OT: New fan looking to choose a Premier League Soccer team, who to pick?

[Grant Green]

If you are a casual fan, I would worry less about jumping on a bandwagon and look for a team that is fun to watch and will be televised a lot in the US. Those are probably the two top teams - Liverpool and Man City. Very entertaining. Liverpool probably rightfully compared to the Red Sox. A lot of tradition and championships, but off a big drought. They got Bill Bucknered a few years ago when they were a win away from the championship.

There are really only a handful of teams that will be on tv a lot and have a decent chance to win the league.

Man U - It may be just me, but before I got into the EPL, this was the team that was most often compared to the Yankees. They have world wide appeal, but they are always going to be in the mix. They have won the league more than any other team (by 1 over Liverpool).

Arsenal - this would be a good team to consider, as they have a big following, a lot of past success, and they are down right now.

Chelsea - Also another good team to follow, as they are improving, have won the league a few times recently, and have US phenom, Christian Pulisic.

Tottenham - Somewhat of an up and comer. Not a long history of titles - only 2 in 1950 and 1960. Getting pretty popular and will be on tv.

The others.....
Leicester - came out of nowhere to win the title a few years ago. A huge long shot and great story. They invested a lot and have now made themselves a contender.

Everton has won a lot of titles, but not much of a player recently.
Wolverhampton came from the 2nd division a few years ago and has immediately made some waves. A very solid team and would be the furthest from bandwagon. Who knows if they will maintain their standing in the next few years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_football_champions

 

[Dixi]

Is the takeover going to happen anytime soon? It's been an on again off again saga for years but this time it actually seems likely to happen.

Who knows. Hopefully soon. Like the Southampton deal, I was expecting it to go through, but I'm guessing there's mounting pressure to oppose the deal based the political climate over there. I'm starting to think it's not going to happen, although if it did I think it would ultimately significantly improve things for the club. I have mixed feelings on this one.

 

[manatree]

If you are a casual fan, I would worry less about jumping on a bandwagon and looking for a team that is fun to watch and will be televised a lot in the US.

I wouldn't limit your choices to teams with the best TV coverage in the US. Given the amount of games shown weekly, you'll still be able to see a lot of games even if you choose a less popular team.

Even if your team were to get relegated down to the EFL Championship you can still watch games at that level for an extra fee. ESPN+ broadcasts 3 or 4 games each week. Also, the EFL ifollow subscription streams almost all of the Championship games not being broadcast by ESPN+ unless the team has their own separate broadcast subscription.

There are many ways to get good info on any team you may choose.

Audio Streaming: Pretty much all of the Premier League matches are streamed online through the BBC Radio network. Also, many teams also stream the audio of their home announcers as well. You might have to subscribe/join, but some are free to join.

Podcasts: There's a podcast for everything these days, so you can be sure that you can find at least one or two podcasts for any of the Premier League or Championship League teams. They are a great way to help keep up with your team. There are a ton of podcasts that cover the Premier Leagues in general as well.

Supporters Clubs: Check Google & FaceBook to see if there is a supporters club for any Premier League teams near you. Most are in larger cities, but there are some in smaller ones. There are a lot of US clubs for the more popular teams, while some of the lesser knowns might only have one for the US.

Online News: Many of the top UK newspaper websites (The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, etc.) provide good coverage of the Premier league. Also, look at the local newspaper's website for whatever team you are interested in. The Athletic (paid) has been ramping up their Euro game coverage as well.

I'm a Spurs fan because of a book I read in middle school that had a Spurs fan in it. However, I didn't really start following them until the past several years, aided greatly by the internet.

Lastly, https://worldsoccertalk.com/ is a good site to keep track of the schedules and viewing/streaming options for all of the Euro leagues.

 

[Grant Green]

I wouldn't limit your choices to teams with the best TV coverage in the US. Given the amount of games shown weekly, you'll still be able to see a lot of games even if you choose a less popular team.

Even if your team were to get relegated down to the EFL Championship you can still watch games at that level for an extra fee. ESPN+ broadcasts 3 or 4 games each week. Also, the EFL ifollow subscription streams almost all of the Championship games not being broadcast by ESPN+ unless the team has their own separate broadcast subscription.

