What constitutes a football hotbed?

[Thespence]

The North East of England is often described as a ‘football hotbed’ – an area that is widely accepted to be rich in the culture, tradition and passion of the beautiful game. Three big clubs, hundreds of thousands of loyal supporters and a breeding ground for talent through the eras, there can’t be many parts of the world that top Tyneside, Wearside and the Tees on the hotbed thermometer ?

 

Well of course there are. Bobby Charlton, Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne apart, how many world class players has the ‘hotbed’ produced ? And how many trophies have their teams won on a national or international stage ?

 

I know it’s not all about glory and home grown talent, but I can make a case for ten diverse areas on this planet all being bigger hotbeds than the North East (population: 2,515,442):

 

 

1. Buenos Aires (pop: 13, 044,800) Clubs 24, Continental titles 10, Top 3 players – Maradona, di Stefano, Zanetti.

 

Buenes Aires boasts the highest concentration of professional football teams of any city in the world - 24 -which include winners of the Libertadores Cup winners on no fewer than 10 occasions. Boca Juniors (6), River Plate (2), Argentinos Juniors (1) and Velez Sarsfield (1) have brought unparalleled glory to the city which lives and breathes the game. Producing arguably the world’s most gifted footballer ever gives Buenos Aires a special place in the pantheon of the sport.

 

2. Milan (pop: 3,893,959) Clubs 2, Continental titles 9, Top 3 Players – Maldini, Meazza, Bergomi.

 

AC Milan and Internazionale produce the foremost European city derby in terms of tradition and quality. It’s not a city that exports many players - because they all want to stay and play for one of the giants.

 

3. Sao Paulo (pop: 22, 677,506) Clubs 6, Continental titles 4, Top 3 home grown talents – Kaka, Cafu, Rivelino.

 

Three huge clubs - Sao Paulo FC, Corinthians, Palmeiras and three smaller clubs in the city and probably the biggest exporter of football talent throughout Brazil, South America and the rest of the world. Whatever team you support - you’ve probably had a Sao Paulo-born player on the books at some stage!

 

4. Merseyside (pop: 1,365,900) Clubs 3, Continental Titles 5, Top 3 Players – Gerrard, Rooney, McManaman.

 

Two huge clubs that are among the oldest and most passionately followed in the game, plus a breeding ground for talent that has been exported elsewhere or stayed at home.

 

5. Amsterdam (1, 468,122) Clubs 1, Continental Titles 4, Top 3 Players – Cruyff, Gullit, Rijkaard.

 

Small city - big football tradition. Total Football and some of the world’s greats grew up here - with a helping hand from Surinam: Seedorf, Davids, Winter…

 

6. Glasgow (1, 750,000) Clubs 3, Continental Titles 1, Top 3 players – Dalglish, Ferguson, Auld.

 

Celtic, Rangers, Dalglish, Lisbon Lions, Barcelona Bears, Sir Alex Ferguson.

 

7. East London (1,500,000) Clubs 2, Continental titles 0, Top 3 Players – Moore, Beckham, Brooking.

 

West Ham catchment area has harvested the likes of Ferdinand x 2, Lampard, Defoe, Carrick, Cole, Johnson, four of which will play in the Champions League final. Before that and it was Moore, Hurst, Brooking. No trophies but clubs with traditional and passionate followings.

 

8. Cairo (7, 734, 334) Clubs 2, Continental titles 10, Top 3 Players –Mido, Hossam Hassan, Ramzy.

 

9. Marseille (1,605,000) Clubs 1, Continental titles 1 Top 3 Players - Zidane, Cantona, Flamini.

 

10. Johannesburg (3,888,180) Clubs 3, Continental titles 1, Top 3 Players Radebe, Khumalo, Zuma.

 

http://soccerlens.com/what-constitues-a-football-hotbed-newcastle-fans-look-away-now/7344/

 

Bryan Robson was decent, Gary Pallister was the most expensive defender in the world or was he just the British record transfer, Steve Bruce was a zillon times better than likes Radebe, all the Cario players....I could go on with a few other names.

[Guest Sam]

Beardsley, Waddle, Bobby, Gazza, Shearer, The Charltons, Robson, Bruce, Milburn.

 

So these arent legends of the game?

[Dave]

I think most people class a 'hotbed of football' simply as somewhere where a lot of people live and breathe football, and have done for a long time. The North East certainly falls into that category. I'd not particularly associate the term with the players it's produced, tbh.

 

The opening paragraph reads like it's being used as just another excuse to have a go at us, for some reason. And including Middlesbrough is ridiculous.

[midds]

Robson was only 'decent'? 

 

 

[Tooj]

Zidane, Cantona then Flamini.

