Your unpopular football opinion?

[NicCarBel]

1998 was the pivotal tournament. The NSL was on its way out by 2002.

Anyone read this yet? Or will I be forced to buy it?

You can never hate Peter Hoare enough. I'm going to buy it as I was at that game and the subsequent calamity.

Not sure about Aleague OVER EPL but I share some of your sentiments on the prem... I find myself watching replays more than full matches more and more these past few years... Bundi and Serie A neutral matches are a lot more enjoyable (at least to me) to watch... Less predictability.... Even though the EPL does throw up its fair share of shock results and moments of absolute brilliance, its a little too slick for my liking....

Like @LFC mentions, horses for courses... The ones really watching EPL do so for the love of their club more than the "style" on display I think... The rest just buy a knockoff jersey and pretend to know what they are talking about....

Mark Bowman on #SokkahTwitter wrote an alternate-history novel w/that premise(except that it was France ‘98 as the sliding-doors moment instead of ‘02)

The link to it is here: https://www.fairplaypublishing.com....e-yawning-giant-a-sliding-doors-football-tale

I know it's not the same book - but I remember years back (I'm thinking at least 10 years ago) reading some article rewriting the two 6-0 losses to France and Brazil in friendlies, but as if Football was always Australia's major sport (eg, Gary Ablett Jr was in the midfield for the Socceroos, and Greg Inglis was patrolling the backline - and Australia being the first non Euro/South American country to win the World Cup in 1998..)

 

[NicCarBel]

I did read somewhere that FIFA were considering an increase to 48 teams for the next edition....

That’s too many. The current 32 is probably my ideal number. That way you get a few more South American, Asian and African teams in the mix than say 16...

I'm a huge watcher of elite European club football but seeing clubs from other parts of the global game was brilliant.

The differentiation of playing styles in that CWC was quite noticeable and a very interesting part of it all.

16 would be good if it was every two years I think.

The one thing I don't like about it, is that it's every 4 years. Recruitment for clubs isn't the same as nurturing local talent for a national team. Chelsea qualifying by winning the Champions League 4 seasons ago (and then going onto win it) - despite being a Chelsea fan - cheapened it a bit to me.

 

[AUFC_Fan]

I would change the rules so the player who is fouled has to take the resulting free kick/penalty.

 

[NicCarBel]

I would change the rules so the player who is fouled has to take the resulting free kick/penalty.

That would be low key fun. Basketball is like that, isn't it?

 

[JS96]

I would change the rules so the player who is fouled has to take the resulting free kick/penalty.

That would be interesting.

So many close offsides of late. I think the any body part in line rule changes are a start.

Was refreshing watching Grimsby United without VAR but the producers in the truck and the commentators moved on very quickly as the second Grimsby goal was a decent amount of arm.

 

[AUFC_Fan]

That would be low key fun. Basketball is like that, isn't it?

Not sure but Aussie rules is

 

[BA81]

it's every 4 years. Recruitment for clubs isn't the same as nurturing local talent for a national team. Chelsea qualifying by winning the Champions League 4 seasons ago (and then going onto win it) - despite being a Chelsea fan - cheapened it a bit to me.

Agreed, that’s the other bugbear of mine about it. To complicate things even further, the prev.-format annual comp will apparently continue under the name ‘Intercontinental Cup’ w/the old comp’s trophy up for grabs.

 

[BA81]

I know it's not the same book - but I remember years back (I'm thinking at least 10 years ago) reading some article rewriting the two 6-0 losses to France and Brazil in friendlies, but as if Football was always Australia's major sport (eg, Gary Ablett Jr was in the midfield for the Socceroos, and Greg Inglis was patrolling the backline - and Australia being the first non Euro/South American country to win the World Cup in 1998..)

That kind of sh1t always makes me laugh because it’s rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of ️; it’s a hypothetical I think it’s fair to suggest most of us bought into at one time or another for however long..but the bottom-line is that it hinges on your football-upbringing/education. If Patrick Cripps(AFL) or Nicho Hynes(NRL) for instance had taken up our game in childhood and gone on to a similar ️ing education to Leigh Broxham rather than Nestory Irankunda’s(let alone that of a Messi, CR7 etc.)…winning the physiological-lottery at birth would only get them so far, and even that’s arguably non-guaranteed

 

[NicCarBel]

Agreed, that’s the other bugbear of mine about it. To complicate things even further, the prev.-format annual comp will apparently continue under the name ‘Intercontinental Cup’ w/the old comp’s trophy up for grabs.