There are many ways to get good info on any team you may choose.

Audio Streaming: Pretty much all of the Premier League matches are streamed online through the BBC Radio network. Also, many teams also stream the audio of their home announcers as well. You might have to subscribe/join, but some are free to join.

Podcasts: There's a podcast for everything these days, so you can be sure that you can find at least one or two podcasts for any of the Premier League or Championship League teams. They are a great way to help keep up with your team. There are a ton of podcasts that cover the Premier Leagues in general as well.

Supporters Clubs: Check Google & FaceBook to see if there is a supporters club for any Premier League teams near you. Most are in larger cities, but there are some in smaller ones. There are a lot of US clubs for the more popular teams, while some of the lesser knowns might only have one for the US.

Online News: Many of the top UK newspaper websites (The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, etc.) provide good coverage of the Premier league. Also, look at the local newspaper's website for whatever team you are interested in. The Athletic (paid) has been ramping up their Euro game coverage as well.

I'm a Spurs fan because of a book I read in middle school that had a Spurs fan in it. However, I didn't really start following them until the past several years, aided greatly by the internet.

Lastly, https://worldsoccertalk.com/ is a good site to keep track of the schedules and viewing/streaming options for all of the Euro leagues.

I think that depends on your level of commitment and your tv package. My impression is that the OP is just getting into it, so probably not willing to pay for add-on channels. I subscribe to youtube tv and only get a few games per week (mostly limited to the top 5-6 teams). In my case, I'd rather pick a team that I can watch a lot. If your tv package shows a lot of games that include the less popular teams, that certainly opens up your options.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

So many suggestions for Liverpool. How are they NOT the Yankees (which OP specifically stated he did not want)?

Anyway, I am loving the bundesliga and premier games while working at home.

A peave about premier league ... seems like every other team has maroon and sky blue as their colors - how many are there?

Ahem that’s “claret” my good sir

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Check out Everton. Great fans, decent team, but always have a bit of the "Little Engine that Could" to them.

The “People’s Club”. I like Everton - solid, working class fan base

 

[A2Nit]

I picked West Ham United, cool shield and John Colby (Victory) fictitiously played on that side. Then later found out their owner made his millions in the porn industry

 

[manatree]

I think that depends on your level of commitment and your tv package. My impression is that the OP is just getting into it, so probably not willing to pay for add-on channels. I subscribe to youtube tv and only get a few games per week (mostly limited to the top 5-6 teams). In my case, I'd rather pick a team that I can watch a lot. If your tv package shows a lot of games that include the less popular teams, that certainly opens up your options.

If one's current TV package includes NBC & NBCSN they will still be able to watch a lot of games. Not every single game, but enough to keep a casual fan interested. A casual fan is probably not going to watch every game for their team even if it is televised. Is a casual fan going to get up at 7am on a Saturday or take off work early to catch the weekday 3pm game? And that's if they're in the EST, let alone CST, MST, or PST?

 

[MJG-90]

Who knows. Hopefully soon. Like the Southampton deal, I was expecting it to go through, but I'm guessing there's mounting pressure to oppose the deal based the political climate over there. I'm starting to think it's not going to happen, although if it did I think it would ultimately significantly improve things for the club. I have mixed feelings on this one.

I thought there was a US based buyer in line as the backup plan. I don't know the details, just read a headline about it recently (within the last two weeks).

 

[FourDGlory]

My suggestion would be to find a player you want to follow.
I am a Liverpool fan for 13 years.
I became a Liverpool fan because I had a lot of interest in one player.
Even after that player left after 3 years, I stayed a Red.

 

[LionJim]

My suggestion would be to find a player you want to follow.
I am a Liverpool fan for 13 years.
I became a Liverpool fan because I had a lot of interest in one player.
Even after that player left after 3 years, I stayed a Red.

Good plan. People are going to fall out of their chairs laughing at the reminder that I started supporting Arsenal once Ozil joined the team. Whatever. Mock away.

