English Premier League (EPL) Thread

[Pointman]

Lalas is NOT comparing MLS to the EPL..so all who getting worked up about that just wasting their time. You might still diasgree with him..but please read and comprehend. Man saying the EPL doh live up to its own hype....fullstop

Maybe not directly, but he did refer to the MLS as "one of the world's most competitive leagues".

competitiveness and quality are not the same thing.  I think he was comparing the competitiveness of the two leagues as opposed to their quality.
 

what's the difference?

competitiveness is a measure of how evenly matched the teams in the league are.  It's not as big of a surprise for a team at/near the bottom of the table of the mls to beat a team at/near the top of the table.  there is a bigger sense of uncertainty going into such a game in the mls.  this is why he also used the "haves and have-nots" when referring to the EPL.

as for the claim that you could carry a bunch of mls players to england, the question is: how would an average mls team do against fulham or reading or wigan.  more than a few mls players have moved to the EPL with relatively smooth transitions.  Of course these guys were above average in the mls and none of them is playing for the top handful of teams.

What about quality?

[Filho]

Lalas is NOT comparing MLS to the EPL..so all who getting worked up about that just wasting their time. You might still diasgree with him..but please read and comprehend. Man saying the EPL doh live up to its own hype....fullstop

Don't you think that his saying that if MLS players were put into the Premeireship they wouldn't miss a beat...isn't that insinuating that the MLS is at least on par with the EPL? That seems to be a comparison to me.

Lalas:
“In England, our league is considered second class, but I honestly believe if you took a helicopter and grabbed a bunch of MLS players and took them to the perceived best league in the world they wouldn't miss a beat and the fans wouldn't notice any drop in quality.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20070619-0611-soc-galaxy-beckham.html

I am referring specifically to the comment about inferior product. He is not inferring that EPL is inferior to MLS imo. Even his comment about MLS players being able to hold their own in the EPL is not a direct comparison of the 2 leagues. For a league to be on par with another, your players can't just be capable of making the grade..even Lalas knows that. He did not say they would light it up or excel in the EPL. He just said they would make the grade. I agree completely with him. Many MLS players could do a decent job in the EPL and EPL managers beginning to realize. Forget the top 6. Lewwe talk about Man City, Reading and Fulham etc...Many MLS players could go to the EPL and do a decent job. Lalas never said they would dominate. They would just get the job done like most of their English counterparts. You wouldn't even notice they were American if you didn't already know. All the American players in the MLS filling in like the majority of English players..they not stars, but you not saying..'he look at them stale Yanks'. AND most of them even came out of the US college system, so they were at a disadvantage in their development. Even fellas like Onyewu (ok..he never played MLS) and Beasly who did not earn contracts were no worse than the majority of their teammates. Lalas eh lie at all. Shitsnake Jay De Meritt and all    starting right through..doh mind his side get relegated, the man play in the EPL and didn't stink no more than his teammates. heheh.... I know Lalas went overboard..but the man lose his cool or his brain lil loose. Underneath it all I see some truth to man statements

[daryn]

competitiveness is a measure of how evenly matched the teams in the league are.  It's not as big of a surprise for a team at/near the bottom of the table of the mls to beat a team at/near the top of the table.  there is a bigger sense of uncertainty going into such a game in the mls.  this is why he also used the "haves and have-nots" when referring to the EPL.

as for the claim that you could carry a bunch of mls players to england, the question is: how would an average mls team do against fulham or reading or wigan.  more than a few mls players have moved to the EPL with relatively smooth transitions.  Of course these guys were above average in the mls and none of them is playing for the top handful of teams.

What about quality?

sorry, I thought that competitiveness was the problematic term.  by quality I just mean how good the teams, and by extension the game, are.

for example, even if we assume that the worst EPL team is better than the best MLS team it doesn't mean that Man U v Watford is more evenly poised than Red Bulls v Real Salt Lake.

[Pointman]

competitiveness is a measure of how evenly matched the teams in the league are.  It's not as big of a surprise for a team at/near the bottom of the table of the mls to beat a team at/near the top of the table.  there is a bigger sense of uncertainty going into such a game in the mls.  this is why he also used the "haves and have-nots" when referring to the EPL.

as for the claim that you could carry a bunch of mls players to england, the question is: how would an average mls team do against fulham or reading or wigan.  more than a few mls players have moved to the EPL with relatively smooth transitions.  Of course these guys were above average in the mls and none of them is playing for the top handful of teams.

