Good Afternoon Mo Bros and Mo Sistas and welcome to another week of epic from Team Tallsome. As we mentioned earlier, this week’s posts will be from our friend’s and supporters of the Movember cause and today’s post comes from my roommate, Tanvir. Tanvir’s favorite activities include not cleaning up after himself, jumping over our couch and eating all my food. A devout and dedicated fan of Manchester United Tanvir is dropping a little bit of knowledge on all the Mo Bro’s looking to wise up on soccer (or football if you want to be a douche about it). Stay tuned this week and enjoy my absolute favorite soccer related video. – Matt
I still remember that fateful May afternoon, my Dad, the workaholic, had been home early from work and told me to watch a game with him. Being the Daddy’s boy that I was, I sat there by his side watching what I thought was just another game. As it turns out I was watching the third and final cup Manchester United would win that year, a feat that still has not been replicated by any English Club since. From that moment on I became a fan of the winningest team on the biggest stage in sports but to understand the climax one first needs to understand the beginning….
The Barclay’s Premier League season (the majority of televised games and large fan bases in the States are BPL products) gets underway mid-August and ends during the middle May. The top 20 teams in England all start the campaign with one goal in mind, a hand on the trophy. Each team plays the other 19 teams once at home and away. Three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The champion of the league is determined by the team with the most points at the end of the campaign.
Unlike American sports, there is just as much competition at the bottom of the table as the top. In the Premier League the bottom three teams in the league gets relegated meaning they will take part in the second tier Football League Championship. The top three teams from the Football League Championship earn a berth to the English Premier League the following season and will be able to stay there as long as they finish 17th or above each season.
If a team near the top of the table considers the Barclay’s Premiere Trophy out of reach they still have a lot to play for. After the final whistle blows in May the top three teams get an automatic bid to the UEFA Champion’s League the following season and the fourth place squad gets a playoff bid to enter the tournament.There is no playoff after the season ends; the last game has the same significance as the first. The difference between a season in England compared to American sports, every game matters. Following your club from Match Day 1 to Match Day 38 is drama in itself.
When Manchester United needed a win on the final day to win the League it did not look good being a goal down in the first half to Tottenham Hotspur. Just before halftime old Golden Balls himself David Beckham netted the equalizer. During the intermission I sat there hoping for another United comeback, something a fan of the Red Devils was accustom to. Just after the break Dwight Yorke netted home the winner, with 40 minutes to play. Waiting for those minutes to tick off the clock felt like an eternity, but United in the end prevailed. Winning the title by a single point on the final day. And so the story goes, my allegiance has never wavered. UNITED TIL I DIE!!
maxandmattsbrojourney 