 

[Dixi]

I thought there was a US based buyer in line as the backup plan. I don't know the details, just read a headline about it recently (within the last two weeks).

Yes, there's reports of an American buyer offering 50M pounds more than the Saudi's, so that appears to be an option if this current bid gets torpedoed. Personally, I think the pirating thing holding up the current deal is a smokescreen but I'm sure the team will get sold fairly soon either way. It's becoming a black eye for the league.

 

[Grant Green]

If one's current TV package includes NBC & NBCSN they will still be able to watch a lot of games. Not every single game, but enough to keep a casual fan interested.

Unfortunately, I don't think that is true. When I had Century Link cable, NBCSN had overflow channels so that I could watch a ton of random games, like you said. When I switched to youtube tv, I lost the overflow channels and now get way fewer games. For the most part (and during a normal season), it is limited to the big names that I listed.

 

[TheGLOV]

My suggestion would be to find a player you want to follow.
I am a Liverpool fan for 13 years.
I became a Liverpool fan because I had a lot of interest in one player.
Even after that player left after 3 years, I stayed a Red.

I luv you man!

Liverpool forever!!

 

[NewEra 2014]

If you are a casual fan, I would worry less about jumping on a bandwagon and looking for a team that is fun to watch and will be televised a lot in the US. Those are probably the two top teams - Liverpool and Man City. Very entertaining. Liverpool probably rightfully compared to the Red Sox. A lot of tradition and championships, but off a big drought. They got Bill Bucknered a few years ago when they were a win away from the championship.

There are really only a handful of teams that will be on tv a lot and have a decent chance to win the league.

Man U - It may be just me, but before I got into the EPL, this was the team that was most often compared to the Yankees. They have world wide appeal, but they are always going to be in the mix. They have won the league more than any other team (by 1 over Liverpool).

Arsenal - this would be a good team to consider, as they have a big following, a lot of past success, and they are down right now.

Chelsea - Also another good team to follow, as they are improving, have won the league a few times recently, and have US phenom, Christian Pulisic.

Tottenham - Somewhat of an up and comer. Not a long history of titles - only 2 in 1950 and 1960. Getting pretty popular and will be on tv.

The others.....
Leicester - came out of nowhere to win the title a few years ago. A huge long shot and great story. They invested a lot and have now made themselves a contender.

Everton has won a lot of titles, but not much of a player recently.
Wolverhampton came from the 2nd division a few years ago and has immediately made some waves. A very solid team and would be the furthest from bandwagon. Who knows if they will maintain their standing in the next few years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_football_champions

Grant Green’s post is spot on. I started following the EPL about 10 years ago, and I found it helpful to compare the EPL teams to US equivalents. Man U—Yankees, Man City—Mets, Liverpool— Detroit Lions, etc.

 

[wbcincy]

Unfortunately, I don't think that is true. When I had Century Link cable, NBCSN had overflow channels so that I could watch a ton of random games, like you said. When I switched to youtube tv, I lost the overflow channels and now get way fewer games. For the most part (and during a normal season), it is limited to the big names that I listed.

This wasn't just your switch, it happened across the board. NBC started pushing their NBC Sports gold app and package, and took away all those overflow games. It was nice a few years ago when you could just go to the overflow channels and watch every single game for free.

Aside - I just got the NBC Gold, and I like it. I'm paying $9.99/mo, but I get all those EPL games, and I get to turn on pga tour pairings at 8 am instead of having to wait until 1-3 in the afternoon for coverage. That's meaningful since I'm working at home so much now and enjoy having that on in the background starting first thing in the morning.

 

[Grant Green]

This wasn't just your switch, it happened across the board. NBC started pushing their NBC Sports gold app and package, and took away all those overflow games. It was nice a few years ago when you could just go to the overflow channels and watch every single game for free.

Aside - I just got the NBC Gold, and I like it. I'm paying $9.99/mo, but I get all those EPL games, and I get to turn on pga tour pairings at 8 am instead of having to wait until 1-3 in the afternoon for coverage. That's meaningful since I'm working at home so much now and enjoy having that on in the background starting first thing in the morning.

