Have you heard the one about audiophiles?...

Joe Whip

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NFL going to be playing twice a year at White Hart Lane, when the home ground of my club Tottenham Hotspur in N. London gets redeveloped next season

My proposition was for the kind of high class joint that we might meet in v the virtual equivalent
Like disagreeing about audio, we can disagree about where we might meet to talk about it

But sure, in a bar, audio is about the last thing I'd choose to chat about, more likely to discuss the crappy beer most people choose to get plastered on, amongst other things

I am going to miss the Lane. Been to 10 matches there. Along with Craven Cottage, it is the best ground in London to watch a match.
 

spiritofmusic

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Joe, my GF instantly loves you
She's a lifelong Spurs fan
I can tell you, that's a World Of Pain!
Only me to bring her happiness, and I spoil it all by being an audiophile
NFL matches I believe at WHL from 2019, 2 a year
Spurs will have a seperate retractable pitch for said matches
 

Mike Lavigne

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Joe, my GF instantly loves you
She's a lifelong Spurs fan
I can tell you, that's a World Of Pain!
Only me to bring her happiness, and I spoil it all by being an audiophile
NFL matches I believe at WHL from 2019, 2 a year
Spurs will have a seperate retractable pitch for said matches

the NFL has 'games' not 'matches'.

and it's a 'field' not a 'pitch'.:)
 

Joe Whip

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Joe, my GF instantly loves you
She's a lifelong Spurs fan
I can tell you, that's a World Of Pain!
Only me to bring her happiness, and I spoil it all by being an audiophile
NFL matches I believe at WHL from 2019, 2 a year
Spurs will have a seperate retractable pitch for said matches

Being born and raised in Philadelphia, I identify with the pain of being a Spurs fan.
 

spiritofmusic

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Mike, I feel as empty as Spurs' trophy cabinet this century (just one EFL cup) after yr laser guided put downs
 

spiritofmusic

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No atmosphere Barry
It's not called The Library for nothing
The main problem however is Woolwich Arsenal play there
(cue for a crowd of the other N Londoners to jump on my head)
 

Mike Lavigne

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Mike, I feel as empty as Spurs' trophy cabinet this century (just one EFL cup) after yr laser guided put downs

you will get over it.

I watch the Premier League on Saturday and Sunday mornings......and really enjoy it. Seattle is a USA hotbed of soccer/football attention. our Sounders F.C. are the biggest draw (30k ++ up to 60k per match) in USA soccer. it's a big deal here and I'm told similar 'in some ways' to a typical UK view of the sport. not saying our version is on par with the quality of play in the PL. the Sounders did win the MSL this past year, but were very lucky to do it in PK's.
 

Joe Whip

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You should try Arsenal's Emirates ground.
It's very good indeed.

I have been to all the London grounds with the exception of Millwall. Not brave enough for that one! :D Yes, even Vicarage Road which is a zone 7 on the Tube. I have been to The Emirates e few times too but can't say I like it. Last time was that thrilling FA nil nil match with Hull where their Keeper stood on his head the whole match. It reminds of the old Vet in Philly or even closer RFK in DC as it has the same rolling top edge. Too far from the pitch, no atmosphere. Highbury was WAY better. They never should have left that place. It is cool to walk around it now that it has been converted to apartments with a center courtyard. Brings back memories of seeing Thierey Henry.
 

spiritofmusic

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Joe, you are an honorary Brit for the purpose of this thread
The Spurs fans are kinda worried w the new stadium looming in the next 30 months
Luckily, from the experience of the Gunners, a lot has been learnt
Firstly it is staying at the same location
Secondly, a massive tier is being constructed for massive volume to intimidate visiting teams
Thirdly, people who've attended matches for years will not be split up as has happened at the Emirates

Re this thread, despite ongoing spats and spikiness on some parts of WBF, football fans' forums are totally brutal in comparison
The faint hearted don't stand a chance
 

Joe Whip

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I will toast you as I brew my 2 cuppas this afternoon. Might have to have a few scones with clotted cream and jam. I do brew my own tea. No bags.
 

amirm

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I watch the Premier League on Saturday and Sunday mornings......and really enjoy it. Seattle is a USA hotbed of soccer/football attention. our Sounders F.C. are the biggest draw (30k ++ up to 60k per match) in USA soccer. it's a big deal here and I'm told similar 'in some ways' to a typical UK view of the sport.
No. It is not even in the same planet as what goes on in Europe.

We were one visiting one of the wealthy families in Greece that owned a football (soccer) teams. We got complimentary VIP tickets to go see the game that night. I went to the hotel concierge and asked what the lay of the game was. His first question was, "what color clothes will you be wearing?" I asked why it mattered. He said one team's color was red and the other green. The two team fans had had so many fights that they had outlawed the visiting team's fans from attending the game! So we better wear the local team's color or we would be literally killed!

