Soccers a good game in England, Italy, Spain and the rest of Europe. It's also good in South America BUT i'm afraid i can't follow victory for the simple fact that its a 4th rate competition.

Lets be serious how many of the players that play in this comp would make an english 3rd division side. A couple maybe, the rest no chance.

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"I will rejoice in their anguish, delight in their failure and revel in our success"

We are Carlton, @#$%&! the rest !!!!!!

If you have never watched you wouldn't know!

It is pretty much accepted that our standard is equal to Div 1 or 2 in the UK, proabably the same standard as Scotland minus Rangers & Celtic.

where do i begin with some of the crap i have read here.

Rambo/Deano - you just a wind up as i know that you dont mind the game.

Tap in 79

Its Football, there are very few countries that dont call it football. The only countries that dont call it football are countries that have their own indeginous codes of football. With regards to understanding the game.

This is something you will either learn to understand, but if you go to a game with a closed mind, like anything in life, a closed mind means an unwillingness to not accept something new.

Football is refered to the beautiful game for a few reasons.

1. the technique that goes into the game. You talk of a long range shot. I ask you to just attempt to just kick a ball from on the ground into goal and see what we talk about. I wont even ask you to try do the same with a volley. And that is only just one aspect of football. I wont go into the other aspects that make the game what it is.

2. the game itself, is magical to behold. Again, if you dont understand it you may not see, or want to see the complexity that is involved in the game. Its a game of chess, like no other game in the world can understand. Not only is the game plans in place but they are done at pace. And before you say there are game plans in place in AFL, of course there is but these are nothing when compared to football. Again, it comes down to people not understanding the game that seems them criticise it.

3. and you are right abotu something Tap in 79, football is a huge threat to AFL. The international exposure that a side like Victory will get is beyond anything even the AFL as a code could ever imagine to get. And if you think its big now wait until 2008 when Victory has its first go at Asian Champions League Football. Victory will become a hugely dominate clubin Victoria and Australia. that i have no doubts about.


teagueybeauty - you have no idea. How can you judge something if you havent seen it. The standard of football, to be honest, has surprised me, its better than i thought it was, and as the league gets established it will only get better and better.

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

and i consider myself a pretty decent judg eof both codes.

as i have followed and played both for years

i love em both, love both carlton (actually followed carlton fc when we had a side) and victory and will do.

but afl as a game has changed for me. its not what it was 5 years ago, let alone the game i fell in love with as a kid.

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

well said SS, love both games, and for those that can't see that Football, as opposed to AFL is a beautiful game then compare a perfectly waited through ball with a Greg Williams handpass out of a pack - very similar, I am thankful that I can enjoy both!

Venting my spleen was more about Tina deserting the sicking ship than having a go at the world game.

While I understand her right to become a member of any sporting code, she just irked me the way she was so blase about it all.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

I think there is. For starters, their playing at differnt times of the year, so it's not like thier gonna be competiting with AFL supporters like the Melbourne Storm are.

And 50,000 is a bit much. They have made that once this year. Most of the time it's around the 30,000 mark.

Carlton - in their shittiest period ever, still can attract a minimum of 60,000-70,000 to the MCG Vs Essendon*/Collingwood & maybe even Richmond. Think how big the crowd to a Blues Vs Pies match would be with both teams in the 8?
(i remember in Carl Vs. Collingwood in 2004, rnd 22 where neither team had any chance of making the finals so the game was pretty much a dead rubber but it still attracted 60,000)

+ i think AFL has a lot more TV coverage accross Australia where the A-Leauge only gets shown on Fox.

Also on that.................soccer is Renowned for attracting some very silly behaving crowds. Sponserships are constantly being lost because of this.

The AFL have never really had that problem.



I call it Football or World Football. AFL has & will always be footy to me.



I don't have kids (nor do i want any) but in case you weren't aware, Soccer has been the #1 played sport accross Australia Way before Hiddink, and way before Kewell. In fact, Soccer has been the #1 played sport since i was born (1980).

Still is, and i don't think it's hurt AFL much at all.



"The Beautiful Game" is what the South Americans (mainly) call it. Personally i love it - but it ain't so &^%$ing beautiful when dumb shits drop to the floor in a pain that can only be discribed as worse than giving birth to a baby elephant through their ass-hole! Honestly guys, stop faking and start playing the god-damn game!

