That is interesting to see a rowdy fan base over there. What styles of play do both clubs play as that does play a part in what initially interested me into looking into Valencia and Sevilla.
Disappointed the Betis didn't pick him up earlier from Rangers. He has been injured as of late and has been used as sub for the Gers during the second half of the season. Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera!! Er Pichi
This is very cool of Athletic Bilbao as I would love to have played against my favorite club when I was a kid. 100 kids take on Bilbao's 11. http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddbal...-play-against-100-children-in-impossible-game There is a video of part of the match at the link.
Haha good luck with that, IIRC they haven't beaten us in over a decade. I agree with jf, Bilbao might be a good choice for you. I would also say Depor and perhaps Mallorca, though Mallorca are in a bit of trouble. Villarreal?
You could read Phil Ball's articles on soccernet to get a good grasp on La Liga, too. I think Bilbao started to bunker, because of their new coach, but he saved them.
Not a big fan of soccernet plus I am more interested in hearing from fellow supporters of the various clubs. Valencia and Sevilla are the two I find myself the most intrigued by due to style of play as well as being in cities I definitely wouldn't mind visiting on a semi regular basis. I will admit I do throw in the fact that they could at least compete well in the Europa league if not the CL. Bilbao are very interesting but I am curious with their love for keeping players from that specific area if their fan base is like that as well. I continue my qwest.
My problem with La Liga, is that I just can't find a team that catches my interest. I think a lot of it might be because of the big two, they get all the news, all the highlights, everything that is covered here in the states for the most part. I like Atletico when Torres played there, but after he left, I was rather "meh" about them. When I was younger I liked Valenica, but now I'm "meh" about them as well. Lately I have been enjoying Real Madrid, but it's Real Madrid! I'm never the type of guy to like teams that spend all the money on the top players, thereby dominating simply because of money. So I kind of like them, but I don't want to! Conundrum.
that is how I feel as well. I don't like the big 2 even though I would say I dig the style of play that Barcelona play. That is something that some times leans me towards Valencia as I enjoy their style of play. It also has to be somewhere that would be awesome to go on vacation hopefully once a year to attend at least one match as well as doing the normal sightseeing and relaxation time needed during any vacation. I just don't like how so much debt is occurring in La Liga as it is doing in so many English league clubs.
If you are looking for modest sides focused on youth development, no one does it better than the Basque. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are trendsetters in the area of youth development and their homegrown focus is admirable in today's environment. Sociedad is located in San Sebastian (arguably the best location in all of Spain, but that's a matter of taste of course). Sevilla is on the same level as Atletico Madrid. They play exciting soccer. Jesus Navas and Diego Capel are two of their young pearls. Sevilla is a located in the flamboyant Andalusian corner of Spain. Atletico Madrid is stockpiling young talent and they should be heard from over the next 3-5 years as these players grow up. They have invested heavily in youth, both local and abroad. It could pay that club huge dividends in the coming years.
I have had the same problem too for a while. Same thing with England and Germany on picking a club. I still haven't. Fortunately for me, I am going to Spain in two weeks and might be able to catch Sevilla vs. Athletico Madrid, which then I will support Sevilla from there on out. Question to anyone out there. Do you know how to get a ticket (or a few) in advance to La Liga game? My first int'l possible game, and didn't know if I could do it online? MANY THANKS!
I think Villareal would be a good fit for you! They been in the 1st Division for 11 years! Villareal is a small town in Spain with! We been in Champions league and uefa cup! We are currently in the Eropean League! We got good players like Santi Cazorla Cani Rossi Nilmar Jefferson Montero and others Really good team.. Check them out!
This makes no sense. Atletico is a far better team now then when Torres was there. They played in 2 cup finals last year, and Forlan has given much more to the club than Torres ever did. There is also Aguero who is a world class player too. Atletico also has the best young goalkeeper in Spain in David De Gea. Diego Godin is a great centerback who also starred in the World Cup for Uruguay and used to be at Villareal. Its a very exciting team to watch, and although I find Ujfalusi to be a thug for what he did to messi, he had a clear penalty turned down or Atletico would have at least tied barca. If anything, I would have though people would like Atletico more after Torres left. It was a case of selling the best player, and they have made the team much, much better. And you can't argue with Forlan's goalscoring record at both Villareal and Atletico being better than Torres ever did in Spain
At least Atletico is playing defense now...when Torres was there, and recently, Atletico had tons of high-scoring games. They are quite a solid team now, with a great stadium, and much easier to cheer for than the other team in town (and I don't mean Rayo or Getafe).
I do think you are right. I was the one who started this thread and I must apologize for not believing you when you originally brought up the yellow submarine. I have really enjoyed getting to learn about the club and I enjoy their style of play. I also look forward to finding out more about the city as I always hope to visit(more than just once) the cities of the clubs I follow. Thanks again for the advice!
I'd like to learn more about the teams in La Liga before I see my first European soccer match in May (Real Madrid vs. Almeria). I don't know much about the sport or the league, but it sounded like an incredible experience I couldn't pass up while I'm in Madrid. It seems like Real Madrid and Barcelona are the big competitors. I've heard it said that Real Madrid throws money at the top talent in the world - do they have an "evil empire" reputation like The Yankees in baseball? Are there any big rivalries and what are the dynamics like between teams in La Liga?
I chose against them as A. definite bandwagon B. I despise both clubs and many things that they both stand for and how they stand against the better tv contract similar to what is in England where each club would get a share which would serve better for the entire league. You obviously don't understand Hipster as hipster goes in with the trendy stuff and it is definitely trendy to hop on the Barca and Madrid bus.
As for the La Liga, I am still undecided as no club has truly chosen me. I do know that I enjoy Atletico Madrid but remain undecided.
Hope Villarreal comes back up this season, it is such a well-run club and I'm still baffled at their relegation. My memory gets very hazy on sporting stuff because I follow a lot of different things, but they really missed Cazorla last season, was it? And the lengthy injuries to Rossi and Neymar? Anyways, the more and more you watch La Liga, you will eventually gravitate towards a particular club! For me, I was a Premier League follower who randomly happened to watch the 2004 Copa del Rey final and saw a player for Real Zaragoza named Villa and thought he was fantastic. That man was David Villa and when he went to Valencia in 2005, that was right around the time I started really following La Liga, and Valencia's been my main club in Europe since that time. I agree, Phil Ball at ESPN FC is a genius. I also love Tim Stannard at 442 and Football365, and Sid Lowe at the Guardian is very respected, as well as Guillem Balague at Sky Sports. But Phil Ball is the guru for me
After all this time, the club that finally chose me was Atletico Madrid. Mix of playing styles, supporters, and a few other things just kept catching my eyes. Thanks to anyone that offered suggestions and help.