I am trying to learn more about soccer, both on the field as well as how the teams are managed. Can anyone suggest good blogs, fansites, or related things on the interwebs?
Best Soccer Websites
- Thread starter slamminsammya
- Start date
Lately, I've been turning to 'The Guardian' for interesting articles and analysis, and I like the BBC on gamedays. Of course, there's an English bent.
I used to rely on Soccernet, but it's not as in-depth.
Most of the columns relate to games, though there is a natural tendency to extrapolate and discuss aspects of managing.
It's a start.
I'm sure you'll find many others who have varied sources.
I used to rely on Soccernet, but it's not as in-depth.
Most of the columns relate to games, though there is a natural tendency to extrapolate and discuss aspects of managing.
It's a start.
I'm sure you'll find many others who have varied sources.
Soccerway for results, Zonal Marking for tactical analysis. There's also a stat oriented website mentioned in another thread, that's pretty good.
Nick Kaufman said:
Zonal Marking is my favorite. Big Soccer has some decent forums, but more for niche stuff - from what I can tell, the big clubs and league discussions have too many foreign/illiterate posts.
On Grantland, Mike L. Goodman has some pretty good articles that focus on tactics and analyzing matches or teams. The Men in Blazers podcast is good for getting a general knowledge of the EPL, but it is pretty light on analysis (except for scoring too quickly).
If you are looking for anything outside websites, "Inverting the Pyramid" is supposed to be the best book on soccer tactics. I've had it sitting on my shelf for a couple years without even an attempt at reading it, so I can't tell you whether or not it is actually good.
If you are looking for anything outside websites, "Inverting the Pyramid" is supposed to be the best book on soccer tactics. I've had it sitting on my shelf for a couple years without even an attempt at reading it, so I can't tell you whether or not it is actually good.
OilCanMDS said:
It's outstanding and you should totally read it. Wilson's genius is being able to really get into the nuts and bolts of tactics but in an entertaining way - kind of the same formula Bill James used to reach so many readers.
It's very informative and very, very dry. Which, if you've heard him on the Guardian Football Weekly podcasts (a great way to get informed, btw), won't be a surprise.
There are also a growing number of sites devoted to soccer analytics. Whoscored has fairly accessible non-traditional statistics regarding passing, lost possession, dribbling, tackling, etc. I'm kind of skeptical of some of their models to compute player ratings but I think the disaggregated statistics are kind of interesting. Statsbomb is a site that regularly posts various pieces of statistical analysis, focused on the premier league. They are hit-and-miss but some are pretty good.
The Swiss Ramble is excellent for financial analysis, while The Football Ramble is outstanding soccer-related entertainment #DareToZlatan.
OilCanMDS said:
Matthew Doyle, of MLSsoccer.com, coincidentally just came out with a quick 5 minute video that sums up soccer formations for beginners. He gives a shout-out to Inverting the Pyramid at the end:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w-ZA1yxYrw[/youtube]
In the spirit of the thread, Doyle's column on MLS and the US national team is consistently excellent imo: http://www.mlssoccer.com/author/matthew-doyle. This video appears to be part of a series.
OilCanMDS said:
Is that your analysis? Really?
I love Men in Blazers but it's as much a comedy podcast as it is a soccer one. MIke and Roger are really irreverent (more Rog than Davo), so I would recommend it to anyone who liked soccer and has a sense of humor, but it's not really a place to go to if you want to learn about the sport, or it's tactics. If Rebecca Lowe or Ian Darke gives you a boner though, you'll be amongst kindred spirits.
This is one of my favorite web sites: http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/index.php
I spend hours -- literally, HOURS -- looking up kits. My wife hates me. It's how I discovered my favorite club from the Southern League Premier Division (the seventh tier of English football, for those of you scoring at home): Hemel Hempstead Town (a close second is Corby Town).
Say it with me: Hemel ... Hempstead ... Town. It just rolls off the tongue. This is their badge, arguably the greatest badge in the history of forever. It's not Henry VIII -- it's Dom DeLuise playing Henry VIII at your neighborhood good-time theater.
I spend hours -- literally, HOURS -- looking up kits. My wife hates me. It's how I discovered my favorite club from the Southern League Premier Division (the seventh tier of English football, for those of you scoring at home): Hemel Hempstead Town (a close second is Corby Town).
Say it with me: Hemel ... Hempstead ... Town. It just rolls off the tongue. This is their badge, arguably the greatest badge in the history of forever. It's not Henry VIII -- it's Dom DeLuise playing Henry VIII at your neighborhood good-time theater.
If you're interested in the State-side version of things, American Soccer Now is fantastic. USMNT-centric coverage that gets into MLS and the big national leagues (disclosure; I worked with them on a t-shirt). Also, sometimes, you just want highlights (video clips, gifs, etc.). For that I like 101 Great Goals. They do get takedown notices so if you subscribe to their RSS feed and check it over the weekend, you can usually catch all the highlights - but not everything stays up forever. Lastly, if you're just diving in, there are far worse places to check out than Reddit's /r/soccer. General interest stuff, top stories, gossip, etc.
LTF said:This is one of my favorite web sites: http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/index.php
I spend hours -- literally, HOURS -- looking up kits. My wife hates me. It's how I discovered my favorite club from the Southern League Premier Division (the seventh tier of English football, for those of you scoring at home): Hemel Hempstead Town (a close second is Corby Town).
Say it with me: Hemel ... Hempstead ... Town. It just rolls off the tongue. This is their badge, arguably the greatest badge in the history of forever. It's not Henry VIII -- it's Dom DeLuise playing Henry VIII at your neighborhood good-time theater.
That badge looks like it was drawn with MS Paint.
LTF said:This is one of my favorite web sites: http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/index.php
I spend hours -- literally, HOURS -- looking up kits. My wife hates me. It's how I discovered my favorite club from the Southern League Premier Division (the seventh tier of English football, for those of you scoring at home): Hemel Hempstead Town (a close second is Corby Town).
Say it with me: Hemel ... Hempstead ... Town. It just rolls off the tongue. This is their badge, arguably the greatest badge in the history of forever. It's not Henry VIII -- it's Dom DeLuise playing Henry VIII at your neighborhood good-time theater.
I live about 5 miles from Hemel Hempstead and they play in the same division as the team from where I actually live now, St Albans City. Hemel are well clear at the top of the league with St Albans in the play-off spots in 3rd place.
St Albans City is actually co-owned by an ex-boss of mine. I'll leave it at that, if you understand me.
Came across this website over the weekend that gives excellent statistical information regarding transfers, market valuations, coefficient rankings etc.
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/