We go to the game and half-way through we see this part of the stadium full of smoke. Smoke then led to huge fire as the fans there had set everything they could find to fire in the stands! Fire trucks showed up but they were too afraid to get close! So they stopped and waited for the fire to put itself out. Meanwhile the game went on as if nothing had happened!

So no, there is nothing close between what we call "soccer" and what they call football. It is a lot more than a game to them. What we have here is like children's game...
 

Joe Whip

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I had the same experience in Istanbul, which is why I would bring a shirt for the three major teams there if I wanted to see a match. Istanbul is too dangerous for me now. I love visiting that city. The Brits get a bad rap. The fans in Italy and Turkey are far crazier. It is almost impossible to duplicate the English experience in the US but the Sounders fans get pretty close. Plus they are easier to understand too. It took me awhile to understand all the fan chants and songs in the U.K.. They are really creative and at times, rather obscene. Thank God there is no alcohol in view of the pitch!
 

Mike Lavigne

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No. It is not even in the same planet as what goes on in Europe.

We were one visiting one of the wealthy families in Greece that owned a football (soccer) teams. We got complimentary VIP tickets to go see the game that night. I went to the hotel concierge and asked what the lay of the game was. His first question was, "what color clothes will you be wearing?" I asked why it mattered. He said one team's color was red and the other green. The two team fans had had so many fights that they had outlawed the visiting team's fans from attending the game! So we better wear the local team's color or we would be literally killed!

We go to the game and half-way through we see this part of the stadium full of smoke. Smoke then led to huge fire as the fans there had set everything they could find to fire in the stands! Fire trucks showed up but they were too afraid to get close! So they stopped and waited for the fire to put itself out. Meanwhile the game went on as if nothing had happened!

So no, there is nothing close between what we call "soccer" and what they call football. It is a lot more than a game to them. What we have here is like children's game...

but as far as fan violence and madness, the UK these days is mild compared to much of the rest of the world.

which is why I said that Seattle is 'in some ways' similar to the UK. I did not compare Seattle to other parts of the world.

no one wants to have referees killed or other such behavior we read about at some 'footbool' matches.
 

asiufy

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There's a lot to be said for the way americans appreciate sports. Europeans (and South Americans, and so on...) can be very passionate about their teams, to the point of violence. The situation Amir describes is very common in Brazilian football (aka "soccer") as well.

Yet, american sports have their rivalries as well, but somehow it's all kept in good fun, and, AFAIK, it hardly ever descends into full-on violence at the stadiums and venues.

We all like to have some fun at the expense of "that other team", but there's a limit to it, and unfortunately, in many places, football has turned into a very violent affair for regular folks. In São Paulo, for certain games between historical rivals, the police sometimes needs to escort the fans of the away team, otherwise they'll most likely be harassed by the home team's fans.
 

asiufy

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And while I'm here, addressing the subject matter of this thread... Really, audiophiles didn't invent online trolling and fighting :) And it wasn't even online forums who did it... Ever since the dawn of the Internet, there's been rivalries and rifts between different camps or different views.

If you're tech savvy, you might remember some of those: Amiga x Atari ST, Mac x Windows PCs, vi x emacs, Perl x PHP... Usenet was the "forum" of choice back then, then IRC... And now, there seems to be multiple forums dedicated to every little subject, including audiophilia. But none of this is new, and the kind of fighting that happens in them is nothing new. I think a lot has to do with what Jack said, the lack of visual and social cues are not really conducive to a proper, civil conversation.
 

spiritofmusic

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Yep, you cannot believe how irate I got when my (now ex) best friend sent me a message plastered w LOLs
It pushed all the wrong buttons.

Can you guys in the States wear half and half scarves?
Some try to over here, the only time GBH is permissible IMHO
 

Joe Whip

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I may buy a half and half as a momento of being at an important match but would never wear it. You wear the scarf of your team. I frankly rarely wear any scarf but when I do, it is usually Burberry(with tip of the cap to those great dos eques beer ads or as they say over the pond, adverts).
 

Barry2013

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No atmosphere Barry
It's not called The Library for nothing
The main problem however is Woolwich Arsenal play there
(cue for a crowd of the other N Londoners to jump on my head)

Not at all atall, atall as my Irish friends would say.
The Emirates has a lovely family friendly atmosphere, great views of the pitch from every part of the stadium and great refreshment facilities with quick service.
Shows up WHL for what it really is - a relic of the past.
Just like valves really:D
 

Joe Whip

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The only thing more heated than tubes v. solid state or vinyl v. Digital is the north London rivalry Spurs v. Gooners. I have heard about it splitting families.
 

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