Posts by Thom James

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  • Field Theory: Athletes and Dicks,

    Hadyn, can I ask what it is/was about Herr Schumacher that excites you more than Hamilton? It was Schumi's clinical dominance of F1 that turned it into a monotonously foregone conclusion, and his arrogance and like of sportsmanship made him a hard chap to like.

    Yes, Hamilton does have an arrogance about him, but his own personal backstory, his youth and the fact that he's the first black man to triumph in one of the most racially exclusive sports make him a much more likeable champion than Schumacher, and his rawness as a driver makes him more exciting than the German metronome.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    So I imagine we can discuss it there, and leave this thread for Thom to try and defend football as interesting :)

    Awww!!!

    I don't find football interesting

    And I don't find rugby interesting Kyle. Kinda like the Jerry Collins/Reuben Wiki Fork vs Spoon debate eh?

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    Is there any evidence for this?

    Well, I'm not going to offer any data Keir, but I will say that I've coached kids teams in the past, and plenty of parents (especially dads) told me just that - as soon as junior had a bit more beef on the bone, he'd be switching to rugby. I think I'll take first-hand experience over stats ;)

    We are, of course, in agreement that playing football's more fun than getting yer head trampled on by 15 neanderthals.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    well, nobody's going to convince anyone in NZ that footie's better than rugby at any rate).

    Er. Have you looked at the youth participation figures?

    Yeah Keir, I'm well aware of the impressive participation numbers for wee ones that play the game. That's largely down to the fact that parents don't want their kids exposed to the rough and tumble of rugby at an early age. Once they're older and sturdier, the round ball becomes an oval.

    It's all very well us harping on about youth participation, but it doesn't translate to overall popularity of the game in NZ, and certainly doesn't answer my assertion that it's impossible to convince NZers that football is a better sport than rugby. Rugby's just too ingrained in Kiwi culture to ever be supplanted, just as football in England will never be overtaken by rugby, which is only played there by public schoolboys and people that say "old chap" too much.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    just to clarify, I said I found teh premiership dull, not football. However, I agree with Kyle. The slow play, the complaining/diving players are as dull as any scrum reset.

    Hmm, Premiership is probably the most exciting domestic league - much faster pace of game than on the continent, and much, much less of the blatant diving and playacting that non-football fans tend to find so abhorrent. Have you ever watched a game of Italian football? It's like watching paint dry, or a game of rugby ;P Even the Champs League can't compete - European football is a much more tactical affair, esp. when being played over home & away legs, and really doesn't match the cut and thrust of the Prem. So it's surprising that an occasional spectator should find the Prem dull. Can't have watched enough of it eh Hadyn? Too many sports, too little time.

    The football v rugby debate is obviously one without a winner (well, nobody's going to convince anyone in NZ that footie's better than rugby at any rate). But can I ask you rugby fans this: do you honestly think the game is as exciting and absorbing as it was 10 years ago? Seems that games now too often descend into the drudgery of forward slugfests and ''tactical'' kicking duels, and that truly entertaining matches have become too few and far between.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    Each to their own Hadyn...I'd have to say you don't know what the fuck you're on about

    Nice. I think you should wait for cricket season, then you can get really angry at me

    No no, roll on the cricket season. I just kinda resent the insinuation that football is boring when rugby has so clearly had the joy sucked out of it by endless tampering with the rules

    Football's a great game to watch because it's so simple, accessible and such a pure expression of skill (and yes, the diving and shit is wearisome). Rugby has lost its way because rule changes have obfuscated things for the layman. In terms of visceral spectator kicks, I'd far rather watch the Warriors than the ABs.

    But meh, I say potayto, you say potahto...

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: One man with 18 feeds,

    I don't follow football (soccer). I find the Premiership to be dull and the Champion's League only just bearable. However, Hull beating Arsenal 2-1 is sweet. Arsène Wenger saying after the match that Arsenal "gave too much room to West Brom" is even sweeter.

    Dull eh...bugger off mate. Rugby has become one of the most mind-numbingly boring ways to pass 80 minutes. Growing up in Manchester as a diehard Red in the early 90s, I was a hugely passionate footie fan. But I also enjoyed rugby. My old man was a bit of a rugby head, and i used to love sitting down to watch the 5 nations (as it was then). The game was a far simpler, purer spectator experience then - as football is, was and always will be. Of course, the inevitable

    Endless rule tampering has reduced rugby to utter tedium, a game i now find impossible to get excited about. Give me league over the interminable kicking duels of 'code' any day.

    Each to their own Hadyn, but if you're going to call football 'dull' (a game watched by literally billions more people than rugby) when watching rugby has become the sporting equivalent of eating wallpaper paste...well I'd have to say you don't know what the fuck you're on about. Sorry.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: What Sixteen Is,

    Um, thanks for sharing.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Being Worked,

    I have a theory that it was none other than Peter Williams who was responsible for the original leak to the Dom Post. There always seemed to be the faintest hint of a self-satisfied smirk playing across his face whenever he was on screen at the Games....

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Listen to the Music,

    This is really floating my boat at the mo; Fleet Foxes' 'White Winter Hymnal'. Just luvverly.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE

    Auckland • Since Apr 2007 • 63 posts Report Reply

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