Interesting. I figured it would go that way after they got enough Americans hooked. I probably knew this, but who is your team? (edit. nevermind. I see Spurs)

 

[Grant Green]

Grant Green’s post is spot on. I started following the EPL about 10 years ago, and I found it helpful to compare the EPL teams to US equivalents. Man U—Yankees, Man City—Mets, Liverpool— Detroit Lions, etc.

Thanks, but Liverpool=Lions? You trolling us Red fans?

 

[wbcincy]

With the scarcity of sports, I've been watching more Premier League, but I'm new to it. Looking to root for a team, but I don't wish to be a complete bandwagon hopper. I do NOT want to root for the Yankees or the Patriots of the Premier League, but I want to root for a good, competitive club with a solid fanbase.

Thoughts?

Another vote for Spurs (Tottenham). I went through the exact same process a few years ago and felt exactly as you do about not wanting to just pick the Yankees. For me, that eliminates ManU, Man City, and Liverpool. I also didn't want to root for someone who may get relegated, so I eliminated most of the bottom 10. I wanted a team that will always compete, feature world class players you'll see in the World Cup, and hopefully get into another of the big tournaments every year (Champions or Europa). I ended up with Tottenham for those reasons (just after they'd sold Gareth Bale and were going to rebuild, and were only a borderline top 6 team).

While some teams have been up more recently (Leicester, Wolves), I wouldn't trust their history enough to feel confident they'll be at this level long-term. So for me, your decision would come down to Chelsea (Pulisic would be a big draw for me), Tottenham, Arsenal, and Everton. Everton is a little too low for my liking at this point.

Of course I'm going to say you should go Tottenham. They've also recently built one of the best stadiums around, which will be hosting NFL games annually for years:

 

[NittanyBuff24]

Why should he do that? You’d just yell at him to get off your lawn if he did.

After I called him a Grass ferry

 

[wbcincy]

Interesting. I figured it would go that way after they got enough Americans hooked. I probably knew this, but who is your team? (edit. nevermind. I see Spurs)

My basement is all sports, so I’m trying to keep it to two color schemes: Black and gold (steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Crew), and blue and white (PSU, Spurs).

 

[NewEra 2014]

Thanks, but Liverpool=Lions? You trolling us Red fans?

You caught me!

 

[shak66_psu]

i will pick a team and start watching the EPL when the players stop diving to draw fouls. Or, maybe prior to that if they get a 2nd referee like every other sport over the last 30 yrs. There's no reason in 2020 why soccer has only 1 ref on the field trying to keep up with some of the best athletes in the world - linesmen don't count.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

i will pick a team and start watching the EPL when the players stop diving to draw fouls. Or, maybe prior to that if they get a 2nd referee like every other sport over the last 30 yrs. There's no reason in 2020 why soccer has only 1 ref on the field trying to keep up with some of the best athletes in the world - linesmen don't count.

maybe you should start watching you might be surprised

 

[Erial_Lion]

i will pick a team and start watching the EPL when the players stop diving to draw fouls. Or, maybe prior to that if they get a 2nd referee like every other sport over the last 30 yrs. There's no reason in 2020 why soccer has only 1 ref on the field trying to keep up with some of the best athletes in the world - linesmen don't count.

Gamesmanship is a part of every sport, and to some degree, that won’t change. However, VAR has increased the official’s ability to penalize players for diving.

With the communication system between the four officials in addition to VAR, there is less need than ever for another set of eyes on the field.

 

[Erial_Lion]

A Bill Simmons article on the topic (though it’s many years old)...

https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719

 

[Erial_Lion]

Aside - I just got the NBC Gold, and I like it. I'm paying $9.99/mo, but I get all those EPL games, and I get to turn on pga tour pairings at 8 am instead of having to wait until 1-3 in the afternoon for coverage. That's meaningful since I'm working at home so much now and enjoy having that on in the background starting first thing in the morning.

I didn’t realize that the PGA stuff also came with Gold. Now, you’ve got me tempted, and it might get me to jump in.

