ealingfox

Bloody hell - if you're gonna have a go at someone for lack of research / effort, make sure your post is pretty much flawless. I've done the work for you this time!

No!

Totally wrong, or just proves again the poor education of the average Britain.

Not knowing or researching the old name of a football ground you are doing a piece on. Not knowing or researching the geographical location of the major city you are referencing. God what do they teach at school today?

Look, my grammar is poor, but I'm able to find my way around the country of my birth. If my profession was to cover football stories, I would do my research beforehand and pride myself on accuracy, which is not what this fellow has done. I found his piece to be poor both in thought and quality of writing.

 

It's Briton mate.

A mid table side put 8 past Villa literally less than a year ago.

That was Sunderland but the point is valid nonetheless. City have handed out plenty of big thrashings at the Etihad over the last few years also.

The point about their league games being easier is stupid because its not because the opposition is stronger here or weaker there, its because they are better to start off with. If our top teams were as good as Barca or Bayern then they too would dispatching the bottom 8 teams at walking pace. When these teams are playing our top teams they play presumably at full throttle and beat them 9 times out of 10.

You put any of European TOP teams in the Prem and they'll struggle. No easy 8-0 matches here. Every team wants to defeat you every time they play. Weak league my cough-syruped arse. Getting stronger by the year.

Do you honestly think Bayern or Barca couldn't put 8 past Aston Villa?

Testament to how massive we are that 1 14th-placed finish means that top-flight mid-table is where we 'belong'.

Hope you watched it now

Haha in one of my signature masterstrokes I decided to drop in for the second half. Great boozer tbf, was packed with a great atmosphere and so much love for the Foxes in there. Must be great for PL games.

Saying that im in again for the Holland game and it appears im one of about 4 people watching England

You put that on a high-quality print and im buying it, title or not.

2010 called, it wants its derivative humour back.

Spurs fans bring their own pool cues to the pub.

Spurs fans leave all the hairs in the sink after shaving.

I'm not sure how many of us will be there (I'm going to the NYCFC game at 3, so I won't). But the game's definitely on there and there should be a decent crowd.

FF is downstairs at Legends Bar, W 33rd St between 5th and 6th Avenues--across the street from the Empire State Building.

Cheers, not quite as interested now neither are playing but thats just round the corner from my hotel so ill probably drop in there anyway.

Any NY Foxes watching the England game tomoz? Here atm and will want to watch if Vardy and/or DD are starting.

Wheres that Football Factory gaff?

Spurs fans bring a 4-pack of Fosters Radler to a house party.

I would support literally anybody, including Forest or Derby, were they in our position.

You mad bro? Fvck that.

during my lifetime we've matched Sours for trophies and spent more time top of the pile #biggerclub

Big thanks to @@BridgfordFox for sorting me out with 2 for Watford, great seller.

GWON ZINNY LAD

Lloyd to Burnley on a free

Liew's a mug.

'Can you take a moment to spare a thought for me, a beleaguered Chelsea supporter?' - Fvck off pal, as if anyone could ever have sympathy for that shower.

Presumably the pair of them went back to Paris for their few days off and they were picked up at Gatwick to come back to the Mids? Nice of the owners that.

Remember Schmeichel saying in one of his interviews this season that the owners treat the players like royalty and they want for nothing all year round. Could prove useful in convincing players to stay.

In you're opinion there'd be more interest in Watson and Robson, but that's just your opinion, you don't know. Plus you've said you don't really like the sport, so I'm amazed you seem so clued up on the exact levels of public interest at certain points in history. I'm amazed someone's who's not a fan can recall exactly how the public reacted back in 2008 for Murray's first final.

 

Given that the BBC have written an article today specifically about how Konta hasn't attracted much public interest over here, it's a little bit more than just my opinion. When Robson or Watson has done well there has been more interest than there has been for Konta. You're deluded if you're completely denying that.

 

 I'm not claiming to be 'clued up' or know the exact levels of anything, I'm not a moron, exact levels of public interest can't be measured. That's why I scaled back your specific example of Murray's first final to his landmark achievements in general, because I don't fvcking know when he made his first final, so why you're trying to call me out on that god knows. But I do remember that the first tourney he won wasn't Wimbledon (US Open?) and there was loads of interest in that.

