Soc-cer? It was that one simple, trite phrase from the unwashed masses at Deadspin that caused us to leap into action and form the genius that you all know and love today. With literally every instance of Hirshey's "Closer" column the oh-so-hilarious footy naysayers would come out of the woodwork with their well-thought comment (seriously, searching for "Soc-cer?" on Deadspin would yield 1,279,321 hits). And finally, we had enough. A plea went out in the comments - "Who is interested in starting a soccer blog?" and the response was immediate from the hard-core gentlemen (sic) who formed this site (RIP Badly-Drawn Boykins - we still love ya, buddy!).
We've grown quite a bit since our first post on December 23rd, 2007 - we picked up some stragglers, diversifying the crew beyond Gooners and Scousers. We conducted several interviews, attended media events, and became live-blogging experts (well, some of us, at least). All told, it's been a fantastic year, and we guarantee that we will be even better in Year 2.
But for now, as we look back on Year 1, it's time for us to pat ourselves on the back as individuals. Although I haven't been as busy as I would have liked over here, I still had 89 posts from which to choose my 5 favorites. And the nominees are:
(1) "Who Are: Tottenham Hotspur?" - With only my 3rd post I decided to mark my territory as any Arsenal supporter would - by pissing on Tottenham.
(2) "A Blog Divided: The Arsenal v. Liverpool Treble" - One of the first "group efforts" on the site where I solicited opinions from everyone on the upcoming matches (2 Champions League and 1 EPL) between the clubs supported by the majority of UFers. I think we all remember how things turned out.
(3) "Euro 2008 Liveblog: Germany v. Spain" - Liveblogging the Euro 2008 final was quite a treat, as the match ended 1-0 for Spain on a brilliant strike from Nando and we got 50 comments. Plus, our coverage of the entire tournament absolutely crushed Deadspin after our advances to provide coverage for them were dismissed. (But we still love you, Will!)
(4) "Silence, Bande de Cretins!" - Dealing with things near and dear to my heart (Les Bleus and La Marseillaise), I think I had just the right touch of seriousness along with a good self-deprecating joke at the end.
(5) "We Don't Want to Rule the World, We Just Want to Piss Off the Brits" - The discussion of UEFA's proposal for a "super-sports administrator" gets the nod purely because the ever-cranky Georger loved the use of the Ming the Merciless picture. And also because Platini, whom I grew up admiring, really is a douche.
So there it is - my 5 favorite posts from that scamp The NY Kid. Overall, I think the most fulfilling part of this experience for me has been providing my Ligue 1 coverage (and making a Bordeaux fan of jjf3) while not having to deal with (too many) French surrender jokes, despite the prevalence of Brits in the house. In truth, we rip each other because we all have a great respect for what we each bring to the table, and I think the site is better for it.
A great big thank you to all of our readers and commenters - we couldn't have done it without you. And Happy Holidays, you crazy kids!
To Year 2, and beyond!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
And so Year 2 Begins: A Look Back at Year 1
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
UF is One: And Bigus climbed aboard.
Well we are one. What can I say. I joined the good ship UF a few months after it left the dock and ever since I have given you regular Colaship reviews and many, many, many, many, many, many rants. Boy do I rant. Bigus loves football and a good rant. Bigus is easily irritated. Prod me with a stick and I'll bite. But hey that's me and I like to think people enjoy my rage as much as they enjoy Mike Georger's through his 6 billion comments this year.
I started out my UF tenure with posts slanted towards Norwich City but I'd like to think that throughout the year I have been consistent with a variety of topics and observations, keeping the love for Norwich deeply embedded in the Colaship reviews. I tried anyway.
The rest of the guys are picking their 'best 5' of the year and they have lots of choice.
Why?
A: They are a lot smarter than me.
And B: They are a lot smarter than me.
I have a few faves and I'll share them after the jump.
1: My favorite has to be the Ip.Ip.Ip..Them preview. I started out attempting to preview them in a serious manner and then I said f--k it!
2: I enjoyed writing this piece about Capello after England's win over Belarus. What makes this one memorable is that 2 days later the BBC's chief blogger Phil McNulty wrote pretty much the same thing. I rushed them my resume.
3: UF reader Kopper picked this next one. I am a very passionate England fan, just ask Autoglass about the tears that drip into my beer after a penalty shoot out at a major tourney. At the time I wrote this, the booing of Ashley Cole was a popular topic.
4: I did 3 interviews this year and yes they were all Norwich related! I asked our readers and the UF crew to pose the questions and I think many people were genuinely interested in hearing the professional point of view. First I talked to my mate John Revell, a youth coach at Norwich. Many of you asked about techniques and training and I think Mr Revell was pretty descriptive with his answers. Another interview was BBC Commentator and ex Norwich and Everton midfielder Neil Adams and again I received many questions wanting to probe the life of a Premier League footballer. Just this September I fired some email questions at my hero and current San Jose winger Darren Huckerby. I felt the answers could have been longer but those pesky media Nazi's at San Jose love their CTL and X keys.
5: Finally I liked this post a lot because it's just so stupid. It started with Newcastle's signing of Fabricio Coloccini and from there I dived back into time with hairdresser Tyson Kennedy for a look at unforgettable hair do's.
Well that was my year. I am very proud to be apart of UF along with the geniuses who keep this great site alive. We really have gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months and we aim to amuse and entertain over the next 12. Thanks for reading.
Oh crap..I just remembered this!
-Bigus
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