George Best

[jem88]

Not sure how many of you are soccer fans but one of the true legends passed away today. I never saw him play but from what I've read George Best was right up there with Pele, Maradona and Distefano. Coming from Northern Ireland he never got the real chance to display his talents in a world cup. If you get a chance to see any of his highlights, you'll be blown away. He played soccer like Gale Sayers played football.

 

[zagnut]

Pretty sad. Not even 60 years old. When a guy gets a liver transplant and still can't stop drinking, he's obviously not long for this world.

I never got to see him play either, but I had a family member who played in the NASL with the Diplomats. He played with Johan Cruyff when he was with the Dips. He puts Best right there between Pele and Cruyff. Pele and Maradona both considered him the best, though Pele may have been playing modest.

The Sayers comparison is apt for another reason - both guys had their flame burn out long before it should have. Best's pro career was basically over by the time he hit age 28 due to his drinking and partying.

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I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World...

George Best (1946 - 2005)

 

[jem88]

Pretty sad. Not even 60 years old. When a guy gets a liver transplant and still can't stop drinking, he's obviously not long for this world.

I never got to see him play either, but I had a family member who played in the NASL with the Diplomats. He played with Johan Cruyff when he was with the Dips. He puts Best right there between Pele and Cruyff. Pele and Maradona both considered him the best, though Pele may have been playing modest.

The Sayers comparison is apt for another reason - both guys had their flame burn out long before it should have. Best's pro career was basically over by the time he hit age 28 due to his drinking and partying.

--

I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World...

George Best (1946 - 2005)

Yeah it's a very sad time. I downloaded a clip of him scoring SIX goals with Man U. That's insane! And he was so casual about it all, as it were all beneath him. A total legend.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Yeh it is. I didnt know there were any "football" fans on the board. George Best, way befor my time, but what I've seen, simply amazing. I haven't seen him play, and I know that when people are saying Wayne Rooney is the next George Best, he's got a long way to go.

I just figured all this because no one responded to fever pitch thread I made. I love the passion of Euro "football" and when you get into it, it's really tight. As passionate as some college and pro fans are out in the States, it doens't compare to Europe. I've been to a Serie A match between Lazio and ROma, and it was INSANE. You think Dallas Washington is a rivalry, wait til you see the ultras.

I saw West Ham vs Cardiff when visiting my cousins. Cardiff is a nothing team, and the turnout andnoise was incredible.

You just have to respect the passion. Plus, when you get into it, it's amazing. I can't wait for World Cup. Im not much of a baseball or basketball fan, so from February til about September, I gotta find something.

 

[jem88]

Yeh it is. I didnt know there were any "football" fans on the board. George Best, way befor my time, but what I've seen, simply amazing. I haven't seen him play, and I know that when people are saying Wayne Rooney is the next George Best, he's got a long way to go.

I just figured all this because no one responded to fever pitch thread I made. I love the passion of Euro "football" and when you get into it, it's really tight. As passionate as some college and pro fans are out in the States, it doens't compare to Europe. I've been to a Serie A match between Lazio and ROma, and it was INSANE. You think Dallas Washington is a rivalry, wait til you see the ultras.

Yeah the Italian fans are nuts. They must have been an incredible atmosphere. If you ever feel like reading a great Soccer book, check out A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. He's my favourite author and his observations on Italian football are spot on.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Im a big fan of EPL. Usually because I catch alot of the action around this time, since college football winds down until the Bowl season. Sunday is NFL day of course. But soccer goes until spring, whereas football ends early. England has the craziest fans, but there are nutcases all over the world...The Polish are a bit intense

 

[zagnut]

I've never had the opportunity to see a European league game. It's a "goal" of mine. But yeah, bring on the World Cup. I'll be skipping a lot of work.

I try to support MLS, but you can count the number of players on one hand who can send in legitimate, dangerous crosses, passing is mediocre and slow, their first and second touches are wasted, and the defenders are all one dimensional and in love with passing back to the goaltender.

Top level soccer in Europe is like watching a different sport. It's aggressive, fast and imaginative, and there are constant scoring opportunities but people new to the sport don't usually know what's happening until after the shot. Soccer is the one sport where I'll watch any team at any time.

 

[zagnut]

Im a big fan of EPL. Usually because I catch alot of the action around this time, since college football winds down until the Bowl season. Sunday is NFL day of course. But soccer goes until spring, whereas football ends early. England has the craziest fans, but there are nutcases all over the world...The Polish are a bit intense

I was fortunate enough to see a World Cup game in DC back in 1994, Norway v. Mexico. It was crazy, riding to RFK on the Metro. The Weegies, in Viking hats and pink Helga pigtails, were singing their songs on one side of the subway cars. The green mass of Mexico fans were singing their songs on the other side of the metro. They'd take turns trying to one-up each other, louder and louder, but very jovial and sportsman like. The Norwegians, drinking quite a lot. My brothers and I were in the middle trying to figure out what was going on.

It was great.