The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

Mike Tuckerman

Expert

Joined December 2008

2.42m

Views

1.1k

Published

3.3k

Comments

Published

Comments

Older Submissions

Firstly, the Asian places you’re alluding to where the Premier League is particularly popular – like Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong – also speak English.

Having lived in Japan, I can state unequivocally that way more people watch the J. League than the EPL in that particular part of Asia.

Secondly, the popularity of a league has little to do with its competitiveness. Marseille don’t average crowds of 60,000+ because someone bought a jersey in Doha, they draw huge attendances because they have a passionate local fan base… just like every other major football city around the world.

Lastly, I’ll end this by pointing out that I couldn’t care less whether the Premier League is popular here, there, or wherever.

I simply asked the question why more Aussies don’t tune into Ligue 1. I’m not terribly interested in turning it into a contest about which faraway European league is supposedly better.

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

That’s probably because those three big leagues send virtually the same clubs into the Champions League every season, whereas the more competitive Ligue 1 often sends relative newcomers (as it has done once again this season with Racing Club de Lens).

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

Not that I feel particularly passionate about it one way or another, but this entire take reflects a typically Aussie ignorance of the French game.

France lacks “working class” clubs? Then what are Lens, Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Strasbourg etc?

Big clubs challenging the local hegemony? Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais are two of the biggest clubs in world football. (And produce the day-to-day drama that comes with it).

Ligue 1 broke attendance records last season… and that was without well-supported teams like Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne in the division.

A big part of the reason we watch the Premier League in Australia is because they speak English.

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

What was your last column about, Middy?

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

No different to Bayern winning the Bundesliga eleven times in a row, or Juventus when they won nine Scudetti in succession. And neither of those competitions are struggling for crowds.

It’s UEFA Champions League money that has distorted domestic football more than anything else.

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

I mean… Monaco won the league in 2017, and Lille won it in 2021. And before the Qataris bought Paris Saint-Germain, the last five winners of Ligue 1 were Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, and Montpellier.

PSG only won the league with one game to spare last season – and that was after a decisive 3-1 win over Lens at the Parc des Princes on Matchday 31 – so I don’t think it’s quite the one-horse race many Aussies seem to believe.

Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?

View Comment
Football
 
1w

I was browsing a rugby league forum the other day, and noticed someone on there had called me a “soccer-obsessed European immigrant”.

Not bad for a kid from Parra who was born in Westmead Hospital!

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

Mary’s was an absolute ripper. She’s a joy to watch.

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

I used to side-foot them all the time. Not always terribly successfully, mind you.

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

News just in: football columnist writes column about football. More to come!

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

I think the Matildas got very lucky with that whole sequence of events. It should never have been a corner – the ball, hard as it was to see in real time, clearly crossed the goal line – but the decision to call a foul on Foord felt like a bit of a square-up.

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

If the rumours are true, James Johnson is also moving on to a role with FIFA at the conclusion of the event. It’ll be interesting to see who steps up at Football Australia in his absence.

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

The bigger question is, Waz, who will you be supporting?

The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can

View Comment
Football
 
3w

I think it would make a lot more geopolitical sense for a co-hosted bid between Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.

This is the Matildas' biggest game yet. Can they hold their nerve?

View Comment
Football
 
4w

I can’t see it ever happening. Not only would it traverse two different hemispheres and multiple timezones, the two regions are also poles apart culturally. Plus Japan has already co-hosted a World Cup (which they didn’t particularly enjoy). So I can’t see this kind of joint bid ever working.

This is the Matildas' biggest game yet. Can they hold their nerve?

View Comment
Football
 
4w

It’s true.

The Matildas can make history in the biggest game we've seen in years

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

Weirdly enough, I think playing at AAMI Park tonight might actually help the Matildas. Not because it’s such a wonderful venue or anything, but just because I feel like having the crowd sitting right on top of the two teams will produce a better atmosphere.

I thought the fans were very nervous in Brisbane on Thursday night.

The Matildas can make history in the biggest game we've seen in years

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

Are you sure you’re not the one with a massive chip? You seem like the type who would complain over a blank piece of paper.

The Matildas can make history in the biggest game we've seen in years

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

Considering so many people come back week after week to read my column, I’m going to say ‘yes’.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

I love Harps.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

I cannot stress enough how much it is not my job to provide positive commentary.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

The ‘author’ simply writes about football.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

What nonsense. A quick glance at the football tab reveals almost every current story is on the Women’s World Cup – including mine.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

I think I’d rather just do my job.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul

The only thing I need to do is write columns people want to engage with. Which is precisely what I do every single week.

The Women's World Cup will succeed in spite of mainstream media, not because of it

View Comment
Football
 
Jul
Older Comments
close