football | Club football is back!

I follow the English Premier League most closely and as you probably gathered, I'm a Liverpool supporter :) I guess hoping for the Reds to win the League would be too optimistic, but I'd be content with getting back to Champions League level.

As for transfers, I'm thrilled about Joe Cole, but I'd love to see another striker ... especially since Torres is still not in top form. But well, there's time yet.

Predictions are something I'm really rubbish at, so I have no idea who's going to win the Premier League. Other leagues, I have to admit I don't follow very closely (though that might change this year).

I follow the Bundesliga, but I haven't picked a club to follow. (The team I was going to pick because I love the city was relegated. Damn Hertha.) I just know I won't go with Bayern, not because I don't like the players (I'm very fond of some of them), but because they're like the Yankees. Werder Bremen has Özil and Marin; Wolfsburg picked up Friedrich... Dunno.

I'm sure it's going way out on a limb here to predict that FC Bayern's gonna win the BuLi this year. Again.

Oh Hertha, don't remind me ... the last time I was in England and asked about my local club, I kind of wanted to find a hole to hide in *coughs*

FC Bayern, yeah, love 'em or hate 'em, there seems to be no middle ground. Not a fan myself, I should add. I don't follow the Bundesliga enough to know who else has a realistic chance for the title, though.

I want to know how Hertha went from having a good shot at the title to relegation in a single season. Poor management? Coaching shakeup?

I halfway wish I could like FC Bayern, because they're so popular and have Basti and Miro and Thomas, but ... I can't root for the top team. (I don't know why I'm OK with Werder, then... maybe I just like watching Özil play and think Marko Marin is the most adorable thing ever. But Friedrich is gorgeous and at Wolfsburg (and I'm not biased because we have the same haircut at present).)

(Last season was decided between Werder & Bayern. Bayern won.)

Beats me. I didn't think they were that awesome in previous years, but relegation? How did that happen? ;_;

I love some of Bayern's players, no doubt, Basti is one of my favourites ever, but the club, naah ... Werder I think I could like ;) But I heard that Real Madrid signed Özil? (I don't follow La Liga much, but I have an eye on Real, some of my favourites play there, primarily Casillas and Alonso, who used to play for Liverpool, alas).

There was a great Bundesliga post about the different clubs and why they're worth following a while back here @ ontd_football, btw ;)

Hertha's track record is all over the place. In the 08/09 season, they were one of the six clubs that were basically tied for the top, then 09/10, they sucked a lot. I don't understand.

Real did indeed sign Özil, and I'm sad about that, because now I can't watch him play. (It's hard enough to follow the BuLi in the US...) So maybe I'll go with Wolfsburg instead (or just follow both, I guess? Is that allowed? ;) )

Ooh, I don't follow ontd_football (too much traffic!), so thanks for the link!

Ok, that is really strange ... hope they'll get their act together and come back for the next season. This one is going to be tricky for Berlin since the other local club (1. FC Union) is also playing in the second league... not too keen on a Berlin derby, I must admit.

Internet streaming sites? They're my main source for the Premier League as well.
Don't know about any particular rivalry between Werder and Wolfsburg ;) If there's one, it's in that post I linked ^^

I check that site once or twice a day, but I agree, for my reading list it's too much traffic. They do have all the streams, though ;)

There are a bunch of 4th/5th league clubs, too, like AK07 (which I only know about because they played a match that was listed above the Germania Windeck-Bayern match last week, then I google/wikipedia'ed the heck out of it), but they're not exactly competition for 1st or 2nd league clubs. (Man, there's a lot of football teams out there...)

I'm sad for Arne, because he really liked Hertha, but if you want to play on the NT, your club can't get relegated every third season. (And he had to move from Berlin to Wolfsburg ;) )

I found a link (through loewsmis or die_buli, I forget) to a streaming site on npage.de, but the feed was blocked at the end of the Schalke match. They also mention iraqgoals and a Spanish-language site. I prefer German sites, because I can understand them :D

OH TODAY IS THE BAYERN:WOLFSBURG OPENER I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO WATCH IT. It's at 2:30 pm. OK.

