Which would have raised the intellectual level of the thread as a whole by a factor of ten. Look,not to actually address the topic here or anything, but Trecker's problem is not how OTHER people see him, but rather that he HE SEES HIMSELF as "one of the preemininent soccer writers in America" or "the dean of American Soccer" or whatever. As a writer, strictly a wordsmith, he is very pedestrian. This is in no way an opinon, but rather an indisputable fact. Find me a professional editor who disagrees and I'll buy you dinner. Strictly as a SOCCER writer, he USED to be a top scribe when there was virtually no competition. It was like being the best American Dressage rider. But next to some of the guys who've come along in the last few years, his superficial, self-promoting, smug commentary is exposed as lacking anything approaching real insight. Most of his "thoughts" seem pre-packaged, handed out along with the free buffet. Of course, this sort of lazy, assembly-line journalism is something we take for granted in guys covering a mid-level college football team or a mid-January NBA game in Atlanta.What's always somewhat surprising to me is when somebody does the usual, "write what they want and preserve my access", bored sportswriter "article by remote control" in American soccer. One can almost see him sucking down the free drinks as he basks in the glow of being "somebody" while some mid-level flack feeds him his article. The guy's whole mealticket, his raison d'etre is wrapped up in being a soccer veteran. If he has to give up pumping himself up to establish his relevance, he'll be forced to go work for a living.
And Bill's post gets to the heart of why this sock puppet is particularly clever. He's winding a lot of folks up by using a lot of over the top Eurosnobbery and REALLY cheeseball literary references and devices. Sounds kinda/sorta like the jacknut he's "defending," huh? Huzzah, Simon, quality trolling. And, as much as I love to read my friends and those I respect on these boards bounce up and down on a puppet like this... Didn't you guys think to just call him on being a sock puppet and a fake and move on? It's not like his posts being left unchallenged would do any harm. He wasn't actually making any points.
Vermont?!? When the hell did Trecker go to Vermont?!? Awww man, I'm not even supposed to be here today.
Re: One more for the list Chinaglia isn't nearly fluent enough in the English language (or any language, probably) to be Simon Birch. I say that Birch's real identity could be Nick Webster.
The way he's "winding" people "up", I'm guessing it's just one of the regulars around here. I'm sure one of the mods could do an IP match, but that would be unethical to share that info.
My points are still extemely valid, no doubt about it, but it was amusing time after time to watch imbecile posters respond, grasping at straws, with sound and fury of a deulted, dumb-witted dolt, attempting to respond to reason and logic with absurd and often simplistic logic. To claim victory in this battle for my opponents is to merely be impressed with ribald humor about as sophisticated as slap-stick and one-liners and zingers while refusing to recognize the point or stay on topic and discuss an actual issue. A few of you did, but most were so enfuriated with concepts and logics that did not fit your within your limited worldview that I was automatically dismissed as a troll and malcontent. Perhaps, someday, I will become brain dead and join the hum-drum step of the befuddled and ignorant soccer enclave in this nation. Until then, I will call things as I see them, and I see Trecker as right on this one........ And a note for you illiterates out there, foremost is merely akin to calling Trecker the most pre-eminent journalist out there; he is not proclaiming himself the best writer out there-unfortunately, a common disease on BigSoccer appears to be jumping to conclusions and responding with a deriding tone to someone because an opinion may be critical, cynical or unpopular. What other soccer writer is able to have an article posted on English website and have a message board accumulate 250 posts about his musings and sentiments? Unpopular? Yes. Disagreeable? Certainly? Pre-eminent and foremost? You look at the post tally and I dare you to say otherwise. The man is out there and we give him our attention. That, my beknighted crusaders of stupidity, is what the media looks at.
And yet, if I didn't anger you, if I didn't provoke your minds with these thoughts, where would you be? With a calm pulse I presume. It seems to me that if I had nothing worthwhile to say, then you wouldn't respond. Instead, you get frustrated with me, because deep down, your phallus (which according to you, all phallus' point to me, how flattering that I excite you that much sir, but please, in the future, leave that detail in the wetdream......) is being aroused and you are in denial about it. A typical "exchange" in this thread (if you can call it an exchange, I make valid point after point and summarily get dismissed, how quaint): Simon Birch: Trecker is spot on, by and large, we do not have a soccer culture in this country, and the MLS and National Team have failed to capitalize on the soccer market like Champions World has. There is obviously a market out there, and if 1/10 empty stadiums are any indicator compared to Man U and Milan and Juventus this summer, so far, MLS has failed in its endeavors. MLS needs to realize what is driving people to these matches and work to capitalize on this market. And the fans in this country have an onver-inflated sense of self as far as there opinion of themselves. Response by Loney, Monster, Wankler et al: You're a troll and a Euro snob. You obviously hate our league and national team. You're merely a Euro poser. Get lost, you're a newbie and your opinion means nothing. Simon Birch: I love the league and national team, I have season tickets, am in supporters club, and have travelled to see the nats and my club team play. I love this game, but I see lots of flaws and shortcomings, most noticeably, the lack of our ability to put out a product that is palatable for the more sophisticated and savvy followers of the sport. Response by Loney, Monster, Wankler et al: You are a troll. You must be. Your opinion is different then we hold, so you will be summarily dismissed. We offer precious little to refute your claims or challenges and shall overlook your cordial tone and willingness to discuss this topic on an internet message board designed for such a purpose. Instead, we shall treat this like an old boys club and not allow your point to be vaild. And so on and so forth........... Claim a hollow victory if you must, and continue to deep-throat the pagentry and musings of the front office. Meanwhile, our national side will continue to struggle and look extremely sub-par among the elite of this world (which many posters, after one World Cup run where we fortunately backed into the second round-think we belong) and our clubs will struggle in international play.