What about quality?

sorry, I thought that competitiveness was the problematic term.  by quality I just mean how good the teams, and by extension the game, are.

for example, even if we assume that the worst EPL team is better than the best MLS team it doesn't mean that Man U v Watford is more evenly poised than Red Bulls v Real Salt Lake.

thanks

[Toppa]

Lalas is NOT comparing MLS to the EPL..so all who getting worked up about that just wasting their time. You might still diasgree with him..but please read and comprehend. Man saying the EPL doh live up to its own hype....fullstop

Don't you think that his saying that if MLS players were put into the Premeireship they wouldn't miss a beat...isn't that insinuating that the MLS is at least on par with the EPL? That seems to be a comparison to me.

Lalas:
“In England, our league is considered second class, but I honestly believe if you took a helicopter and grabbed a bunch of MLS players and took them to the perceived best league in the world they wouldn't miss a beat and the fans wouldn't notice any drop in quality.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20070619-0611-soc-galaxy-beckham.html

I am referring specifically to the comment about inferior product. He is not inferring that EPL is inferior to MLS imo. Even his comment about MLS players being able to hold their own in the EPL is not a direct comparison of the 2 leagues. For a league to be on par with another, your players can't just be capable of making the grade..even Lalas knows that. He did not say they would light it up or excel in the EPL. He just said they would make the grade. I agree completely with him. Many MLS players could do a decent job in the EPL and EPL managers beginning to realize. Forget the top 6. Lewwe talk about Man City, Reading and Fulham etc...Many MLS players could go to the EPL and do a decent job. Lalas never said they would dominate. They would just get the job done like most of their English counterparts. You wouldn't even notice they were American if you didn't already know. All the American players in the MLS filling in like the majority of English players..they not stars, but you not saying..'he look at them stale Yanks'. AND most of them even came out of the US college system, so they were at a disadvantage in their development. Even fellas like Onyewu (ok..he never played MLS) and Beasly who did not earn contracts were no worse than the majority of their teammates. Lalas eh lie at all. Shitsnake Jay De Meritt and all    starting right through..doh mind his side get relegated, the man play in the EPL and didn't stink no more than his teammates. heheh.... I know Lalas went overboard..but the man lose his cool or his brain lil loose. Underneath it all I see some truth to man statements

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

[Preacher]

THat is why the MLS is total crap and would NEVER reach.  That's why american sports fans think that football is for gays.  In addition to the way that them the men's team does run. (very strange technique  )  these arrogant statements is why American Soccer will never be taken seriously.  This think is not just Lalas all the commentators does say the same duncy things.

Anyways I think we league as good as la liga.  And from the way we perform at the Gold Cup you could sub in we fellas and we ent go miss a beat neither.   

[Toppa]

THat is why the MLS is total crap and would NEVER reach.  That's why american sports fans think that football is for gays.  In addition to the way that them the men's team does run. (very strange technique  )  these arrogant statements is why American Soccer will never be taken seriously.  This think is not just Lalas all the commentators does say the same duncy things.

Anyways I think we league as good as la liga.  And from the way we perform at the Gold Cup you could sub in we fellas and we ent go miss a beat neither.    

Come nah man! 

[Filho]

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nope. There is no real comparison of leagues there. He just inferring you wouldn't notice any difference from the average. He is not using those exact words, but to me, that is what he is inferring.  Now the man taking a shot..so he pushing the boundaries a little..and on purpose. But did he say any MLS players would be stars in the EPL? NOPE. That to me says he not really saying they are equal, cuz for MLS to be on par with the EPL, its not good enough to just handle your stories. YTou have to have a few who could more than ride with the very best and he is careful not go so far. Right now he saying that he feels many of his boys could play in the EPL without looking out of place..and more and more of them doing it. So I cah hate on the man.