 

 

Surely as someone who isn't really into tennis, my levels of interest are at least a tenuous indicator of wider trends. I'm part of the sample you would look to analyse.

I never said tennis is shite, and you've complete ignored everything I've put, so what the point in responding to you.

 

Yeah I couldn't resist the little wind-up there, but I didn't ignore what you said. You made the valid point that there's significantly more interest here in Wimbledon than the other Majors, although even adjusting for that I still think there'd be far more public interest if it were Robson or Watson in these semis.

 

In response to your point that nobody cared when Murray made his first final, I suggested that actually, I think there was a fair bit of interest in Murray's landmark achievements, although I tapered that by saying that is also because people are generally more interested in men's sport.

 

I think its harsh to suggest that I 'completely ignored everything you put'.

There won't be frenzy of excitement outside tennis fans because this country only gives a **** about it during Wimbledon. None tennis fans were hardly dancing in the street waving Union jacks when Murray made his first slam final either. If this was Wimbledon, the country would be going mental, as it's a foreign slam most casual tennis fans couldn't care less.

 

Yes, you are correct that tennis is shite, but it doesn't change the fact that Konta is not capturing public interest as she should be. That's because she isn't British. Each of Murray's landmark achievements will have garnered more interest than Konta's current purple patch, although tbf that is also down to the fact that he's a man.

 

Not to say she won't become popular, but as the BBC article above suggests, it isn't a guarantee.

It was second lead story on BBC breakfast this morning, so I don't think you're right that "nobody has batted an eyelid". It's been very well reported.

 

Yeah but there's a difference between the media reporting it and public interest. Just seen this was put on BBC a few hours ago: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35409884

 

There was more public interest in Heather Watson's match against Williams last year than there has been in Konta's entire past year of work. Imagine if it was Watson or Robson who had made the semis and try to tell me that interest levels would be the same as they are for Konta. No way.

Well this the point, I don't think the decision to move here was hers she was a child, clearly identified with the country as her home and decided to represent that country, probably a lot more logistically convenient than playing for a federation on the other side of the world as well.

I doubt our funding is significantly better than tennis Australia either, if at all, they certainly produce a lot more top 100 players than we do with a significantly lower population, your looking for something that really ain't there. As others have said Bedene is a much better example but then as he's not really achieved anything no one gets on his back. Seems we only look for problems when the person in question is doing well which is just down right odd.

 

Well it's not just funding that dictates how many top players you'll produce, but the point is taken. And yeah you're right, Bedene is far worse, but he's not as good. It's not really looking for problems, it's just that people don't waste their time talking about players who are shite. If the world-ranked #s 499 and 500 were both doing what Konta and Bedene were doing, nobody would care, not because they think its ok but because nobody cares about what the world-ranked #s 499 and 500 are doing at all.

 

It's telling that there hasn't really been much hype about Konta's sudden rise over here. She's the first 'British' woman to get to a GS semi in donkeys years, but nobody here has batted an eyelid. If she was actually British everyone would be going absolutely mental, but the only people who seem to give two shits at the moment are Sky Sports News. At the end of the day, maybe just not that many people care about tennis, but whats more likely is that she is struggling to capture the hearts and minds of the British people.

Well your the one coming In here telling us who should and should not be playing tennis for Great Britain so you should probably have enough knowledge of the sport to have the debate in the first place do you not think?

Yes they are, the LTA and ITF have criteria to meet in order to represent GB. She didn't meet any until she had her citizenship, and she swaped associations as soon as she could. It's like England U18s capping a 17 year old Arteta before he met the criteria it would never ever happen.

To be critical of her basing herself in Spain isn't really on either, plenty of our players have bases abroad predominately places with better weather. For obvious reasons.

 

Tennis isn't the only sport where this is happening. Konta is just the most prominent example at the moment. I made no reference to tennis in my original post.

 

God knows why you've used Arteta as an example, he didn't move to the UK until he was 20 and played for Spain at every youth level...

 

When you're actually British, it's alright. When you aren't British, it's not as alright. It just looks like you're taking advantage.