re: Want to start following soccer - Need help picking teams.

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Liverpool

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You're better than that.


Of course I can't recommend you follow Everton because I'm not a hateful prick. Well, I recommend you follow them if you enjoy disappointment.

OP, do some research into the history of the club. That might help.

If you are going to pick a team in a top league to really follow, pick one that has a chance of finishing in the top 4 to get to champions league.

Most Americans are EPL fans because they are televised the most and similar culture. Preferably Arsenal because are awesome.

Borussia Dortmand is a good one to follow in the German league because they score tons of goals and an American starts.

Pretty much everyone has a favorite out of Real Marrid and Barcelona so might as well flip a coin on that one.

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Someone on here recommended Real Football Factories in a thread a while back and it taught me a lot. Its focused on hooliganism, but it did a great job of breaking down the history and "identity" of most of the big EPL clubs (the different London neighborhoods, the North-West Derby history, etc.). The international episodes aren't in depth, but also pretty interestimg. It's all on YouTube and they are only like 40 minutes long, I highly suggest watching it.

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Will do. Thanks

Rubin Kazan security made chicks get naked at the entrance awhile back

There's your club

My first choice of club soccer teams started in middle school and I was a Barcelona fan. A couple years ago I got to go to the Camp Nou for a tour and a preseason game against Roma. It was awesome!

My wife is a die hard Madradista and has been to the Benerabeu, and saw Madrid in an exhibition match against Hertha Berlin.

It makes watching clasicos fun, at least until Real get a late equalizer to keep a huge stranglehold on the league, or Garett Bale hits his nitrous button running down the sideline.

I hadn't followed the premier league much until a couple years ago and

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I started watching soccer a lot around 2 or 3 years ago and told myself I liked Everton.

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Butt then I found myself becoming a Crystal Palace fan, and it hasn't been all roses, but there are just enough good moments to keep me coming back for all the crap ones. The more I've learned about the club, the bigger fan I've become.


I also have spent the past few summers teaching in Lyngby, Denmark, and have become a fan of Lyngby Boldklub after they won the second division and now play in the Danish superliga.

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So, I was reading the Soccer board for noobs thread, but no one actually did an Italian team write up. I think I'm choosing between Juventus and Inter Milan, but apparently they hate each other. So, I need to pick one.

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I used to do a Serie A season thread but the vast majority of posters here are EPL fans.

Here's a bit of info:

There are probably five Serie A clubs that currently have the resources to continually compete for league titles over the long haul.

First, the three giants:

Juve: forward thinking ownership in charge of the most marketable club in Italy currently has them raking in cash and using it wisely to build a superpower

The club with most support all around Italy, especially in the south even though Torino is the northernmost big city. . . Kind of the Yankess of Serie A, they also market themselves as the club version of the "Italian national team" and try to get as many Italian stars as possible.



AC Milan: Along with Real Madrid and Manchester United, one of three most storied clubs in Europe. They've been down recently but will return as the name and marketing is simply too big. Currently enjoying a great season under their new manager Montella who's worked wonders with a lot of younger players.


Inter Milan: Club has been in a free fall since winning the champions league but they do have resources to keep throwing money at their problems. They seem to have a really talented roster on paper with high$ players that had success before arriving and still look great playing their NTs. However, their recent game of managerial musical chairs (of otherwise successful managers too) has yet to find one that can get them to produce as a team.


Then AS Roma and Napoli are two historically "sleeping giants" that are currently --after Juve-- the most talented and best run clubs in the league.


AS Roma: American owners have rejuvented the club and are close to beginning construction of a state of the art stadium along the Tiber River that will bring Roma nearer to Juve in revenue.
Roma has historically gone against the Italian defensive style. They're known for their free flowing attacking often to point of style over substance. Currently, they have one of the strongest starting rosters in Europe and probably the best Italian manager in Luciano Spalletti as well.
Like Napoli, they have a huge and rabidly passionately local fan base.



Napoli: massive local fanbase and a very good team. . . current owner and film mogul Aurelio De Laurentiis is an entertaining eccentric who has pumped tons of money into the club and they, along with Juve and Roma are currently the class of the league.


After that, Fiorentina, Torino, Lazio, Genoa and Sampdoria are among the larger clubs with a lot of history but ones that come and go in terms of competing for Champions/ Europa League spots.

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Torino

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Good to see you on here, WM. Torino has a problem with staying up, but it´s important they stay topflight. Juve needs it (as does Torino).