Besides..I look at it this way. Them English snobs writing some real poor reviews about your product and most of them just elitist snobs who never even watch a game. steeuups. When the English belittle our warriors..what we say. OH the EPL overrated..them fellas not good. Oh we could beat them. This one and that one good enough for EPL..blah blah blah. Same setta ah allyuh come back now and crying down Lalas. The English belittling the Americans and we vex cuz Lalas come back swinging. So what if you disagree..the man doing the right thing (and is good kix too). So what if he need some lessons in subtelty. Hit them boy Alexi...Let the establishment know that when they want to get nasty, you go fight back. Is only US hate on this board..steups. In principal I standing with Alexi.

[Toppa]

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nope. There is no real comparison of leagues there. He just inferring you wouldn't notice any difference from the average. He is not using those exact words, but to me, that is what he is inferring.  Now the man taking a shot..so he pushing the boundaries a little..and on purpose. But did he say any MLS players would be stars in the EPL? NOPE. That to me says he not really saying they are equal, cuz for MLS to be on par with the EPL, its not good enough to just handle your stories. YTou have to have a few who could more than ride with the very best and he is careful not go so far. Right now he saying that he feels many of his boys could play in the EPL without looking out of place..and more and more of them doing it. So I cah hate on the man.

Besides..I look at it this way. Them English snobs writing some real poor reviews about your product and most of them just elitist snobs who never even watch a game. steeuups. When the English belittle our warriors..what we say. OH the EPL overrated..them fellas not good. Oh we could beat them. This one and that one good enough for EPL..blah blah blah. Same setta ah allyuh come back now and crying down Lalas. The English belittling the Americans and we vex cuz Lalas come back swinging. So what if you disagree..the man doing the right thing (and is good kix too). So what if he need some lessons in subtelty. Hit them boy Alexi...Let the establishment know that when they want to get nasty, you go fight back. Is only US hate on this board..steups. In principal I standing with Alexi.

And in order to infer anything between the MLS and the EPL a comparison has to be made. Yuh real stubborn horse. 

Compare: v. 1 estimate, measure or note the similarity between; point out or describe the resemblances of something with; liken to.

So umm...yeah, Lalas was comparing the MLS to the EPL and his assessment was that MLS players would be able to hold their own and perform on par with players in the EPL. Whether you agree with him or not is beside the point.

[trinikev]

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nope. There is no real comparison of leagues there. He just inferring you wouldn't notice any difference from the average. He is not using those exact words, but to me, that is what he is inferring.  Now the man taking a shot..so he pushing the boundaries a little..and on purpose. But did he say any MLS players would be stars in the EPL? NOPE. That to me says he not really saying they are equal, cuz for MLS to be on par with the EPL, its not good enough to just handle your stories. YTou have to have a few who could more than ride with the very best and he is careful not go so far. Right now he saying that he feels many of his boys could play in the EPL without looking out of place..and more and more of them doing it. So I cah hate on the man.

Besides..I look at it this way. Them English snobs writing some real poor reviews about your product and most of them just elitist snobs who never even watch a game. steeuups. When the English belittle our warriors..what we say. OH the EPL overrated..them fellas not good. Oh we could beat them. This one and that one good enough for EPL..blah blah blah. Same setta ah allyuh come back now and crying down Lalas. The English belittling the Americans and we vex cuz Lalas come back swinging. So what if you disagree..the man doing the right thing (and is good kix too). So what if he need some lessons in subtelty. Hit them boy Alexi...Let the establishment know that when they want to get nasty, you go fight back. Is only US hate on this board..steups. In principal I standing with Alexi.

I agreed with almost everything u been saying so far Filho, but i think Toppa have a point there. While u right that his comment did not explicitly compare the leagues, by saying that taking a handful of MLS players and putting it in the EPL wudn't change anything, I see that as him saying that the players in the MLS are just as good as those in the EPL. And i doh think he referring to Beckham and Pablo Angel there. Thats the only point where i agree that he making a comparison, whether he realise that or not. Daz jus MHO tho 

[weary1969]

I eh no lover of the EPl. That being said dem fellas doin marketing b4 man hear bout the 4 P's of marketing.

So Lalas why not learn from dem and see how u can market that jokey league call the MLS.

[triniairman]

All of you who talking about LalAss MAKING SENSE is just ah bunch ah EPL haters stueps.