I already pay a bunch for Directv, more to Comcast for internet and some basic channels on another two TVs, and for ESPN+, so didn’t think too strongly about Gold. But between the days I want to watch a different Premier League game at 10am vs the one on NBCSN,and all of those Thursday/Friday mornings where I settle for Morning Drive or the Euro Tour instead of PGA, I can justify using it enough to make it worth $120/year.

 

[Grant Green]

I didn’t realize that the PGA stuff also came with Gold. Now, you’ve got me tempted, and it might get me to jump in.

I already pay a bunch for Directv, more to Comcast for internet and some basic channels on another two TVs, and for ESPN+, so didn’t think too strongly about Gold. But between the days I want to watch a different Premier League game at 10am vs the one on NBCSN,and all of those Thursday/Friday mornings where I settle for Morning Drive or the Euro Tour instead of PGA, I can justify using it enough to make it worth $120/year.

Have you considered a streaming service instead of direct tv? You should be able to get a free trial for a month. I will routinely set up a laptop, monitor (could also be tvs) and a tv to do multiple games. $55 a month.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Have you considered a streaming service instead of direct tv? You should be able to get a free trial for a month. I will routinely set up a laptop, monitor (could also be tvs) and a tv to do multiple games. $55 a month.

I wouldn’t leave DTV due to Sunday Ticket, and their expanded channels for golf and tennis majors.

 

[Woodpecker]

Black and gold

Maybe Watford?

 

[MJG-90]

Maybe Watford?

Is there any way to watch Championship League games in the US? Watford is barely above the relegation line right now. That said, Wolverhampton is more black and gold than Watford.

 

[LionJim]

Is there any way to watch Championship League games in the US? Watford is barely above the relegation line right now. That said, Wolverhampton is more black and gold than Watford.

The CL games are on Fox.

 

[manatree]

Is there any way to watch Championship League games in the US? Watford is barely above the relegation line right now. That said, Wolverhampton is more black and gold than Watford.

The CL games are on Fox.

Since they were talking about relegated teams, I think MJG was talking about EFL Championship games, not the UEFA Champions League in which only the top finishing Premier League teams compete.

ESPN+ broadcasts 3 or 4 EFL Championship games a week. Also, the EFL ifollow subscription streams almost all of the Championship games not being broadcast by ESPN+ unless the team has their own separate broadcast subscription.

 

[MJG-90]

Since they were talking about relegated teams, I think MJG was talking about EFL Championship games, not the UEFA Champions League in which only the top finishing Premier League teams compete.

Yes, I was asking about Championship league games, not Champions League games.

I was perusing the Championship table and noticed how quickly Huddersfield Town has fallen. They were in the Premier League last season. And are in line to be relegated to League 1 for next season.

 

[LionJim]

Yeah, I was wondering why MJG-90 made such an dumb post. Guess the joke’s on me.

 

[Grant Green]

I wouldn’t leave DTV due to Sunday Ticket, and their expanded channels for golf and tennis majors.

YouTube tv does Sunday ticket. Not sure about golf and tennis but worth looking into. complete list....https://tv.youtube.com/directory/sports-leagues

 

[Erial_Lion]

YouTube tv does Sunday ticket. Not sure about golf and tennis but worth looking into. complete list....https://tv.youtube.com/directory/sports-leagues

You sure about that? I believe that the ticket is still exclusive to directv, other than a few situations (college student, or can’t get dtv due to location).

 

[Grant Green]

You sure about that? I believe that the ticket is still exclusive to directv, other than a few situations (college student, or can’t get dtv due to location).

My bad. YouTube tv is trying to get the next Sunday ticket contact. Stay tuned.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

My bad. YouTube tv is trying to get the next Sunday ticket contact. Stay tuned.

Hope so. I've been thrilled with Youtube TV thus far. DirectTV is an absolute rip off and the only thing they have is that NFL ticket. Even DirectTV knows this and that is why they too are going to streaming. I imagine with SmartTV's soon enough the NFL will bypass the middle man and just offer it up on their own app.

 

[TheGLOV]

Thanks, but Liverpool=Lions? You trolling us Red fans?

Liverpool = Red Sox