Gareth Bale

[Vlom]

I didn't know. Bojan would be proud of that line

Sure can. You don't support a team, just watch the flavor of the season and you get to watch the best football of the season without any blood presure fluctuations!

I will gie you an example, for all our wining that Inter Milan parked all their buses against us to win the CL.... it was still an excellant organized-defensive play at display! And you would find just as many admirers of the said treble winning Inter as the treble-winners from the previous season had! Sure most of the admirers of the former are actually butt-hurt people who were salty because of our dominance but credit where it's due - Inter sure were extremely organized in defense. As were the treble winning Bayern! They were also good-on-eye as well as organized in defense!!

I don't want a theory mate, I want someone who says he's neutral to explain to me how it is

It's not possible in the long run, if you're reaaally into football, you have to have preferences at some point.

 

[Aryagorn]

I don't want a theory mate, I want someone who says he's neutral to explain to me how it is

It's not possible in the long run, if you're reaaally into football, you have to have preferences at some point.

Well.... Think about fans from a small town who actually spend money to attend matches of their local team even though they know that their team will never actually win anything

I can only imagine them being avid football lovers for them to actually spend money to attend matches of the said local team despite them not actually giving them reasons to feel proud of.

So they would probably not be supporting a bigger club like Barcelona! They would just care for the eye-candy football at display but have their unconditional love only set for their local team?

Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo, Valencia, Betis(the stadium atmosphere the other day was beautiful really).... The fans still come to the stadium despite the sad state of economy in Spain? And have they really won anything of late?
I am sure they like the football played by the FC Barcelonas & Real Madrids of the world but they still only support their local teams

 

[Vlom]

Valid point, but so they still support ONE team above all other ones.

 

[xavisionary]

This is not me taking a shot at you, but seriously, how can one be a neutral football fan ? Meaning you love the sport but have absolutely no preference in terms of teams ? I can't make sense of that.

Oh sorry I mean with regards to Barcelona. I support Birmingham City, my local side, but follow most of the major leagues.

 

[Vlom]

Oh sorry I mean with regards to Barcelona. I support Birmingham City, my local side, but follow most of the major leagues.

Alright got it!

Explains your admiration for Lampard and Bale

 

[El Flaco]

Bale's goal vs. Manchester City

[gfy]SkinnyGoodCockatiel[/gfy]

Alternative angles

[gfy]SereneNeatGalapagosalbatross[/gfy]

[gfy]SeriousLawfulHarlequinbug[/gfy]

 

[El Flaco]

Gareth Bale: "I feel like I am maturing. My Spanish is getting better and I'm integrating more with the team. I feel like I have turned a corner in that sense and I'm enjoying my football here."

 

[Raed]

Gareth Bale: "I feel like I am maturing. My Spanish is getting better and I'm integrating more with the team. I feel like I have turned a corner in that sense and I'm enjoying my football here."

It shows. Time to shake off the Brit Abroad: http://bet.unibet.co.uk/football/ch...s-time-shake-his-brit-abroad-image-and-become

 

[Jamie Cal]

"My Spanish is improving." - fair play, and only after 3 years in Spain, plus probably 6 months in Tottenham when you knew you were going. The introvert no less.

 

[DonAK]

ter Stegen's been here for less and can already speak Spanish fluently, even surprising several journalists at the high level he commands.

Learning a new language is different for each individual, but when you speak and come across it every single day and need it to communicate and build a relationship with your team mates, then you better do everything in your power to learn it ASAP.

I mean, these guys can hire a tutor to follow them everywhere.

Bale and especially Arda should really do better.

 

[CuleLife4Life]

Modric been in Spain for just a year more than Bale and speaks fluently in interviews. Kroos said he doesn't understand much Spanish either. Its really just a case of if the player really wants to learn or not.

Although to be fair, in some TV interview Bale did, he said that most of Madrid speak English or always trying to practise their English on him. Its weird because the same thing happens to me. Of course I must speak Spanish in my hotel and restaurants but when I meet people who find out I speak English, they're much more eager to talk in English to me.

 

[footyfan]

I don't want a theory mate, I want someone who says he's neutral to explain to me how it is

It's not possible in the long run, if you're reaaally into football, you have to have preferences at some point.

Being neutral is easy. From game to game who you want to win can change depending on how the game goes, so in the long run, there is no one team that you support consistently.

Or the attachment could be towards a player, a group of players, a style etc. Why does it have to be towards a team? If you don't really care that much who wins or loses, then what is even so special about a team anyway? If someone watches Barcelona just to watch Messi play, why should they keep watching Barca after he retires? Sure they could be supporting Barca by proxy (i.e they want Messi to do well and be successful and consequently want Barca to be successful) but after Messi retires, there is no connection to do it. What if the next Messi decides to play for Juventus? This neutral person would want to watch Juventus way more than Barca.

Some people just don't have any strong connection to a team, nothing special about it.

 

[BarcaOG]

^^ Also, Spanish is a (relatively) easy language to learn. Not like...German. English is fairly difficult as well.

 

[El Flaco]

Gareth Bale diagnosed with a joint strain in his right knee.

 

[Jamie Cal]

Seems ridiculous to me. I remember his agent saying "the language barrier doesn't help" when things weren't going well last year - like that's anyone's fault but his own. An intensive course should have you fairly fluent in a year, not to mention immersing yourself with the language will really help (like living in the country). When it's a fairly important mechanic of your job, and you're at Real Madrid with all their resources, I can't see it as anything other than laziness.