I might have been a bit unfair on the BBC match report. I read it again and the coverage was largely OK but the piece on the empty seats was odd because the most impressive thing about the opening game I thought was the fans.Despite the sneering from the BBC Reporter about empty seats almost 61,000 for a group match was a great turn-out.
The rest of the World outside of Europe are taking this very seriously.I stayed up to watch the 1st half on TV. I was very impressed by the numbers of Al Ahly fans there. I couldn't tell if they were Egyptians living in the USA or fans who had travelled from Egypt. You could see what the game meant to the players by the huge level of commitment. I can see City players will have to be wary of injury.
Messi was a passenger in the 1st half but the BBC match report said he had a good effort in the 2nd half. In the 1st half Al Ahly missed a pen. and had the better chances counter-attacking with pace. It was a decent first half. It was too late for me to watch the 2nd half. My strongest impression from the game was the passion from the stands of the Al Ahly fans. I didn't expect to see tens of thousands of Egyptian fans there.
The rest of the World outside of Europe are taking this very seriously.
Despite the sneering from the BBC Reporter about empty seats almost 61,000 for a group match was a great turn-out.
Seems unlikely. We will be using it to bed in new players and coaches. Pep will probably use it to experiment with different tactics and formations. He’s said the players will have plenty of downtime so it doesn’t seem we’re going to bust a gut to win it. I think we’ll be ticking over fitness wise rather than going flat out to win it. And the heat will be a big problem.Does anyone reckon we will win this tournament ?
Not sure Shamoon Hafez would be having a few scoops.Sneering at fans who’ve paid a fortune while getting paid handsomely to be there and enjoying the trappings of the free food and drink in the hospitality areas.
Quick 5 mins to file a match report, send a few incendiary tweets then off down the pub.
Such is a the hard life of a football “journalist”.
Flying out of Dublin tomorrow 16.20What flight you on ?
It will be huge in the UK when/if the rags and Liverpool qualify. Until then it'll be sneered at.Guess it's a huge event outside Europe, and it will become huge in Europe too once the quarters arrive. Then it will be like the CL in terms of the quality of the games.
Then it will be the template for the futureIt will be huge in the UK when/if the rags and Liverpool qualify. Until then it'll be sneered at.
corrected :-)The rest of the World outside of England are taking this very seriously.
Because United and Liverpool aren’t there the time they’d usually spend sucking their knobs and swallowing can be given to finding something to sneer to say.Sneering at fans who’ve paid a fortune while getting paid handsomely to be there and enjoying the trappings of the free food and drink in the hospitality areas.
Quick 5 mins to file a match report, send a few incendiary tweets then off down the pub.
Such is a the hard life of a football “journalist”.
You know why we have a chance at this CWC?
There won’t be as many chicken shit cowards standing on their goal line. Rightly or wrongly teams will go for us.
Never a truer word and all that...It will be huge in the UK when/if the rags and Liverpool qualify. Until then it'll be sneered at.
Bring it on!That sir is an excellent point. Unfortunately that also means teams will be having a go at us, and we know how that worked out in many games last year [emoji15]
They really treat fans with contempt. The BBC is totally disengaged with what used to be its core audience. They don’t broadcast many matches, they don’t break any football stories. They are fixated on a social media audience which represents a tiny fraction of the overall audience. Everything is clickbait. Everything is political. Millions of UK football fans are cut out of the loop.Sneering at fans who’ve paid a fortune while getting paid handsomely to be there and enjoying the trappings of the free food and drink in the hospitality areas.
Quick 5 mins to file a match report, send a few incendiary tweets then off down the pub.
Such is a the hard life of a football “journalist”.
I agree. But over the weekend the same reporter and his senior colleague (Dan Roan) produced big knocking pieces attacking the entire tournament. Sections of the BBC are not interested in honesty or balance. They don’t report the facts any more. They produce politically biased propaganda and treat us all like idiots.I might have been a bit unfair on the BBC match report. I read it again and the coverage was largely OK but the piece on the empty seats was odd because the most impressive thing about the opening game I thought was the fans.
They have a core audience I’d estimate of about 200k click baits including meThey really treat fans with contempt. The BBC is totally disengaged with what used to be its core audience. They don’t broadcast many matches, they don’t break any football stories. They are fixated on a social media audience which represents a tiny fraction of the overall audience. Everything is clickbait. Everything is political. Millions of UK football fans are cut out of the loop.
It's as clear as day that the event will be a middling success, that the event was always going to be a HUGE deal to non-European clubs, and that in 20 years winning the thing will be a big deal. I understand the caution we have for it in England, but it's tipped over into full blown cynicism with some reporters that I can't work out. Like you say, they're part of the spectacle, what earlier moment of soccer unsullied by commercial interests are they hoping for? Not in any of our lifetimes.Sneering at fans who’ve paid a fortune while getting paid handsomely to be there and enjoying the trappings of the free food and drink in the hospitality areas.
Quick 5 mins to file a match report, send a few incendiary tweets then off down the pub.
Such is a the hard life of a football “journalist”.
It will be huge in the UK when/if the rags and Liverpool qualify. Until then it'll be sneered at.