Re: ! Well, I would say the fans are pretty split on this issue. Fans of the smaller clubs are not to fond of the change, since it decreases the possibility of their club being in the NLA. Fans of the bigger clubs tend to welcome it, because it allows them to play their rivals more often (4 times a season.) I personally like the change a lot. A Grasshopper vs. Basle match-up has much more appeal than a Grasshopper vs. Delemont game. The new format also helps attract new investors because there is more security in the investment. With the current system and a max. of 4 possible relegations, several clubs had plenty of sleepless nights these past few years. The 10-team league will also ease the schedule a little bit. Until now a 22 game schedule had to be crammed in before December. The new league will still have a 36 game season, but much more spread out. Now where does all of this put F. Hejduk and FCSG you ask? Well, the situation is like this: with the exception of the big three (Grasshoppers, Basle, and Servette Geneva), all clubs have made it their #1 priority to make the final round this season. Because if they don't make it, they will have to fight with 7 other teams for the remaining 2 spots in this year's promotion/relegation round. These are the current standings after 9 rounds. As you can see the rest of the league is staring at GCZ's shoes 1. Grasshoppers (24) 2. Basel (15) 3. Zürich (15) 4. Servette (13) 5. Wil (13) 6. St. Gallen (12) 7. Thun (12) 8. Young Boys (12) ------------------------- 9. Neuchâtel Xamax (9) 10. Delémont (9) 11. Luzern (7) 12. Aarau (7) FCSG is only 3 pts. away from the hated 9th place, but they've got a fairly easy game coming up against SR Delemont.
Jeff Agoos was born in Geneva Switzerland and his hometown is listed as Dallas Texas. SwissGCZ, are you Jeff?
Yes, our crowds are definitely smaller than MLS. Our average attendance is in the 8000 range. The absolute top club is FC Basel (FCB) with about 25,000 on average. The reason they've got crowds like that is winning the double last season and getting their brand-new stadium, the St. Jakob Park (capacity: 35,000) I've been to it for the first time this summer when Switzerland hosted the U-21 Euro Cup. It's a truly magnificent stadium. The whole outside of the stadium can be illuminated red at night (like the whore house that it is when FCB plays in it ) The architects of the St. Jakob Park are the same ones that got hired for Munich's new Stadium. Swiss soccer is going through a big update right now and 4 more new stadiums are being built (Geneva, Bern, Zurich, and St. Gallen.). All these new stadiums and the hopefully successful bid for Euro 2008 (http://www.austria.switzerland-euro2008.com/)should give Swiss soccer a much needed push.
http://www.fcsg.ch/newsdetails.asp?kid=5&id=219 Frankie signed the contract last night (Thursday). Contract runs until the end of the season.
Even before it was decriminalized, it was not *cracked* down on very much. Riding the trains and sometimes walking down the street, you can catch a *whiff* of marijuana. However, don't get the impression that it is dealt all over the place. I understand there are tough laws for dealers and also for other illegal drugs. A lot of what I've seen posted here seems to be consistent with my experiences. The Swiss are very orderly and somewhat *stiff* -- they don't usually put their nose in other people's business, but if you make a Swiss friend, you'll have a friend for life. Also, I assume the work permit will be not too difficult for Frankie to get. I'm not sure what the rules are for athletes, but coming from the US would help his case even if he were applying for a *regular* job. However, each Kanton is allocated a certain number of work permits and as the year progresses, they have fewer available. So if you're planning to work in Switzerland, it's better to apply for your work permit early in the year. Nothing here happens fast. I ordered ADSL last week and they said I would have it in about 10 days or it could be up to several weeks -- there's not much of a rush to do things here. People like to take their time and smell the roses along the way. They value simple pleasures including spending time with friends and families and are not in such a rush everywhere. It is an extremely picturesque place. The mountains are beautiful and the cities are quaint. Most people are friendly enough if you need help or ask a question, but they will rarely approach you. However, since there are 4 official languages (German - about 70%, French, Italian, Romanich) you will find four distinct attitudes. As you approach Italy, for instance, you'll notice people talking louder, a little more demonstrative and perhaps a little ruder than your average German-speaking Swiss. The Kantons (kind of like states) each have their own dialect which can make understanding the unwritten *Swiezer-deutsch* hard to pick up. Most people will speak high-German (or English in the bigger cities) if you ask them to. If you plan to come here, you'll notice how clean the country is, how slender most of the people are, how polite they are, how safe it is, how orderly it is, how precise the trains and buses run, and how expensive it is. And I would recommend coming to visit...
Re: Re: Re: St. Gallen One problem I have with these rankings is that it only measures the top teams.
Re: Re: Re: Re: St. Gallen That's true (though - in case of Germany eight of eighteen this year is quite a lot), but unlike many, many FIFA rankings this is the only really objective system.
It is the only place I've ever been where student riots had a scheduled starting time, demonstrators would smash the cartier window but no one touched the watches and a 21 speed racing bike left leaning against a pole for 3 days unlocked was only touched once, when an pedestrian inadvertently knocked it over and they put it back exactly as it was. Geez that place was wierd. And don't even get me going on raclette... On a side note, I see Melchior Arnold is with Chiasso. Anybody getting out to see him/them?
It's where you cross the border when you're going from Lugano to Como. It's the southernmost tip of a small spit of Switzerland that juts into North Italy. I think Chiasso was actually in the Serie A back in the teens or twenties or so. It's beautiful country. I don't know a thing about the football.
I loved that part of the trip. Overlooking Lake Como in the Alps...can't wait to go back. No idea when...but ready to go now.