Baseball Ground? BASEBALL Ground???
Yank: I recently heard about Derby County’s old stadium, the Baseball Ground. What’s that name about?
New Limey: Well … it was a Baseball Ground before it was a football stadium. Derby County Baseball Club played there in the late 19th century. What is more pressing is how come teams here play at Pizza Hut Park and Dick’s Sporting Good Park?
Yank: Why do the English think it’s OK to have advertising on shirts, but it’s not OK to have a commercially named stadium?
Yank: PS – BASEBALL?? I still don’t get it.
What are some lesser known club rivalries?
Yank: We all know about the big rivalries, like Everton & Liverpool, Arsenal & Tottenham, Newcastle & Sunderland, etc., but what are some of the more heated rivalries that are not so famous. Maybe it’s lower league clubs, or historic rivalries that have lessened in modern times.
New Limey: West Ham and Millwall of course. This was a rivalry between two factories closely located. The rivalry continues to this day despite Milwall now being other side of the Thames, perceptually in a lower division, and supported by pikey inbreds.
Actually another interesting one is Palace and Brighton. Not sure why, but as we all know – Eagles Eat Seagulls.
Where have all the flat caps gone?
Yank: I found some old images of men at soccer games. It got me to wondering a couple things:
- Did women and children never go to games?
- I would guess 90% of the men in these pictures are wearing flat caps. When did that change?
New Limey: Hard to know what to make of this question. It reads slightly like ‘I’ve found this old photo and I’m surprised that fashions and gender roles have changed’.
Football always was a male-orientated sport both in terms of playing and watching. It’s more diverse now, but still largely male. It also used to be a working-class sport and the flat cap was the working man’s hat. One could argue that the flat cap has been replaced by tacky sports leisurewear.
It’s not all bad news, the combination of women attending football more and sportswear becoming the outfit du jour has given us the wonder of the Kappa Slapper.
Yank: I’ve never heard that term before. So I searched for it and this was in the top results for Kappa Slapper. And even though I’m American I happen to really like Little Britain.
Why are the English so obssessed with WAGs?
Yank: Is it just me or are you guys (and by you guys I mean all of England) totally and completely obsessed with the wives and girlfriends of soccer players? There is a little bit of that here in the States, but it seems about a million times more obsessive in England. Even the acronym “WAGs” (or is it “WAGS”?) is not used here.
New Limey: It’s all the press. They tell us what we are interested in.
Yank: Good. There is hope for SoccerYank.
Elton Best
Yank: Was this match up of Elton John and George Best a match made in heaven or what?
Big names, no caps!
Yank: Who are some of the best English players who never played for the English national team?
New Limey: I guess Steve Bruce is the obvious one in recent times. But for me the fact the Billy Bonds never played for England, and Geoff Thomas, Andy Sinton, Michael Ricketts, Francis Jeffers, Carlton Palmer, Seth Johnson, Keith Curle, David Nugent, Michael Gray, Dion Dublin, and Steve Bould did is a travesty. Maybe Old Limey can remember Vince Hilaire … the original dazzling winger.
Harry and Sandra. Looking good!
Yank: Compliments of WAGs RETRO. Harry Redknapp et Sandra.
Did you read soccer magazines?
Yank: When you were kids, did you read soccer magazines? If so, which ones?
One of the reasons I ask is because I found a physical copy of this magazine recently: The Green Soccer Journal. It’s a stylish publication out of London and the most recent issue is the Goalkeeper Issue, so of course I had to buy it. Featured in it are photos and a brief article about Tim Howard; a brief article about the goalie from American Samoa who was unfortunate enough to allow 31 goals in a game versus Australia; naked full frontal photos of Shep Messing; and a cover article about some guy from Italy named Gigi Buffon.
Old Limey: So you bought it for the full-frontal nudity. Classy.
Anyway, during the ’80s in England I used to read Shoot! I had an España 82 World Cup sticker book, too. Halcyon days.
Worst uniforms?
Yank: What are some of the worst uniforms in English soccer history?
Old Limey: We call them kits, Yank, not “uniforms.” But without a doubt, Jorge Campos, the Mexican goalie in the World Cup in 1994 would qualify as the worst kit ever. Yeah I know, you asked about ENGLISH soccer history, but first, feast your eyes on this:
Anyway, as far as English footy goes, I’d probably award it to Birmingham City’s 1992 kit. And no, I’m not saying that just because I’m a Villa fan. Look at this monstrosity:
Most people’s grandmas wouldn’t even make curtains out of that shite.
Yank: That Birmingham uniform looks like bad kitchen linoleum.
SoccerYank 