Hah, I didn't even know about that one. I'm surprised enough about what clubs show up in the Premier League sometimes, but Bundesliga ... I really should pay more attention to it :)

Poor Arne :/ I get the "having to move away from Berlin = Do Not Want" bit. Maybe he can come back when Hertha have their act back together?

I always watch the English streams, different ones depending on what works best, I mostly select them from the ontd "what's on today" post.

Ohh, thanks for the heads-up, I'll try and catch some of that! :)

I've only spent a total of just over 5 weeks in Berlin in my life, and all I can think about is how I can get back. It's an amazing city, though seems to be one you love or hate. I wish I'd bought the postcard with a quotation that went something like "Berlin's a terrible city, the people are unfriendly, the weather stinks, and I pity everyone who can't live here."

But apparently Miss Germany rates Arne the 8th hottest Bundesligist, according to BILD. (Oh, BILD...) „Wären seine Haare und sein Bart noch etwas länger, würde er richtig wie ein Ritter aus einem Hollywood-Film aussehen. Da wäre man gern mal Burgfräulein.” ICH AUCH.

Ooh, there's an ontd post with links? I got the last one via twitter or possibly diebundesliga. I'll try the one I used last time and have a backup plan for when Sky blocks it.

Die Berliner sind unfreundlich und rücksichtslos, ruppig und rechthaberisch, Berlin ist abstoßend, laut, dreckig und grau, verstopfte Straßen und Baustellen, wo man geht und steht - aber mir tun alle Menschen Leid, die hier nicht leben können. -- Anneliese Bödecker ;) It's on my wall, and I can only add, WORD. I'm from Berlin, never lived here for more than three years in a row, but I always come back :)

*lol* Trust BILD ;) Who's first?

Yeah, they do one of those whenever matches are on. Very handy. As for tonight, I'm going to catch it on the ARD site, but I'm not sure whether that'll be available outside Germany :/

That one! Yes! That's half the reason I love the city, you know? It's always changing, verdammt dazu, immer zu werden, und nie zu sein. (Even if I was there in May, when the weather was horrible the whole time, cold and rainy, and I got a cold.)

Clemens Fritz was #1. BILD: We are srs bzns.

I'll have to check the ONTD post, just in case the couple streams I have bookmarked don't work or get blocked. -_-

That's so true :) Nothing around here stays the same for very long ... except for the general atmosphere. That's unique ;)

Figures... where did Ballack end up? *lol*

I caught an English stream from here in the end ... interesting game. First half was painful to watch, Bayern were looking really good. Happy for Müller and Basti, obviously, but it's still Bayern *sigh* I want to know how van Bommel got to be captain though, in my viewing experience, it's a rare game he doesn't pick up a yellow card. What a role model >.>

Would it be weird to ask you to send me that postcard? I can send you one from around here in exchange, if you'd like...

Ballack came in at #10.

I was sad when Basti scored in the 90th minute :( I can't hate Basti or Thomas, but I can't stand their team. (Not like either of them's ever gonna leave. Müller's been an FCB fan since he was knee-high.)

The Werder match was ... embarrassing. Apparently, the defense thought it was nap time, or they were enjoying the nice weather, or something, because Hoffenheim owned them 4:1. Oy.

Someone on LJ linked this page yesterday. I LOL'ed.

Not at all! I'll look around for it :) Postcards are always great ;)

Yeah, I know what you mean. I was a bit wtf as well, mostly because Wolfsburg was strong in the 2nd half, and then that ... I had really hoped for a draw, at least. (I agree. Too bad, really :/ )

Oh dear. I didn't catch that one, but it sounds painful. Poor Frings, I'm very fond of him and he seemed so positive about this season.

LOL. That's hilarious, thanks for the link!

Club football is back!

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