[Filho]

All of you who talking about LalAss MAKING SENSE is just ah bunch ah EPL haters stueps.

nope.. I love the EPL. And although I disagree with how Lalas expressed his point, I think I understand and agree with a lot of what he is saying. The EPL is a very well promoted, well marketed product. It is miles ahead of La Liga and Serie A in terms of global viewership, profiability and commercial viability. If you believe that is all down to what is going on on the pitch (that part is dam good and exciting)..well, you're wrong. You don't have to be an EPL hater to recognize what a good job they have done promoting the product. Would I use the term inferior...never..but as I said before, I doh mind that Lalas come out swinging 

[jai john]

All of you who talking about LalAss MAKING SENSE is just ah bunch ah EPL haters stueps.

nope.. I love the EPL. And although I disagree with how Lalas expressed his point, I think I understand and agree with a lot of what he is saying. The EPL is a very well promoted, well marketed product. It is miles ahead of La Liga and Serie A in terms of global viewership, profiability and commercial viability. If you believe that is all down to what is going on on the pitch (that part is dam good and exciting)..well, you're wrong. You don't have to be an EPL hater to recognize what a good job they have done promoting the product. Would I use the term inferior...never..but as I said before, I doh mind that Lalas come out swinging 

you think the strength of the english currency also helps this process along ? After all evryone wants to play for chelsea in the premiership ......because of the quality of their football right ?

[Filho]

And in order to infer anything between the MLS and the EPL a comparison has to be made. Yuh real stubborn horse. 

Compare: v. 1 estimate, measure or note the similarity between; point out or describe the resemblances of something with; liken to.

So umm...yeah, Lalas was comparing the MLS to the EPL and his assessment was that MLS players would be able to hold their own and perform on par with players in the EPL. Whether you agree with him or not is beside the point.

Toppa..I am a subborn fella . But I not stubborn for stubborness sake. Yeah..he is indirectly comparing the 2 leagues. No doubt. When I first said he was not comparing them, I did not see the part about the MLS players being able to hold their own in the EPL. My first 2 responses were to the original post which I think did not have that part. I think that was added later..no? Like I said, I was really referring to the 'inferior' comment. I was saying he is not calling it an inferior product compared to the MLS. Of course, in typical fashion, I couldn't leave it at that. I wanted to say that Lalas had not said anything to indicate he thought the two leagues wer on par and mistakenly argued that he was not comparing them. But you're correct. It is an indirect comparison of the leagues. Does he really think every MLS player could make it in the EPL? I doubt that. Could anyone be that deluded? His statement reads a lot like hyperbole. He is exaggerating to make a point. I think you could take any number of players from the portuguese league and they would do a decent job in the EPL, same for Holland or France...yet it is widely accepted that these are inferior leagues to the EPL. So I just was not reading to much into that statement other than 'we produce a decent number of good players'.

Watch and see tomorrow he will say the MLS better than the EPL and I will have to flicking hit him a lash after a defend him whole day on de forum

[Toppa]

And in order to infer anything between the MLS and the EPL a comparison has to be made. Yuh real stubborn horse. 

Compare: v. 1 estimate, measure or note the similarity between; point out or describe the resemblances of something with; liken to.

So umm...yeah, Lalas was comparing the MLS to the EPL and his assessment was that MLS players would be able to hold their own and perform on par with players in the EPL. Whether you agree with him or not is beside the point.

Toppa..I am a subborn fella . But I not stubborn for stubborness sake. Yeah..he is indirectly comparing the 2 leagues. No doubt. When I first said he was not comparing them, I did not see the part about the MLS players being able to hold their own in the EPL. My first 2 responses were to the original post which I think did not have that part. I think that was added later..no? Then even when I saw that, I was confusing the idea that he really was not saying the leagues are equal...with not comparing them. But you're correct. It is an indirect comparison of the leagues. Does he really think every MLS player could make it in the EPL. I doubt that. Could anyone be that deluded? His statement reads a lot like hyperbole. He is exaggerating to make a point. I am looking at it like that, so I really don't get a clear picture of how he feels about MLS as a league compared to the EPL. And I don't think that is his intention. At best I can say I don't think he really believes they are comparable, but you're right, in doing so he has compared them.

Watch and see tomorrow he will say the MLS better than the EPL and I will have to flicking hit him a lash after a defend him whole day on de forum

Yeah, no scene. Maybe he really did just want to lash out, buh he just make it harder for people to take him or the MLS seriously. But at least he made my facebook quotes, so that's a plus for him.

