When did you switch to the Internet for Football Information?

[matt j]

I've only ever relied on the internet for football information, so starting with 2002, when I got into it apart from the World Cup.

This, but slightly earlier. When I really tried following CL and the European leagues in 97/98, this was my main/only option, and at my first full-time permanent job (which had reliable internet) my first stop after logging in was either sports.yahoo.com/soccer or soccernet when it came around. OTF (or whatever that old garish board was) wasn't too long after that for me.

I'd followed World Cup of course (1994 after all), but it took the internet to really bring me (as an American) into the fold completely.

[Satchmo Distel]

I remember Feeny doing World Service Saturday afternoon sport* but hadn't realized he did it for 36 years:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p069rvkw

*I think I listened around 1980 hoping that their coverage would be less parochial than Radio 2 (maybe more overseas Test reports etc) but realized fairly quickly that it just fed off the Radio 2 coverage.

[ad hoc]

And a blog you say? Don’t suppose...?

I'd love to find it somehow and I tried once but the wayback Internet thingy needs you to remember the url. And the url started with www.geocities.com and had, I recall, the word cabana in it and some numbers and probably some more words. In short I have no idea

[Sits]

A simple thing....

[andrew7610]

I used to be on the Internet Saints Supporters Club email list, which was like a message board where every response generated an email to everyone on the list. This was while I was at uni around 1994-95, and I even ended up playing for Southampton ISSC at a pre-Euro 96 tournament played at Nottingham Trent university.

I got (accidentally) booted in the face vs AEK Athens, ripping my mouth open to the middle of my cheek and requiring 22 stitches inside and outside my face. I watched England vs Spain in A&E in full-kit-wanker mode - including boots and shinpads - covered in claret, and still have the scar today. So fuck you, early internet.

[Sits]

I got (accidentally) booted in the face vs AEK Athens.

A quote for the ages.

[Patrick Thistle]

This is hard to remember. I know we got home Internet about 2000 and I used to write silly articles for the Blue and Amber Shrewsbury fans section on the old Rivals site but I never really consumed sports coverage anyway so not sure whether I ever really switched. At some point checking the Internet became the default thing to do for all research. Probably in my first job as a staff writer which I started in late 2003.

[Nesta]

Wait, it was a pre-euro 96 tournament, but you didn't get seen in a&e until the quarter finals? Fuckin tories, man.

[DPDPDPDP]

I lived overseas in the 90’s. Bought The Shoot, yes The Shoot, to get up to date football news. Most of the clients of the company I worked for, subcontracted the management of one of their group companies to us. When this internet thingy came in , me and another Brit, realizing the potential to get quick, up to date football news, prepared a (bullshit) report for management stating that it was essential that we got this internet thingy and that two of us should trial it for 6 months. Management bought our story. We spent way more time on the football pages of Sporting Life.com than we ever did on any client sites.

[Various Artist]

I got (accidentally) booted in the face vs AEK Athens, ripping my mouth open to the middle of my cheek and requiring 22 stitches inside and outside my face. I watched England vs Spain in A&E in full-kit-wanker mode - including boots and shinpads - covered in claret, and still have the scar today. So fuck you, early internet.

Holy crap, that sounds hideous Andrew. Someone contrived to give you a Glasgow grin with their studs?! Jesus.

[San Bernardhinault]

I got (accidentally) booted in the face vs AEK Athens, ripping my mouth open to the middle of my cheek and requiring 22 stitches inside and outside my face. I watched England vs Spain in A&E in full-kit-wanker mode - including boots and shinpads - covered in claret, and still have the scar today. So fuck you, early internet.

Well, that explains the avatar.

[3 Colours Red]

Bought The Shoot, yes The Shoot, to get up to date football news.

Still better than Match though - I always felt that Shoot was more no-nonsense and trying less desperately to be "cool" and "with it".

[Various Artist]

Wait, I don't know if you're being facetious there 3CR, but DP⁴ were you referring to Shoot magazine when talking about "The Shoot"? I assumed from the definite article it must be something completely separate I'd never heard of. Fascinating to learn it was available overseas if we are talking about the same thing.

I used to get Shoot in the mid-'90s too, 3CR: I couldn't get down with Match either.

[3 Colours Red]

Facetious? MOI?

Fastidious research (otherwise known as five minutes' Googling) would suggest no other publication going by a similar name.