Comments on: Switching On To English Football: An American Supporter Awakes… Part 2

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:48:35 +0000

You support Liverpool.

Fa**ot.

By: Gedo

Gedo — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:37:15 +0000

WC 2006 was it for me as well. I was 36 and never watched Euro Football – my only exposure was American soccer which didn’t spark any interest. In 2006, the WC blew me away and I didn’t want it to end. One player who caught my eye was T.Henry which started an internet research project on my part. Who was his club team?…were they any good? All I knew is I wanted to see more of TH14. I became on Arsenal fan right then and there before I had ever seen an Arsenal match. Unfortunately, I caught him on the downside and was gutted when he went to Barcelona. I won’t forget the winning header vs. ManU in Jan 07 in the 90th minute, though. Thanks to FSC and Setanta US, I’ve only missed two matches in the last three years (including all FA Cup and CC matches). If only I had seen the Invincibles…..

By: jay

jay — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:28:04 +0000

good article thanks for the write-ups. Always interesting to hear other’s stories.

Commenter Eduardo,
You say that no top-4 team has many English players, yet Man Utd has a ton of them: Rooney, now Owen, Ferdinand, Neville, Brown, Hargreaves, Carrick. I’m probably missing a few too.

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:03:45 +0000

My father is from Serbia originally. When I was a child he used to tell me about the Busby Babes and the classy way they played. He told me about the game they had with Red Star in Belgrade and the Munich tragedy on their way home from the match. I have no actual British ties, so in the EPL I support Man U since they earned my father’s lifelong respect, and I haven’t seen anything to change my mind.

By: Matilda

Matilda — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:40:53 +0000

I’m a Bolton Wanderers supporter (you spelled Jussi wrong by the way). My dad grew up in London and moved to Texas when he was about 25, so he never lived in Bolton, but my grandparents did and we are all through and through Wanderers. I feel your pain being a football supporter over here (especially since I support a non-Big 4 club, which almost no one else around here does), but live feeds are beautiful things since FSC only shows about 3/4’s of the games.

You should make a pilgrimage to Anfield, I went last Christmas to see Liverpool v. Bolton (we lost 3-0) and it’s a lovely place, the atmosphere is electrifying.

Also as a Liverpool supporter you should be sure to watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcy3gwwxat4
It’s a rap recorded by the 1988 FA Cup winning squad. Priceless

By: Harrington

Harrington — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:40:31 +0000

Excuse me Mr. "Tyson" but what exactly are you on about? Manchester is a small city? It's population is actually 25,000 greater than that of Liverpool's, and it's metro area is twice the size of Liverpool's, at 2.2 million. Man United moved out of their "field in the middle of nowhere" (aka North Road, capacity ~15000) and into their 50000 capacity ground at Bank Street in 1893 when there was no such thing as "world football." Indeed, Liverpool FC had just been founded a year earlier. I don't know what people you talk to but I certainly have heard of Manchester outside of football and I live in the USA. I learned a regrettable amount of history about Man United in researching my response to your statement, but I felt it was necessary because I had a feeling that you were being ridiculous. Every football club can claim to be built up from "a little team that played in a field." It certainly sounds impressive until you mention that they played in a field in the 1880's at a time when most other clubs were playing in small fields, if they were even playing at all. It's fine that you have passion and commitment to you club but don't make us all nauseous by drawing up an absurd Cinderella story that is as disgustingly overwrought as it is entirely misleading.

By: gary woodard

gary woodard — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:55:42 +0000

Good article. You show alot of passion for the game, which is a common trait of all Liverpool FC’s fans. if you ever get the chance to visit Anfield, do so, you will not regret it.
YNWA

By: Stanfield

Stanfield — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:58:47 +0000

Sadly, my family decided to emigrate from England to Canada when I was all of four – slightly too young to have been branded by any particular club. Regionally, I would have been stuck with the Woking Cardinals or, in the First Division, either FFC or (shudder) Chelsea. But it was the 70’s, I’m English and I live in the colonies. Sod the hometown (and Dad’s Bluebirds for that matter), Paisley’s Reds are the biggest, best, most exciting club to ever take a pitch in the British Empire. Maybe it was jumping on the bandwagon, but, hell – I was 7 and like THFC4LIFE said, picking you club is like getting a tattoo (or herpes if you’re unfortunate enough to be a Chelsea or ManUre supporter).

There were two other factors that proved I had picked the perfect club for me, one: Kenny Daglish has the same birthday as me (I was 8 when he came south to replace Keegan) and two, my last name is St. Anfield – a match made in heaven!

Great article Ethan! YNWA!

By: Mark Flint

Mark Flint — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:10:12 +0000

Much appreciated Gaffer!

By: Sean from St. Louis

Sean from St. Louis — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:18:42 +0000

Great story Ethan.
I’ve been a footballer since I was five, played until I was 19, then a follower since.
Initially, I was a bundesliga fan (Soccer Made in Germany, anyone?) since cable wasn’t around yet. I remember seeing a pick of John Barnes in the late 80’s that really piqued my interest and slowly over the years as TV coverage increased my love affair with the Scouse Army was fed. As an American, the Manc Scum and Chelsea these days remind me of the Yankees. They spend and spend and win all, and I hate them (I’m a lifelong Cardinals fan). Liverpool are always the underdog in my book, and I see this incredible bias towards anything LFC related from the British Media (probably the provincial attitude of the Londoners). Plus, I am of Irish ancestry and Liverpool is a very Irish city. Anyway, you made a great choice and it certainly was a fun article. Cheers.