[Filho]

And in order to infer anything between the MLS and the EPL a comparison has to be made. Yuh real stubborn horse. 

Compare: v. 1 estimate, measure or note the similarity between; point out or describe the resemblances of something with; liken to.

So umm...yeah, Lalas was comparing the MLS to the EPL and his assessment was that MLS players would be able to hold their own and perform on par with players in the EPL. Whether you agree with him or not is beside the point.

Toppa..I am a subborn fella . But I not stubborn for stubborness sake. Yeah..he is indirectly comparing the 2 leagues. No doubt. When I first said he was not comparing them, I did not see the part about the MLS players being able to hold their own in the EPL. My first 2 responses were to the original post which I think did not have that part. I think that was added later..no? Then even when I saw that, I was confusing the idea that he really was not saying the leagues are equal...with not comparing them. But you're correct. It is an indirect comparison of the leagues. Does he really think every MLS player could make it in the EPL. I doubt that. Could anyone be that deluded? His statement reads a lot like hyperbole. He is exaggerating to make a point. I am looking at it like that, so I really don't get a clear picture of how he feels about MLS as a league compared to the EPL. And I don't think that is his intention. At best I can say I don't think he really believes they are comparable, but you're right, in doing so he has compared them.

Watch and see tomorrow he will say the MLS better than the EPL and I will have to flicking hit him a lash after a defend him whole day on de forum

Yeah, no scene. Maybe he really did just want to lash out, buh he just make it harder for people to take him or the MLS seriously. But at least he made my facebook quotes, so that's a plus for him.

Yeah..just so you know. I made some edits to the post. I didn't change the gist, but it will read differently from what you quoted. THought I could change it up a bit before anyone replied..Allyuh too swift

Lalas knows what he is doing. People all over the world discussing his statements. This is probably all a carefully planned publicity stunt by MLS. Every football chatroom, blog etc...is talking about Alexi Lalas. More people will be inclined to tune it to MLS to see what this 'idiot' is talking about

[kicker]

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nope. There is no real comparison of leagues there.

Like I said b4, even though there is no direct comparison (in the first article), yuh hadda be a real technical man relying on semantics & splitting hairs to deny that Lalas is not implying that the MLS is on par with the EPL (even if he doesn't believe it deep down inside himself) based on his statements.....Technically what he expressing is that MLS players are somewhat technically on par with EPL players in general...Deducing a similar comparison of leagues by extrapolation is not that far of stretch- give Toppa a bligh....

It is true that saying MLS players wouldn't miss a beat if dropped in the middle of a EPL game is not necessarily a comparison of the leagues- just because players are technically on par doesn't make the league on par, because the EPL consists of more teams, more competitions, more games, more global exposure, greater pressure from the press, more passionate fans, bigger prize money, bigger salaries, more endorsement opportunities etc............................so there are many factors that set the leagues apart other than the technical ability of the players (which Lalas is speaking more directly too)....but I eh go dis Toppa for drawing the deduction that she did....Lalas was taking a jab at the EPL, and in some form or the other comparing it to the MLS.....

[Filho]

Excuse me, but by saying that the MLS players wouldn't "miss a beat" and that there would be no "difference in quality" he is obviously saying that they are on par/at the same level as their Englsih counter-parts...that there is a comparison. And he didn't even say whether he was talking about the mid-tier clubs, leaving us to assume that he meant the league in general, which would obviously include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nope. There is no real comparison of leagues there.

Like I said b4, even though there is no direct comparison (in the first article), yuh hadda be a real technical man relying on semantics & splitting hairs to deny that Lalas is not implying that the MLS is on par with the EPL (even if he doesn't believe it deep down inside himself) based on his statements.....Technically what he expressing is that MLS players are somewhat technically on par with EPL players in general...Deducing a similar comparison of leagues by extrapolation is not that far of stretch- give Toppa a bligh....

It is true that saying MLS players wouldn't miss a beat if dropped in the middle of a EPL game is not necessarily a comparison of the leagues- just because players are technically on par doesn't make the league on par, because the EPL consists of more teams, more competitions, more games, more global exposure, greater pressure from the press, more passionate fans, bigger prize money, bigger salaries, more endorsement opportunities etc............................so there are many factors that set the leagues apart other than the technical ability of the players (which Lalas is speaking more directly too)....but I eh go dis Toppa for drawing the deduction that she did....Lalas was taking a jab at the EPL, and in some form or the other comparing it to the MLS.....

