Global Football Odds & Ends

SocrManiac

Tommy Seebach’s mustache
SoSH Member
Apr 15, 2006
8,634
Somers, CT
I hate it when this place goes dormant on weekends. Surely EPL can set up a summer-long holiday schedule to keep us entertained. Instead I have to engage with my family. Blech.
 

67YAZ

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2000
8,729
I hate it when this place goes dormant on weekends. Surely EPL can set up a summer-long holiday schedule to keep us entertained. Instead I have to engage with my family. Blech.
LOL. It’s about this time each year that I get the Football Manager itch. I can’t afford a divorce right now, so I’m holding off.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
LOL. It’s about this time each year that I get the Football Manager itch. I can’t afford a divorce right now, so I’m holding off.
Malta vs. San Marino tomorrow at 9:00 on fs2 for the true soccer sickos out there
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
NBC Sports has a nice collection of Classic EPL matches on their YouTube page. They have some complete matches and also 30 minute versions. They give a little background at the beginning to tell you the main storylines heading into them. As someone who only seriously started watching the EPL in the last five years, it's got a lot of stuff I'm unfamiliar with.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,208
South of North
NBC Sports has a nice collection of Classic EPL matches on their YouTube page. They have some complete matches and also 30 minute versions. They give a little background at the beginning to tell you the main storylines heading into them. As someone who only seriously started watching the EPL in the last five years, it's got a lot of stuff I'm unfamiliar with.
This sounds awesome. I'm going to have to check this out later. Thanks.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
This sounds awesome. I'm going to have to check this out later. Thanks.
You can find them here. I'd kill for something like this with UCL matches. I watched a ton of them during the early stages of the pandemic when there were no sports; I learned a lot about the great teams of the past; the various versions of Fergie's Man U squads, Shearer at Newcastle, Mourinho's Chelsea, Wenger and Henry at Arsenal, etc.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-TYYMH76UE&list=PLXEMPXZ3PY1jcg8BDi5c4D9kUEnftj4gs
 

dirtynine

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 17, 2002
8,394
Philly
The old Fox Sports World (this is early 00s) used to have a weekly EPL roundup where they showed 5-8 minute condensed matches from every game that week with a little setup and banter around each one. That show supercharged my fanship. I don’t think there’s a (North) American equivalent to to that any more.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Anybody remember this show from the 1990s with the sweet theme music? Somebody (SportsChannel?) had the rights to rebroadcast in the US and at least in the Boston market it was always on at really weird times (maybe late on Sunday nights?) and then they would occasionally replay it at other weird times during the week. Other than magazines watching this show was my first introduction to English football.

Edit: This is the only one I can find on youtube. Both featured matches (Newcastle-Liverpool and Arsenal-ManUnited) are worth watching though. Great flair players and unpredictable games back then.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RGbYl0QRHQ
 
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Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
The old Fox Sports World (this is early 00s) used to have a weekly EPL roundup where they showed 5-8 minute condensed matches from every game that week with a little setup and banter around each one. That show supercharged my fanship. I don’t think there’s a (North) American equivalent to to that any more.
Every match from the last five seasons or so is uploaded shortly after completion to the NBC Sports YouTube page in a 10-15 minute condensed format.
 

the1andonly3003

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,371
Chicago
Every match from the last five seasons or so is uploaded shortly after completion to the NBC Sports YouTube page in a 10-15 minute condensed format.
sorting NBC Sports' YouTube page in reverse chrono order also works. Their channel also has kept some good playlists
 

dirtynine

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 17, 2002
8,394
Philly
Every match from the last five seasons or so is uploaded shortly after completion to the NBC Sports YouTube page in a 10-15 minute condensed format.
sorting NBC Sports' YouTube page in reverse chrono order also works. Their channel also has kept some good playlists
Awesome! thank you. For whatever reason I never run into the YT content via Twitter which (for whatever reason) is where I see most soccer highlights these days. Subscribing now.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
They also upload "Every Goal Scored in Gameweek X" after the game week ends; which is a nice way to catch up on the action that you maybe didn't see that week. They do a great job with that stuff and one of the reasons I'm happy NBCU has the EPL rights going forward.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
I love Roger Bennet
The Mrs and I went to a MiB live show a few years ago. They were drinking Bud and Jaeger onstage (both sponsors) and they were both just hammered, Rog especially so. Lots of fun.
Also highly recommend his book.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
Kick ins?

Arsene Wenger, who is currently working as FIFA's chief of global football development, has previously discussed the idea. “There are two big time wasters at the moment, that is throw-ins and free kicks, and a little bit goal kicks as well because when you play out now in the box. “The target is to make the game more spectacular and quicker, and maybe with throw-ins you could play with your feet, but in a limit of five seconds for example, things like that.”
I'm struggling to see how that would be less time consuming.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
Kick ins?



I'm struggling to see how that would be less time consuming.
My understanding would be that a player could kick the ball (instead of throwing it) but only within five seconds of the ball going out of bounds. That incentivize the players to hustle over and boot it quickly as opposed to holding onto the ball for 30 seconds to pass it in.
 

SocrManiac

Tommy Seebach’s mustache
SoSH Member
Apr 15, 2006
8,634
Somers, CT
I am not interested in seeing a throw in become more dangerous than a corner kick. Imagine the counter opportunities.
 

67YAZ

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2000
8,729
My understanding would be that a player could kick the ball (instead of throwing it) but only within five seconds of the ball going out of bounds. That incentivize the players to hustle over and boot it quickly as opposed to holding onto the ball for 30 seconds to pass it in.
I don’t quite see the point then. It will take a lot more than 5 seconds to get a dangerous, practiced set piece organized. The teams that play fast on out of bounds are looking to play short and retain possession (eg, Liverpool). There’a no real difference between a quick short throw and a tapped side foot inbounds pass.

Edit: if you want more teams to play fast, positive football with possession…create a salary cap to make talent levels more even.
 
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Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
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Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
I don’t quite see the point then. It will take a lot more than 5 seconds to get a dangerous, practiced set piece organized. The teams that play fast on out of bounds are looking to play short and retain possession (eg, Liverpool). There’a no real difference between a quick short throw and a tapped side foot inbounds pass.
Its definitely not enough time to organize a set piece but maybe just enough time to catch the other side napping with a big switch or a through ball if the defenders switched off for a second instinctively after the ball went out of play.

I don't have a strong position on the kick-in idea but I do think something should be done to speed up play when the balls goes out of bounds. This past season on average the ball was in play only 55 minutes in PL games. At the low end there are teams whose matches average 52 minutes because they are such time wasters.

They should start a 15-20 second clock or something when the ball goes out of bounds and if the team doesn't put it into play within those 15-20 seconds, then possession turns over. If they do it like three times in a game, possession turns over and whoever had the ball last gets a yellow card.

The stupid theater on every throw in of a player gathering the ball, pretending like he's going to throw it in, then eventually handing it to the fullback on that side to do the throw in instead is especially useless and annoying.
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
I think kick ins would improve the sport tremendously. That downside you just described sounds awesome. A big switch after the ball goes into touch? Sign me up.

It’s too radical though and imo will never happen. Probably a focus on cards for time wasting would accomplish the speed up with less controversy
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
My understanding would be that a player could kick the ball (instead of throwing it) but only within five seconds of the ball going out of bounds. That incentivize the players to hustle over and boot it quickly as opposed to holding onto the ball for 30 seconds to pass it in.
Why not limit throw ins to 5 seconds? I guess a combo of the kick being more exciting as well...
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
That same link talked about other possible ways of timing the matches, but not how.

and a move away from the traditional 90-minute match clock.
 

the1andonly3003

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,371
Chicago
The Mrs and I went to a MiB live show a few years ago. They were drinking Bud and Jaeger onstage (both sponsors) and they were both just hammered, Rog especially so. Lots of fun.
Also highly recommend his book.
if you think they're hammered during those shows, try hanging out with them at their post-live show gatherings. They usually pick a soccer centric bar at the cities they visit. Had a blast with them in DC and KC.
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,208
South of North
I don’t quite see the point then. It will take a lot more than 5 seconds to get a dangerous, practiced set piece organized. The teams that play fast on out of bounds are looking to play short and retain possession (eg, Liverpool). There’a no real difference between a quick short throw and a tapped side foot inbounds pass.

Edit: if you want more teams to play fast, positive football with possession…create a salary cap to make talent levels more even.
Small quibble, but the bolded isn't true IMO. Making a short throw-pass under pressure is actually difficult, whereas making a short kick-pass under pressure is much easier. IOW, teams can and absolutely plan around the current throw rules and in the most extreme cases some sides will practice playing the ball out for a throw as far in the attacking third as possible to generate turnovers in dangerous areas.
 

Mighty Joe Young

The North remembers
SoSH Member
Sep 14, 2002
8,401
Halifax, Nova Scotia , Canada
I think kick ins would improve the sport tremendously. That downside you just described sounds awesome. A big switch after the ball goes into touch? Sign me up.

It’s too radical though and imo will never happen. Probably a focus on cards for time wasting would accomplish the speed up with less controversy
Would kick-ins not be subject to offsides like throw-ins? That would be … interesting.