Yep, that is a good point - not sure why they've done that - is a waste of space with the CWC as it is.

That kind of sh1t always makes me laugh because it’s rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of ️; it’s a hypothetical I think it’s fair to suggest most of us bought into at one time or another for however long..but the bottom-line is that it hinges on your football-upbringing/education. If Patrick Cripps(AFL) or Nicho Hynes(NRL) for instance had taken up our game in childhood and gone on to a similar ️ing education to Leigh Broxham rather than Nestory Irankunda’s(let alone that of a Messi, CR7 etc.)…winning the physiological-lottery at birth would only get them so far, and even that’s arguably non-guaranteed

Yeah, it's very hypothetical to think of things like that. I think there'd be more crossover with AFL than NRL though, to be 100% honest

 

[patjennings]

Yep, that is a good point - not sure why they've done that - is a waste of space with the CWC as it is.

Yeah, it's very hypothetical to think of things like that. I think there'd be more crossover with AFL than NRL though, to be 100% honest

The similarity with football and AFL is the requirement for a 360 degree awareness view something NRL does not need.

 

[BA81]

The similarity with football and AFL is the requirement for a 360 degree awareness view something NRL does not need.

Also the body-types of players are more similar* than between ️ and the rugbys; something which it’s fair to suggest has always factored in the AFL’s protectionist-hostility against our game’s growth.

*as per the point Nic made above

 

[melbcityguy]

Is it just me or does every discussion end up talking about AFL

 

[NicCarBel]

The similarity with football and AFL is the requirement for a 360 degree awareness view something NRL does not need.

Yep - very spot on

Not sure why, but it reminds me of the time in high school when our PE teacher was off and it was just the boys at school - PE teacher must have been a girl and they went on some girl empowerment day or something. But the Vice Principal filled in for us, and he came from Sydney with a big Rugby Union background. But he had a bit of an affinity for all sports, and we ended up just doing a double period of this hybrid game kind of like gaelic football / International Rules - was pretty fun but I cannot remember the rules we had for it for the life of me. I just remember him harping on about the 360 degree awareness.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I would change the rules so the player who is fouled has to take the resulting free kick/penalty.

You know, I have always thought that would be a great idea.... good call.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Not sure but Aussie rules is

Basketball is when the
"penalty" is free throws...

 

[Muz]

That would be interesting.

So many close offsides of late. I think the any body part in line rule changes are a start.

Was refreshing watching Grimsby United without VAR but the producers in the truck and the commentators moved on very quickly as the second Grimsby goal was a decent amount of arm.

Just make it the feet like they do in the NRL and then there's none of this, 2cm of his sleeve was offside, therefore it's offside because let's be honest those lines they're drawing are somewhat arbitrary.

 

[Muz]

Also, if you take a throw in and it doesn't go in, it goes to the opposition. If you're such a gumby that you can't stand facing the field and still fuck it up then you don't deserve another go.

 

[Muz]

I would change the rules so the player who is fouled has to take the resulting free kick/penalty.

And if they're injured having just been fouled?

 

[NicCarBel]

Just make it the feet like they do in the NRL and then there's none of this, 2cm of his sleeve was offside, therefore it's offside because let's be honest those lines they're drawing are somewhat arbitrary.

This is where it's determined by the placement of the feet, yeah?

I mean that is at least easy to do at a VAR level - would that make it harder for AR's though? Little of column A and column B - but it would be only one aspect of the player being offside that the AR's will have to look at, so it could very well be easier.

 

[Muz]

This is where it's determined by the placement of the feet, yeah?

I mean that is at least easy to do at a VAR level - would that make it harder for AR's though? Little of column A and column B - but it would be only one aspect of the player being offside that the AR's will have to look at, so it could very well be easier.

It would make it harder for the AR that's true.

Feet are moving more quickly than the body relatively speaking. I'll have to have a look next time I'm watching a match live to see how hard it is to judge feet from an AR point of view.