Real Madrid fans 

kix 

[Jah Gol]

The commentators during T&T game vs USA, one of them (Caliguiri I believe)  said that not even the Mexicans in the Mexican league is playing at a high standard; that the MLS was better then the Mexican League. I could not understand how he come up with that, but now here is another "great" American saying that the EPL is inferior.


Look at the standings. The supposedly best team is just that supposedly.
http://web.mlsnet.com/standings/index.jsp

http://web.mlsnet.com/stats/index.jsp


All this amount to is nothing.

If Caliguiri really said that he is backside. The MLS players are probably physically stronger and could possibly give you a better sprint but in terms of tactics and technique it's no comparison. In Mexican football defenders know how to move the ball out of defense better. The average level of ball control they have is remarkable. And front the strikers have much higher skill level and are better finishers. Their solution in a tight situation is thought and not always speed. It's not the first time I've said this but the Mexican league from what I've seen is only behind Brazil and Argentina in terms on this side of the world. If they were able to attract high quality South African and African players the league would improve even more.

As a spectacle is superior to the MLS by far.

[Bakes]

hard luck boy Bakes....laawwd yuh quick on the draw...I was just expanding on meh point, (prematurely hit "send")...and yuh hit meh b4 ah could modify.....hear meh out again- above...

lol...ah juss doing ah quick run thru before ah breeze out...


If they cyah stick long enuf to prove theyself what that tell yuh 

Point taken...IMHO though for a country that only got its act together (football-wise) in the last decade and a half, their players have done their cause no major harm in England (and Europe in general)- Now if yuh want to talk about players who traditionally (long enough to call a trend) struggle badly outside of their home------ Mexico !!!!!!!!!!!!

Total agreement...the Yanks have improved by leaps and bounds.  By my own unofficial count there were approximately 13 US players on EPL rosters this past season...pretty decent haul in my mind.

The Mexicans...agreed as well and don't even know what the reason for that might be.

[Bakes]

I stand by the notion that the majority of fuss on this thread is about Trinis fighting down the U.S./MLS & at the same time worshipping the EPL.....if Rafa Benitez came out and said that there are a handful of PFL players that could walk on to Liverpool and not miss a beat, we woulda quote it as the gospel, even though the absurdity of such a statement is exponentially greater than anything that Lalas said....plain talk eh no bad manners....

I agree that far too often people on this board love to jump on the anti-US bandwagon...but in this regard I think the opinions about the perceived comparison are on point.

[Bakes]

thanks bake n' shark - that's exactly what i meant.

Forgive me if I am putting words in your mouth but i dont think that is what you meant to say at all, just that BnS put a good spin on it so you like that.

Alexi Lalas, the president of LA Galaxy and the man responsible for taking David Beckham to Major League Soccer in the United States next month, has suggested that the Premiership is an "inferior product" whose global success is largely down to American marketing techniques.
"There's no accounting for bad taste," Lalas said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. "That a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business. English football now has the haves and the have-nots. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and so now they have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing - taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging."

yuh see all them bolded lines, is the football the man talking about, the so called quality of the EPL as a marketable entity is the quality of its football.

I put no particular 'spin' on it...the comment is there for all with understanding to see.  The fact that you can't decipher the message in the statement is not itself an indictment of the statement.

[ribbit]

lalas is approaching this from a business point of view not a footballing point of view. the word "inferior" preceeded the word "product".

  

I think he means that Lalas isn't so much criticizing the quality of the EPL game, but moreso the quality of the EPL as a marketable entity.

Six on one hand...half dozen on the other if you ask me though.  The EPL is in great financial shape...so obviously they're doing a bang up job with marketing to sponsors and fans.

thanks bake n' shark - that's exactly what i meant.

Forgive me if I am putting words in your mouth but i dont think that is what you meant to say at all, just that BnS put a good spin on it so you like that.

