Football Thread!

[EgejskaMakedonia]

I support Melbourne Victory. Though my passion for the "club" has and is significantly dropping thanks to those running the game. The amount of bullshit I have witnessed from the club and the FFA is enough to turn any fan off this plastic league.

Sorry, but honestly, the only thing keeping me watching the lads week in, week out, is the mates which I go with, and I'm sure that's the same for many a fan.

As fans, Melbourne Victory has seen better days, and I'm not sure we'll ever reach them again, on the terraces, and then subsequently on the pitch, unless something changes radically with the FFA, which at this point in time, seems basically impossible.

Now some of the best times I've had as a teenager have been going fucking mental on the North Terrace, but after being literally smacked in the face by the might of the FFA and co, you tend to have a bleak outlook on the future.

I read today that some of the restrictions placed on the NT over the past season or so have been lifted, and they will no longer be protesting for the time being.

The FFA are crooks, and that's been the case for a long time. I hold them almost solely responsible for the slow growth of the sport in Australia. But in terms of the NT, it wasn't only the FFA that absolutely hammered them, their own club turned their back on the supporters. That's the problem with franchises, they really aren't clubs at all and dialogue with supporters is extremely limited.

I'm still looking forward to this season though, it's a lot brighter on the other side of Melbourne.

[Momce Makedonce]

I'm still looking forward to this season though, it's a lot brighter on the other side of Melbourne.

EM I never asked your opinion on the Melbourne Heart takeover by Manchester City. Do you agree with all the changes and see it as a positive? I know that Yarraside ended up disbanding which was a bit disappointing but understandable. Personally I like the new name, Melbourne City sounds a lot better than Melbourne Heart. However I am not quite a fan of the new logo and jerseys.

[DraganOfStip]

I understand that Dragan, but you need to remember that they are human too. The police should be reacting based on an incident that arises there and then, as opposed to treating these individuals likes animals based on previous encounters. In this particular match, the footage does not show any illegal acts being committed on behalf of the Vardar supporters. The police often treat sport fans (in particular football) as criminals. They are caged up, surrounded, and pushed into a corner. It's no wonder the environment is so hostile.

The images that I've seen show that the police were responsible for the stun grenade. Even so, the police handled the incident quite poorly. The bloke in question was walking around for a little while before any of the police decided to come to his aid. I find the 2nd scenario to be improbable. If the 3rd were true, I don't see why the police would have stun grenades and the like equipped on their belt at such a close proximity to the supporters. It really is quite careless if that's the case.

Even in the video I linked, the fans in most cases are defenseless and are beaten by the police. If they are going to show no tolerance for any misbehaviour, how come the Albanian riots and such are not met with the same kind of force. It's this inconsistent and selective behaviour that has me worried the most.

Here in Australia it is no where near as bad as Europe, but we still have security groups like ACG who are hungry with power and treat the fans like crap. Treating people like animals is only going to make them act like animals. The main problem here is the Football bodies that are completely incompetent and were responsible for the mistreatment of ethnic clubs around the country.

That said, I don't like all this A.C.A.B (All cops are bastards) that ultra groups promote. It's simply not true, and those who live by the book have their image tarnished by a few power-hungry thugs. I don't know how much corruption there is in the police force in Macedonia, but in Australia it is far more transparent than it used to be. At the end of the day, they're just trying to make a living, like the rest of us.

As for the gesture from the Bitola fans, that was nice to see. The various ultra groups in Macedonia are starting to band together to try and make a difference and I think that is a positive step given some of the ethnic tensions of late.

Well,listing through the photos and the video,it is hard to conclude who started the rioting that caused the police to intervene,since all of them were taken AFTER the cops were already dispatched around the ultras.

But i don't agree that the ultras in Macedonia are less dangerous than other countries.Just because incidents aren't regularly reported in the media doesn't mean that they don't happen.
In every leg of the championship there is at least one account of incidents between supporter groups or the police.
I remember since I was a kid Komiti were the most notorious ultras in MK.And it doesn't have to be only in football games.If any of you follow handball (which I doubt),you'd know how in last year's EHF Champions League all the Vardar home games were marked with incidents (on two occasions a Vardar player was hit with a coin in his head by mistake).
Komiti are comprised of people prone to violence,and I have no doubt that they triggered the riot police to intervene.
Now,whether or not the cops used excessive force is a different question.

However,i agree that the cop in question was careless and shouldn't have allowed his stun grenade to be taken away that easy.The MOI should take disciplinary action against him.

[EgejskaMakedonia]

EM I never asked your opinion on the Melbourne Heart takeover by Manchester City. Do you agree with all the changes and see it as a positive? I know that Yarraside ended up disbanding which was a bit disappointing but understandable. Personally I like the new name, Melbourne City sounds a lot better than Melbourne Heart. However I am not quite a fan of the new logo and jerseys.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the changes. I have never been as attached to the club as a lot of other fans, so when all these changes were announced I wasn't overly protective. The fans were fairly split in their outlook on this takeover, but with time I think most of them will be thankful.

In all honesty, Melbourne Heart was not growing as fast as many of us would've liked. I didn't see Heart as a sustainable entity looking 10-15 years down the track. The identity of the club wasn't distinct enough, and there didn't seem to be a clear vision heading into the future. It's better that this change occurs now, when Heart was still in the early stages of development and struggling to find its feet.

