Quote Originally Posted by Czech. Republic
Again, very well said. The trouble with rivalries is that opposing fans are always scoring points (no pun intended) off each other. Even the West Ham fans down my road were keen to jeer upon our defeat in Munich, and everyone was quick to turn upon the lone Chelsea fan in my class this morning. Perhaps if we saw our teams as working together for an English victory, the competition would take on a whole new meaning.
I mean, in all fairness, in terms of what we're discussing now, as when we discussed Englands hopes for glory in Euro 2004, you are the realist, and I am the fantasist.

I'm looking for some wholly left wing, better footballing community type scenario whereas you are seeing it from a more right wing, more realistic, every man for himself type angle. Both angles have their pro's and con's and I understand what you're saying totally. It is hard to be objective in terms of European competition and the good of the English game, when guys wearing the claret and blue from a washed up Championship club are attempting to score points off you.

You must just look at them and laugh.

Quote Originally Posted by Czech. Republic
I would argue that the best league shoule be the one where the most exciting football is played, not where the best teams are. International fixtures seem a more fitting stage on which to play out the titantic battles between nations that we're all so fond of. That said, matches between top club teams are just as exciting (if not more so) than those of international sides, so to see these all-star teams face each other is still a great prospect.
What I find exciting about European club football, as opposed to Internationals, which in reality are sporadic at best in terms of the equality of the match ups, are the individual battles. It's only really in European competition that our country's top players can pit themselves against the top players of other countries. You're unlikely to see players like Giggs, Shevchenko, Kaladze, Guerrero, Toure etc play at the highest international level, that being the World Cup, or even make a significant impact if their respective countries were to make it to the finals. Whereas you can see titanic club battles every season, which don't get any less exciting, you only really get to see titanic national battles involving players of the highest quality, for about 4 weeks of every two years.