Alexi Lalas, the president of LA Galaxy and the man responsible for taking David Beckham to Major League Soccer in the United States next month, has suggested that the Premiership is an "inferior product" whose global success is largely down to American marketing techniques.
"There's no accounting for bad taste," Lalas said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. "That a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business. English football now has the haves and the have-nots. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and so now they have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing - taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging."

yuh see all them bolded lines, is the football the man talking about, the so called quality of the EPL as a marketable entity is the quality of its football.

mc, yes you are putting words in my mouth and you are not forgiven. i meant it as i said it.

[Mr Mc]

lalas is approaching this from a business point of view not a footballing point of view. the word "inferior" preceeded the word "product".

  

I think he means that Lalas isn't so much criticizing the quality of the EPL game, but moreso the quality of the EPL as a marketable entity.

Six on one hand...half dozen on the other if you ask me though.  The EPL is in great financial shape...so obviously they're doing a bang up job with marketing to sponsors and fans.

thanks bake n' shark - that's exactly what i meant.

Forgive me if I am putting words in your mouth but i dont think that is what you meant to say at all, just that BnS put a good spin on it so you like that.

Alexi Lalas, the president of LA Galaxy and the man responsible for taking David Beckham to Major League Soccer in the United States next month, has suggested that the Premiership is an "inferior product" whose global success is largely down to American marketing techniques.
"There's no accounting for bad taste," Lalas said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. "That a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business. English football now has the haves and the have-nots. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and so now they have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing - taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging."

yuh see all them bolded lines, is the football the man talking about, the so called quality of the EPL as a marketable entity is the quality of its football.

mc, yes you are putting words in my mouth and you are not forgiven. i meant it as i said it.

You mean you meant it as Bake n Shark said it.

put no particular 'spin' on it...the comment is there for all with understanding to see.  The fact that you can't decipher the message in the statement is not itself an indictment of the statement.

My initial response of  was less about me not understanding the statement and more about me not agreeing with what was being said.
and you are wrong, the fact that I, cant 'decipher' the message in the statement says alot about the statement. 

[Bakes]

My initial response of  was less about me not understanding the statement and more about me not agreeing with what was being said.
and you are wrong, the fact that I, cant 'decipher' the message in the statement says alot about the statement. 

That's how you express disagreement...with a sign of confusion/puzzlement??


De subtle approach ent work so I might as well be blunt...you just damn dotish.

[Mr Mc]

My initial response of  was less about me not understanding the statement and more about me not agreeing with what was being said.
and you are wrong, the fact that I, cant 'decipher' the message in the statement says alot about the statement. 

That's how you express disagreement...with a sign of confusion/puzzlement??


De subtle approach ent work so I might as well be blunt...you just damn dotish.

daiz yuh big response...stueeps!
Boo!

[Bakes]

daiz yuh big response...stueeps!
Boo!

^^^^^ in search of a daddy

[Midknight]

Here's a modified version of a little game from the BBC Match of the Day Team:

1) Place the 20 Premier League clubs in the order in which you think they will finish the season. You will get 5 points for each club correctly placed and 3 points if you are 1 or 2 places out either way. But beware, you lose 5 points for being wrong by more than 5 places either way;

2) Select the Premier League manager you think will be first to leave their current job for whatever reason. 5 points on offer;

3) Select your Premier League top scorer. 5 points;

Here are my selections:

For the purposes of our game on the board here, you will have up until the end of the month to modify any predictions at which point the thread will be locked. Should be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end of the season

If we have a tie then, the two leaders will make a prediction regarding the identity of the World Cup semifinalists as a tiebreaker

Here are mine (I haven't given this much real though, so expect them to change)

Premier League table:

1 Chelsea
2 Man Utd
3 Liverpool
4 Man City
5 Arsenal
6 Spurs
7 Aston Villa
8 Everton
9 West Ham
10 Fulham
11 Blackburn
12 Stoke
13 Sunderland
14 Wigan
15 Bolton
16 Portsmouth
17 Wolves
18 Hull
19 Birmingham
20 Burnley

First Premier League manager to leave his job: Paul Hart (Portsmouth)
Premier League top scorer: Wayne Rooney

[MEP]

I actually have we coming in second too.....

Champions League Final will be Man U v Inter...

Altidore will score on debut....

Scotland will score 14 goals in de EPL

Real Madrid will implode and come in second

I will end up in the top 10 in the Andre Samuel League