you can attract more talent. And I it took a little bit to build up a system of finding and exploiting young American talent to showcase in the league. Adu would have found a spot anywhere, as would Beasley.. but you have the Howard's (as in Tim) and Donovan's who have the MLS to thank for maturing as good players who could hold their own in top flight European competition.

[alva]

Mid-table seems a bit high, but hey, if it makes you happy.
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So is football getting more popular in the US now?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Not really... it's at the same level of popularity only that popularity is more focused now... on one prof league.

[alva]

It is funny though, as you have the best female league and national team in the world by far.

[Imran Siddiqui]

It's because, as I've seen, Euros and Asians football fans don't take woman's soccer seriously and don't seem like they will.

[alva]

Female football is getting more popular in England though, but not on the continent.

[FrustratedPoet]

The growth of the game in this country is limited, though, because all our best players go and play in the US.