Take that out of the game and i'll think about calling it Beautifull.



The most beautiful thing i've ever seen is Sandra Sully!




Not really, each to their own.



Nobody is saying it is supposed to be better. I don't know why you would think that.

Jezza's mark will be one of the greatest moments in Australian Sport - ever! Even Collingwood fans would aggree.
Pele's boot did some amazing things back in those days, stuff that very few have been able to match since, but that doesn't mean it's better than Jezza's mark..................or Leo Barry's mark................or Wally Lewis's dominance of State Of Origin.......................or Grant Hacketts record breaking 1500mtr swim........................or Australia's win in the America's cup........................or Australia's tense win through a penalty shootout vs Uraguay to make it to the World Cup for the 1st time in 30 years!

They're just great moments in sport! - None of them are trying to compete!



I personally love American Football - Hoping to catch a New Orleans Saints game this year............

Whilst on the Saints. Get this people.........................
The Saints have been quite pathetic for a few years now. Coincidently, the last time they made the playoffs (finals) was in 2001 - the exact same time as Carlton.
They sacked their coach at the end of last season (yet another dissapointing one) and charged through to win thier division this year and ended up just one game short of making the superbowl!

Interesting huh?

Anyway.......................forgive me if i'm wrong but it seems as though you might be a little scared of Soccer taking of in this country??? I wouldn't be. Especially in Melbourne.

Besides, if nothing else, Soccer & the The Victory's popularity this year will AND HAS been noticed by the AFL. Don't for a moment think they are not taking notice because they are................a little competition keeps it honest!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

well this brings up the age old soccer vs AFL debate.
I'd say yes of course there is room for both.

Having sat through the shocking matches we've had over the last couple of years and still cheered and clapped and returned each week to cheer the boys on I still haven't lost my passion for the blues.

I've also sat through some Melbourne Victory matches and cheered them on as well. While the enjoyment of winning is great and it sure beats losing......

I would NEVER forsake Carlton or give up my membership no matter how bad we are traveling!!!!!!!!!

It's just not what you do! ESPECIALLY when we are at a turning point right around the corner to success. We're almost there, we're on the right path!!

And anyways Melbourne Victory, we all know what happens a few years after you reach the top. You soon sink to the bottom ala Brisbane Lions and Collingwood. (not undermining them just stating a fact)

All Tina has to have is patience, and anyways, are we following AFL footy? Or Carltons board? Atm our pre-season training, the boys, their form, their attitude etc is all looking great. If you really MUST focus on the non-football aspects ok fine, our board is being patched up, membership sales are up and everything is on the mend...

We'll get there, just hold up a little while longer

I enjoyed the Victory game on Sunday more than any Carlton game of the last 2 years. Look the standard is far from the EPL but it's still pretty good, the game flows nicely and there are some classy finishes.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Yes but i also saw some pretty boring games in the A-Leauge this year. Some absolute shockers - and just because of the skills either.

But believe it or not, i actually enjoy the A-Leuge over the EPL. I hate the EPL now. If i was in charge of the AFL i be doing everything the EPL Doesn't do. Way to money hungry, very few players playing for the team, over-dramtic gossip building crap!
Good skills.............just sick of the crap that comes with it!

And that's what i love most about the AFL......................

Less players playing for themselves & more players playing for the club & it's team!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Ryan 2000, all of your points of view i can see and understand.

You seem to be interested in a lot of sports - including American Football.
I don't mind American Football - it is such an accurate encapsulation of their culture - ballsy, aggressive, over the top.

I think people fall into two categories re: sports watching. 1) people who like one sport or one team and 2) others who enjoy a lot of sports.

Neither one is right or wrong.

I used to watch a lot of soccer in the mid 90's... but on reflection i watched it mainly to hear the singing in the crowd... but i can accept that people find a great deal to enjoy in soccer or rugby for that matter.

Your best point was probably the one about Sandra Sully.

i somewhat agree, i have far more interest in the A-League than i do the EPL these days, and that comes from the fact i actually go and watch Victory play week in week out.

nothing like it

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

...reckon there might be stampede to get back on that ship now DUC.

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

And she's a Carlton Fan.............................................ohhhhh boy, the perfect woman!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle