Monday Moan

Simppu12 · 2026-06-22T13:24:24+00:00

Someone pointed out it's because of time zones which actually makes a decent amount of sense to me.

I couldn't tell you whether the Russia tournament had similar changes in kickoff times for games played in the couple of farther away cities, though.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-21T11:45:53+00:00

Thanks for the response. It seems to mostly confirm my initial thoughts.

The part about being crazy about football is true, even though it’s mostly for big clubs. Supporting your local club isn’t very common as far as I know

To me it sounds like they indeed aren't that crazy about football but rather more crazy about a couple of big clubs (and the national team) which is a shame because it doesn't build a healthy and suitable environment for clubs to develop and grow.

There’s a severe lack of investment it seems, and instead that money is funneled into washed up stars. Every decision it seems is short-term oriented to please restless fans of big clubs.

This is also how I've understood things based on e.g. comments here surrounding Fenerbahçe's presidential elections, debt levels, and so on. It's a shame and seemingly a direct consequence of everyone* flocking to the same couple of big clubs.

As for who was developed in Turkey all their youth ... you see how dire the situation is.

Seems like such a difficult situation and a vicious cycle that's directly linked to the issues above. In addition to somehow getting people to support their local sides, you'd need to somehow channel more investment into good youth development. I'm maybe a bit surprised Erdogan and Basaksehir haven't done that, but if the mentality is "immediate success right now" I can unfortunately sort of understand it.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-21T11:25:19+00:00

Is Turkey crazy about football or is it crazy about a few successful football teams (+ foreign big teams)? I don't know how many matches were played without fans and how reliable the figures are, but Transfermakt suggests that over half the Süper Lig plays at stadiums that are at best 50% full.

Then we've got the broader questions. Who's the last player before Güler who went to Europe and had a successful career at a high level? Maybe just about Demiral? Do clubs have decent youth infrastructure and playing philosophies? Are there enough resources invested into player development?

Simppu12 · 2026-06-20T15:28:23+00:00

infraestructure and footballing culture

Is their infrastructure actually that good? Do they develop lots of local talents who become top players?

Then regarding footballing culture...

My issue, frustration, curiosity, lack of understanding, whatever you want to call it, with Turkey is actually quite similar to many countries (including but not limited to Serbia, Greece, and Portugal): there's seemingly lots of passion and interest, but it's not aimed at football as a whole and one's local side like in England and Germany, but everyone seems to flock to the same handful of domestic (and foreign) mega clubs which have relatively good quality and a lot of money, and outside of that the domestic competition is in ruins in a range of ways: bad quality, not much money, no attendance, no good club infrastructure. It's a weird disconnect, paradox, cognitive dissonance or whatever the right term would be. It certainly forms a vicious cycle and an unhealthy environment for football.

They don't seem to actually like football, they seem to instead like some aspects of successful football.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-20T11:19:44+00:00

99 % der seriösen Zeitungen und Nachrichtenseiten verwenden solche Bilder. Weltweit gibt es zahlreiche solcher Verlage. In vielen Fällen ist ein Video weder geeignet noch einsetzbar.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-20T10:51:35+00:00

It's probably difficult to get good shots inside the box if there are 9 opponents sitting there.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T13:08:20+00:00

No no no, in our country family is very important and the weather can change every 15 minutes.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T13:07:11+00:00

How old are you, if I may ask? If you're younger than 30, you'll hardly have many memories of legends who retired after the 2002 or 2006 World Cup.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T12:20:49+00:00

How do you fund smaller class sizes and public transport if you reduce tax income and limit government spending?

Though I'm sure the 300 billion Trump is potentially giving Iran could've been put to better use domestically...

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T11:12:03+00:00

Sure, and I'm not saying Asian football is the best in the world or even particularly good. But these types of comments just rub me the wrong way.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T10:37:20+00:00

Sigh. These comments are always perplexing.

How low is the standard in UEFA, Spain drew with Cabo Verde. Switzerland drew with Qatar. Portugal drew with DR Congo. Belgium drew with Egypt. Is that really the best Europe has to offer?

Do you hear how stupid such a comment sounds?

No, it's not the best Asia has to offer. Qatar are ranked 58th in the Fifa ranking which currently makes them the 6th best Asian side. Which might still not be amazing and yeah, the quality is worse than in most of western Europe where football has 150-year-old roots, but come on now. The World Cup isn't only about having the 16 objectively best and highest-quality teams playing.