I'm generally against the big players like Man City that go out and buy whoever they want, but realistically this is the kind of investment the A-League desperately needs. The FFA squandered their opportunity (after 2006 WC) to promote the game to an optimum level, so now it is up to foreign investment to heighten interest around the country. This is great for Melbourne City, and we've already seen some great signings...but it's also going to benefit the whole league in due time. It'll put us on the map, and then perhaps in due course the world will take our league seriously and players will be willing to come here.

As for the specific changes to the club like the logo, kit, name...I think they've done well to preserve as much as the Heart identity as they have. The kits are great, and probably the best quality/most professional in the league. In terms of appearance they are probably on par with WSW in my opinion. The name, I love it. It's simple, has class, and has a distinct geographic identifier. The logo didn't appeal to me at first, but over time I've grown to like it. It brings a more traditional/professional look, and easily beats some of the other mickey-mouse logos in the league.

Like you said, the most dissapointing thing for me was to see Yarraside disband. I think they were great (even with their limited numbers), and you could tell that they were really passionate about the game. I think they made the right decision though, because let's face it, it's pretty much a new club. There's no guarantee that the red and white away jersey will stay in the future, but I'd be very disappointed to see it go. That said, a new group, the 'Melburnians' have filled the void. They seem to be very organised, and I think they'll do very well.

Love the scarf they've made too, I'll definitely be getting one of these.

[EgejskaMakedonia]

Well,listing through the photos and the video,it is hard to conclude who started the rioting that caused the police to intervene,since all of them were taken AFTER the cops were already dispatched around the ultras.

But i don't agree that the ultras in Macedonia are less dangerous than other countries.Just because incidents aren't regularly reported in the media doesn't mean that they don't happen.
In every leg of the championship there is at least one account of incidents between supporter groups or the police.
I remember since I was a kid Komiti were the most notorious ultras in MK.And it doesn't have to be only in football games.If any of you follow handball (which I doubt),you'd know how in last year's EHF Champions League all the Vardar home games were marked with incidents (on two occasions a Vardar player was hit with a coin in his head by mistake).
Komiti are comprised of people prone to violence,and I have no doubt that they triggered the riot police to intervene.
Now,whether or not the cops used excessive force is a different question.

However,i agree that the cop in question was careless and shouldn't have allowed his stun grenade to be taken away that easy.The MOI should take disciplinary action against him.

Individually they may be just as dangerous, but as a group I doubt they are as dangerous as other ultra groups in Europe. This purely comes down to numbers, as the various supporter groups in Macedonia have no where near as many members as some other groups around the continent. They may be extreme and trouble makers, but I respect that they seem to be some of the few people who give two shits about the state of the country at any given point. At least their passion for Macedonia is there, which sadly cannot be said for a lot of others. Still, I agree that it's not acceptable at all to be throwing coins at players, or engaging in any other misconduct throughout the game. But that just happens to be the nature of the fans in a lot of countries. I read that the incident started because the away fans refused to leave the stadium before the conclusion of the game (10-15 minutes before). Apparently this occurs in a lot of matches in regards to the away fans...can you confirm this? I can see why they'd get pissed off with such a rule. Why don't they just lock them in after the match until the home team fans disperse?

[Bill77]

For to long has our club (Victory) taken its supporters for granted now finally having potential challengers.......The Victory board will feel a little under the pump and pay more attention to their main stake holders....it's supporters.

I really hope this City franchise succeeds it would be good for our sport.


Now for a little healthy banter






Melbournians wearing Sydney colours is an abomination.
Shame on you......lol

Join Melbourne's true football club and secure your own exclusive Sydney merchandise.

[EgejskaMakedonia]

Bill, also coming soon...

[Bill77]

^^
Ouch..........

Here's my last one.


MELBOURNE VICTORY

[EgejskaMakedonia]

Maybe not for long Bill, let's see who those shareholders end up selling to first.

[DraganOfStip]

Now even a player of Vardar was arrested for assaulting a policeman.
After the game in Stip on Sunday the police prevented a fight between the players of the 2 teams and during that a Vardar player hit a policeman and was subsequently arrested and will end up in court.
A bad year for Macedonian football...

http://tip.com.mk/stip-bila-sprecena-fizicka-presmetka-pomegu-igracite-na-bregalnica-i-vardar/

[Constellation]

hey guys this is the only thread the last bastion thread that hasn't been polluted by constellation.Good thing I don't intend a jinx that he hasn't come across telling them about football.

Let me tell you guys about football. Football is a beautiful sport, for this reason it is known as the beautiful game. Not to be confused with American football.

It has been a bad year for Macedonian football.

When are we going to win the World Cup?

[makedonche]

Let me tell you guys about football. Football is a beautiful sport, for this reason it is known as the beautiful game. Not to be confused with American football.

It has been a bad year for Macedonian football.

When are we going to win the World Cup?

Constellation
I don't know how your Maco is but there's a saying that fits your question:- "Koga ke prrdni umren"

[DraganOfStip]

Goran Pandev will sign for Galatasaray today,his ordeal in Naples has come to an end:

http://ekipa.mk/pandev-manija-vo-istanbul-chovekot-shto-go-izmesha-tsel-juventus/

[sydney]

For anyone with Foxtel, Spain vs Macedonia is live on ESPN2 at 4:45.

Nice. Thanks for the heads up. It's always enjoyable to watch a game with lots of goals

[Dejan]

The Macedonians were woeful this morning. No heart whatsoever.