Soccer is rubbish

[rogson]

Don't get me wrong, I think the individual player skills exhibited at the highest level are fantastic - but the game is rubbish.

Many (most?) games seem to comprise 90 minutes of aimlessly kicking the ball around only to be decided by one or two pieces of luck (for the winning team) verses one or two pieces of back luck (for the losing team).

And I believe there is a clear double standard when it comes to the foul rule. Free kicks seem to be dished out habitually for the most minor confrontations and incidents when committed in the general field of play but rarely for the same or even major incidents in the penalty area. I suspect this is because if they were, the game would consist of nothing more than a series of penalty shots, and the referee would have even more influence on the outcome than he does now.

I'm actually a sports nut - any sports - but soccer just frustrates me. Why is it so popular?

[SimJen]

Its so popular because it is. Most kiwi's are completely unaware of its worldwide popularity, as they are almost completely consumed with Rugby.
Its a refreshing change to see another sport on the TV for once.

[skelstar]

Play the game on a playstation or something and it becomes much clearer. I know what youre saying but there must be something to it for it to be soo popular around the rest of the world. Im not a huge fan myself but come world cup time and I love it.

[James Deuce]

Rugby is for violent meatheads, firmly ensconced in the culture of wife-beating and alcoholism.

Soccer is for blokes who like to do cocaine and shag everybody else's wife.

Don't make me talk about Tennis. I'll just start thinking about Sharapova, and then.... urgh, excuse me.

[The_Dover]

I love rugby.

[Paul in NZ]

Rugby is for violent meatheads, firmly ensconced in the culture of wife-beating and alcoholism.
.

Oh GREAT - NOW you tell me - doh! (sob) so many years wasted...

[James Deuce]

Don't change Paul, we love you just the way you are.

[Squeak the Rat]

The beauty of football is that it's unusual for a team to get in a position where they are almost certain of winning. Sure, it can be boring watching a 0-0 game for 89 minutes, but you know that in that last minute your team can snatch a goal. Edge of the seat stuff that, Ritchie.

Nothing beats the atmosphere of a big football game.

The best rugby crowds can do is sing original things like "AAAAAALLLL BLACKS. AAAAALLLLL BLACKS", or..... actually thats all they can say. (Personally I was too cold to say anything at the ireland game....)

If you get the chance, go and watch a big english premiership game. You may change your mind!

[Flatcap]

I agree - Soccer is rubbish. I tried to have some enthusiasm with the world cup and all, but those dives accompanied with much flailing and gnashing of teeth just annoy me.

I much prefer motor racing (except if it is American)

[Swoop]

Most kiwi's are completely unaware of its worldwide popularity, as they are almost completely consumed with Rugby.
Its a refreshing change to see another sport on the TV for once.

Well said that man!
Kiwis love rugby because that is what they have been force-fed and brainwashed with since birth.
Unfortunately the media is the same, and when another sporting code gets some medal/trophy this is relegated to the back of the que so the rugby chest-beaters can have their latest loss analysed in great detail...

Then we get to the rugby league losers...

EDIT: Unfortunately football spoils their own game with that stupid penalty shootout thingy - what a joke!
Each team should have to keep playing for endless extra time until a winning score is achieved.
The fittest and best skilled team would then be the winner. The spectators win as well with more value for their $$'s.

[eliot-ness]

After watching the Italy v Aussie game being decided by a lousy refereeing decision I'd have to agree. 90 minutes of good football spoiled in the last seconds is 90 minutes wasted. They could have had a penalty shootout before the match, or tossed a coin, and saved a lot of time. I bet there's a lot of Italians in Oz getting a hard time right now.

[SimJen]

After watching the Italy v Aussie game being decided by a lousy refereeing decision I'd have to agree. 90 minutes of good football spoiled in the last seconds is 90 minutes wasted. They could have had a penalty shootout before the match, or tossed a coin, and saved a lot of time. I bet there's a lot of Italians in Oz getting a hard time right now.

Yes its annoying when that happens, but thats why the teams need to get goals. If they don't then all their efforts could be wasted. No worse than a draw in Rugby.
As for the players that throw themselves down, hollywood style. It seems to happen a lot more often during the world cup when they've got so much more to lose.
As someone said above, a trip to a good premier league match in britain will change your opinion. The crowds they get even for a small game just annihalate any rugby attendance in this country. And the atmostphere makes an All Blacks match look like a Womens Institute meeting

[Qkkid]

Soccer is rubbish, particulary after watching the Italy versus Australia finarlie it sucked i think they were hard done by the ref

[SARGE]

Rugby is for violent meatheads, firmly ensconced in the culture of wife-beating and alcoholism.

Soccer is for blokes who like to do cocaine and shag everybody else's wife.

Soccer Hooligans who bash a 10 year old for wearing an English strip in Scotland..?

yea.. super game.. give me motorsport anyday

anything less is just a kids game played by overpaid primadonnnas

[Postie]

the last time I watched a game of fuckedball was in the last world cup that Paul Gasgoine was playing for England when they complained that the Grey shirts made it hard to see each other. Anyway, Gazza was playing and was showing some skill, then he got tacked, fell over and grazed his knee then he sat in the middle of the pitch and started to cry in front of millions and millions of people. What a fucking pussy, i hate it when a player doesn't even get touched, he then falls down like he has a broken leg, then gets up and kicks a penalty, fuckin miraculous recovery is that. I refuse to watch any sport where there is worse acting then Jody Foster in Silence of the Lambs then actual sport.
I have been to English Premiership games, my boss had season tickets at Arsenal and i used to go most weeks, the atmosphere was shit, people only wanted to insult eachother and fight the other side cos they supported the other team, so each week there were 50,000 people who couldn't give a fuck about the sport or have any interest in sportsmanship at all, they just want to sling shit and organise fights.
If people want to watch it (and they obviously do cos its the most popular game in the world) then so be it, but i refuse to acknowledge it as a sport when it has no qualitys of sport at all.