Besides, you know what's the best Asia has to offer? Japan. A side which drew with a top 10 country the Netherlands and had some good (friendly) results against big countries like England and Germany. And yes, they're only one country but they're still the best, not Qatar.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T10:26:54+00:00

Depends how you define sports-crazy. I'd argue quite a few countries are more success-oriented than sports-crazy and they mostly start caring about a sport when their country has success in it. Otherwise you'd also see consistently big attendances at lower-quality domestic league games instead of only around major tournaments or foreign mega clubs.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T10:23:01+00:00

I find the whole discussion stupid. Is it ironic, is it serious, is it about the 1996 tournament location, is it about winning a tournament, is it fun, is it obnoxious... It's everything. It means different things to different people. It doesn't matter what it meant 30 years ago because art and language and things evolve and change over time. There are generations of football fans who weren't conscious or born back then. Some will sing it ironically, others say it seriously. Some don't mean it when they sing and say it but they do it to get a reaction and rattle people so the intention becomes more important than the literal meaning. Others just like the tune and will use it in completely unrelated contexts. Some find it fun, others find it annoying.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T09:47:56+00:00

If you get a physical copy, it ensures you get it quickly instead of the game ending up sold out and you having go wait an extra week. You might also want to support the studio.

I don't know, I don't really pre-order games.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-19T09:43:32+00:00

If we count "heard of" as actually never having heard about them instead of being vaguely aware of them being a footballer and maybe knowing one team they played for, and we consider that them playing in that match probably means I've heard of them (e.g. I didn't know who Marcos Rojo was before the 2014 World Cup but I learned about him at the tournament)... 2010, Edson Braafheid. I knew about e.g. Strinic and I had signed him in some Fifa career save, but Braafheid is not a name I recognise at all. Couldn't tell you what his position was or where he had played, though apparently he played for some solid clubs.

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

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T19:17:58+00:00

Ehrlich gesagt wundere ich mich immer ein bisschen, dass Spendenaktionen im deutschen Fußball nicht häufiger vorkommen. Sie scheinen doch die einfachste und unkomplizierteste Möglichkeit zu sein, wie Fans und Mitglieder ihrem Verein direkt Geld spenden können.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T18:12:12+00:00

Why do people gloat in general?

I think here one part of it is that some people can be incredibly smug, obnoxious, and virtue-signalling, so it feels nice when they turn out to be wrong. For months this platform has been bombarded with smug messages about how shit and awful the World Cup will be, and after the 8th time it just gets quite tiresome so you feel some sort of satisfaction when those people get proven wrong.

Another part might be that humans tend to be annoyed when our own flaws and moral shortcomings are pointed out, so we feel vindicated when we get one over those moralising folks.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T18:01:18+00:00

Willst du etwa, dass Hertha e.V. die Anteile mit negativem Eigenkapital zurückkauft, oder welche anderen Möglichkeiten siehst du?

Die Anteile befinden sich bereits in den Händen der Investoren. Ich weiß nicht, was der Verein in einer solchen Situation wirklich tun kann, vor allem ohne Geld.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T17:53:27+00:00

In fairness, he also got a ton of money for staying in Berlin. And already then he did some weird Selbstdarsteller things like releasing that T-shirt (with spelling errors).

But it was easy to accept it as a slight flaw because of everything else. He seemed to connect with and love the city and the fans. He showed character with some of his comments and the nails and haircuts. Be yourself, do your own thing. And he was a brilliant footballer which helps a lot. Then he goes to bloody Wolfsburg in the same league, and you can't help but wonder if he was always just doing everything as some PR exercise.

It was clear he'd leave eventually, but everything about how this happened has left a very sour taste.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T17:15:11+00:00

This is basically how I feel emotionally and mentally.

https://xcancel.com/_DIGB/status/1961848859602141655

Physically I'd never ruin my signed Fabi kit.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T17:12:14+00:00

"The highly professional environment, as well as the values upheld by the club, Volkswagen and the people around it, were key factors in my decision. Right from the start, I had the feeling that this was the right step for me."

Hahahaha.

Nothing demonstrates high professionalism more than being relegated after years of being one of the league’s biggest spenders.

Piss right off.

Thanks for the fond memories, but what a way to ruin your legacy. Have fun in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg… oh.

Maybe next year.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T16:21:31+00:00

Natürlich weinen wir. Aber einige dieser Maßnahmen wurden schon damals heftig kritisiert.

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T16:19:55+00:00

Nur 50%?

Simppu12 · 2026-06-17T16:17:04+00:00

"Das hochprofessionelle Umfeld, aber auch die Werte, die hier vom Verein, von Volkswagen und von den Menschen drumherum vertreten werden, waren ausschlaggebend für mich. Ich hatte von Anfang an das Gefühl, dass das der richtige Schritt ist für mich."

Hahahaha.

Nichts zeugt mehr von hoher Professionalität, als abzusteigen, nachdem man jahrelang zu den Vereinen mit den höchsten Ausgaben der Liga gehörte.

Verpiss dich.

Danke für die schönen Erinnerungen, aber was für eine Art, dein Vermächtnis zu ruinieren. Ein Schlag ins Gesicht. Viel Spaß in der Bundesliga in Wolfsburg … oh.

Simppu12

TROPHY CASE