BadgeIsBack

Why can't you have a pint of stella then follow it up with a whiskey?
And not worry in the slightest what you call the game?

At Twickers all the fans drink beer - they might have a sneak from a hipflask of course.

scrubbedexpat098

if i hit the whiskey even after 1 beer, book me a prayer mat in front of the bog. one or t'other with me, strange eh?

Jon77

If you followed the A League you would realise the Australia unfortunately doesn't find room for them all and the AFL biased media especially are doing their best to try and keep football down. In the last few seasons there have been many media attacks against fans of A League clubs and the clubs themselves.

Those than have spent years watching the old NSL with the ethnic teams and then the work to get the A League going would understand the struggle.

Don't under estimate the fear that there is towards football in many media areas and within the AFL and less so the NRL. I always say that the A League and the NRL can exist with an air of cooperation and understanding. That will never be the case with AFL who see our sport as unAustralian, they are stuck in the 1950's.

As for the term 'soccer', yes this did originate from the UK. Football in the UK used to be the reserve of the working class, certainly where I came from. The term 'soccer' was taken over and used by many overseas amateur sides. America took this on of course and so did Australia. Because the developing lesser footballing nations adopted the term 'soccer' as that time it did become associated with a lower quality plastic brand of football involving cheer squads and other Americanisation's. As Australia became more American leaning then they also went the same way. When you think of the word 'soccer' you almost hear it in am American accent, I do anyway.

This no longer applies really and I don't mind if it is called football or soccer. But I do notice more and more people using football rather than soccer now. Fans of AFL of course always use the term soccer as they only see their code as the true football, they are the true snobs. When I first came here and a guy at work asked me what sport I liked I responded 'football' he got all excited thinking I was talking about AFL and started ranting on about the Swans. He got pished off when I put him right and he told me to call it soccer as AFL is football in Australia. So there after I made sure to keep on calling it football and within his ear shot forever after.


***** AFL soccer snobs.

Amazulu

Another precious pom!

Own your history

scrubbedexpat098

yeah mate that's me, on the nose

scrubbedexpat098

I wasn't there obviously but wasn't egg chasing invented when a lad picked up the ball during a game of football, and then called it Rugby football cos of wot school he was at an like??

Amazulu

Well done for recognising that

It's the 1st step in sorting out your issues

Bix

One of the institutional magazines started in the early fifties didn't use the soccer name. Charles Buchan's Football Monthly.

I don't believe soccer was the most common nomenclature used as that Wiki article claims. Certainly it was not the case where I came from in the time frame mentioned.

As kids we never referred to football as soccer and that was the case in the local schools, leagues and tournaments.

That was in a rugby union heartland which was only referred to as rugby as there wasn't any rugby league played.

People can call it what they want but I've grown up only using football and that wont change now.

scrubbedexpat098

1st step on a long journey, you'd better start yours soon too, and get some comfy shoes

Amazulu

I'll never sort out my issues

Amazulu

Sure, call it what you like but there is no denying that the word came from the UK - and now that nation wants to disown it

They also call the great game of rugby, rugger - WTF is that about?

OzTennis

For well over 100 years football has meant Aussie Rules in all states except NSW and Queensland where it meant rugby league. Understandable as it was the main code; 'soccer' was the term used to distinguish another minority code. There's no point arguing it's the world game, the main game or whatever, it isn't and wasn't - in Australia. Just as the media coverage in the UK is dominated by football, so the media coverage in Australia is dominated by aussie rules - c'est la vie.

How many of you know Australia won the World Cup yesterday; beating the Netherlands (Holland for 'football') 6-1 in the final? HOCKEY.

Reality check - England are a fair team. Take all the foreigners out of the Premier League and it's a very average league. Rooney and Gerrard's best days are behind them and there are some very promising players for the future for sure. It was an average Italian team which hadn't won since September. I suspect they know they don't have a chance of doing well in this World Cup so they are going to attack and talk of the future so it is an honourable failure rather than the previous bitter failures (and referee errors and cynical foreigners getting players sent off and the lottery of penalty shoot-outs).

Australia is probably the poorest team in the competition but hey it's a minority sport not the major sport the nation hangs everything on. I was pleased with the fightback from an early 2-0 deficit and with a bit of luck they could have got a draw rather than the late goal to Chile. I laughed at Cahill getting booked for calling the guy who grabbed him by the shirt a cheat. (his reply was yes, so what?) As often in soccer nothing happens to the perpetrator.

Amazulu

Yes Australia did okay but they really needed to get something out of the Chile game. Agree that refereeing is inconsistent but nowhere nearly as bad as it is in rugby

I thought England played well and should go through

Bix

We used to call it that as kids in the 60's.

OzTennis

Chile are a good team (ask England who also lost by 2 goals to them at Wembley) and this is the toughest group - Spain, Holland and Chile - no prospect of advancing at all; let's just enjoy the experience.

Agree on referees; Brazil get a joke penalty, much worse goes on in the box at every corner/free kick in every other game and refs do nothing. As for the offside rule!!

I don't know enough about union but it looks near impossible to referee it consistently with the rucks and mauls and things to me?

Yes, England played well but they lost.