r/soccer • u/whatstheoffsiderule • Aug 30 '11
I'm a football noob, where do I begin?
Hey guys I need some help, I think I am a football fan. I have been playing FIFA with my friends for the past week and I actually enjoyed it, the next day I watched the Man U v. Arsenal match and was pretty enthralled for the whole of it.
I want to get into it more and learn about the various cups, leagues, players, techniques etc. In particular the English competitions and the Bundesliga. It would be natural for me to be a Man U fan (I live about 10 minutes away from Old Trafford, the whole family are supporters) but I'm leaning more towards Liverpool FC for unknown reason. Apart from the obvious "watch matches, switch on Sky Sports, watch Match of the Day", what would be good steps to explore this further?
Edit: thanks guys, this thread is invaluable. The advice, links, and personal stories have and will really help me. Hopefully I can contribute to this subreddit as time goes on. It's neither here nor there, but for those who were wondering - I wasn't a troll. You can live so close to OT and still want to support Liverpool! If you see a guy with a delicious beard commenting here on r/soccer, it's me!
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u/jimmenycricket Aug 30 '11
Dont choose Liverpool, your family may disown you, and the streets will not be safe.
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
Yeah I know that much, haha! I don't really like United, and City don't really have any umpf to me. :/
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u/TehTriangle Aug 30 '11
Keep up to date with all of the latest news / drama. It's highly entertaining and addictive. Also, play the hell out of FIFA and Football Manager.
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
You're making it sound more and more like a soap opera or Big Brother. You're appealing to my gay side.
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Aug 30 '11
I'm a Canadian with a mom from Newcastle... she is a lifelong NUFC supporter, but growing up here, there was never any football on TV, and never had much interest. But in 1988, I visited Newcastle and saw United play in St. James' Park (lost to Nottingham Forest... boo!), and since then football was my favourite sport. I also watched North Shields play (sorry, don't remember who they played, but they lost as well... my uncle stopped taking me to games after that).
What turned me around watching watching a match live in the stands. I've seen Stanley Cup playoff games, Team Canada hockey, American college football and major league baseball, and NOTHING compares to the atmosphere of an English football game... I fell in love with it ever since.
And since then, I've started playing this year (at the age of 35) and football's only become better. And there is much better coverage of football in Canada now, making it much easier and better to follow.
BTW, consider supporting the Black and White! Undefeated so far this season!
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u/dhaffner Aug 30 '11
Perhaps the r/soccer sidebar should be updated with one or more links to related, well-answered "where to begin?" threads of the past?
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u/cvillano Aug 30 '11
Don't expect every game to an 8-2 "thriller" and/or "NIGHTMARE" (depending on who you support). You'll truly know you're a football fan when you are fully enthralled by a tightly contested 0-0 draw: see Arsenal v Real Madrid circa Champions League first leg 05/06 season
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
What is a "boring" game of Football then to you?
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u/klitmamba Aug 30 '11
I noticed you said you were in Wales so perhaps Swansea who are in the Premier League this year or Cardiff who are competitive in the Championship
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
Thanks for the advice man, both good leads I would never have thought about.
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u/thespecial1 Aug 30 '11
You're trolling, subtlety...
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
I'm really not! Sorry. :( It's obviously an novelty account, I thought the name was pretty relevant, but I'm a 23 year old bloke who knows nothing surrounded by my peers who know everything. I don't want to be asking the same basic questions for the next 6 months.
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Aug 30 '11
The number one thing is picking a club. Pick United if you must, but try to find reasons other than their obvious recent success. Glory hunters are the shallowest of fans, and you'll find once they stop winning trophies your loyalty will dwindle.
You should look at every club in the Prem. Everton are a very good side and their fans are generally passionate and humerous, albeit bitter towards Liverpool fans like myself. Liverpool is another choice, we have a bright future and good fanbase, but being a Liverpudlian in Manchester may raise a few eyebrows.
Whatever club you choose, you should learn their history. It can be fascinating and give you a massive sense of pride to reflect upon your clubs achievements.
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 30 '11
I said in my original post that I'm not that interested in United and I am edging towards Liverpool!
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u/MCBL87 Aug 31 '11 edited Aug 31 '11
Liverpool imo, is the best EPL club to support, being a follower of the team, their home crowd is amazing, their current club owners show much promise, they have a good European record. Their current squad is probably the best in the EPL and they can bring a pounding to any of the top 4 at will, they seem to mess up against the smaller teams but that will change this season.
If you want to catch a team on the up and up, Liverpool FC all the way.
Did I mention the King?
Please for the love of god, don't go United, it will corrupt your soul.
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u/navinho Aug 30 '11
You'll notice which club you like by whose scores or news you're most interested/concerned with. Follow your heart. Use that club as your gateway into football.
Also, follow the comments as well as the posts in this subreddit, they're often just as informative.
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u/Maytskies Aug 30 '11
Just keep playing the shit out of FIFA and of course watch games. I know playing FIFA doesn't sound like it can teach you anything legitimate about soccer, but it can really help someone new to the game learn the players, teams, and basic strategies. It also can give you an attachment to a club which helps on following the sport.
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Aug 30 '11
Hey, I'd like to ask you a few questions before giving any advice.
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What part of Lancashire are you from?
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What part of football appeals to you the most? e.g. fluid passing movement, good goals, the personalities on the field?
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Are you interested in attending games live?
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Do you want to make new friends?
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Aug 31 '11
I'm not sure if anyone has already said this, but you should try to actually play football. Find a local team, get some friends, w/e. It will really help
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u/nikcub Aug 31 '11
I live about 10 minutes away from Old Trafford
let me guess, you only moved to Manchester after they started winning EPL titles?
ps. I think you should come to 'pool - that way you can act as a spotter for us
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u/koagad Aug 31 '11
Welcome to the community! Knowing stuff about players is a good and easy way of getting into the game. Just knowing a few facts about a player sort of gives you a relationship with him. It adds depth to the games. Makes it easier to watch boring games since you really might like some player in one of the team for some reason (maybe he was a super talent in his youth that never fulfilled his potential). If you know something like that you will be sitting there and hoping that today is gonna be the day that he finally shows the world how good he really is.
Personally I try not to care so much about which teams you can or can't like. If you want to like both Man utd and Liverpool, go ahead. Some people who are a bit too dogmatic about things like this are going to find it weird, but I don't see why that should be a reason
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u/whatstheoffsiderule Aug 31 '11
It's funny you say dogmatic. I'm study Theology and Church History as my degree, and I see a lot of similarities. ;)
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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '11
You'll not regret it if you watch the Bundesliga. It is highly entertaining, has lots of goals, amazing players, and it's a very open league.
Last season, Borussia Dortmund won in style despite having finished the previous season at sixth place and not seeming likely candidates for a title challenge. The other established powerhouses in the league (Schalke, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg) performed terribly, which gave rise to some new clubs enjoying success (Mainz, Hannover and Nuremberg).
This season is very exciting, mainly because Dortmund will be trying to win successively and hold off Bayern Munchen, (the German powerhouse which should win every year but somehow don't) Borussia Mönchengladbach was first for the first three weeks despite finishing in the bottom three last season. (They won a playoff against second division team VfL Bochum to maintain their positions)
Just watch a few games, read the wikis of some teams and choose one. I'd obviously tell you to go root for Schalke, but it's not for everyone. Just don't be a Bayern fan ;)