any lawyers present?

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Barmy Army @ June 25 2005,13:50)]Okay the stadiums may be better, but I'd much rather be here in the "sanitised corporate-sponsored soulless stadium being watched by CCTV" being able to watch Southend, then be where you are watching some two-bobbed Manuel and Pablo that I feel nothing towards.

Of for $%&*s sake both of you...give it a rest will you?

Mike - Fair play to you for fulfilling your dream and making a new life for yourself and Fay in what really does sound like a beautiful part of the world. However maybe, just maybe, you could think twice before slagging off what you've left behind so often? This is only going to annoy some people and can come across as bit 'smug git-ish' to people who don't know you as well as many of us on here do.

Barmy Army - Just lighten up and ignore him, he's loving to wind you up and by you biting he'll do it even more.

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 25 2005,14:57)]Of for $%&*s sake both of you...give it a rest will you?

Mike: ... maybe, you could think twice before slagging off what you've left behind so often?

Barmy Army - Just lighten up and ignore him, he's loving to wind you up and by you biting he'll do it even more.

Sorry, Andy. Obviously the humour doesn't translate well on these means. But it was a general observation on how the game in England is being gradually sanitised into something that it shouldn't be and how the game in Spain, Germany, even bloody Greece, is how football should be. Enjoyable.

Oh. And some people are just soooooo easy sometimes!!

WS

 

[W4 Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:55)]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ June 25 2005,14:48)]However, that doesn't quite address the issue of Real Madrid getting ants in their pants about Ladbrokes daring to price up first goalscorer betting for their games...

That's because Real Madrid are a corporate entity, not a football team and are therefore generally despised outside of the capital city. However the emergence of the "galacticos" as a way and means of selling more and more replica shirts in Asia has coincided with the Madrileño's complete inability to win anything so the rest of Spain laugh heartily into their cañas. I was at the Valencia v Real Madrid match last March and witnessed just how much Madrid are despised in our neck of the woods. You could have filled a small reservoir with the amount of sputum aimed their way when the boys in white ran onto the pitch. And it's much the same in Barcelona, Pamplona, Bilbao, La Coruna, San Sebastián ... well, I think you get the point ...

WS

That point, on the other hand, did. Cheers Mike.

¡Musho Beti!

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Indeed.

Now try this link here and this is what being at a football match should be all about! And as a Betis aficionado, you would appreciate the song! It's the Malaguista's slating Sevilla ...

WS

 

[BlueJ]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:35)]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ June 24 2005,10:06)]To be fair, I don't think we pay the Spanish football authorities anything, but I may be wrong.

That's 'cos Spanish football is "da best"!!

You can drink in the stands and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can stand in front of your seat all game, singing and shouting and cheering i.e. "enjoying yourself" and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can lob rolled up bits of tin foil that your ham bocadillo was wrapped in at the opposition player taking a corner and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can squeeze 300 people into a 200 seater area of the ground, jump around the lunatics, waving flags and having a bloody good time at a football match and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can bring in a trumpet, snare drum, bass drum, or complete jazz quintet to accompany you when you sing and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can make paper aeroplanes out of the team sheet and lob 'em at the opposition players or (better yet) at the directors / VIP area and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can even have a good old punch-up in the ground, shake hands afterwards and commend each other for "standing your ground" and no-one bats an eyelid.

Now compare all that with the police state in England that turfs you out of grounds just because you dared to stand up and get "all passionate" about the game. I know where I'd prefer to be these days ...

WS

 

 

And the same with Rugby Union - but you never get full capacity attendances!

 

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Tilly's Prodical Son @ June 26 2005,10:47)]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:35)]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ June 24 2005,10:06)]To be fair, I don't think we pay the Spanish football authorities anything, but I may be wrong.

That's 'cos Spanish football is "da best"!!

You can drink in the stands and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can stand in front of your seat all game, singing and shouting and cheering i.e. "enjoying yourself" and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can lob rolled up bits of tin foil that your ham bocadillo was wrapped in at the opposition player taking a corner and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can squeeze 300 people into a 200 seater area of the ground, jump around the lunatics, waving flags and having a bloody good time at a football match and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can bring in a trumpet, snare drum, bass drum, or complete jazz quintet to accompany you when you sing and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can make paper aeroplanes out of the team sheet and lob 'em at the opposition players or (better yet) at the directors / VIP area and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can even have a good old punch-up in the ground, shake hands afterwards and commend each other for "standing your ground" and no-one bats an eyelid.

Now compare all that with the police state in England that turfs you out of grounds just because you dared to stand up and get "all passionate" about the game. I know where I'd prefer to be these days ...

WS

 

 

And the same with Rugby Union - but you never get full capacity attendances!

That's because Rugby's a stupid game!

 

[BlueJ]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 26 2005,10:50)]

Quote[/b] (Tilly's Prodical Son @ June 26 2005,10:47)]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:35)]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ June 24 2005,10:06)]To be fair, I don't think we pay the Spanish football authorities anything, but I may be wrong.

That's 'cos Spanish football is "da best"!!

You can drink in the stands and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can stand in front of your seat all game, singing and shouting and cheering i.e. "enjoying yourself" and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can lob rolled up bits of tin foil that your ham bocadillo was wrapped in at the opposition player taking a corner and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can squeeze 300 people into a 200 seater area of the ground, jump around the lunatics, waving flags and having a bloody good time at a football match and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can bring in a trumpet, snare drum, bass drum, or complete jazz quintet to accompany you when you sing and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can make paper aeroplanes out of the team sheet and lob 'em at the opposition players or (better yet) at the directors / VIP area and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can even have a good old punch-up in the ground, shake hands afterwards and commend each other for "standing your ground" and no-one bats an eyelid.

Now compare all that with the police state in England that turfs you out of grounds just because you dared to stand up and get "all passionate" about the game. I know where I'd prefer to be these days ...

WS

 

 

And the same with Rugby Union - but you never get full capacity attendances!

That's because Rugby's a stupid game!

A stupid game? Alright it might be a bit different from football but not stupid!

 

[The General]

I bet you're getting some stick this weekend, Andy ...

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (The General @ June 26 2005,17:35)]I bet you're getting some stick this weekend, Andy ...

Surely it would only be "stick" if he actually cared ....

WS

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:35)]

Quote[/b] (W4 Shrimper @ June 24 2005,10:06)]To be fair, I don't think we pay the Spanish football authorities anything, but I may be wrong.

That's 'cos Spanish football is "da best"!!

You can drink in the stands and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can stand in front of your seat all game, singing and shouting and cheering i.e. "enjoying yourself" and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can lob rolled up bits of tin foil that your ham bocadillo was wrapped in at the opposition player taking a corner and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can squeeze 300 people into a 200 seater area of the ground, jump around the lunatics, waving flags and having a bloody good time at a football match and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can bring in a trumpet, snare drum, bass drum, or complete jazz quintet to accompany you when you sing and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can make paper aeroplanes out of the team sheet and lob 'em at the opposition players or (better yet) at the directors / VIP area and no-one bats an eyelid.

You can even have a good old punch-up in the ground, shake hands afterwards and commend each other for "standing your ground" and no-one bats an eyelid.

Now compare all that with the police state in England that turfs you out of grounds just because you dared to stand up and get "all passionate" about the game. I know where I'd prefer to be these days ...

WS

 

 

You can also make monkey noises at black players and no-one bats an eyelid.....

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ June 27 2005,16:26)]You can also make monkey noises at black players and no-one bats an eyelid.....

Careful! The English should think carefully because they start pointing an accusing finger! The "I'd rather be a **** than a Turk" chant at the England v Turkey game a couple of years ago hardly gives them the right to start telling other countries to put their houses in order!!

WS

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 25 2005,13:35)]You can even have a good old punch-up in the ground, shake hands afterwards and commend each other for "standing your ground" and no-one bats an eyelid.

Well, it looks like we're getting something right back in Blighty. Those are days which are increasingly behind us in the UK, and my goodness we're the better for it.

It's an era for which I, for one, have no nostlagia. Looks like the public agrees too - which country has got the higher percentage of seats sold across its leagues...?

Nuff said, really.

Matt

P.S. A beer in the stands would be nice, though... it's one of the things I love about watching cricket...

 

[sufcintheprem]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ June 27 2005,15:44)]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ June 27 2005,16:26)]You can also make monkey noises at black players and no-one bats an eyelid.....

Careful! The English should think carefully because they start pointing an accusing finger! The "I'd rather be a **** than a Turk" chant at the England v Turkey game a couple of years ago hardly gives them the right to start telling other countries to put their houses in order!!

WS

Depends really. I know the implications aren't so clean but if someone said I'd rather be an American than a Canadian, for instance, no-one would bat an eyelid. Making a monkey chant, unless done in Chester apparently, is an unmistakable act of racism that transcends cultures, countries and languages.

The fact that the national coach lowered himself to a similar level and escaped being severely reprimanded by the Spanish FA implies the association's soft stanceon such matters and is indicative of a culture that still fails to recognise the problem of racism.

How is this relevant to the topic title and not moved to the Pub, I'm not quite sure. I think the first issue has certainly been addressed.

 

[W4 Shrimper]

Good point sufcintheprem....