[Dave]

Did he really mention Anton Ferdinand too?

[Tooj]

Bobby Charlton and Gazza are probably the two finest players England have produced. Total shite man. But obviously Stevie G has to be in there.

 

Ferguson was a shite player as well by all accounts.

[indi]

A better article would be: "What constitutes a shit football website."

 

1. Writers that do fuck all research for their pieces.

2. Writers who then proceed to talk out of their arses.

 

...

 

 

Hmm, maybe I should stop there. 

 

 

Anyway who gives a shit about whether or not some clichéd term applies to the North East, what difference does it make to anything at all!?!

[Guest DazzaNufc1892]

talking of hotbeds, anybody ever seen dyers porno?

[Parsley]

Did he really mention Anton Ferdinand too?

 

Was probably talking about Les.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Ramage, Brittain, Gate.  Stick that up your hotbed arse!

[junkhead]

that's like the worst article ever..

[johnnypd]

looking at tyneside, north durham and south northumberland alone, that part of the north east has produced footballers that few other areas of comparable size can match.

 

Stan Mortensen, Bobby Charlton, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Bryan Robson, Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle can all claim to be amongst the best footballers in the world at the time they played. then there's players like George Armstrong (Arsenal's record appearance holder), Jackie Milburn, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, Colin Bell, Frank Clark, Steve Bruce, Michael Carrick etc who were or are amongst the best in the country.

 

then looking at Managers there's Bob Paisley one of the most successful managers of all time and the only man to have won the european cup 3 times iirc, SBR, Howard Kendall amongst others (widen the net and you also have Clough).

[Guest Jawesome]

Another dig at the north east by a fat southerner?

 

Aye, thought so.

 

Keel over and have a heart attack you cunt.

[johnnypd]

i just noticed the moron said west ham's catchment area produced Carrick.

 

hoisted by his own petard.

[OzzieMandias]

Cairo? Marseille? What a daft load of tripe.

 

And Rio Ferdinand isn't from East London. He's from Peckham --  Millwall cachment area, Charlton at a stretch.

[Kimbo]

McManaman? Defoe? Is that Glen Johnson he's mentioning? Radebe? Anton Ferdinand is getting a mention? Jesus christ.

 

Funny how Carrick is suddenly a cockney aswell.

[Adam]

How the fuck can you compare Cairo to the premier league ? Then Amsterdam what the fuck. Hate shit like this its actually like saying England isn't a football hot bed as we haven't won anything for bloody ages.

[Shearer9]

Is there really any point in taking this article seriously?  Buenos Aires as #1, fair enough, but Cairo and Johanesberg?  This is seriously laughable.  And why is he coming at it from the point of view that the north east isn't a footballing hotbed?  Maybe it isn't in the top 10 in the world, but why do we need an article to prove specifically that the north east of England is in fact not in the top 10 footballing hotbeds, a term so ambiguous he doesn't even bother giving it a definition. 

[Shearer9]

I just had to post again.  Johannesburg as a footballing hotbed.  :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Mr Logic]

8. Cairo (7, 734, 334) Clubs 2, Continental titles 10, Top 3 Players – Mido, Hossam Hassan, Ramzy.

 

Right up there with Cruyff and Pele.

 

What a fucking ridiculous article, unless his intention was to wind up, in which case it's quite a successful article.

 

edit: Just noticed he replies himself in the comments, and proves conclusively he's a tosser.

 

8. #  May 7, 2008

Simon Barlow

 

Hi Lee, yes I know Carrick is from the NE. More trophies than Shearer already, I should have put him in their top 3.

Hi Colin, not referring to Alex Ferguson in the top 3 Glasgow players. Jinky wasn’t born in Glasgow - when did he move there ?

Haha fair comments on Johannesburg fellas. Couldn’t find any world class players from there but that’s not the sole factor in deciding a football hotbed is it.

Hi Paul, I chose East London because it’s my article and I’ll write what I like! ta for replies

 

[NG32]

Fucking Cairo?  Cario!  Fuck off man.

 

Shit article.

 

 

[gray]

A better article would be: "What constitutes a s*** football website."

 

1. Writers that do f*** all research for their pieces.

2. Writers who then proceed to talk out of their arses.

 

...

 

 

Hmm, maybe I should stop there. 

 

 

Anyway who gives a s*** about whether or not some clichéd term applies to the North East, what difference does it make to anything at all!?!

 

[cp40]

Dont win a domestic trophy for over , 50 years,

 

Average over 50, 000 for league matches,

 

Not what I would call an area that is 'cold' on football.

[Guest neesy111]

talking of hotbeds, anybody ever seen dyers porno?

 

i have, the euro 2000 1 with lampard, rio etc

 

cringe worthy lol