Here's what he says:
Goal No. 6: Pick a team that's successful enough to crack Channel 613 from time to time and will avoid the ignominy of getting kicked out of the EPL.
Since this clown works at ESPN does that mean he is unable to get Fox Soccer Channel? Is it in his contract that he can't watch FSC? Because they do a damn good job of showing every team in the EPL. A lot.
West Ham -- West Ham was prominently featured in the Elijah Wood movie about hooliganism ("Green Street Hooligans"). Again, I want to minimize the role of hooligans in my life -- it's been a productive three and a half decades without them and I'd like to keep the streak going.
Hmmm. So since Elijah Wood has a movie about hooliganism and it features West Ham they're out of the running. Even though loads of other clubs have far worse reputations for violence amongst their supporters. Or the fact that hooliganism is thankfully pretty much dead in the EPL.
Manchester United -- By all accounts, they're the New York Yankees of the EPL -- they outspend everyone else, everyone hates them, and even their own fans don't enjoy rooting for them that much. Financially, they blow almost everyone out of the water and purchase as many up-and-coming young stars as possible; they're almost like a European All-Star team.
Not so, Sports Guy. Their past success was based on a core group of players that came up through their youth team and since then they've purchased only a few "up-and-coming young stars." It's kind of a no-brainer that Chelsea blows everyone out of the water on the financial front. And a European All-Star team with Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher and Liam Miller? I don't think so. Again, I think you've got them confused with Chelsea.
Chelsea -- Stadium: A much-beloved old-school joint called Stamford Bridge that seats 42,500 and features three bars inside the stadium. You have to like any stadium that features multiple bars.
Much beloved? Yeah, maybe. Until they added shops and a hotel and decided to call it Chelsea Village.
ARSENAL• American Comparison: The Red Sox, right down to the "Fever Pitch" link (FYI: This was the team Nick Hornby wrote about), their prolonged championship drought ending in 2004 and their fans becoming insufferable immediately afterward (yes, I include myself).
What the hell is he talking about?? Is not winning the English Premier League Championship between 2002 and 2004 a prolonged drought???!!! Not to mention championships in the top division in '98, '91 and '89. Please, please do not compare Arsenal to the Red Sox. That's just foolish.
OK - I need to stop. I'm getting angry. I'll continue once I've calmed down. -Sanford
Oh, here's the link to his piece:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.
2 comments:
Sanford, glad you have this handy blog to vent your anger rather than kicking the dog. But, you've overlooked some excellent points by 'The Sports Guy'
Chelsea
Bandwagon Potential: Extremely high, probably second behind Arsenal.
Arsenal
Single Best Reason NOT to Pick Them: Sanford likes them. That wanker.
Spurs
Most Hated Rival: Arsenal. And "hated" isn't a strong enough word. As a couple of the readers explained, "[This] dates back to 1919 when Arsenal was promoted to the top division ahead of Spurs under the shadiest of circumstances. So they have an 87-year rivalry made worse by the fact that their stadiums are only a few miles apart. There has been blood spilled between fans, not to mention the hatred started because of a corrupt Arsenal president. Add to that the fact that last season Spurs finished underneath Arsenal by two points because of a case of violent stomach flu, conspiracy theorists claiming that Arsenal fans poisoned the team's food at a hotel party prior to the final game of the season. Not even Aaron Spelling could come up with that plot line. It would have been the first time in years that they had finished above their North London rivals.
Pedro - first of all I would never kick Frank. Second of all I am discussing the incorrect points he makes, not the correct ones. It's a long column and yes, some of what he says is correct. I would hope so! But so much of it is bogus I felt the need to vent.
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