Yeesh -- I did that, and all I had to do was call Manchester United a bunch of cowards. After a brief spurt of glory in which my name was mentioned with bemusement in the Daily Mirror and I was quite amusingly shredded in Football365, I went back to my cult audience. I'm not sure what that proves. In this case, though, I think you deserve the credit/blame for running this to 250 posts. I wouldn't have written anything if we were just talking about Trecker -- it's not my place to do so. But this is such a fascinating case study in 21st century rhetorical tactics that I just couldn't resist.
I've seen better translations using Babelfish, which usually tells me United of Mancuria has been the vanquisher of the Glass of the Liberators, or something like that.
Well he enjoys winding us up, at least he assumes he winds us up. btw, i think this is an id on one of the pictures: http://www.crk.umn.edu/people/athletics/Baseball/Roster/2002/pix/zachpoehler.htm from the collection: http://www.crk.umn.edu/people/athle...ctures/AllSeason/pages/Poehler Windup_jpg.htm
What a freaking pinhed. I love when I can rant about this idiot. http://www.thefirealarm.com/tfadefault.cfm?page=ARTICLE&show=222
I believe that if you had an drop of intelligence in your cranium, you would realize that Trecker was sticking up for the Fire Fans and the Ultras as a whole and sarcastically was referring to them as infidels. Thanks for selectively reading Trecker's quote however, as it shows what an egotistical, senseless, foolish and bromidic lot soccer supporters too often can be. Props on being able to turn two paragraphs of support for diversity at Fire games and hostility towards security into a diatribe of deulsion and juvenile capability and understanding.
Simon, please don't let the many hostile people here discourage you. There is a dedicated cadre of American "fans" who tag-team people they don't like, endlessly insulting them and baiting them. Many fans who used to go to games and post here have been driven away. When I see some of these names I don't even bother to read their posts or respond to them. It isn't that they lack knowledge. Some of them know a great deal about soccer. They just want flame wars, picking fights over something someone said 2 years ago. Some of your points are valid, but I agree with the condemnation of Mr. Trecker's article. Where do you start? He accused the Chicago Fire of using security to exclude Hispanic fans and keep the stadium all-white. This is completely false. Garcia Security, a company with primarily bilingual Hispanic guards, patrolled Soldier Field. The Fire has bent over backwards to get Hispanic fans to come to games. So Mr. Trecker's article is totally false on this and other points. Two of the best soccer journalists in the U.S. PmOliu and Beau Dure, are posting here. They are light years ahead of Mr. Trecker and increasing the gap as we speak.
CHIEF WIGGUM: (Simon's) easier to beat than a prisoner in shackles. LOU: It's pretty easy to beat a prisoner in shackles chief. CHIEF WIGGUM: That's the joke Lou, about easy beatability.
Of course it results to this torpid, trite and infantile rattling and pissing. Your banal and hackneyed attempt is merely more fodder for my cause. Of course, twisting my comments (such as stating that MLS is not as good European soccer and harping on other minutiae) is not only absurd, but also foolish. Since you would rather not look at my posts and see the broad purpose to my posts, but would rather live in a land where I am merely posturing and conjecturing as a troll, then fine, please feel free to wallow in your ignorance. Your post, sir, is tepid and irrationally nonsensical that I believe I can throw pearls to the swine no more. I shall leave this post and let you return to your naivete and unenlightenedness, since you or nobody here has any desire to discuss what actually occured. I am sure this will be hailed as a great victory and concession on my part, but your cheers of supposed "mastery" are as hollow as your skulls and as empty as your depth.
Actually, 78 or thereabouts is my normal resting pulse rate, at least in the morning after 3-4 cups of coffee. It's around 66-70 in the evening, unless I had a couple of beers with dinner. It's not stupidity that bothers me. I'm used to that. It's stupidity passed off as insight that's annoying. This is a discussion forum, you know. You could at least try to discuss things. Start with what we've asked for before: your plans for actually improving MLS: let's hear more about "Project 120" for instance. Or are you really as devoid of ideas as you seem? Of course, for you to actually discuss these things... ... first you'd need to learn how to read: http://www.hookedonphonics.com. I didn't say "all phallus' (sic)" point to you. I said "you are the reality toward which all phallic symbols point." So if you don't know the difference between phallic symbols, phalluses, and penises, that's not my fault. Oh, and you should check your own head: the person who could come up with a turn of phrase like "fellatio of the foot" (another nice misuse of the English language, and one that betrays a serious foot-fetish, given what "fellatio" actually means) has issues. And probably a hard-drive full of some sick pictures. It's been fun winding you up. Time for me to throw this fish back, though. Definitely not a keeper.